GTA 6 Meets Hotline Miami in Slick New Game You Can Try Free Now

We’re most definitely on the final countdown to Grand Theft Auto VI’s release.

In fact, there are just over eight months to go until the game is finally ours.

If you’re in need of something to occupy your time between now and then, however, you may want to check out Jackal.

Developed by Transhuman Designs, Jackal is an upcoming top-down shooter that’s what I’d imagine you’d get if Grand Theft Auto and Hotline Miami had a baby.

The title tasks you with carrying out “ultra-violent raids in 1970s Vegas hotels”.

“Take down mobsters in top-down close combat with drug-enhanced superpowers. Random room layouts and stackable mutators ensure no two massacres are alike,” the synopsis teases.

“Drug-fueled hotel massacres with supernatural oversight. Physics-bending highs grant superhuman speed and strength, turning sofas into bone-breakers. Random layouts keep you guessing, stackable mutators amplify the chaos, and brutal finishers make this one bad trip to Vegas,” it continues.

I can see why devs described it as ultra-violent now.

That’s reflected in the gameplay which features plenty of splattered blood, so I hope you’re not too squeamish if you want to give this one a go.

The game actually refers to itself as “the most satisfyingly violent and unhinged murder simulator since Hotline Miami” which is quite something.

The stage is yours as soon as you begin a raid, with players able to turn an abundance of everyday items into weapons of mass destruction.

Drugs allow you to access supernatural-style power-ups and there are stackable gameplay mutators.

Jackal boasts a wide array of finishers, enemy types, locations, and each raid is different with randomly generated rooms.

Despite it perhaps verging on the border of glorifying violence, Jackal does look like it executed its vision exceptionally well.

The developers cite John Wick as a key inspiration which is sure to appeal to many potential players.

The game isn’t actually set to launch until January 2026, but a demo has now launched and is available to sample on Steam.

From what I can see, that demo is off to a great start with positive reactions already trickling in.

“Good demo so far. I liked it and very brutal game,” reads one such reaction.

There’s no word on how long the demo lasts for but regardless, it sounds like it’s well worth a play.

For now, Jackal is PC only but should its Steam release go well, here’s to hoping it may land on console further down the line.