GTA 6: Leonida, Vice City, and the Six Regions of the Open World

Grand Theft Auto VI is set in the fictional state of Leonida, inspired by Florida, and launches on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game will also be playable on Xbox One via Xbox Cloud Gaming. As of October 2026, no PC release has been announced based on available information. Described by Rockstar as the studio’s largest open world to date, the map centers around Vice City—a Miami-inspired metropolis—and five additional distinct regions spanning the entire state.

#Leonida: A Florida-Inspired State

Rockstar has confirmed that the game takes place in Leonida, a fictional U.S. state modeled after Florida. According to Aaron Garbut, co-director at Rockstar North, Leonida is "by far the biggest world Rockstar has ever made, roughly double the size of GTA V’s map," as reported by Game Informer and later cited by 3DJuegos on November 12, 2026. Wikipedia also notes that the map may be three times larger than the playable area of Red Dead Redemption 2, though this figure remains unconfirmed by Rockstar. By late October 2026, the studio confirmed that the entirety of Leonida will be accessible from the game’s start: players can immediately explore the northern regions of the map without progressive unlocking tied to the story, a departure from Red Dead Redemption 2’s approach but consistent with GTA V.

#Vice City and Its Districts

Vice City, inspired by Miami and Miami Beach, serves as the state’s primary metropolis and cultural hub, located on the eastern coast. The city is divided into several named districts, including Ocean Beach, Little Cuba, Tisha-Wocka, and the port—described as the world capital of cruises. Officially described in the second trailer, Vice City embodies the glamour, hustle, and greed of contemporary America. Rockstar conducted extensive research trips to Miami as early as 2015, according to The Guardian: the team patrolled South Beach with police officers, visited clubs and bars in the Florida Keys, and consulted locals, club promoters, former criminals, and arms dealers. This immersion directly shaped Vice City’s design. The marketing campaign extended into reality, with the Kaseya Center’s rooftop illuminated with the words "Welcome to Vice City" starting October 1, vehicles bearing Leonida license plates driving through Miami’s streets, a Vice City blimp in the sky, and the E11even nightclub rebranded as Nine1Nine on November 6.

#The Five Other Regions of Leonida

In addition to Vice City, five locations were officially revealed in the second trailer on May 6, 2025: - Port Gellhorn, on the western coast, inspired by Panama City: a once-thriving beach resort now in decline, featuring run-down motels, abandoned amusement parks, and deserted commercial zones, with an underground economy centered on beer, painkillers, and energy drinks. - Ambrosia, in the state’s central region, inspired by the Lake Okeechobee area and Clewiston: a conservative industrial town where a sugar refinery provides jobs, overrun by a biker gang. - The Leonida Keys, south of Vice City, inspired by the Florida Keys: a tropical archipelago with a paradise-like environment where residents and vacationers live peaceful lives, despite the surrounding waters being among the state’s most dangerous. - The Grassrivers, west of Vice City and covering much of the southwest, inspired by the Everglades: a vast, swampy wilderness teeming with dangerous wildlife, including alligators that are far from the greatest threat, and rife with strange discoveries. - Mount Kalaga National Park, in the northern border region with the state of Gloriana, inspired by northern Florida, Providence Canyon State Park, and Table Rock State Park: a mountainous area featuring fishing, hunting, and hiking spots, home to reclusive hillbillies and extremists living beyond government control.

#A Living, Reactive World

Leonida’s world parodies 2020s American culture, including social media and influencer culture via the Snapmatic app, police dashcams, and internet memes like "Florida Man." The weather system, overhauled since Red Dead Redemption 2, features seasonal hurricanes and tropical storms with dynamic, volumetric cloud formations moving across the map. According to Owen Shepherd, vice president of art at Rockstar, this system aims for a world that is "much more localized and persistent." Rain can be localized to specific areas, visibility drops during storms, winds intensify, and after heavy rainfall, persistent puddles form on the ground, water drips from rooftops and lampposts, and rainbows may appear. NPC density reaches unprecedented levels: over 600,000 unique animations, compared to 300,000 in Red Dead Redemption 2 and 55,000 in GTA V. Rob Nelson, co-director at Rockstar North, explains that these characters are fully handcrafted, without procedural generation, with personalities shaped by their district, experiences, and the player’s behavior toward them. They react to the player’s actions, such as noticing them eavesdropping on private conversations or nervously stepping aside when a masked Lucia draws a weapon before a heist.

#Activities and Open-World Immersion

In free exploration, players can engage in skydiving, wrestling, basketball, weightlifting, kayaking, and scuba diving. Protagonists Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos can gain or lose weight, and staying awake for multiple days in a row visibly affects their appearance. A "criminal profile" system tracks each character’s reputation based on their actions, with in-game consequences. The weapon inventory is limited to two primary weapons and two sidearms, stored and transported in the player’s vehicle. Safehouses scattered across Leonida function like Red Dead Redemption 2’s camps, strengthening bonds between characters. Players can choose to split Jason and Lucia for independent activities or stay together, with their relationship evolving based on player choices.

#In Summary

• GTA 6 is set in Leonida, a fictional state inspired by Florida, with Vice City as its Miami-inspired main city.
• Six confirmed regions: Vice City, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia, the Leonida Keys, the Grassrivers, and Mount Kalaga National Park.
• The world is fully accessible from the start and features a dynamic weather system with possible hurricanes and tropical storms.
• Rockstar describes the map as roughly twice the size of GTA V’s.
• No PC version has been announced; the game launches November 19, 2026, for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and on Xbox One via cloud gaming.

Updated November 12, 2026.