Did You Spot It? GTA VI Cover Art Includes a Classic Easter Egg for Franchise Veterans

After months of silence, Rockstar Games has finally given fans something new to talk about. The studio recently confirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI preorders will begin on June 25, while also unveiling the game’s official cover art for the first time.

The announcement reassured players that the highly anticipated open-world title remains on track for its scheduled launch. However, it didn’t take long for fans to begin examining every detail of the artwork—and some quickly discovered a hidden easter egg that continues a tradition dating back more than two decades.

GTA VI continues a 25-year-old cover art tradition

Since the franchise entered its iconic 3D era, nearly every mainline Grand Theft Auto game has featured a collage-style cover filled with characters, vehicles, and imagery that represent the world players are about to explore.

At first glance, GTA VI follows the same formula. Lucia, Jason, several supporting characters, exotic vehicles, and scenes inspired by Vice City are all prominently displayed across the artwork.

But longtime fans noticed something else.

Hidden in the upper-left section of the cover is a helicopter—a seemingly minor detail that has quietly appeared on the box art of nearly every major GTA release for the past 25 years.

The helicopter has become one of Rockstar’s most consistent visual traditions, though it often changes depending on the setting of each game. In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, for example, the artwork featured a police helicopter, while Grand Theft Auto V showcased a more modern aircraft.

For GTA VI, Rockstar customized the vehicle to match the game’s Florida-inspired setting. The helicopter appears equipped with flotation platforms, allowing it to land on water—an appropriate touch for an adventure set around Vice City’s beaches, swamps, and coastal regions.

One GTA game broke the pattern

The helicopter easter egg has appeared so consistently that many fans now actively search for it whenever a new Grand Theft Auto title is revealed.

There is, however, one notable exception.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for Nintendo DS abandoned the tradition entirely. That omission makes sense considering the game’s top-down perspective and radically different visual presentation compared to the mainline entries.

Aside from that spin-off, Rockstar has quietly maintained the helicopter motif across generations of the franchise.

GTA still avoids showing its most iconic crime

While GTA VI continues one long-running tradition, it also extends another curious streak.

Despite the franchise being named Grand Theft Auto, modern GTA covers rarely show anyone actually stealing a car.

In fact, the last game whose primary artwork directly depicted a vehicle theft was Grand Theft Auto 2, released in 1999. That cover featured imagery that closely reflected the game’s top-down gameplay and criminal focus.

Since then, Rockstar has preferred collage-style artwork centered on characters, vehicles, action sequences, and the broader atmosphere of each game’s world.

Although GTA VI’s cover prominently features multiple cars, motorcycles, boats, and aircraft, it once again avoids portraying the crime that gave the franchise its name.

Of course, that unlikely omission probably won’t affect the game’s success. Industry analysts already expect GTA VI to become one of the biggest entertainment launches of all time and a major driver of console sales throughout the coming years.