Grand Theft Auto 6’s map is significantly larger than the maps in Rockstar’s previous games. Here’s how it compares to the studio’s other titles, according to the developer.
Rockstar Games confirmed to The New York Times and YouTuber TGG that Grand Theft Auto 6’s map is three times bigger than the playable area of Red Dead Redemption 2. Elaborating to TGG, it was revealed that it is twice the size of Grand Theft Auto 5, and Vice City itself is twice the size of Los Santos from GTA 5. Vice City and its surrounding suburbs are 11 times bigger than Los Santos and its surrounding areas.
If that wasn’t enough for you, TGG also revealed that there are “hundreds” of accessible interiors in GTA 6. In GTA 5, players could enter the homes of their respective characters, different shops, and a few random buildings like the Los Santos police station, but generally speaking, there weren’t a lot of places you could enter. GTA Online has added more over time, but they often require loading screens and are very restrictive.
The GTA 6 extended look already showed off a variety of interiors both inside and outside of missions, so that should make Leonida a lot more layered. Speaking to IGN, Rockstar Games’ Rob Nelson discussed how the developer took lessons learned from building Red Dead Redemption 2’s version of the Wild West and expanded upon those ideas with GTA 6.
“I think with Red Dead Redemption 2, we finally had the team and the tech and then took the time we needed to push the idea of making a fully realized consistent-feeling world further than we ever had,” Nelson explained.
“With that game we took the time necessary to take advantage of that generation of hardware to maximize the quality of our open world population, design, and gameplay so that when you were riding from here to there in-game, you were constantly getting distracted and pulled in different directions. And then you could really get lost as that character in that place. That’s when to me, these games can feel magical and create a sense of wonder that the world is alive – and you get these little shivers of ‘What’s happening?’
“GTA 6 is a continuation of our team pushing in this direction – doing everything we possibly can to create the largest, deepest, most densely populated and complex world we have ever built for people to get lost in.”
For more GTA 6 coverage, check out our full interview with Rob Nelson, our exclusive preview of the game, and our roundup of everything revealed and confirmed on Netflix, IGN, and by Rockstar Games so far.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.