GTA 6 soundtrack: Everything we know so far, predictions and theories

Among the many things the Grand Theft Auto series is either famous (or infamous) for, including its stories, satire or sheer levels of violence, chief among them is its music.

Developer Rockstar North came up with the idea of putting in-game radio stations in the revolutionary Grand Theft Auto III, which came out in 2001, given the amount of time players would spend in a car.

That was the catalyst for Rockstar Games generating in its series some of the very best soundtracks in gaming history, including Vice City and San Andreasright through to the most recent GTA Online, playable through GTA 5.

Music is such an integral part of these games that real-life radio hosts and music producers present in-game stations, real-life DJs can be hired to play in nightclubs with specially curated sets and even debuted high-profile releases in the game, such as world-famous hip-hop producer Dr Dre launching an EP on GTA Online before it could be streamed anywhere else.

With hundreds of songs featuring on the most recent game GTA 5, and hundreds more being released through GTA Online since, what could be included in the soundtrack to GTA 6?

What we know so far

The only song we know that's been confirmed with GTA 6 is the one that was in the trailer - and that was 'Love Is a Long Road' by Tom Petty.

It's important to say from here on in, this is speculation, and none of this has been confirmed by Rockstar Games.

American rapper Schoolboy Q appears to have teased a possible appearance; when asked by a fan if he will 'drop some heat for GTA 6 radio', he replied: "Ima be on tHere don't even trip."

Anita Ward's profile picture was changed on Spotify to the GTA 6 logo, causing assumptions her iconic 'Ring My Bell' would be in the game; her profile pic has since changed back though.

T-Pain is reported to have let slip he's involved with GTA 6 too.

What links can be made

The most obvious link is the inclusion of tracks from Rockstar's own record label in the game.

In 2021, the developer teamed up with CircoLoco, one of underground house music's longest-running brands based at the iconic DC10 nightclub in Ibiza, to launch a record label called CircoLoco Records.

Its debut release was a compilation album of 20 new tracks from some of the biggest underground house and techno producers, including Jamie Jones, Tale Of Us and Kerri Chandler.

There have been a total of nine releases since then, all of which have a focus on these genres.

Rockstar has always championed underground dance music, especially with an update in GTA Online called After Hours, where players can run a nightclub and host underground DJs that have a big presence in real life, such as The Blessed Madonna, Tale Of Us and Solomun.

Expect this genre to feature heavily in GTA 6 but not primarily or exclusively.

The 2025 game will be set in a fictional version of Miami, otherwise known as Vice City, which brings us to the PS2 classic Grand Theft Auto: Vice City which came out in 2002.

The game's soundtrack had a nostalgic 80s feel to it and is renowned as one of the best in any game; this could also influence GTA 6.

But as the game will try and appeal to such a huge audience, expect a whole range of different artists and genres to feature - which is something GTA V and GTA Online got so right with such an eclectic mix for everyone to enjoy.

What was in GTA V and GTA Online

At present, according to the GTA Fandom website, there is a whopping 777 different tracks across both GTA V and GTA Online.

According to the site, these span across 25 in-game stations, which include 24 active stations and one that's modified by the player through finding collectables such as USB sticks and completing certain missions.

These stations span a huge range of genres, from funk and soul to rock and heavy metal via hip-hop and grime.

Also in these games, particularly GTA Online, there have been a number of musicians who actually make cameos as characters, such as Dr Dre, Julian Casablancas and Moodyman, again spanning a number of genres.

Given this existing stacked catalogue, expect something similar, or even bigger, when GTA 6 releases.

Fan theory

An X / Twitter user has tried to predict some of the specific tracks that will appear in the game, which are based on 'world events' leaked with game files in September 2022.

User @project_vice said these files included four genres related to an event, which were pragmatic cool, pragmatic chaotic, romantic cool and romantic chaotic.

This led to the user theorising that Eminem and Rihanna's 'Love the Way You Lie' could be featured.

The user's predictions also include Queen's 'The Show Must Go On', The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' and Dua Lipa's 'Don't Start Now.'

Verdict

It's not yet known exactly what tracks, artists or even genres will feature in GTA 6.

But when they drop, given Rockstar's track record, it's set to be nothing short of epic, iconic and legendary.

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