Highlights

  • Grand Theft Auto 6 is highly anticipated and has the potential to be the biggest game in Rockstar's history in terms of gameplay and technical prowess.
  • Fans are hoping for classic character cameos in GTA 6, especially from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, but an overreliance on cameos could overshadow the new story and alienate newcomers.
  • The setting of Vice City in GTA 6 could attract characters from across the franchise's history, including those from GTA 5, and while it would be fun to see them, the primary focus should remain on the new protagonists and their personal story.

With its first trailer now out and still breaking viewership records, Grand Theft Auto 6 has well and truly cemented itself as one of, if not the most anticipated game of all time. Taking players back to Vice City for the first time since 2006's GTA: Vice City Stories on the PSP, Grand Theft Auto 6 is already fulfilling the dreams of many long-time GTA fans, and over the course of the next year or so, that's hopefully only going to get truer.

Though there hasn't been a lot of information officially released about Grand Theft Auto 6, it seems as though it's shaping up to be the biggest game of Rockstar's lengthy career, in terms of gameplay, story, and sheer technical prowess. And with GTA 6 hopefully being the biggest and best entry to date, there's also a desire among some fans to see some classic characters make their return, though that might be a bit of a double-edged sword in the long run.

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Past Series Cameos In Grand Theft Auto 6 Could Be a Mixed Bag

Grand Theft Auto 6's Setting Paves the Way for Franchise Cameos

The Grand Theft Auto franchise has more than dabbled in cameos in the past, and Grand Theft Auto 5 in particular has set a bit of a precedent for GTA 6. In GTA 5 alone, players can find cameos and references to countless past series characters, ranging from a not-so-subtle reference to GTA 4's Niko Bellic during the game's first heist, to multiple name-drops to various franchise characters, to full-on cameos of long-running characters like DJ Lazlow. GTA 5 has paved the way for character cameos in Grand Theft Auto 6, almost as much as the sequel's setting.

With GTA 6 taking players back to the fan-favorite setting of Vice City, many fans are expecting to see plenty of references to the 2002 classic GTA: Vice City. While references to specific map locations and world-building plot points seem pretty much guaranteed to be implemented into Grand Theft Auto 6, it's character cameos that many fans want to see, and there are plenty of old Vice City faces who could reappear, with old protagonist Tommy Vercetti being the most likely candidate for a cameo.

But it's not just Grand Theft Auto: Vice City characters who could appear in GTA 6. If Vice City is anything like its 2002 counterpart, then GTA 6's setting could be a hub for the entire US criminal underworld, attracting all sorts of sordid figures from across GTA's long history. While age prohibits quite a few classic characters from appearing, just about any of GTA 5's main cast of characters could appear in GTA 6.

Rockstar May Want to Keep GTA 6's Focus on The Now

But while cameos can be some of the best forms of fan-service, they can also be an easy way to put off newcomers. Flooding Grand Theft Auto 6's story with multiple cameos might end up making a newcomer feel as though they're missing out on huge chunks of the game's story and world-building. An overreliance on cameos might also take the focus away from GTA 6's own original characters and their new story. While cameos are fine to use in side missions, it seems likely that Rockstar will want to keep GTA 6's primary story focused on its two main protagonists and their own personal story.