GTA 6 first official look confirms Vice City is returning

Rockstar Games has shared a first official look at the next Grand Theft Auto, which I think we've all collectively agreed to continue referring to as GTA VI until expressly told otherwise.

In November Rockstar Games announced that we'd get the first gameplay trailer for GTA VI in early December, and today (1 December), the publisher confirmed that we can tune in to see the official gameplay debut for the biggest game in the world on 5 December at 2pm GMT. I can't tell you how good it feels to be able to write those words. It's finally happening.

Ahead of the big trailer, Rockstar Games posted the first official artwork for GTA VI, and it confirms what we've all suspected: the upcoming game is indeed set in Vice City.

This won't come as a huge surprise to you if you've been following the leaks from last year, of course. While Rockstar has yet to say one way or the other, leaked gameplay shows off what is unmistakably Vice City. For those that don't follow all things Grand Theft Auto, Vice City is Rockstar's own version of Miami, and hasn't been seen in a GTA game since 2002's Vice City.

As others have pointed out, the artwork accompanying the GTA VI trailer announcement is inarguably themed after Vice City. There's a gorgeous sunset, clear skies, and - most telling of all - palm trees.

While there's still a chance Rockstar could pull the rug out from underneath it, it's looking all but guaranteed that GTA VI will see us return to the fictional Florida city. Based on map leaks, we can also count on this incarnation of the city being much, much larger than it was on PlayStation 2 back in 2002. In fact, we'd put money on their being multiple towns and cities to explore beyond Vice City itself.