As we wade into the final stretch of 2025, the GTA 6 release date is slowly (my goodness, so slowly) coming into focus. Close your eyes, shut off your brain and picture yourself kicking back on the white sands of Vice beach this May, sunkissed, fancy free and packing more heat than a chilli cook off.
OK, now open your eyes, snap back to reality and get excited for a different crime simulator, one that pays homage to the long road that paved the way for Rockstar's next blockbuster outing with a splash of Hotline Miami for extra flavour.
You don't need me to tell you that's one hell of a sell, and it's exactly what The Henchmen promises—a retro-inspired, top-down sandbox shooter that's coming soon to Steam, whose chaotic cops-and-robbers set pieces nod to GTA 2, with claustrophobic quick-fire combat that echoes Dennaton's ultra-violent smash hit.
Here's a trailer:
Set in the fictional borough of New Queens, The Henchmen unfolds over six years, across a "snow-covered" 1990 and a "sun-bleached" 1996. In doing so, the timeline charts the protagonist's rise through the city's criminal ranks in their bid to rule the seedy underbelly of New Queens, on a journey that can be undertaken on your lonesome or alongside a friend in two-player co-op.
Grand Theft Auto 2 is arguably the longstanding series' most underrated entry, with an engaging risk-versus-reward gang notoriety system few games have come close to matching in over 25 years. While GTA 2 didn't launch with co-op way back in 1999, intuitive modders have since keenly added the capacity to do so, and so The Henchmen will enter a space primed for something similar.
Those less keen on a game now over a quarter of a century old may have stronger feelings about The Henchmen's Hotline Miami likeness. At face value, the idea of wiping the floor with an abode-full of goons, a la Hotline, and then hopping into the getaway car and actually being allowed to explore an open-world sandbox thereafter sounds incredible, so if The Henchmen sticks its landing it really could be onto something special.
Here's a wee bit from the game's Steam blurb: "Combining 90’s nostalgia with modern design principles, The Henchmen shakes up the classic open world formula with combo-driven combat, arcade driving physics and full co-op support; delivering a pulse pounding, power-sliding, partner-ready take on the crime sandbox."
GTA 6 will inevitably eclipse everything in its path come May 26, 2026, and while it's unclear when The Henchmen will break from its 'to be announced' Steam billing at present, I'll nevertheless be keeping a keen eye on it from hereon.
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