Grand Theft Auto 6 fans aren’t thrilled with Rockstar’s decision to release the next look at the game through Netflix.
Earlier today, Rockstar Games confirmed it will debut an “extended look” at Grand Theft Auto 6 on August 27 at 3pm ET through Netflix. The extended look will also be available at 9pm ET on YouTube, but for six hours, it will essentially be paywalled behind a Netflix subscription. Essentially, Rockstar and Netflix are asking fans to fork over some cash to see the game’s next big marketing beat the moment it goes live. Given the high anticipation for this game, there’ll certainly be people who sign up for Netflix just to watch this instead of waiting for it to release for free on YouTube later that evening.
As you might imagine, some fans find the entire thing a bit odd and are even upset about the move.
“This is unbelievably scummy,” said one fan on X. “Everyone is excited for the extended look of GTA 6, but it’s premiering on Netflix first, which will influence people to get a subscription. This needs to be called out, because if any other studio, such as Bethesda, did this, they would be crucified.”
“Hiding the first potential gameplay reveal behind a subscription, even if cheap and temporary, is peak Rockstar arrogance,” said another.
There are numerous other near-identical messages under Rockstar’s social media posts about the announcement, so these aren’t isolated comments. Some have questioned why Netflix was even chosen for this event. It’s likely Rockstar and Netflix partnered up after the streamer helped release Red Dead Redemption and the remastered GTA trilogy through its service, making the games accessible to millions of people who may not own a console or PC.
There are also fears that Netflix might not be able to handle the demand for the new look at GTA 6. The service is pretty notorious for crashing under pressure, particularly when there’s a highly anticipated premiere of a new show like Stranger Things or a live sporting event. Is Netflix prepared to handle millions of people flooding its servers at once to catch a glimpse at GTA 6? We can only hope.
As of right now, we’re not quite sure what will be featured in this new look. Will it be raw gameplay? A playthrough of a mission? A very long trailer? Some are hoping that we’ll get 15–30 minutes of footage of the game, which seems reasonable for something that is premiering on Netflix. Rockstar released 10 minutes of gameplay for Red Dead Redemption 2 ahead of its release across two gameplay deep dive videos, so an even deeper look at GTA 6 doesn’t feel totally out of the question.
The entire situation has resulted in a second wave of backlash against GTA 6. Although Rockstar is treating the game like an unprecedented event, some fans aren’t happy about the ways the company is going about it. In June, Rockstar confirmed that GTA 6 will not release on a disc, saying physical copies would only include a digital code. It’s speculated that Rockstar is doing this to prevent the game from leaking through early copies, but physical media fans are frustrated about the game from a preservation perspective. On top of that, the game is also $80 and certain content is locked behind a $100 ultimate edition.
Whether or not any of these annoyances are enough to turn people off to the game remains to be seen. GTA 6 is expected to be a pop culture golliath either way, and will likely be one of the biggest entertainment releases in history.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
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