Short answer: GTA 6 is set in the State of Leonida, Rockstar’s modern take on Florida, with a rebuilt Vice City at its heart and a map widely estimated at nearly twice the size of GTA 5. That is the headline. Below I will separate what Rockstar has actually confirmed from what is community-mapped, because there is a lot of both floating around.
The setting: the State of Leonida
GTA 6 takes place across the State of Leonida, Rockstar’s fictional version of modern-day Florida. This is a return to Vice City territory, last visited properly back in 2002, brought fully into the present. It is not just a city this time, it is a whole state: the neon of Vice City, plus keys, swamps, beaches, wetlands and rural stretches beyond it. That variety is a big part of the pitch.
Vice City is the heart of it
The centrepiece is a modern, rebuilt Vice City, Rockstar’s take on Miami, and by their own framing the most detailed city they have ever created. For long-time fans this is the emotional core of GTA 6. Vice City is one of the most beloved settings in the series’ history, and getting it back with modern technology is the single biggest reason people are excited. If you only remember one thing about the map, make it this.
How big is it, really?
Rockstar has not published an official square-kilometre figure, so anyone quoting you an exact number is estimating. That said, the consensus from community analysis puts Leonida at roughly 1.5 to 2 times the size of GTA 5. Just as important as raw size is density: Rockstar games are not about empty space, they are about detail per square metre, and Vice City being the most detailed city they have built suggests the map will feel enormous because it is packed, not just because it is wide.
The regions: confirmed versus leaked
Here is where I will be straight with you, because a lot of coverage is not. Vice City is the confirmed urban hub. Beyond it, the areas most commonly cited are Leonida Keys, Grassrivers and Port Gellhorn, along with various rural and coastal regions across the state. But not every region name you will see in interactive fan maps is officially confirmed by Rockstar. A huge amount of the detailed map work out there is brilliant community effort pieced together from trailers and screenshots, not official cartography. So take the full region list as a mix of confirmed landmarks and educated community mapping, and expect Rockstar to fill in the gaps closer to launch.
What it means for free roam
This is the part I care about most. A bigger, denser, more varied Leonida means more to actually do between missions, which is the whole point of an open world for me. City chaos in Vice City, boat and beach runs through the keys, backcountry mayhem in the swamps and rural areas: the variety is what turns a map into a playground. If Rockstar nails the density the way they did with Los Santos and with Red Dead’s world, this could be the best free-roam sandbox ever made.
The characters tie it together
Worth a mention because it shapes how you experience the map: the two playable leads are Jason and Lucia, GTA’s first modern dual-protagonist pairing and its first playable female lead. The dual-character setup echoes the switching that made GTA 5’s world feel so alive, now built around a Bonnie-and-Clyde story running through Leonida.
My take
On paper this is everything I want from an open world: a beloved setting reborn, roughly double the scale, and Rockstar’s usual obsessive density. I am deliberately cautious about the exact region names until Rockstar confirms them, but the core, Leonida and a modern Vice City, is rock solid and genuinely exciting.
For the live countdown, the confirmed details and the runs to play while you wait, head to the GTA 6 HQ. For the story side, see GTA 6 single-player: everything we know, and if you are wondering about a PC version, I covered that in will GTA 6 come to PC.
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FAQ
Where is GTA 6 set?
GTA 6 is set in the State of Leonida, Rockstar's fictional version of modern-day Florida. The centrepiece is a rebuilt Vice City, their take on Miami, surrounded by keys, swamps, beaches and rural areas across the wider state. It is a return to the Vice City setting last seen properly in 2002, brought fully up to date.
How big is the GTA 6 map?
Rockstar has not published an official size, but community analysis and comparisons estimate the Leonida map at roughly 1.5 to 2 times the size of GTA 5's map. Rockstar has described Vice City as the most detailed city they have ever built, so expect density as much as raw size.
What regions are in the GTA 6 map?
Vice City is the confirmed urban hub. Beyond it, commonly cited areas include Leonida Keys, Grassrivers and Port Gellhorn, with more rural and coastal regions across the state. Be aware that not every region name floating around is officially confirmed by Rockstar, so treat the full list as a mix of confirmed and community-mapped until launch.
Is Vice City in GTA 6?
Yes. A modern, fully rebuilt Vice City is the beating heart of the GTA 6 map, and by Rockstar's own framing it is the most detailed city the studio has ever created. It is the biggest reason long-time fans are so excited, as it is the first proper return to Vice City in over two decades.
Who are the main characters in GTA 6?
The two playable leads are Jason and Lucia, GTA's first modern dual-protagonist pairing and its first playable female lead. Their story runs through Leonida, and the dual-character setup echoes the switching idea GTA 5 used with its three leads.
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