Grand Theft Auto 6 is just a little over a month away and Rockstar is cranking up the marketing campaign, with a new surprise launch trailer this morning. Much of the new footage shows co-leads Jason and Lucia doing crimes in Vice City, but in between all the violence and debauchery, we got our first glimpse of an actual sex scene between the couple, and what we saw looks actually like a lovely, tender moment between the two in a shower.
We only get three shots of the scene, but Rockstar has taken care to paint it in a certain way. The only real lighting is what looks like a sunset outside the bathroom window, as if the two are either getting up for an early start, or maybe have been up all night have been riding a wave of drinks, multiple sessions, and other recreational activities. It’s not frisky or high energy at first, but the second shot we see shows the two really starting to get into it. Then the third shot does get a little bit cheekier, as it shows Lucia’s house arrest ankle monitor, though even that can be a bit somber in the right context. As much as she’s enjoying being with her man, there’s a reminder that even though she’s out of her cell and living life again, she’s not entirely free.
These are only a few shots of what is likely a longer scene, and it’s unclear just how explicit it will get since it’s been confirmed through leaks that Grand Theft Auto 6 will include player character nudity, but what we can see does seem like a depiction of sex that’s more intimate than it has typically been in the series.
Perhaps the most famous sex scene in all of Grand Theft Auto was San Andreas‘ “Hot Coffee” mod that included a playable sex mini-game based on cut content from the game. But that wasn’t meant to be in the final game, and in general, a lot of sex in Grand Theft Auto is implied but not shown, like when you pick up sex workers in your car in GTA 3, or is played for humorous juxtaposition, like Trevor’s raunchy introduction in Grand Theft Auto V. I’ve already really enjoyed the loving dynamic between Jason and Lucia in the trailers, and I’m glad to see that their relationship continues to stand out as something made of real intimacy when Grand Theft Auto‘s portrayal of sex could easily be another example of its most excessive tendencies (and there will be plenty of that, no doubt).
Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19, and there are reports that a PC version may not be too far off.