Skip to main content

Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming, but where will it take place?

grand theft auto 6 in development 5 pc
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Plenty of people are still playing Grand Theft Auto 5, but let’s face it: The initial release of the game came out in September 2013. Rockstar is known for taking its time between releases, but at this point, it was an easy guess that the next game in the series was either in the works or would be soon.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is indeed in development, but the game is still in the earliest stages. Exactly how much work has been done isn’t clear, but according to sources speaking to TechRadar, a location hasn’t been chosen yet, so artists can’t exactly start working on assets yet.

Rockstar hasn’t given any indication of where the game might possibly be set, but chances are fairly good that it won’t be outside of the U.S. That wasn’t always the case however.

The publisher once had plans to make GTA: Tokyo, and even went so far as to carry out a trip to the city to explore the idea further, TechRadar’s sources say. This was around 2003, in the same era as Grand Auto Auto 3 and Vice City, and Tokyo wasn’t the only city Rockstar considered. Trademarks from the time also exist for GTA: Bogota and Grand Theft Auto: Sin City.

The Tokyo idea fell flat when the road system proved to be an issue, and as time went on, Rockstar began to realize that moving its flagship series out of its heavily fictionalized version of the U.S. would require changes to series mainstays from cars to fast food franchises, and cooled on the idea. With this in mind, it at least becomes easier to guess where the next game in the series won’t be set.

Whether or not Grand Theft Auto 6 will use a new engine is a trickier question. Rockstar posted a job listing in 2012 that some point to as proof of a new engine, but this could also be the engine that was used for Grand Theft Auto 5 on current-gen consoles and the PC.

Editors' Recommendations

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
First Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer takes players back to Vice City
Lucia and her partner rob a store in GTA 6.

Watch Trailer 1: Tuesday, December 5 at 9AM ET

Rockstar Games finally dropped the first trailer for the next game in the Grand Theft Auto series, which is officially titled Grand Theft Auto VI. It's set to launch in 2025 and it'll take players back to Vice City.

Read more
Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer: when it’s coming and how to watch
A man drives away in a boat with stolen money in Grand Theft Auto 5 art.

Rockstar has confirmed exactly when it will drop the first trailer for the next mainline Grand Theft Auto game. It has been over a decade since the launch of Grand Theft Auto V, so excitement and hype surrounding the next GTA installment is at an all-time high. The release of Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 1 will be the biggest game reveal of 2023, so you don't want to miss it. Here's everything we know about when it'll air and how you can watch it.

When will Rockstar post GTA 6 Trailer 1?
Rockstar has confirmed that it will post "Trailer 1" for the next GTA game at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT on December 5. Make sure you don't oversleep Tuesday morning if you want to see the trailer right when it drops.
How to watch GTA 6 Trailer 1
Watch Trailer 1: Tuesday, December 5 at 9AM ET

Read more
Three classic Grand Theft Auto games are coming to Netflix next month
Key art for GTA: The Trilogy on Netflix

Netflix and Rockstar Games revealed that Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition will come to the services game catalog in December.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition is a package that features remasters of Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It was first released for PC and consoles in late 2021. Although the ports were derided for having a plethora of technical problems at launch, they have improved since then. Now, Netflix is making a major play by bringing these remastered GTA games to the service around the same time a Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer is expected to drop.

Read more