GTA 6 Already Has a Mystery Players Are Trying to Solve - VICE

We are still a week away from launch, and there is already a GTA 6 mystery that players are trying to solve. One aspect of Grand Theft Auto VI’s marketing has sparked speculation among fans. From a possible nod to GTA V to theories about a hidden third protagonist, players have plenty of ideas about what Rockstar could be teasing.

When Rockstar released the first GTA 6 trailer in 2023, we also got key art featuring Jason and Lucia. At the time, the image largely flew under the radar as just an official poster for the game. However, in September, a new fan theory began to pop up about Grand Theft Auto VI’s marketing potentially teasing in-game lore by featuring three birds in its promotional images.

The theory first surfaced on forums such as Reddit, when users began to point out that several pieces of Grand Theft Auto VI artwork specifically feature three birds. “Rockstar keeps slipping exactly three birds into GTA 6 artwork. That same detail has been there since the first reveal,” a user wrote in a now-viral thread on the GTA subreddit.

Do the three birds actually mean anything? Is it just a coincidence, or a random number of birds used in marketing material? Well, the GTA 6 three-bird conspiracy has now become one of the game’s first mysteries. It could mean absolutely nothing. However, that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating and sharing their wild theories about it.

Since fans first noticed the three birds in the GTA 6 artwork, players have speculated about what they could mean. One of the more popular theories is that they’re a nod to GTA V’s trio of protagonists: Michael, Trevor, and Franklin.

Another theory is that the birds hint at a third playable character who hasn’t been revealed alongside Jason and Lucia. Some fans think this could tie into an epilogue or a surprise story twist.

Other players think the explanation is much simpler. Birds are a natural fit for Vice City’s tropical setting, so their inclusion could just be a background detail.

Some fans think the birds symbolize Michael, Franklin, and Trevor heading off into the sunset as Rockstar moves on from the GTA V era. Others have compared this to older promotional art featuring Niko Bellic alongside a lone bird.

My personal favorite, is a fan theory that believes two of the birds represent Jason and Lucia, and the third if the person who will betray them. I will admit this is a pretty big leap, seeing as we know little about the story itself. But this is a pretty fun nod to previous Rockstar Games which feature betrayals.

However, it should be pointed out that not all of the GTA 6 artwork features these three birds. In fact, there are only three examples of it including the: Grand Theft Auto VI vinyl artwork, Game Informer Magazine cover, and the first trailer’s key art.

Interestingly, the GTA 6 Extended Look artwork features six birds, although they are grouped in threes on either side of the image. All this to say, we could have a GTA 6 mystery on our hands. But it also might not mean anything at all!

Given how incredibly excited players are about the release of Grand Theft Auto VI on November 19, we can’t blame them for letting their imaginations run wild. Plus, Rockstar Games has a history of inserting crazy mysteries into its games. From Grand Theft Auto’s Bigfoot to Red Dead Redemption 2’s Easter eggs, there is a lot to uncover.