The Grand Theft Auto games have been cemented into pop culture, making fictional locations like San Andreas and Liberty City into well-known places. A sixth main game in the franchise is inevitable, though it’s unknown where (and when) the game will be set. However, there are some distinct possibilities.
A Grand Theft Auto game is rarely set in a real-life city, but the locations that Rockstar Games create are clearly based on American areas like Miami and Los Angeles. Though they’ve not been afraid to return to old ground, the developers could also take the next game somewhere new. Here are five potential options.
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London
The English capital has actually already been the location for two Grand Theft Auto titles: GTA London 1969, and GTA London 1961, which were released in 1999. These were top-down games, though, meaning fans of the franchise have not yet had the chance to explore London in 3D. Back in 2013, Rockstar co-founder, Dan Houser, even spoke about the team’s desire to make a new game based there, however he did leave the company last year.
So, GTA VI could well be headed to London. Unconfirmed rumors have regularly listed the city as one of the front-runners for the setting of the next game, and it would make a lot of sense. Like other metropolises the series has parodied, London has plenty of iconic scenery to play off, plus there are countless British stereotypes the developers can lean into for laughs.
Vice City
A recent, unverified “leak” of the GTA VI map bore a striking resemblance to Vice City, the Miami-inspired location of GTA: Vice City, leading to widespread speculation that this could be where the game will take place. Even prior to those images (which should probably be taken with a healthy dose of salt) appearing online, there were murmurings about the franchise returning to one of its most popular locales.
Set in the 80s, Vice City took a left-turn after GTA III, which took place in the contemporary Liberty City. A new game could perhaps return to Vice City in modern times, giving it a fresh feel compared to the older game while offering new characters and storylines.
Rio de Janeiro
So far, the GTA games have mainly focused on North America, meaning they could turn their attention to famous cities in the southern part of the continent. With its favelas and established cityscapes, Rio would provide a diverse and rich map for the next game. It’s likely that, as in the other games, the city would be fictionalized, but Rio offers a fascinating framework to build on.
A different climate, economy and culture would give the latest entry in the franchise a truly unique feel and provide the opportunity for some welcome diversity. Other leaks’ a few years ago claimed that GTA VI definitely will be set in Brazil during the 70s and 80s, and will focus on a group of protagonists trying to work their way up the drug cartel, drawing inspiration from hit Netflix show Narcos.
Liberty City
As mentioned, Rockstar has returned to locations featured in previous games before, like San Andreas and Los Santos. Based on New York City, Liberty City was the central location for both GTA III and GTA IV. So, it could well be lined up for the next major title.
Having spent so much time there, GTA fans will already be familiar with the city and, it is beloved by many. GTA VI‘s take could feature a modern day setting or go back in time somewhere, though what seems certain is that it would feature new characters. While going back to Liberty City would provide ample opportunity to make fun callbacks to previous GTA titles and put a fresh spin on an established location, it’s more likely that Rockstar will want to expand their universe more.
GTA World
Rockstar North head Leslie Benzies, speaking to Digital Trends in 2012, outlined how he was very interested in creating a game that features all of the established cities within previous GTA games, allowing players to travel between them. Dubbed GTA World by some, this means the likes of Liberty City, Vice City, San Andreas and Los Santos would all be included in what would be an enormous map.
At the time, Benzies noted how they were limited by the technology available, whereas in 2021, a multi-city map is much more possible. Rockstar would also have the resources to pull of something as ambitious as this, although they would surely have had to begun work on it many years ago.
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