GTA 6 Players Curious About the Reflection Mystery of This Ferris Wheel

Last week, Rockstar Games unveiled the cover for Grand Theft Auto 6, announced the start of pre-orders, and shared a brief clip showcasing the game’s version of Vice City. The nighttime view of Vice City looked stunning, but sharp-eyed fans noticed something odd: a Ferris wheel in the footage didn’t cast a reflection on the water, sparking a flurry of speculation.

On June 18, Rockstar updated the official Grand Theft Auto 6 website with a sleek video that features a camera fly-through of Vice City at night as you scroll. The visuals are impressive, highlighting the scale of Rockstar’s upcoming open-world title. However, if you pay close attention to the background, you’ll spot the Ferris wheel, which, unlike the surrounding buildings and objects, fails to reflect on the water below. This peculiar detail has become a hot topic of discussion online.

Some fans interpreted the missing reflection as a sign that the game is still a work in progress. Others were thrilled to see genuine in-engine footage, imperfections included. There were also humorous takes on the situation, with jokes about whether the Ferris wheel is a vampire or if this oversight might lead to another delay. The community even pondered how anyone could enjoy GTA 6 knowing the Ferris wheel lacks a proper reflection.

Naturally, given the significance of GTA 6, some fans took the matter seriously, creating diagrams, models, and GIFs to argue that the Ferris wheel’s lack of reflection could be realistic. Others shared images of the real-life Ferris wheel that likely inspired the game, noting that it also doesn’t cast a sharp reflection. Additionally, some fans pointed out that in other clips of GTA 6 featuring the wheel, it does have a reflection, suggesting this might be a technical quirk. The buzz around the mysterious Ferris wheel caught the attention of tech experts, who offered their insights.

Digital Foundry weighed in, stating, “In short, neither ray tracing nor screen space reflections are configured to reflect that Ferris wheel.” They speculated that the distance of the camera from the wheel could also contribute to the missing reflection. With these technical limitations, camera distance, and real-world evidence that the actual Ferris wheel doesn’t produce a sharp reflection, it seems the mystery has been unraveled.

One fan commented on the ongoing discussion, saying, “How is the community so centered about this all? I was just enjoying the cover art reveal and the fact that we just got a new point of view on the city; but y’all worrying about a shadow/reflection.”

Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox, and anticipation is building as the community grows increasingly excited.