Quick answer (verified October 31, 2026): Every Grand Theft Auto game since 1997 has had a radio. GTA 1 and GTA 2 used original music made in-house at DMA Design. London 1969 brought in the first licensed songs, and from GTA III on, licensed hits and celebrity DJs became standard. Vice City brought in 1980s hits, San Andreas went with early-'90s rap, rock and country, GTA IV signed musicians like Iggy Pop and Daddy Yankee as DJs, and GTA V has sixteen music stations. For GTA VI, launching November 19, 2026, Rockstar has officially previewed six radio stations with 18 songs and named a 34-track original album. The confirmed hosts include Bad Bunny, Lana Del Rey, Morgan Wallen, Robyn, Burna Boy and two members of Slayer. Justice composed the score.
How we sourced this: The soundtracks for GTA 1 through GTA V are checked against Wikipedia's game and music pages and the GTA Wiki's per-game station lists, all cited below. Everything in the GTA VI section comes from Rockstar's own material or from reputable press reporting on it (Polygon, Pitchfork, GameSpot, GamesRadar+, NME, Music Week). Leaks are kept in their own labeled section. Every legal name below is backed by the person's Wikipedia biography. Where we couldn't confirm a name, we left it out.
Grand Theft Auto (1997)
The first GTA came from DMA Design in Dundee, Scotland, which later became Rockstar North. It started a tradition that lasted the rest of the series: every car has a radio. Wikipedia credits three DMA staff members, Colin Anderson, Craig Conner and Grant Middleton, with composing and recording the radio tracks. According to the GTA Wiki station list, the game has seven stations plus a police scanner track, and every song is an original in-house creation with no licensed music. Most station names are never said in-game and are only listed in the game's booklet.
The seven stations are N-CT FM (hip-hop), Radio '76 FM (funk), Head Radio (techno and rock), The Fix FM (house and dance), It's Unleashed FM (hard and alternative rock, trance), The Fergus Buckner Show FM (country) and Brooklyn Underground FM (drum and bass, techno). Head Radio carried on into GTA 2 and GTA III, which makes it one of the series' longest-running station names.
GTA: London 1969 (1999)
London 1969 was the first official GTA expansion, and it moved the action to late-'60s London. According to the GTA Wiki, Rockstar licensed music from the era to capture that period, which makes it the first GTA game with licensed songs, a feature that became standard for the series. Original tracks were mixed in too. Its stations include Bush Sounds, Heavy Heavy Monster Sound, Blow Upradio, Kaleidoscope, Sound of Soho, Radio Penelope, Radio Andorra, Westminster Wireless and Radio 7. Reviewers singled out the audio: IGN's Doug Perry called its "accurate, retro '60s sound" the very best attraction of the game (as quoted on Wikipedia).
GTA 2 (1999)
GTA 2 is set in a retro-future "Anywhere City." Wikipedia says the game has eleven radio stations in total, with five available in each area, and that each gang is linked to its own stations. The GTA Wiki's station list includes Head Radio, Funami FM, KREZ, Lo-Fi FM, Osmosis Radio, Futuro FM, Rockstar Radio and Kgbh. Wikipedia credits the soundtrack to a team including Craig Conner, Stuart Ross, Paul Scargill, Colin Anderson and Bert Reid, along with the label Moving Shadow. The menu song, "Short Change," was produced by the British band E-Z Rollers. Like GTA 1, the game kept the series' exclusive music and fake ads.
GTA III (2001)
GTA III changed everything. Rockstar moved the series to 3D and started mixing licensed music and celebrity talent in with original tracks. Liberty City had nine stations, with about three and a half hours of radio material (Wikipedia):
- Head Radio (pop/rock, the original in-house tracks returning)
- Double Clef FM (opera and classical, hosted by the fictional Morgan Merryweather)
- Lips 106 (pop)
- K-Jah (dub and reggae)
- Rise FM (trance and house)
- Game Radio FM (hip-hop, hosted by Stretch Armstrong and Lord Sear)
- MSX FM (drum and bass)
- Flashback 95.6 (1980s Giorgio Moroder tracks, many from the Scarface soundtrack)
- Chatterbox FM (talk radio, hosted by Lazlow)
Real names: "Lazlow" is the professional name of Jeffrey Crawford Jones, a radio personality and Rockstar writer who worked on GTA from III onward. Giorgio Moroder is Giovanni Giorgio Moroder. Game Radio's hosts Stretch Armstrong and Lord Sear are real New York radio DJs, but we couldn't confirm their legal names, so we leave them out.
Standout songs include Paul Engemann's "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)" (produced by Moroder) on Flashback 95.6, the opera arias on Double Clef, and K-Jah's dub mixes.
GTA: Vice City (2002)
Vice City was a love letter to the 1980s, and it had nine stations: seven music and two talk.
- Flash FM (pop, hosted by Toni): Laura Branigan's "Self Control," Hall & Oates' "Out of Touch," Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star"
- V-Rock (metal, hosted by Lazlow): Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark at the Moon," Mötley Crüe's "Too Young to Fall in Love," Iron Maiden's "2 Minutes to Midnight"
- Emotion 98.3 (soft rock, hosted by Fernando Martinez): Toto's "Africa," Mr. Mister's "Broken Wings," REO Speedwagon's "Keep On Loving You," Kate Bush's "Wow"
- Wave 103 (new wave): Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Two Tribes," Tears for Fears' "Pale Shelter," Kate Bush's "Wow"
- Fever 105 (soul and funk): Kool & the Gang's "Summer Madness," Rick James' "Ghetto Life"
- Wildstyle (early hip-hop and electro, hosted by Mr. Magic): Afrika Bambaataa's "Looking for the Perfect Beat"
- Radio Espantoso (Latin jazz and salsa)
- Talk stations: VCPR (Vice City Public Radio) and K-Chat
Real names: Ozzy Osbourne is John Michael Osbourne. Afrika Bambaataa is Lance Taylor. Rick James was James Ambrose Johnson Jr.
GTA: San Andreas (2004)
San Andreas covers a whole state in the early 1990s. According to Wikipedia, it has eleven music stations with more than 150 licensed tracks, plus a talk station.
- Radio Los Santos (West Coast hip-hop and gangsta rap, hosted by Julio G): Dr. Dre's "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," N.W.A's "Alwayz into Somethin'," Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day," 2Pac's "I Don't Give a F***"
- K-DST "The Dust" (classic rock, hosted by Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith): Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird," Billy Idol's "White Wedding," Rod Stewart's "Young Turks"
- Radio X (alternative and grunge): Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle," Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage," Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name"
- Bounce FM (funk, disco and soul, hosted by The Funktipus): Zapp & Roger's "I Can Make You Dance," Ohio Players' "Love Rollercoaster"
- K-Rose (classic country, hosted by Mary-Beth Maybell): Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline
- Playback FM (classic East Coast hip-hop, hosted by Forth Right MC): Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim, Big Daddy Kane
- SF-UR (house, hosted by Hans Oberlander)
- CSR 103.9 (new jack swing)
- K-Jah West (reggae and dub)
- Master Sounds 98.3 (rare groove)
- WCTR (the talk station)
Real names: Julio G is Julio Gonzalez, a real West Coast radio DJ known for his work on KDAY. Dr. Dre is Andre Romell Young. Ice Cube is O'Shea Jackson. 2Pac was Tupac Amaru Shakur.
GTA: Liberty City Stories (2005)
Liberty City Stories is a prequel to GTA III, made for the PSP. According to the GTA Wiki station list, it brought back Head Radio, Double Clef FM, K-Jah, Rise FM, Lips 106, MSX 98 and Flashback FM, and added Radio Del Mundo (hosted by Panjit Gavaskar), The Liberty Jam (hip-hop, hosted by DJ Clue) and the talk station Liberty City Free Radio. Tracks on The Liberty Jam include DMX's "Ruff Ryders Anthem." We couldn't confirm DJ Clue's legal name from a reliable source, so we leave it out.
GTA: Vice City Stories (2006)
Vice City Stories is a prequel to Vice City, made for the PSP. According to the GTA Wiki station list, it brought back Flash FM, V-Rock, Wave 103, Emotion 98.3, Radio Espantoso and the talk station VCPR, and added Fresh FM, Paradise FM and VCFL. Its songs include Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" and Philip Bailey and Phil Collins' "Easy Lover." Wikipedia's plot summary says Phil Collins also appears in the story as himself, with the player tasked with protecting him from Mafia hitmen.
Real names: Phil Collins is Philip David Charles Collins.
GTA IV (2008)
GTA IV went back to a gritty, modern Liberty City and packed its radio with musicians and DJs as hosts.
- Liberty Rock Radio 97.8 (classic rock, hosted by Iggy Pop): David Bowie's "Fascination," The Who's "The Seeker," Q Lazzarus' "Goodbye Horses"
- Vladivostok FM (Russian pop and rap, hosted by Ruslana): Seryoga's "King Ring"
- Radio Broker (indie, hosted by Juliette Lewis): LCD Soundsystem, The Boggs
- The Vibe 98.8 (R&B, hosted by Vaughn Harper)
- Massive B Soundsystem 96.9 (dancehall, hosted by Bobby Konders)
- The Classics 104.1 (golden-age hip-hop, hosted by DJ Premier)
- The Beat 102.7 (contemporary hip-hop, hosted by DJ Green Lantern and DJ Mister Cee)
- San Juan Sounds (reggaeton, hosted by Daddy Yankee)
- Tuff Gong Radio (reggae and dub, hosted by Carl Bradshaw)
- Electro-Choc (electronic, hosted by François K)
- Fusion FM (jazz-funk, hosted by Roy Ayers)
- Jazz Nation Radio (jazz, hosted by Roy Haynes)
- International Funk 99 (funk and afrobeat, hosted by Femi Kuti)
- K109 The Studio (disco, hosted by Karl Lagerfeld)
- Liberty City Hardcore (hardcore punk, hosted by Jimmy Gestapo)
- The Journey (ambient), plus the talk stations Integrity 2.0 (Lazlow), WKTT and Public Liberty Radio
Real names: Iggy Pop is James Newell Osterberg Jr. Ruslana is Ruslana Lyzhychko. DJ Premier is Christopher Edward Martin. Daddy Yankee is Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez.
GTA: Chinatown Wars (2009)
Chinatown Wars came out on the Nintendo DS, and later the PSP and mobile. Space on those devices was tight, so it dropped DJs and vocals and used mostly instrumental stations instead, with music from electronic and hip-hop artists and labels. The GTA Wiki lists stations named after their artists or labels: Ticklah, Deadmau5, Alchemist, Truth & Soul, Prairie Cartel, DJ Khalil, Tortoise, Turntables on the Hudson, Anvil, DFA, plus Sinowav FM and Independence FM. It's the series' most stripped-down radio, but it still gives each car a "station" to fit the series tradition.
GTA V (2013)
According to Wikipedia, GTA V's radio has sixteen music stations with more than 441 licensed tracks, plus two talk stations, and more stations were added in later updates. The game also has an original score by Tangerine Dream, Woody Jackson, The Alchemist and Oh No, mixed by DJ Shadow.
- Non-Stop-Pop FM (pop, hosted by Cara Delevingne)
- Radio Los Santos (modern hip-hop, hosted by Big Boy)
- West Coast Classics (hosted by DJ Pooh)
- Los Santos Rock Radio (classic rock, hosted by Kenny Loggins)
- Channel X (punk, hosted by Keith Morris)
- Rebel Radio (outlaw country, hosted by Jesco White)
- Radio Mirror Park (indie, hosted by Twin Shadow)
- Space 103.2 (funk, hosted by Bootsy Collins)
- The Lowdown 91.1 (soul, hosted by Pam Grier)
- The Blue Ark (reggae, hosted by Lee "Scratch" Perry)
- WorldWide FM (hosted by Gilles Peterson)
- FlyLo FM (hosted by Flying Lotus)
- Soulwax FM (hosted by Soulwax)
- East Los FM (Mexican music, hosted by Don Cheto)
- Vinewood Boulevard Radio (garage rock, hosted by Nate Williams and Stephen Pope of Wavves)
- The Lab (hosted by The Alchemist and Oh No)
- Later additions: Blonded Los Santos 97.8 (Frank Ocean), Los Santos Underground Radio, iFruit Radio (Danny Brown), and more
- Talk: WCTR and Blaine County Radio
Standout songs: Los Santos Rock Radio plays Kenny Loggins' own "I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)," along with Stevie Nicks' "I Can't Wait" and Phil Collins' "I Don't Care Anymore." West Coast Classics plays 2Pac and Dr. Dre, and Non-Stop-Pop plays Robyn's "With Every Heartbeat" and Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)."
Real names: Big Boy is Kurt Alexander. DJ Pooh is Mark Jordan. Twin Shadow is George William Lewis Jr. Bootsy Collins is William Earl Collins. Lee "Scratch" Perry was Rainford Hugh Perry. Flying Lotus is Steven Ellison. Frank Ocean was born Christopher Edwin Breaux. Danny Brown is Daniel Dewan Sewell. The Alchemist is Alan Daniel Maman. Oh No is Michael Woodrow Jackson, the brother of producer Madlib (Otis Lee Jackson Jr.). Rihanna is Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
GTA VI (2026): confirmed music only
GTA VI launches November 19, 2026, according to Rockstar's official site. Everything below is officially confirmed by Rockstar or reported by reputable outlets covering Rockstar's announcements.
Trailer songs
- Trailer 1 (December 2023): Tom Petty's "Love Is a Long Road" (1989).
- Trailer 2 (May 6, 2025): The Pointer Sisters' "Hot Together" (1986), confirmed by GameSpot and NME.
GameSpot notes the song was written by Sharon Robinson. NME reports that the trailer also briefly plays Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight," Zenglen & 5 Etwal's "Child Support" and Tammy Wynette's "Talkin' To Myself Again" on Jason's car radio.
Real names: Tom Petty was Thomas Earl Petty.
The six previewed radio stations
Rockstar confirmed (as reported by Polygon and Pitchfork) the first six stations broadcasting across Leonida. Each one comes with three preview songs, and Rockstar has said this is a preview, not the full dial (Polygon, GamesRadar+).
| Station | Genre | Hosts (in-game names) | Real people behind them | Preview songs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cocoteo FM | Modern Latin | El Martillo, La Gata | Bad Bunny, RaiNao | Bad Bunny "EoO"; Axel Rulay "Si Es Trucho (Remix)"; Romeo Santos "Canalla" |
| Back Country Radio | Renegade country | MW, Delta Dawne, Mud Dog Mike | Morgan Wallen, Lana Del Rey, Jeremy Dufrene | David Allan Coe "Need a Little Time Off for Bad Behavior"; Loretta Lynn "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin'"; Hank Williams Jr. & Waylon Jennings "The Conversation" |
| AfroBank FM | African music, amapiano, 3-step | Burna, Palmsy | Burna Boy, Palms Trax | Asake "Joha"; Pat Thomas "Gye Wani"; DJ Lag "Shay'sana" |
| The Chamber 106.6 | Metal, '80s on | DJ Kerry, DJ Tom | Kerry King and Tom Araya of Slayer | Black Sabbath "I"; Pantera "I'm Broken"; Slayer "Raining Blood" |
| Flash FM | Pop | Robyn, Alex | Robyn, Alex Consani | Charli xcx "Good Ones"; Zara Larsson & PinkPantheress "Midnight Sun (Girls Trip)"; MGMT "Electric Feel" |
| Dirty South Classics | Southern rap | Trick, Trina | Trick Daddy, Trina | David Banner "Like a Pimp"; JT Money "Who Dat"; DJ Khaled "Born N Raised" |
Flash FM returns from the 2002 Vice City. GameSpot notes that Jason and Lucia can listen to radio and podcasts on foot through earbuds, which is a first for the series.
GTA VI: The Album and the score
Rockstar has announced Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, a 34-track album of original songs coming out with the game on November 19. Named artists include Travis Scott ("RHYNO"), Rauw Alejandro ("Macacoa 2000") and Keith Richards ("Bright Lights, Big City") (Polygon). The French duo Justice composed the game's dynamic original score, as Rockstar announced (Pitchfork, Music Week). Grand Theft Auto VI: Original Score (30 tracks plus digital bonus tracks) comes out December 11 through Because Music, Ed Banger and Rockstar. Previews include "Flower in a Hurricane" (with Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) and "Pusher" (with Gesaffelstein).
Real names (GTA VI artists): Bad Bunny is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. Lana Del Rey is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant. Burna Boy is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu. Robyn is Robin Miriam Carlsson. Charli xcx is Charlotte Emma Aitchison. Trick Daddy is Maurice Samuel Young. Trina is Katrina Laverne Kearse (née Taylor). Travis Scott is Jacques Bermon Webster II. Rauw Alejandro is Raúl Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz. PinkPantheress is Victoria Beverley Walker. Asake is Ahmed Ololade. Justice are Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay. Morgan Wallen, Kerry King, Tom Araya and Alex Consani perform under their own names. We couldn't confirm legal names for RaiNao or Palms Trax.
Unconfirmed: leaked and rumored stations
⚠️ Unconfirmed. GameSpot lists station names seen in leaked footage, including Emotion 98.3, V-Rock, WorldWide FM, Honey FM, Kaleidoscope FM, La Ola, Radio On.U, Symphony FM and The Wipe. Rockstar hasn't confirmed any of them. An official screenshot does show Jason in a V-Rock shirt, but that doesn't confirm the station is in the game.
Related pages (internal links)
- Jason Duval bio and Lucia Caminos bio
- GTA VI character bios: Cal Hampton, Boobie Ike, Dre'Quan Priest, Real Dimez, Raul Bautista, Brian Heder
- GTA character names and bios hub
- GTA 6 release date, story and features
- Real-name pages: Bad Bunny, Lana Del Rey, Ice Cube, Phil Collins, Rihanna, Tom Petty, Giorgio Moroder, Afrika Bambaataa, Daddy Yankee, DJ Premier, Frank Ocean, Flying Lotus, Bootsy Collins, Ruslana, Travis Scott, Rauw Alejandro, Trick Daddy, Robyn, 2Pac, Lazlow
FAQ
What song was in the first GTA 6 trailer?
Tom Petty's "Love Is a Long Road," from his 1989 album Full Moon Fever.
What song was in GTA 6 Trailer 2?
"Hot Together" by The Pointer Sisters.
How many radio stations will GTA 6 have?
Rockstar has previewed six: Cocoteo FM, Back Country Radio, AfroBank FM, The Chamber 106.6, Flash FM and Dirty South Classics. It hasn't announced the final total.
Who hosts the GTA 6 radio stations?
The confirmed hosts include Bad Bunny and RaiNao, Morgan Wallen, Lana Del Rey and Jeremy Dufrene, Burna Boy and Palms Trax, Kerry King and Tom Araya of Slayer, Robyn and Alex Consani, and Trick Daddy and Trina.
Which was the first GTA with licensed music?
GTA: London 1969 (1999), according to the GTA Wiki. GTA III (2001) made licensed music central to the series.
Who is Lazlow in GTA?
Lazlow is Jeffrey Crawford Jones, a radio personality and Rockstar writer. He hosted Chatterbox FM in GTA III and Integrity 2.0 in GTA IV.
Who composed the GTA 6 score?
Justice (Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay). Their Original Score album comes out December 11, 2026.
Is Flash FM in GTA 6?
Yes. Rockstar confirmed Flash FM as one of the six previewed stations, hosted by Robyn and Alex Consani.
Names covered
Lazlow (Jeffrey Crawford Jones); Stretch Armstrong; Lord Sear; Giorgio Moroder (Giovanni Giorgio Moroder); Ozzy Osbourne (John Michael Osbourne); Mr. Magic; Afrika Bambaataa (Lance Taylor); Rick James (James Ambrose Johnson Jr.); Julio G (Julio Gonzalez); Dr. Dre (Andre Romell Young); Snoop Dogg (Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.); Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson); 2Pac (Tupac Amaru Shakur); DJ Clue; Phil Collins (Philip David Charles Collins); Iggy Pop (James Newell Osterberg Jr.); Ruslana (Ruslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko); Juliette Lewis; DJ Premier (Christopher Edward Martin); Daddy Yankee (Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez); Femi Kuti; DJ Green Lantern; DJ Mister Cee; Karl Lagerfeld; Cara Delevingne; Big Boy (Kurt Alexander); DJ Pooh (Mark Jordan); Kenny Loggins; Keith Morris; Jesco White; Twin Shadow (George William Lewis Jr.); Bootsy Collins (William Earl Collins); Pam Grier; Lee "Scratch" Perry (Rainford Hugh Perry); Gilles Peterson; Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison); Frank Ocean (Christopher Edwin Breaux); Danny Brown (Daniel Dewan Sewell); The Alchemist (Alan Daniel Maman); Oh No (Michael Woodrow Jackson); DJ Shadow; Rihanna (Robyn Rihanna Fenty); Tom Petty (Thomas Earl Petty); The Pointer Sisters; Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio); RaiNao; Morgan Wallen; Lana Del Rey (Elizabeth Woolridge Grant); Jeremy Dufrene; Burna Boy (Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu); Palms Trax; Kerry King; Tom Araya; Robyn (Robin Miriam Carlsson); Alex Consani; Trick Daddy (Maurice Samuel Young); Trina (Katrina Laverne Kearse, née Taylor); Charli xcx (Charlotte Emma Aitchison); PinkPantheress (Victoria Beverley Walker); Asake (Ahmed Ololade); Travis Scott (Jacques Bermon Webster II); Rauw Alejandro (Raúl Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz); Keith Richards; Justice (Gaspard Augé, Xavier de Rosnay).