Grand Theft Auto 6 is almost here and the Rockstar Games team has taken video game marketing to a level never before seen. Vice City, the center of the action for this 2026 video game, is based on the real world location of Miami Beach, Florida. Leading up to this debut, GTA VI (Grand Theft Auto 6) has completely taken over the city, from the iconic beaches to the roadways and even the skies above.
GTA 6 marketing has officially started on the sands of Miami Beach! 🏖️ https://t.co/V9LTxepUjj
— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) October 17, 2026
GTA VI heads back to Vice City after 20 years, last appearing in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories in 2006. For the return, the Rockstar Games marketing team has decided to re-brand the entire real world city of Miami. October 17th, X user Joel Franco captured yet another marketing push, the neon-esque beach branding. This influx of themed rental beach gear isn’t a surprise, as preparations have be ongoing this past week. But, Franco showed them finally in action.
What is Rockstar’s marketing budget for GTA 6 🤯 https://t.co/p8ytchuW03
— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) October 15, 2026
Visitors to Miami Beach’s iconic shores won’t be able to miss the Vice City takeover. In addition to these chairs and umbrellas, the skies themselves have become filled with the in-game world theming. A Vice City wrapped Goodyear Blimp has made it way to Florida. This blimp joins buses, billboards, artwork and even some flying beach banners.
Vice City aerial ambassadors have taken over the Miami Beach sky, from blimps to beach banners.
🎥: jakemilk0 on TikTok
Pilot Jake confirms this will happen every Thursday-Saturday for the NEXT 3 MONTHS! https://t.co/MTpR5neRFn
— Leonida Man (@ExploreViceCity) October 17, 2026
Grand Theft Auto takes over the Florida skies for three months
Beach Banner Pilot, Jake Milk, gave a behind the scenes look at his role. Rockstar Games went the extra mile, recreating an advertisement for a nightclub in the game, in the real world, in the same way! Trailer 1 of GTA VI showed us the beaches of Vice City with the NINE1NINE nightclub. That same view can now be experienced in the real world, even though no such nightclub exists. The closest representation is the E11EVEN Miami.
That is what the Grand Theft Auto world has always done. They take a real world company, location or celebrity and over exaggerate it for commentary and parody of our world. And now that digital world has overflowed into the real world Miami.
Vice City is becoming “real” with more advertising being focused on the locations of GTA VI in Miami than the actual game. It builds the lore, it gets people to ask questions and it sets the internet ablaze. As a fan, I love this so much I am planning a Miami trip just to experience it. Hear that Miami Tourism Board, it is working!
Why is Grand Theft Auto 6 is going beyond the standard marketing plan?
GTA VI is debuting 13 years after the last installment. For many, life has changed drastically since the previous version showed up in GameStop stores in 2013. GTA VI also debuts at the forefront of AI designed video games. In a time where we all ask, “is that real or not” we get Rockstar Games confirming, in an interview with IGN, that no generative AI was used at all.
This game was made with skill, passion and a lot of human work. After more than a decade, fans have begged and waited. Rockstar Games is ready to unveil their best work yet and they want to build the energy. Checkout the interview below where Take-Two Interactive (parent company of Rockstar Games) CEO, Strauss Zelnick, speaks on why this marketing has gone to the next level.
Rockstar isn’t just marketing GTA VI anymore. They’re turning the REAL WORLD into their advertising campaign. 💀🔥
GTA VI-branded buses, blimps flying over Miami beaches, and now one of the game’s 6 cars brought to life in the real world.
The genius part? People are doing the marketing for them just by spotting these things on the streets and sharing them online.
Strauss Zelnick knew exactly what he was talking about. 🫡
— Not For You (@NotForYouIN) October 17, 2026
