GTA 6 Airboat: There Are Actually Two of Them
Most roundups talk about “the GTA 6 airboat” like it’s one vehicle. It isn’t. Rockstar has actually shown two different fanboats so far, built by two different fictional brands, each with its own real-world design roots and its own confirmed appearance. One shows up driving through the Grassrivers in the first trailer. The other is used for alligator hunting in an official screenshot, then gets chased by a helicopter in the second trailer. Here’s how to tell them apart, and what’s actually confirmed about each.
| Detail | GTA 6 Information |
| Vehicle Names | Airboat (unnamed brand) and Airgator Airboat 09 |
| Vehicle Type | Flat-bottomed fanboat |
| Class | Boats |
| GTA 6 Status | Confirmed both models appear in official trailers and screenshots |
| First Seen | Airboat: September 2022 leaked footage, parked at Vice City International Airport. Airboat 09: official Grassrivers screenshots |
| Officially Named | Airboat 09 is named on-screen through its Airgator branding; the smaller Airboat hasn’t been given an on-screen name yet |
| Real-Life Inspiration | The smaller Airboat resembles a Panther Airboats build; the Airgator Airboat 09 draws from several Diamondback Airboats models |
| Price | Not officially revealed for either model |
| Availability | Not confirmed for GTA 6 |
| Location | Both are shown in the Grassrivers wetlands; the smaller Airboat was also seen at Vice City International Airport in a 2022 leak |
| Customization | Not confirmed, though the two Airboat 09s shown in official screenshots already have different propeller cages, seat covers, and liveries |
| Performance | Not officially revealed |
| Special Features | Airboat 09 has two separate seating areas a raised single seat for the driver and a double bench for passengers plus storage space built into the floor |
| Weaponized | No |
| Previous GTA Appearance | Similar fanboats have appeared before, including the Bovver ’64 in Vice City Stories |
Here’s the distinction that gets lost in most coverage. The first airboat Rockstar showed was a smaller fanboat, spotted first in leaked September 2022 footage sitting on dry land at Vice City International Airport, then confirmed properly in the first official trailer, where it carries two passengers through the Grassrivers. The second is the Airgator Airboat 09, a larger, more work-oriented boat that shows up in official screenshots being used for alligator hunting and fishing, and later gets chased by a Buzzard Attack Chopper in the second trailer. They’re not the same vehicle wearing different paint, they’re two separate designs, likely built by two separate fictional manufacturers.
The smaller Airboat looks closest to a real Panther Airboats build, a well-known name in actual airboat manufacturing. The Airgator Airboat 09 pulls from several different Diamondback Airboats models at once; its general shape matches Diamondback’s Hunting & Fishing line, while smaller details like the metal footrest, propeller cage, and front guardrail seem to borrow from other Diamondback work boats and fishing models. Rockstar even gave the in-game brand its own logo, a shield with an alligator on it, clearly mirroring Diamondback’s real rattlesnake logo.
Both boats are built for the same basic problem: getting around the Grassrivers, a shallow, swampy wetland region where regular boats would run aground. The Airboat 09 in particular is shown doing real work in official screenshots hunting alligators and fishing which fits Rockstar’s own description of the Grassrivers as a place where gators aren’t even the most dangerous thing you’ll run into. The smaller Airboat’s role looks more like basic transportation, at least based on what’s been shown so far.
How much does the Airboat cost in GTA 6?
Nothing has been confirmed for either model. Even dedicated vehicle-tracking sites list the price as unknown, expected to be filled in only after the game actually launches.
Where can you find an Airboat?
Both are tied to the Grassrivers wetlands. The smaller Airboat has also been spotted on dry land at Vice City International Airport, though that was in leaked footage rather than official material.
Can you buy an Airboat?
Not confirmed either way. Neither model has been shown at a dealership or store yet.
Is either Airboat connected to a mission or character?
Not directly confirmed, though the Airboat 09 chase scene in the second trailer involves named characters escaping through the Grassrivers.
Rockstar hasn’t confirmed a customization system for either boat, but there’s a real hint sitting in the official screenshots already: the two Airboat 09s shown side by side don’t look identical. They have different propeller cage shapes, different seat coverings, and different livery details, including one with visible branding on its cage and one without. That kind of variation between two examples of the same base vehicle is often an early sign that a customization system exists, even without Rockstar spelling it out directly.
The smaller Airboat:
- September 2022 leaked footage, parked at Vice City International Airport
- First official trailer, carrying two passengers through the Grassrivers
The Airgator Airboat 09:
- Official Grassrivers screenshots, shown alligator hunting and fishing
- Second official trailer (around 2:18), being chased by a Buzzard Attack Chopper
Airboats haven’t been a major part of GTA before, but the series has touched on similar fanboats in smaller ways the Bovver ’64 showed up in Vice City Stories as a comparable swamp-ready boat. GTA 6 is the first time Rockstar has built an entire region, the Grassrivers, specifically around this kind of vehicle, rather than treating it as a one-off novelty.
| Feature | Airgator Airboat 09 | Crest Kayak |
| Type | Motorized fanboat | Manual rowing kayak |
| Best Use | Fast travel, hunting, fishing | Quiet, low-key swamp travel |
| Speed | Likely much faster (unconfirmed) | Slow, human-powered |
| GTA 6 Status | Confirmed via screenshots and trailer | Confirmed, Ultimate Edition context |
| Setting | Grassrivers wetlands | Grassrivers wetlands |
What’s shown so far
- Two separate airboat models, each with its own confirmed sighting.
- The Airgator Airboat 09’s design pulls from real Diamondback Airboats models.
- The smaller Airboat is closer to a real Panther Airboats design.
- Both are tied to the Grassrivers wetlands region.
What’s still missing
- Price for either model.
- Where or how players will actually acquire one.
- Official performance details for either boat.
- Confirmation of a customization system, despite the visible design variation between two Airboat 09s.
Is the Airboat confirmed in GTA 6?
Yes, and there are actually two of them, a smaller Airboat shown in the first trailer, and a separate Airgator Airboat 09 shown in official screenshots and the second trailer.
What’s the difference between the Airboat and the Airboat 09?
The smaller Airboat looks based on a Panther Airboats design and first appeared in leaked footage and the first trailer. The Airboat 09 is a separate, Diamondback-inspired model shown hunting and fishing in official screenshots.
How much does the GTA 6 Airboat cost?
Unknown. Rockstar hasn’t shared a price for either model, and vehicle-tracking sites list this information as something that won’t be confirmed until the game launches.
Where can you find an Airboat in GTA 6?
Both models are tied to the Grassrivers wetlands. The smaller Airboat has also been seen parked at Vice City International Airport, though only in leaked footage so far.
Can you customize the Airboat 09?
Not officially confirmed, but the two Airboat 09s shown in official screenshots already look different from each other, which hints at some kind of customization system Rockstar hasn’t detailed yet.
What happens to the Airboat 09 in the second trailer?
It’s chased by a Buzzard Attack Chopper through the Grassrivers, in one of that trailer’s more dramatic action sequences, with the helicopter’s rotor wash visibly disturbing the water and reeds below.
Has an airboat-style vehicle been in GTA before?
Not exactly like this. The closest comparison is the Bovver ’64 from Vice City Stories, though GTA 6 is the first time the series has built an entire wetland region specifically around this kind of boat.
The GTA 6 Airboat is really two separate stories wearing the same general shape. One is a smaller, simpler fanboat that’s shown up twice so far, once in a leak and once in the first trailer. The other, the Airgator Airboat 09, is a more detailed, work-focused boat with real design variation already visible between two examples Rockstar has shown. Price, performance, and how players will actually get either one remain open questions until Rockstar shares more.