GTA 6 doesn't need to mock Donald Trump to deliver its sharpest political satire

It looks like Rockstar Games is taking a different approach to the political satire we’ve come to expect from GTA. So, don’t expect a Donald Trump parody in GTA 6, but that could actually work in Grand Theft Auto’s favour.

Rockstar Games’ GTA series has always been known for its satirical take on modern culture, which is a big part of what makes its worlds so popular. GTA V’s Lifeinvader missions, for example, were a clear dig at the rise of Facebook and social media-era tech culture.

The series has also poked fun at political leaders, such as former U.S. presidents, Ronald Reagan in GTA: Vice City and Bill Clinton in GTA: San Andreas. GTA V released too early to poke fun at President Donald Trump, leaving many wondering if GTA VI will finally deliver a direct parody. Don't hold your breath though.

GTA 6 doesn't need to directly reference political leaders

As reported by Eurogamer (via Love), Rockstar Games narrative director Rupert Humphries said that rather than making direct references or copying real-world politics, GTA VI will instead use fictional elections, ads and talk shows, and I think that’s a good thing.

The biggest bonus of that approach is that it will keep satirical stories relevant for longer in GTA VI. The next U.S. presidential election is currently scheduled for November 7, 2028. Almost two years after the console launch of GTA VI and perhaps about a year after the unannounced PC port.

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Let’s say that Rockstar Games does a blatant parody of President Donald Trump, within a year of its PC launch, that joke would already be out of date. For the most part, GTA V avoided such blatant references, and it’s probably a reason why its world of Los Santos has remained somewhat relevant for over 13 years.

What’s more, at this point, I don’t think anyone reading this would hear any new political jokes that they’ve not heard countless times already. So, it would be great to see Rockstar Games come up with fresh jokes and parodies that we’ve not seen anywhere before. Just as they have in previous GTA games.

"If you go back to previous GTAs, there's never really been much focus on national politics," said Humphries. "The rise of Homeland Security and the Patriot Act were pretty central to GTA IV, but that was mainly because post-9/11 New York was a real frontline for those issues.

“Because we are trying to make games that feel very specific to the moment they are released, but at the same time, not reflective of the exact world we live in, we don't want to be too specific about any particular person, event, movement or anything like that.”

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It does look like GTA VI will have a more grounded, gritty, realistic world, and I’m sure that will work great for its modern-day version of Vice City. That being said, I do hope that it loses none of its original humour and pokes fun at every type of human on planet Earth.

Grand Theft Auto VI will be released on November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. As for the PC port, hopefully, Rockstar Games will make that official announcement sooner rather than later.