GTA 6 screenshots hide 'United States of Paranoia' cash

GTA 6's money is printed by the "United States of Paranoia." That's one of the small touches GameSpot senior video producer Jake Dekker found after going through a folder of high-resolution screenshots for a video analysis published on October 30. According to GameSpot, the folder holds 99 images, not counting the promotional art for the Ultimate Edition. Dekker looked at dozens of them, and the video is billed as the first part of the series.

Beards, scars and sunburnt skin in Leonida

Most of the details GameSpot points out are about bodies. Its list covers frazzled beards, subtle gravity effects, realistic scars and NPCs whose skin shows what years under a tropical sun can do. GameSpot says the images also carry callbacks to earlier games in the series, along with what it calls technical wizardry. The outlet treats all of this as evidence that Leonida is packed with small touches.

The currency is GameSpot's favourite find. In the screenshots, every dollar bill comes from the United States of Paranoia, a fake country name that fits the series' usual habit of mocking American institutions. This is GameSpot reading still images, so how much of it you'll actually notice while driving through Vice City at speed is another matter. Rockstar hasn't commented on any specific item in the video.

Why the detail hunt keeps going

Rockstar has already said a lot about how dense the world is. Studio staff have described an order of magnitude more interiors than in past games, and Rockstar has said GTA 5 already felt dated in terms of realism. A frame-by-frame look at official stills is one of the few ways fans can test those claims before launch. GameSpot says it has also made videos on other parts of the game's systems, including a fuel economy and how player actions lead to consequences.

GameSpot hasn't said when the next part of the investigation will go up. The game itself is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and our release date and launch times guide covers the timing by region.

Cliff Richard finds his way onto the radio

In the same piece, GameSpot reports that Cliff Richard recently found out his 1976 song "Devil Woman" is on the GTA 6 soundtrack. According to GameSpot, the singer admits he doesn't know the series well, but he's happy the song is finding new listeners.