GTA 6: The Map Is Almost as Big as GTA 4, GTA 5, and RDR2 Combined

Rockstar has let the cat out of the bag: According to the studio, the GTA 6 map is almost as big as the worlds of GTA 4, GTA 5, and Red Dead Redemption 2 combined. This comes from a major preview in Edge magazine, which PC Gamer and IGN picked up today.

This refers to Leonida, Rockstar's version of Florida, including Vice City and its surrounding areas. However, size alone isn't Rockstar's goal. Co-Studio Head Aaron Garbut emphasized in an interview with Edge that the world is primarily designed to be dense.

How Dense Is the GTA 6 Map Really?

According to Garbut, GTA 6 contains „an order of magnitude more“ traversable interiors than all previous Rockstar games. Every dark alleyway is designed with as much detail as the others; every conceivable location reflects the work of many people. Even after years of development, he himself still finds corners of the map he hasn't explored.

The outlying areas are also intended to offer more than in GTA 5. The rather empty stretches of land in northern San Andreas, such as the Senora Desert, weren't well-received by many players back then. According to PC Gamer, this criticism influenced the design of Leonida's outer regions.

When Does the Map Open Up in GTA 6?

The good news for anyone who doesn't want to be stuck in Vice City for hours on end: According to the Edge report, the world opens up relatively early. IGN refers to the GTA VI O’Clock podcast, which compiled the details from the magazine. So, if you wish, you can drive directly to the north of the state after starting, instead of being tied to the story for ten hours.

GTA 4: Police blockades on bridges kept you confined to individual islands during the game's progression.
GTA 5: After the tutorial, the entire map was open to you.
Red Dead Redemption 2: Almost everything was freely explorable, only the map from the first part remained locked until the end of the story.

GTA 6 is apparently taking cues from GTA 5 in this regard. The main story will still lead you across the map, but a few introductory story missions will likely remain necessary beforehand.

What Does This Mean for the November 19 Release?

For the November 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, this means: Plan enough time for cruising around. The extensive nature of the world is also hinted at by the file size, which we wrote about in our report on the 210 GB download. Rockstar has not yet dated a PC version. There are usually at least seven months between console and PC releases for Rockstar; with GTA 5, it was a year and a half.

From our perspective, the size claim is the lesser promise. More exciting is whether the density lives up to what Garbut hints at with the image of a „pyramid on Everest.“ Rockstar itself states that no compromises were made in terms of scope, detail, interactivity, and story. That's a bold claim, one the game will have to live up to in just under three weeks. And: A map that encompasses almost three Rockstar worlds relies on the distances between highlights not becoming a tiresome commute.

Find out more about the game on the official GTA 6 page from Rockstar Games.