GTA 6's ad campaign reaches Japan: giant billboards in Osaka with the katakana logo and a CERO Z badge

GTA 6’s ad campaign has started in Japan. Giant billboards now wrap the corner of a building in Osaka’s Shinsaibashi, a few steps from the Dotonbori canal: Jason and Lucia on one side, a collage of official artwork on the other, the Japanese logo グランド・セフト・オートVI and the date 2026年11月19日, November 19, 2026. In the corner sits a CERO Z badge with the line “not for sale to anyone under 18”.

The Osaka billboards in short

What’s on the building

The main face uses the cover art: Lucia and Jason in front of the pink Vice City sky, with the English logo and the katakana name above it. The side face is a column of official artwork, chases, beach scenes and fast cars stacked around the logo, with the date in large Japanese numerals at the bottom. It’s the same visual language as the Paris and New York ads, translated for Japan.

The small print matters most. In the corner of the main face is the CERO Z mark with 本商品は18才未満の方には販売しておりません, “this product is not sold to anyone under 18”. The rating appeared on the Japanese store pages on October 18, and now it’s on the street. Price, rating and what the Japanese version changes are on our GTA 6 in Japan page.

Why Osaka

Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori are the neon heart of Osaka: the giant crab, the Glico running man and a canal lined with screens that are lit all night. Putting Vice City there makes sense. It’s one of the few places in the world that already looks like a GTA city after dark, and it’s packed with exactly the people the game is for.

It’s also the first stop in Asia. Rockstar has switched the campaign on one city at a time: Miami, New York, Paris, and now Osaka. The full list, with the blimp, the roof sign and the metro posters, is on our GTA 6 marketing campaign page.

Japan plays early

There’s a practical reason to advertise in Japan this loudly. GTA 6 unlocks there at midnight local time on November 19, and only New Zealand and Australia start earlier. Europe waits eight more hours and New York fourteen, so for a while the first streams of Vice City will come from Japan. The exact times for every country are in our release time guide.

As a technical artist, I like how well the art holds up on a building. Rockstar’s illustrations are drawn with flat colour areas and strong outlines, so they stay readable from across the street at night, next to some of the brightest screens in the world.

The campaign, city by city

Osaka is one stop on a route that started in Miami in September and ends on launch night.

1. September 23Miami — a "Welcome to Vice City" sign on the Kaseya Center roof
2. October 1New York — a giant GTA 6 mural painted in Brooklyn
3. Early OctoberParis — a wrap on a tower by the ring road and posters in the metro
4. Late OctoberOsaka — billboards on a corner in Shinsaibashi, the story on this page
5. Early NovemberMiami Beach — giant pink "Vice Beach" letters on the lawn of Lummus Park
6. November 18Miami — the Heat play a home game as Vice City

Every date, including the magazines and the album, is in our full campaign timeline.

FAQ

Where are the GTA 6 billboards in Japan?
In Osaka, in the Shinsaibashi area next to Dotonbori: two giant faces on the corner of a building, lit at night.

What does the Japanese GTA 6 billboard say?
The katakana name グランド・セフト・オートVI, the date 2026年11月19日 (November 19, 2026), a CERO Z badge with the note that the game isn’t sold to anyone under 18, and “Plays best on PS5”.

Is Osaka the first GTA 6 ad campaign in Asia?
Yes, so far. Before Osaka the campaign covered Miami, New York and Paris.