Rockstar Officially Addresses How GTA 6 Handles Trump and COVID-19

Rockstar Games has built its reputation on sharp, frequently juvenile satire in the Grand Theft Auto series. Thirteen years separate Grand Theft Auto 5 from Grand Theft Auto 6, so there is no shortage of American culture to skewer. According to fresh previews of the upcoming game, though, some subjects are off limits. One report says GTA 6 won’t tackle two things head-on: Donald Trump’s ascent to political power and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Plenty of longtime fans will welcome that restraint. These games usually work as a fantastical escape, a funhouse mirror held up to reality. Rockstar also has practical reasons for avoiding real-world historical events.

Rob Nelson, head of Rockstar North, told The New York Times earlier this summer that the studio risks dating itself awkwardly. His team therefore has to ask what will stay timeless, speak to universal human folly and still feel representative of this era years from now.

That said, Rockstar may still nod obliquely to the rise of mainstream conspiracy theories in modern culture. Such a nod would be an indirect way of acknowledging both Trump and the coronavirus.

In a separate preview with IGN, Nelson explained how the studio approaches satire. Because development cycles run so long, he said, the team can’t chase trends. It has to choose its angle carefully and decide which targets will endure. Rockstar isn’t a weekly or monthly TV show, and it must avoid satirizing something that will feel strangely out of date by release. In his view, broader themes are fair game, but very specific political issues and memes age quickly.

Earlier Grand Theft Auto 6 trailers did lean on internet memes. They included an apparent reference to the “Florida Joker” and several viral TikTok clips.

Even so, Nelson stressed that the aim is to keep GTA feeling “timeless.” The studio is even steering clear of current slang so that its next release doesn’t feel dated.

Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on Nov. 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.