Wild tech details you missed from the new GTA 6 trailer and screens

GTA 6 might be delayed to 2026, but Rockstar gave us a little taste of what we’re waiting so long for, and it looks special. Shortly after the disappointing news, the developer dropped a brand new GTA 6 trailer and dozens of screenshots in an arty exhibit on the Rockstar website. 

In just over a week, the trailer is on its way to half a billion views across all platforms, and at least 100 of those were me. I’ve been trawling through the footage looking for hints about what we can expect from a game that will likely give us a little glimpse of what other games might do in ten years. 

Here are some of the wild tech details you might have missed from the GTA 6 trailer and screenshots, with a focus on stuff I haven’t seen talked about elsewhere. 

GTA 6 next-gen lighting details

GTA 6 is a real showcase of next-gen lighting technology, including ray-tracing with real-time reflections. From light refraction to retro reflections and even simulated ultraviolet light, here are some of the cool details. 

At 1:27 in the trailer, we drive past Lucia’s community service litter picking job. The workers wear high-visibility tabards, which sport simulated retro reflections in the reflective strips as lights hit them and bounce back. If you look at the screenshot above, the workers on the left aren’t catching the headlights from the vehicle, but the worker on the right is, and the tabard reacts accordingly. 

You can see the same effect at 2:15 as Lucia returns home from work, though the effect is more subtle because it’s reacting to the natural light spilling into the room. You can also see how light refracts through the glass bottle from the video game controller on the table, and how it captures the light in a soft reflection on the table. 

At 1:30, there’s an even better look at how light refraction works on glass if you look at the bottles in the fridge under the bar. 

There are a few shots of UV lighting in the trailer, but this brief one at 1:42 shows that ultraviolet light is realistically simulated, illuminating the white border of the poster in the background. 

Another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it detail, you can see working cat’s eye road studs in the dividing lane as the truck drags the safe behind it. Like the worker vests in the first screenshot, these work as retro reflections, lighting up as car headlights illuminate them. 

GTA 6 physics details

Rockstar always pushes what’s possible in video game physics thanks to the constantly evolving Rage engine underpinning its games. Here are some of the new details from the trailer. 

When Lucia shows off her fitted dress at 1:36, she gives Jason a spin, showing off advanced hair physics. Each strand of hair appears to react to motion independently. 

Towards the end of the trailer, we can also see how Jason’s chain reacts to every movement as he rides a motorbike. 

Rockstar has really pushed forward how models work, from the way muscle deformation reacts realistically to movement and effort, or how shirts and other clothing crease and move with the body. The ladder even moves slightly with each step as Jason descends. 

At 44 seconds in, watch the bottles as Jason walks from the store. The fluid in each bottle is simulated and sloshes around realistically with each swing of his arm. 

Over in the Wetlands, GTA 6 turns into Mudrunner, with realistic mud deformation as vehicles drive through the swamp. 

There’s even bubble physics. Check out Ben’s entire thread on Twitter for some other details I haven’t touched on here. 

GTA 6 NPC variety

I’m convinced at this point that GTA 6 will feature an evolution of GTA San Andreas’ body composition personalisation. There are multiple shots of Jason using weights, and he looks a lot more buff in this trailer compared to trailer one – that could all be player choice, depending on how much they eat and train. There’s also a huge variety of body types in the NPCs around Vice City, from different skin types to various builds, and NPC routines look more complex than ever. 

In this screenshot, the woman sports old, sun-damaged skin. 

Here we can see realistic tattoos, the best African-American hair in video games, scar tissue, and even individual moles on the male on the left’s shoulder. 

Not only is this screenshot a great example of the varied body types in GTA 6, but it seems to suggest way more reactive and individual NPCs. The random inhabitants of Vice City react to each other and hang around together. In just this shot, two couples are walking together – the old couple in the foreground and the young couple in the background – women are sunbathing, another woman is jogging, guys are throwing balls, a man is using a metal detector, and a lifeguard is looking out to sea with binoculars. 

Even people with disabilities are represented in GTA 6, and some NPCs appear to have pets if you look at the man riding a bike with a dog by his side. In the background, people are clambering over a statue, some NPCs are taking a selfie, and there’s a bus of tourists sorting through their itinerary. 

Another shot from Leonida Keys, this one shows people queuing for a bar as a couple embrace and a man sleeps deep in his cups. Is that guy in the background taking a leak?