GTA 6 marketing gets a unique touch as Rockstar mods real cars into in-game vehicles and drives them through Miami

Rockstar's marketing machine has entered real life. Locals spotted them and shared the campaign across social media: a fleet of real vehicles modified to look like their in-game counterparts, driving through the city in a tight convoy with Leonida license plates.

Among them was a Chevrolet Corvette wrapped to resemble the Coquette, a Lamborghini painted in Vice Beach Police colors, and a McLaren kitted out as a real-life Progen Emerus. Real-world takes on the Cheetah, Coquette D10, Tempesta, and Manana rounded out the lineup. The cars stopped at least once at a local gas station, where, captured by @andrewblakeames on Instagram (via OnlyinDade on X), we can see the cars parked up with the Goodyear blimp, carrying its own GTA 6 advertisement, hovering in the background.

The marketing stunt has been building for weeks

Rockstar has been slowly turning Miami into Vice City for months. In September, the studio spent nearly $1 million installing a glowing "Welcome to Vice City" sign on top of the Kaseya Center, home of the Miami Heat. Hard Rock Stadium, where the Dolphins play, was covered in GTA 6 ads over a recent weekend. There is a Vice City blimp.

There are planes flying promotional banners. The Miami Heat are being rebranded for a single game. Community reaction has been mostly amusement, with a side of disbelief that any of this is happening for a video game. "That Vice City Police Huracan is FIRE," one X user wrote. "Miami is so unserious for turning a game launch into a city-wide event like this is just a normal Tuesday for them," another added.

Not everyone in Miami is thrilled

The takeover has drawn pushback from local officials. Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz has criticized the idea of associating the county with "a franchise built on crime, drug trafficking, and violence against law enforcement." Commissioner David Suarez questioned whether promoting a game centered on fictional crime fits with Miami Beach's efforts to combat real disorder. Some officials have welcomed the revenue and attention. Others have not.

None of these cars explicitly mention GTA 6. They do not need to. The Leonida plates and Vice Beach police livery are enough for anyone paying attention. GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, which means Miami has roughly one more month of this. Whether the city survives it is yet to be seen.

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