Summary
- Grand Theft Auto 6's return to Vice City raises speculation about the size and design of the iconic city's map.
- Vice City has only been depicted in the 1980s, making GTA 6 a major glimpse into the progression of Rockstar's world.
- The modern age and Rockstar's design trends suggest that Vice City in GTA 6 is likely to be larger and more developed, but Rockstar might also try to recreate the original city closely.
In the wake of the official reveal trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 that premiered back in December, hype for the franchise has been at its highest point in years. Following years of silence regarding official announcements about the next GTA title, Rockstar finally showed off the series’ upcoming return to Vice City through a cinematic sequence that indicates a shift in tone from previous titles. As it seems set to feature a much more realistic world than its predecessors, the state of Grand Theft Auto 6’s iconic city is a worthy subject of speculation.
With over a decade of GTA 5 persisting as the most successful of the series, some players might not be familiar with the diverging timelines of GTA’s universes. The run that started with GTA 3 on the PS2 encompassed the 3D Universe, while GTA 4 and onward belong to the HD Universe. This change was most greatly defined by the complete change in map design that Liberty City received in its different incarnation, and it's unknown if this approach will extend to the return of Vice City’s titular location.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Open-World Map: How Big Would Be Too Big?
It remains to be seen exactly how big Grand Theft Auto 6's open-world map is, but there's certainly a sweet spot in an ever-expanding genre.
The Implications of Returning to Vice City on GTA 6's Map
Following Up the Franchise's Smallest Game World
There has been a significant amount of hype surrounding Vice City as the setting of GTA 6, but many players have forgotten just how compact the place was in its original appearance. It might not be immediately apparent during Tommy Vercetti’s adventure, but the entire city is primarily composed of two narrow islands that are made to feel larger through atmosphere and presentation. It would seem that another approach to the scale of the map is unavoidable nowadays, but there’s also another element to it that has no chance of staying the same.
Vice City Has Only Been Depicted in the 1980s
The next step after the success of 2001’s GTA 3, Vice City took a creative leap by bringing players into the life of a former mobster in 1986. Tommy Vercetti’s story in GTA, which took inspiration from films like Scarface and The Godfather, has always been deeply entrenched in the cultural phenomenon of this retro era. As a result, however, the game’s titular city has only ever been shown during this long-bygone time period. GTA 6 is the first glimpse fans have received into the progression of Rockstar’s world.
Rockstar's Design Trends Indicate an Evolution of Vice City is Likely
The Modern Age's Effect on Grand Theft Auto's World is Inevitable
Considering the way that the developer has handled the massive worlds of its recent titles and the truth of GTA 6’s current day setting, it’s highly likely that Rockstar is going to bring major changes to Vice City. The smaller size of the original Vice City’s map is simply unlikely to impress fans that have grown accustomed to the sprawl of GTA 5’s Los Santos and beyond, meaning that Vice City's landmarks could end up spread out across a much more developed city. There is still a chance that Rockstar could choose to stay true to the classic design of Vice City despite its compactness, but the passage of nearly 40 years in the game’s world is guaranteed to make it feel completely different at its core.
GTA 6's Scale is Corroborated by Rumors
They should ultimately be taken with a grain of salt, but several leaks and rumors regarding GTA 6 have turned out to be true so far. One alleged and unconfirmed leak states that the game features a map around 1.5x as large as that of GTA 5, something which would almost certainly indicate a complete overhaul of Vice City. An expansion of accessible territory outside the main Miami-inspired location, however, could also make up this extra map space while honoring the original layout of its first appearance. While Rockstar’s approach to Vice City in GTA 6 could lean towards either direction, the game’s placement in the contemporary era is bound to lead to some kind of change from the past.
Grand Theft Auto 6
- Released
- November 19, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.
Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
