With GTA 6 just over a month away from launch, Rockstar has finally started teasing what we can expect from the best part of every Grand Theft Auto game: the radio stations. The studio has revealed a handful of genre-focused stations covering major artists from across the years, and on top of the proper GTA 6 soundtrack, we're also getting a series first in the form of in-game podcasts.
You can preview six of the stations in two minute bursts right now, offering a chance to hear a bit of the DJs and brief samplers of the relevant music. There's Cocotea FM, focused on modern Latin music; Back Country Radio, which covers classic outlaw country; Afro Bank FM, offering a wide array of African music; The Chamber 106.6, blasting classic metal; Flash FM, which runs modern pop music; and Dirty South Classics, which will hit your old-school rap and hip-hop needs.
These aren't all the stations in the game – the announcement also confirms classic rock and talk radio options – but even this small selection proves that Rockstar is once again going all-out for the soundtrack. Loretta Lynn, Pantera, and Charli XCX all in the same game? That's a premium selection, right there.
"Plus, for the first time ever, Grand Theft Auto VI introduces a series of on-demand podcasts for Jason and Lucia to experience beyond Leonida's terrestrial radio," Rockstar adds, "with both radio and podcasts available to listen to in vehicles and on foot through newly introduced headphones and earbuds connected to their smartphones."
In-game podcasts are hardly a new idea – you can find examples at least as far back as Metal Gear Solid 4 – but it's notable that they're appearing in GTA for the first time here. Admittedly, it's likely not all that different from the talk radio that's been in the series for years, but it is a fun acknowledgement of just how much listening habits have changed since GTA 5 launched back in 2013.
I'm not being facetious when I call the radio stations the best part of GTA. I've always loved fake radio banter in games going back to my time playing Streets of SimCity, and Rockstar's talent for music curation has always been impeccable. So many of my memories of playing San Andreas or GTA 4 are tied to specific moments cruising through the world with particular songs blaring over the car radio in the background, and I'm looking forward to making some new ones in GTA 6.
Check out our guide to all the GTA 6 cars we know about so far if you want to know what you'll be cruisin' in.
