The Sound of Vice City: Every Confirmed and Leaked Song in Grand Theft Auto VI So Far

As the gaming industry counts down the final months toward one of the most anticipated media releases in history, the conversation surrounding Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI has evolved from graphical fidelity and map scale to something equally vital to the franchise’s DNA: the music. With a scheduled release date of November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, GTA VI arrives nearly 13 years after its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto V.

More than a decade is an eternity in modern culture. Entire musical landscapes have emerged, matured, and given way to new movements since Michael, Franklin, and Trevor last drove down the highways of Los Santos. Yet, the auditory footprint of the Grand Theft Auto franchise remains indelible. For millions of players, the experience of hijacking a vehicle under the neon glow of a fictional metropolis and instantly hearing a classic track—whether it is Corona’s "The Rhythm of the Night," M83’s "Midnight City," or Phil Collins’ "I Don’t Care Anymore"—is a defining modern entertainment memory.

As Rockstar prepares to return players to the sun-soaked, chaotic expanses of a modern Vice City, anticipation for the game’s soundtrack is at an all-time high. Through official trailers, extended gameplay showcases, companion album announcements, and a wave of leaks, a clearer picture of GTA VI’s sonic identity is finally coming into focus.


Main Facts: What We Know About the GTA VI Soundscape

Music has never functioned as mere background noise within the Grand Theft Auto ecosystem. It acts as a pulsing circulatory system, granting fictional cities their mood, historical context, and cultural authenticity. Furthermore, the franchise has historically served as a powerful musical educational tool, introducing generations of players to deep cuts, legacy acts, and international genres they might have otherwise missed.

Rockstar Games has structured the auditory experience of GTA VI across three primary pillars:

  1. In-Game Radio and Cinematic Trailers: Music featured directly within promotional media and gameplay, spanning decades of popular music from classic rock and country to modern hip-hop and electronic dance music.
  2. The Companion Album: A dedicated commercial release titled Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, arriving via Atlantic Records and Rockstar on November 19, 2026, featuring 34 original tracks designed to capture the contemporary zeitgeist of the game’s universe.
  3. Leaked Radio Stations: Unofficial data mines and gameplay leaks pointing toward a sprawling dial of both returning fan-favorite stations and entirely new formats.

The sheer eclecticism of the tracks revealed so far indicates that Rockstar is leaning heavily into a multi-genre approach, bridging the gap between nostalgic cultural touchstones and bleeding-edge contemporary sounds.


Chronology of Releases: From Trailers to the Album Announcement

Rockstar’s rollout of the GTA VI soundtrack has been methodical, utilizing major marketing beats to drop musical hints that fuel community speculation.

December 4, 2023: Trailer 1 Sets the Tone

The very first glimpse of GTA VI immediately established an atmospheric mood. As the camera panned over the sun-drenched beaches and messy underbelly of Vice City, introducing protagonists Lucia and Jason, the soundtrack relied on a masterclass in melancholy Americana:

  • Tom Petty – "Love Is a Long Road"

May 6, 2025: Trailer 2 Expands the Palette

Nearly a year and a half later, the second official trailer provided a wider look at the social media-obsessed, chaotic culture of the new Leonida state. The musical choices shifted into a vibrant mix of classic pop, disco-tinged soul, and regional sounds:

  • Jay Ferguson – "Thunder Island"
  • Zenglen – "Child Support"
  • Wang Chung – "Everybody Have Fun Tonight"
  • Tammy Wynette – "Talkin’ to Myself Again"
  • The Pointer Sisters – "Hot Together"

August 27, 2026: The Sprawling Extended Look

Rockstar’s comprehensive extended look in late August 2026 offered the most substantial gameplay footage to date, revealing a massive roster of needle-drops spanning classic rock, modern southern hip-hop, electronic music, and country:

  • Birdman feat. Lil Wayne – "Pop Bottles"
  • Sexyy Red & Tay Keith – "Pound Town"
  • Kodak Black – "Skrilla"
  • The Bellamy Brothers – "Let Your Love Flow"
  • Def Leppard – "Love Bites"
  • Depeche Mode – "People Are People"
  • Captain & Tennille – "But I Think It’s a Dream"
  • Prefab Sprout – "Cars and Girls"
  • !!! feat. Meah Pace – "Off the Grid"
  • Cliff Richard – "Devil Woman"
  • Chimbala & Omega – "Se Me Nota (Agárrame)"
  • Phil Collins – "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
  • Aluna & Jayda G – "Mine O’ Mine"
  • Elderbrook & Bob Moses – "Inner Light"

September 17, 2026: Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album Announcement

In a major pivot for the franchise, Rockstar announced a companion commercial album titled Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, slated for release alongside the game on November 19 via Atlantic/Rockstar. Comprising 34 original tracks, an initial batch of six songs was released to give fans a taste of the contemporary star power contributing to the project:

  • Travis Scott – "RHYNO" (prod. by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo)
  • CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress, Fred again.., & Etienne de Crécy – "Sexy Magic"
  • Morgan Wallen – "Last Thing You Need"
  • Rauw Alejandro – "Macacoa 2000"
  • Keith Richards – "Bright Lights, Big City"
  • Yung Lean feat. Future & Metro Boomin – "That’s It"

Supporting Data: The Leaked Radio Dial

While Rockstar officially controls the release of marketing materials, the software industry’s massive scale often invites leaks. Unofficial gameplay footage and data mines that surfaced ahead of the August 2026 extended look offered a glimpse at what players might find when spinning the in-game radio dial.

While these reports should be approached with caution—as development builds are subject to change—several tracks spotted in the leaks later materialized in official Rockstar presentations, lending credibility to the findings. The leaked user interface pointed toward approximately 14 distinct radio stations:

  • Kaleidoscope FM
  • Worldwide FM (A returning favorite from GTA V)
  • Cocoteo FM
  • Emotion 98.3 (A nostalgic revival from the original Vice City)
  • Radio ON-U
  • Symphony FM
  • V-Rock (The iconic heavy metal/rock station from the original Vice City)
  • Back Country Radio
  • Stockyard FM
  • Dirty South Classics
  • CircoLoco Records Radio (A natural cross-promotion, building on Rockstar’s real-world partnership with the Ibiza party brand launched in 2021)
  • The Wipe
  • La Ola
  • The Chamber 106.6

The inclusion of legacy stations like V-Rock and Emotion 98.3 acts as a direct love letter to fans of the 2002 classic, bridging the generational gap between the original PlayStation 2 era and modern open-world gaming.


Official Responses and Industry Context

Rockstar Games has historically kept its cards close to its chest regarding the final tracklists of its titles until mere weeks before launch. Licensing hundreds of songs across dozens of radio stations is a logistical behemoth, involving complex negotiations with major labels, independent publishers, and individual artists.

Music industry analysts note that securing a spot on a Grand Theft Auto soundtrack has become one of the most coveted placements in modern entertainment. Artists ranging from underground electronic producers to global superstars view the franchise as a permanent cultural archive. The inclusion of heavy-hitting producers like Daft Punk alumnus Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (producing Travis Scott’s "RHYNO") and pop-innovator Fred again.. underscores how deeply embedded GTA is within contemporary music production circles.


Implications: What This Means for Gaming and Culture

The musical architecture of Grand Theft Auto VI carries significant implications for both the gaming medium and the music industry at large:

  1. The Evolution of In-Game Curation: By blending classic archival tracks with a custom-built, modern commercial companion album (Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album), Rockstar is blurring the lines between interactive entertainment and traditional music distribution. Players are no longer just passive consumers of licensed media; they are active participants in a curated cultural ecosystem.
  2. Defining a Generation’s Nostalgia: Just as GTA: Vice City defined the cultural memory of the 1980s for a generation of 2000s gamers, GTA VI is poised to codify how the 2020s sound. By mixing contemporary trap, hyperpop, Latin urbano, and classic rock, the game constructs a hyper-stylized mirror of modern life.
  3. The Longevity of Open-World Audio: If history repeats itself, the songs featured on the GTA VI radio dial will become permanently fused with the geography of Leonida. Driving down a coastal highway at sunset will forever evoke the specific melancholic pull of Tom Petty or the high-energy pulse of Depeche Mode, proving once again that the true soul of Grand Theft Auto lives not just in its graphics or its narrative, but in the songs playing as you drive away from the crime scene.

As November 19, 2026, approaches, Rockstar will undoubtedly reveal more of the dial. Until then, the streets of Vice City are waiting—and they already sound extraordinary.

By Nana Wu