GTA 6 Radio Stations and Podcasts: What Rockstar Revealed on October 8

On October 8, 2026, six weeks before launch, Rockstar published its first look at the radio in Grand Theft Auto VI. The post named six stations, put roughly two-minute previews of each on the official music page at rockstargames.com/VI/music, added three new screenshots, and confirmed two features the series has never had: music that keeps playing after you leave the car, and on-demand podcasts.

This article sorts the reveal into what Rockstar itself said, what major outlets reported from the same post, and what is still unknown. Every station and host below was reported by at least two of Dexerto, Game Rant, KeenGamer, Forbes and gHacks, all working from Rockstar's announcement.

The six stations Rockstar has shown

Flash FM is the headline return. It was the pop station in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in 2002, and it comes back as pop again, hosted by Robyn and model Alex Consani. For a game set in a modern Vice City, bringing back one familiar name is a deliberate link to the older game rather than a remake of its playlist.

Cocoteo FM covers modern Latin music: bachata, merengue, dembow and reggaeton. Its hosts are Bad Bunny and RaiNao, who appear in the game under the on-air names El Martillo and La Gata.

Back Country Radio is the country station. Its hosts are Morgan Wallen and Lana Del Rey, on air as MW and Delta Dawne, and it broadcasts to Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn and the rural parts of Leonida. Dexerto also reports a roving reporter and swamp weatherman, Mud Dog Mike, who files from an airboat. That is the kind of in-world character Rockstar uses to tie a station to a region, and it fits the swamp and Gulf Coast areas shown in the trailers.

AfroBank FM plays African music from 20th-century classics to current styles such as amapiano and 3-step, hosted by Burna Boy and Palms Trax.

The Chamber 106.6 is metal from the 1980s onward, hosted by Slayer's Kerry King and Tom Araya, on air as DJ Kerry and DJ Tom.

Dirty South Classics is southern rap and hip-hop, hosted by Trick Daddy and Trina. Both are Miami artists, which makes this the station most directly tied to the real city Vice City is based on.

Music on foot: the real gameplay change

The bigger news is not who hosts what. In every earlier GTA, the radio stopped when you stepped out of a vehicle. In GTA 6, Jason and Lucia can keep listening to radio and podcasts on foot through headphones or earbuds connected to their smartphones. Dexerto and Game Rant both report this from Rockstar's post.

That matters because a large share of the footage shown so far happens outside cars: beaches, malls, clubs, swamp trails and interiors. Game Informer's cover story in September described 170+ animal species and a world built for slower exploration, and the Extended Look spent long stretches on foot. Personal audio means those stretches no longer have to be silent or ambient-only.

What Rockstar has not explained yet is how this works in practice. We do not know whether headphones are an item you buy or equip, whether NPCs react to them, whether they lower your awareness of police sirens or footsteps, or whether they are tied to the phone menu. Treat any detailed claim about that as speculation until Rockstar shows it.

Podcasts: new for the series

Earlier games had talk radio, including WCTR in San Andreas and GTA 5 and the talk stations in GTA 4. Those ran as a live broadcast you tuned into. Rockstar's new feature is different: on-demand podcasts that you choose and play from the phone, in a vehicle or on foot.

Rockstar has not named any podcast, given a count, or said who voices them. If they follow the style of the old talk stations, they will be the main place for the game's satire of media, money and influencer culture. LOVE Magazine's October interview said Rockstar aims its satire at broad targets rather than specific headlines; applying that to the podcasts is our reading, not something Rockstar has said.

How big is the full lineup?

Six stations is a partial reveal. Game Rant reports that Rockstar describes the soundtrack as the series' largest and widest-ranging selection of radio and podcasts so far, and that more stations and music will be shown before launch. GTA 5 shipped with more than 15 music stations plus talk radio, so it is reasonable to expect the final list to be longer than six, but there is no official number.

Rockstar's description also mentions classic rock and talk radio, formats none of the six stations cover, which suggests at least those are still to come. No further station names have been confirmed.

The radio is not the same as the album

Do not confuse the radio stations with Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, which Rockstar announced in September. The album is a separate set of 34 original songs made for the game, with six titles published so far, including tracks by Travis Scott, Yung Lean with Future and Metro Boomin, Morgan Wallen, Rauw Alejandro and Keith Richards. Gfinity, GTABase and others report physical vinyl and CD editions with pre-orders through Rockstar's store.

Outlets disagree on whether the album releases on November 19 with the game or ships on November 20, so check the store page before you order. Whether every album track also plays on in-game radio has not been confirmed.

What changes for players

First, the radio is now part of on-foot play, not only driving. Expect to spend more time with the phone open than in GTA 5.

Second, region may matter. Back Country Radio is explicitly framed around Grassrivers and Port Gellhorn. Rockstar has not said whether stations have limited reception in parts of Leonida, so treat that as an open question, not a feature.

Third, the previews are a fair way to judge the game's tone before launch. They are official, free, and the only first-party look at the in-game audio. If you want to avoid spoilers, they are safe: they contain music and host banter, not story.

Fourth, if you stream or record, wait for Rockstar's guidance. Licensed music has caused copyright claims for GTA 5 streamers in the past, and GTA 6's stations are built on licensed songs. Rockstar has not said whether a streamer-safe option is coming.

What this changes on Vice Universe

Nothing we published earlier contradicts this reveal. Our earlier suggestion to play part of the game with the radio low still stands, and on-foot audio makes it a real choice rather than the default. When Rockstar names more stations or podcasts, we will add them here rather than publish a new page.

Sources

Rockstar Games, GTA VI music page and October 8 Newswire post. Reporting from Dexerto, Game Rant, KeenGamer, Forbes and gHacks (October 8-9, 2026). Album details from Gfinity, GTABase and Revolt. Unlock times and install size are still not announced; our countdown and console check tools keep using the dates only.