Last night, the first television advertisements for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 were broadcast during some NBA basketball games. And it’s basically just the launch trailer from last week, but with a few of the spicier bits featuring sex in the shower completely missing.
On October 20, as spotted by numerous people on social media, a slightly modified version of the recently released GTA 6 launch trailer was broadcast during opening night of the NBA season. Specifically, people online saw the ad while watching a New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers game. Others reported seeing the ad, or a similar version, during a Pistons/Celtics game and a Thunder/Spurs game that same night.
The full GTA 6 Tv commercial shown shown during the NBA game between New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers. pic.twitter.com/zua7JPuNcu
— GTA 6 Info (@GTASixInfo) October 21, 2026
In the version of the ad seen above, you’ll notice that while the first shower scene is still included, the other two moments are missing. It seems that these moments were a bit too spicy for broadcast television. Guns, explosions, robbery, and other criminal mischief and violence are fine. Just don’t show any bare legs bumping around in a shower for a few frames.
Some GTA superfans out there also spotted a few very, very minor differences between this new ad and the launch trailer.
The first GTA 6 commercial aired on NBC Sports, featuring the launch trailer but with some changes:
– Cut shower shots, resulting in other shots being a bit longer
– Longer plane shot
– Longer Jason and Lucia shot
– Xbox logo completely removed due to the deal with PlayStation pic.twitter.com/o6qc4dGZab— GTA 6 Countdown ⏳ (@GTAVI_Countdown) October 21, 2026
It seems like a few extra frames of footage were included after Jason jokingly punches Lucia’s arm. And a few more frames were included in the bit where Lucia jumps off a truck and onto a plane’s landing gear. This doesn’t really reveal anything new, but there you go, fresh footage of GTA 6.
I suspect this same ad will show up during the upcoming Miami Heat game that is being directly sponsored by GTA 6 and which will feature unique uniforms and more.
For many, seeing GTA 6‘s launch trailer appear on TV while watching a basketball game made it feel a lot more real. “Seeing it on a proper TV spot during a big game makes it feel real now,” said one person. Another mentioned that seeing the date and the ad on their living room TV suddenly made it clear that GTA 6 is only a few weeks away. After a decade of rumors, leaks, reports, and delays, the long wait is nearly over. Grand Theft Auto 6 arrives on November 19.