Gamers worried that GTA 6 will be 'culturally irrelevant' at launch after vape is spotted

Even though the Grand Theft Auto series is renowned for its social commentary, that might prove challenging for Rockstar with GTA 6's lengthy development cycle. It comes as many gamers are worried that it could be 'culturally irrelevant' at release.

Grand Theft Auto games almost act as time capsules for the period in which they were released, as they become reflective of the current trends and political movements of the time, and GTA 6 likely won't be any different.

What could complicate things is how fast trends move in the modern age, as what was relevant last year – or frankly even last week – is quickly rendered outdated.

Rockstar has no doubt had to take into consideration across the course of the game's lengthy development period.

After all, there have been two entire Trump presidencies and a Biden term since GTA 5 was released back in 2013, and technology has changed rapidly since then, making the culture of Los Santos feel almost like a completely different world.

Why fans are worried GTA 6 will be 'culturally irrelevant'

Conversations began when people spotted a new parody in the recent Extended Look for GTA 6, as a vape branded as 'DRIIP' appeared to be aping off the Juul menthol devices that were popular a few years ago before vapes really took off.

This might be a small feature of what is inevitably going to be a gargantuan game, but it's a reminder for many that GTA 6 has been in development for years, and there's bound to be some details that aren't as reflective of the present day as you might hope.

"Games take so long to develop now that their jokes are already culturally irrelevant upon release," wrote one disappointed gamer on X in response to the parody vape, with many others noting that this jokes comes at least seven years after the 'Juul hype'.

It's probably a blessing for Rockstar that Donald Trump is back in office, because that makes the political satire a lot easier to handle over a longer period of time, but some younger players might not catch all of the references that crop up when you're playing.

Could GTA 6 be set slightly in the past?

One possible explanation for some of these slightly out-of-date parodies, however, is that the game has been designed for a set time period, perhaps landing between the years of 2015 and 2018.

This retains a modern-day setting that players will be familiar with, but excuses Rockstar from being on the money about every single feature in the game.

Some aspects that could challenge that notion are the emphasis on social media content in-game and the presence of IRL streamers in the Extended Look, as while both were very much thriving a decade ago, they are far more reflective of 2026 than before, to the extent that influencers dominate the media.

We'll soon find out when the game eventually launches on November 19, and there's bound to be countless posts online as people progressively spot all of their favorite parodies and jokes.