A Familiar 80s Voice Sneaks Back Into Leonida's Soundtrack
Written by the GTA6 Resources team
Buried inside Netflix's extended look at GTA 6 is a needle drop that longtime fans will recognize instantly -- and its lyrics might be doing more storytelling than they first appear.
According to Kotaku, the extended glimpse at Grand Theft Auto VI that Netflix aired didn't just show off new gameplay footage -- it also gave players their first real taste of what the game's soundtrack might sound like. Tucked into the preview was a Phil Collins track, marking the artist's return to Vice City after his music became closely associated with the original Vice City nearly two decades ago.
Kotaku's framing of the song choice as "ominous" suggests the track wasn't just a nostalgic nod, but one that may hint at tone or mood for Jason and Lucia's story. The site didn't specify which song was used, but the emphasis on its unsettling quality implies Rockstar could be using the music cue to foreshadow something about the protagonists' arc rather than simply setting a retro vibe.
This isn't the first time Rockstar has leaned on a specific era's music to define a GTA city's identity. The original Vice City famously built its entire atmosphere around a Miami Vice-inspired 80s soundtrack, and Phil Collins' association with that game -- including his in-game radio presence -- became one of the era's most memorable soundtrack moments. Bringing him back for GTA 6, which is set in a modern-day reimagining of that same city, feels like a deliberate bridge between the original and its successor rather than a coincidence.
It's worth noting this detail emerged from the same Netflix extended-look rollout that's already generated plenty of separate discussion among fans -- from HUD design debates to frame-rate scrutiny to spotted Vice City landmarks. A soundtrack cue like this is easy to overlook next to flashier gameplay reveals, but for longtime players, music has always been part of how Rockstar signals a game's identity before release.
If the "ominous" read holds up, it could suggest Rockstar is using licensed music the way it has in past trailers -- as a tonal counterpoint to the on-screen action, hinting at darker consequences for Jason and Lucia beneath the sunny Vice City backdrop. That's speculation on our part, but it's the kind of detail that tends to reward rewatching once more soundtrack information becomes available.
