Now that Grand Theft Auto 6 has been confirmed for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, here's everything we know so far about the map including its expected size, location, time period, and leaks.
Over an decade after the release of Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar finally confirmed plans for GTA 6 with the record-breaking announcement of a trailer arriving "in early December."
Official news on the game has been sparse as Rockstar has yet to confirm a release date, but estimates have the game coming before March 2025.
Where Will Grand Theft Auto 6 Take Place?
Each of the Grand Theft Auto games have taken place in a fictional city inspired by a real United States location such as Liberty City (New York City), Vice City (Miami), San Andreas (San Fransisco), and Los Santos (Los Angeles):
- Grand Theft Auto III - New York City
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - Miami
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - San Fransisco
- Grand Theft Auto IV - New York City
- Grand Theft Auto V - Los Angeles
While Rockstar has yet to confirm the setting for Grand Theft Auto 6 officially, the initial Bloomberg report that revealed the imminent announcement noted how the next-gen experience will take place in "a fictional version of Miami."
As such, GTA 6 is expected to mark the franchise's return to Vice City for the first time since 2002's Vice City, which took place in 1986.
Unlike that game, most assume GTA 6 will continue to explore a fictional version of modern day just as GTA 5 did, meaning fans ought to be treated to a very different take on Vice City this time around.
Fans caught their first glimpse at the new Miami-inspired modern world thanks to a major leak in September 2022 that saw Rockstar's servers breached and over 90 minutes of test footage surface online due to a network intrusion.
The leak was confirmed by Rockstar to be legitimate, with the footage highlighting a female protagonist in the new world, adding credibility to reports GTA 6 will be led by a Bonnie and Clyde-inspired crime duo.
How Big Will Grand Theft Auto 6's Map Be?
The user KeWiS on the GTAForums conducted an elaborate study into the size of the various maps and discovered the franchise's latest world, Los Santos, to be around 48.15 square kilometers in terms of actual land. By comparison, the last trip to Vice City in 2022 was found to be just 5.62 square kilometers:
- Grand Theft Auto III - 4.38 square kilometers
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - 5.62 square kilometers
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - 31.55 square kilometers
- Grand Theft Auto IV - 8.06 square kilometers
- Grand Theft Auto V - 48.15 square kilometers
As GTA 6 will presumably feature a map at least the same size as the last game, the newest iteration of Vice City will seemingly be over 10 times the last. So, between the bigger map and new era, fans are in for a very different Miami.
Grand Theft Auto 6's Massive Post-Launch Map Plans Explained
According to a viral leak shared by @GTAVInewz on X (formerly Twitter), Grand Theft Auto 6 will have an "ever-evolving map" as Rockstar will expand the world over time by "adding new cities on a regular basis."
In the modern era of gaming, massive maps evolving over time has become common place, with Battle Royale games such as Fortnite and Warzone updating their maps with new and redecorated regions.
As such, it would be no surprise if Rockstar were to give GTA 6 a similar treatment over the many years fans are expecting it to be continually updated across.
If the rumor of whole "new cities" does pay off, gamers could even see themselves coming back to more iconic GTA locations beyond just Vice City such as San Andreas, Liberty City, and maybe even Los Santos.
Grand Theft Auto 6 will debut its first trailer in November with no release date yet announced at this time.
