After a bit of maneuvering, the first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer is here, and it only took fans a few hours to be knee-deep in theories about how its music teases what the future has in store.
As Rockstar Games’ video shows us glimmering shots of a modern-day Vice City and its many Florida-man-like inhabitants, Tom Petty’s “Love Is A Long Road” provides a cool blanket of weathered vocals and sunny instrumentals. It’s a cut from the late rockers 1989 outing Full Moon Fever that, at the time of publication, has around 11 million listens on Spotify. That number will surely change in the coming days.
That’s, in part, thanks to the curious nature of some of GTA’s most dedicated fans, who believe the track might hold a deeper meaning. Some have gone as far as to believe that it may tie into the events of GTA 6’s narrative.
“I think the lyrics of Tom Petty's song in the trailer could be a giveaway of some sorts...,” GTA Forums user Johnny Albuquerque pondered. “It's about a dangerous girl messing with a guy's (Tom's) head. Lucia might take Jason through the dark path and he ends up dying or just giving up on her.”
The song’s opening lyrics include the lines, “There was a girl I knew, she said she cared about me, she tried to make my world, the way she thought it should be.” GTA 6’s protagonist is Lucia, a character whom we know little about and the series’ first female lead in quite some time.
It seems obvious that the lyrics are in reference to her, but GTA Forums user VercettiGuy took the idea a bit further. “Don't know if that's been said before, but while the trailer highlights Lucia — the song playing, ‘Love is a Long Road’ by Tom Petty, could very well be from Jason's perspective. Petty at least sings it about a girl.”
The “Jason” they reference is the other character heavily featured in the trailer and, seemingly, another character pivotal to the plot of GTA 6. It makes enough sense, especially as the lyrics continue with lines like “Yeah, we were desperate then, to have each other to hold,” as the trailer later shows Lucia and Jason speaking of trust before robbing Vice City citizens. With trailer one focusing heavily on Lucia, some, including GTA Forums user Dardan, expect trailer two to put the spotlight on Jason.
Tom loved contributing “Runnin’ Down A Dream” to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, so it is an honor to have “Love Is A Long Road” featured in Trailer 1 for Grand Theft Auto VI from @RockstarGames. #PettyForever https://t.co/PAFg83VInd
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) December 5, 2023
Miami Resident and GTA Forums user WorldofCog speculates that Petty’s heavy inclusion could signal that players could visit Gainesville, Florida or a town similar to it in GTA 6. They admit it’s a bit of a stretch, but Gainesville is Petty’s birthplace.
“...I wonder if there's some form of Gainesville in the game,” WorldofCog questions. “That area does contain some hills along its major roads, too.”
Meanwhile, others are just excited that they might catch the trailer song on GTA 6’s in-game radio stations.
“So is Love Is A Long Road by Tom Petty our first confirmed V-Rock song,” forum user Alexlecj asked. “Fits the setting perfectly.”
Runnin’ Down a Dream
These theories might seem farfetched to some, but there is some evidence to suggest that Petty’s music could offer some hints about the future. Aside from the fact that his music is featured in the trailer, keen-eyed players have noticed a “Petty Forever” sticker on an open door in the video.
“What's even more awesome about this song is at the end of the trailer on the convenience store door window there’s a Petty Forever sticker with the colors on the sticker being the same colors as the Full Moon Fever album artwork,” Reddit user rockin_gamer pointed out.
Regardless of if these theories are at all accurate, fans quickly grew attached to the song choice. Some say they’ve been listening to “Love Is A Long Road” since the trailer came out, with others just happy to see Rockstar paying tribute to a rocker gone too soon.
“I loved that they chose an old school rock and roll song even though the game clearly takes place in a modern world because they could have perfectly well chosen a newer and more modern song, popular or practically unknown by some little-known artist,” Reddit user StoneBleach said. “They could have even made their own theme for the trailer and game, but that would be something else.
“I didn't know this Tom Petty song, it's great, it fits very well with the trailer.”
All of our questions will be answered when Grand Theft Auto 6 comes to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S in 2025. Rockstar has made no official announcement regarding a PC version.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
