Is Phil Cassidy in GTA 6? Exploring trailer 2 for details

“Is Phil Cassidy in GTA 6?” has become one of the most asked questions after Rockstar Games released the second trailer on May 6, 2026. One of the scenes in the video showed an NPC with the same name and appearance. However, there are many ifs and buts related to the existence of Phil Cassidy in GTA 6.

While there are references, the return of Phil Cassidy in GTA 6 is highly unlikely. This article explains more.

Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions.

Why Rockstar Games may not bring back Phil Cassidy in GTA 6

If you pause the GTA 6 trailer 2 at 2:09 minutes, you can see an in-game TV advertisement featuring an NPC that has a striking resemblance to Phil Cassidy from Grand Theft Auto Vice City. He was an ex-army personnel who received a dishonorable discharge. After that, Phil began dealing in various arms and weapons in Vice City.

Surprisingly, the NPC shown in the second Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer was also named Phil, and he runs an Ammu-Nation Store in Leonida. The character spoke the following lines in GTA 6:

“Come to Phil’s Ammu-Nation today. We got more guns than the law allows.”

As is customary, some Grand Theft Auto fans began to speculate that Rockstar Games confirmed the return of Phil Cassidy in GTA 6. While on a lighter note, this could be true, there are some other factors to be considered.

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The plot of Grand Theft Auto Vice City took place in 1986, when Phil Cassidy lost his left arm in an explosion. The character also appeared in 2001’s Grand Theft Auto 3, where he was seen for the last time with only his right arm. However, the rumored Phil Cassidy in GTA 6 has both his arms.

While we don’t know the timeline of Grand Theft Auto 6 yet, it is expected to take place in recent times. If Rockstar Games does bring back Phil Cassidy in GTA 6, he would be old by now, with one arm missing. However, the ad character appeared considerably young and in good health.

Also read: GTA 6 map locations and details: 5 key locations confirmed after trailer 2

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Another factor to consider is that Rockstar has never physically brought back 3D Universe characters to the HD Universe. You can find the names of various old characters in GTA 4 and GTA 5, but they have never appeared in person. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the developer will break this tradition.

We will have to wait until the release of GTA 6 to know if the speculation about Phil Cassidy in GTA 6 is true or not.

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About the author

Mridul completed his post-graduation in Mass Communication, Journalism, and Media Studies. His career as a journalist began at Sportskeeda, and he has been associated with the Esports & Gaming division for over 1.5 years. He has produced 1600+ articles on Grand Theft Auto, his favorite gaming franchise of all time.

Mridul writes detailed and well-researched articles, relying solely on official sources and reputable insiders for credible information. His immense love for the GTA series shines through in his work, which resonates with readers, with five of his articles having crossed the 100,000 reads mark each. Overall, his reads count stands at close to 8 million.

GTA: Vice City served as Mridul's introduction to Rockstar Games, and he has dedicatedly made his way through the publisher's catalog since then. If given a chance, he would love to drop into the world of Bully and relive his school days. However, he would like to recommend Grand Theft Auto 4 to beginners due to the depth of its narrative and in-game mechanics.

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Edited by Dinesh Renthlei