'We got flying cars before GTA 6': the meme is back as the game's launch trailer drops
GTA 6's launch trailer and Tesla's flying Roadster arrived on the same day, reviving the internet's longest-running joke. GTA 6 is due on November 19.
For years, the internet has had one joke for anything surprising that happens in the world: “We got ___ before GTA 6.” This week it got its best version yet.
The meme in one line
Grand Theft Auto VI was first expected in 2025, then delayed to May 26, 2026, and then again to November. Fans waited so long that they started joking anything at all could happen first, and every strange news story, from aliens to politics, got fed into the format.
Even governments joined in. In June 2026, after Rockstar revealed the game’s cover art, the White House posted its own GTA-style cover with the caption “We saved America before GTA6”, according to Inven Global.
Why it’s everywhere again
On October 15, 2026, two things happened on the same day:
- Rockstar released the official GTA 6 launch trailer on YouTube, about 90 seconds long and captured on PS5, focused on the two lead characters, Jason and Lucia. It passed 22 million views within a day, ETV Bharat reported.
- Tesla showed off a Roadster that flips and flies.
The internet put the two together immediately. On X, AI-made “day one with a Roadster” videos joked about GTA 6 and flying cars, and “we got flying cars before GTA 6” became the line of the week.
When is GTA 6 actually coming?
The joke may finally have an end date. GTA 6 is set to launch on Thursday, November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, after being moved from an earlier May 26, 2026 target. Some reports suggest a PC version in early 2027, but that hasn’t been confirmed.
The game is set in Leonida, Rockstar’s version of Florida. Jason is a former soldier, and Lucia is the main series’ first female lead. The trailer’s song, “Flower In A Hurricane”, is by Justice with Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.
What happens to the meme after launch?
Fans are already asking the obvious question: once GTA 6 is out, what will the internet wait for next? Our guess: “We got ___ before GTA 7.”
Watch the launch trailer below.
Sources
This story was researched and drafted with AI assistance, then checked and edited by our editor before publishing.
