Oct 15, 2026 · 5 min read · By Steven Verrips
The Music Strategy Behind GTA 6
From Tom Petty and The Pointer Sisters to Justice, Steven Verrips looks at how Rockstar puts music at the centre of the GTA VI campaign.
Grand Theft Auto VI. Rockstar Games.
With Justice, Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard joining forces for the latest Grand Theft Auto VI trailer, Rockstar Games shows just how central music has become to its marketing.
Rockstar Games has just released the launch trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, featuring a brand-new track called “Flower in a Hurricane” by French electronic duo Justice, featuring Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.
The song was released simultaneously as a standalone single on streaming platforms, including Spotify. Justice has also been revealed as the composer of the game's original score. Rockstar Games
It's another remarkable music choice in a marketing campaign that has consistently put music front and centre.
In fact, looking back at the GTA VI trailers released over the past three years, a clear pattern emerges. These aren't simply game trailers with great soundtracks. They're practically music videos.
Watch Grand Theft Auto VI Launch Trailer on YouTube
It started with Tom Petty
When the first GTA VI trailer arrived in December 2023, Rockstar chose Tom Petty's “Love Is a Long Road” to introduce the world to its new Vice City.
The choice was brilliant. An unmistakably American rock song, with a nostalgic warmth that contrasted beautifully with the excess, chaos and neon-soaked streets of Leonida.
The music immediately established the tone. Rather than relying on dialogue or conventional cinematic trailer scoring, Rockstar let the song carry the film.
Watch Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 1 on YouTube
The second trailer followed a similar approach, this time with The Pointer Sisters' 1986 track “Hot Together.”
Another unexpected catalogue choice, but one that made perfect sense when paired with the relationship between the game's two protagonists, Jason and Lucia. The song's lyrics, energy and romantic undertones helped tell their story without needing to explain much at all. GameSpot
Watch Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2 on YouTube
Both trailers felt closer to music videos than traditional game marketing. The editing followed the music, the visuals complemented the lyrics, and the songs gave the films their identity.
And importantly, these weren't obvious choices. They were songs with their own history and character, introduced to an entirely new audience through Grand Theft Auto.
From iconic songs to original music
With the latest trailer, Rockstar takes that approach one step further.
Rather than building the film around an existing catalogue recording, the launch trailer premieres brand-new music from Justice, featuring an extraordinary combination of artists.
It's also a significant announcement that Justice is responsible for the game's original score.
By bringing together established artists from electronic music, alternative rock and contemporary R&B, Rockstar is creating something that extends beyond the trailer itself.
“Flower in a Hurricane” isn't just accompanying the launch campaign. It's being introduced to the world through it.
Listen to “Flower in a Hurricane”.
The simultaneous single release gives the song a life outside the game, reaching listeners through Spotify and other streaming platforms while generating additional attention for GTA VI.
The trailer becomes a music premiere, and the music release becomes another part of the game's marketing.
Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album
And Rockstar isn't stopping there.
In partnership with Atlantic Records, the company has announced Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, a separate soundtrack release featuring 34 original tracks created for the game.
The album arrives on November 19, alongside the game's release, and will be available on streaming platforms, vinyl and CD.
The project brings together an impressive roster of artists, including Travis Scott, Yung Lean, PinkPantheress and many others. Several singles are already available to stream, with “Flower in a Hurricane” now joining the lineup. Rockstar Games
Explore Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album.
This is particularly interesting from a music marketing perspective.
GTA has always been closely connected to music culture, particularly through its legendary in-game radio stations. But with GTA VI, Rockstar is taking that relationship further.
The soundtrack is becoming a standalone cultural product, complete with its own release schedule, artist collaborations and physical editions.
Players can start experiencing the world of Vice City through its music long before they actually enter the game.
Music is the main character
What makes the GTA VI campaign so interesting is how much creative responsibility Rockstar gives to its music.
The songs aren't simply there to make the footage more exciting. They establish the atmosphere, introduce the characters and give each trailer a distinct personality.
Rockstar understands that a great song can communicate something about a world that dialogue, gameplay footage or visual effects alone cannot.
And by consistently building its trailers around strong musical identities, it's creating moments that people want to watch, listen to and share.
At Clear Music, this is something we strongly believe in. The right music shouldn't be an afterthought in a trailer. It should be part of the creative direction from the very beginning.
Rockstar has demonstrated that principle throughout the GTA VI campaign, from Tom Petty and The Pointer Sisters to a brand-new Justice collaboration and a dedicated soundtrack album.
Jason and Lucia might be the protagonists of Grand Theft Auto VI.
But when it comes to selling the world they're living in, music is playing the leading role.
