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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →GTA V is set across Los Santos and the surrounding hills, countryside and beaches of a fictionalized present-day Southern California. GTA VI moves to Leonida, a fictional state that includes modern Vice City and places beyond it. Rockstar’s public descriptions establish a change in setting and atmosphere, but they do not provide comparable map-area measurements—so there is no confirmed official answer to whether GTA VI’s playable map is bigger.
At a glance: Los Santos and Blaine County vs. Leonida
| Comparison | GTA V | GTA VI |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | Los Santos and surrounding hills, countryside and beaches; Rockstar described it as a reimagined present-day Southern California. Rockstar’s 2011 announcement. | The state of Leonida, including Vice City and areas beyond it. Rockstar’s announcements do not provide a complete list of playable regions. Trailer 1 announcement and official GTA VI site. |
| Disclosed world structure | Rockstar said the world was open from the beginning, spanning mountain peaks, city streets and the ocean floor. Rockstar’s May 2013 preview roundup. | Rockstar describes a story and setting that reach across Leonida, but its reviewed public descriptions do not establish complete access rules or traversal structure. |
| Protagonists | Michael, Franklin and Trevor, three playable protagonists identified in Rockstar’s launch-era preview roundup. | Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos are at the center of Rockstar’s current official story material. Official character pages. |
| Official map-area comparison | No matching official area measurements are stated in the cited Rockstar material; a numeric size ranking is unverified unless separately measured and clearly attributed. | |
How the settings differ
GTA V: a city, coast and inland California-inspired region
Rockstar introduced GTA V as a journey to Los Santos and its surrounding hills, countryside and beaches, describing the setting as a reimagined present-day Southern California. That description points to contrast within one broad region: urban streets alongside coastal and inland environments. The 2013 preview added a vertical and underwater range, describing travel from mountain tops through Los Santos to the ocean floor.
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| 1 |
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IRIPLEZO Grand Theft Auto V | $24.32 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Grand Theft Auto V (PS4) | $26.45 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Grand Theft Auto 5 PS4 - PlayStation 4 ( GTA V Ps4) | $26.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Grand Theft Auto V Premium Edition Playstation 4 | $18.08 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Grand Theft Auto V | $84.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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GTA VI: Vice City within the wider state of Leonida
GTA VI shifts the fictional geography to Leonida. Rockstar’s first-trailer announcement places Vice City—the neon-soaked city—in the state and explicitly adds “beyond,” while its later story announcement frames Jason and Lucia’s criminal conspiracy across Leonida. This supports a setting that extends beyond the city in the fiction, not a confirmed count of accessible regions or a measurement of playable land.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe change is therefore more than a return to a familiar city name: GTA V’s official framing centers on Los Santos and its surrounding natural and coastal areas, while GTA VI’s framing puts Vice City inside a named state. Rockstar’s public descriptions do not yet let readers translate that difference into a precise map boundary.
#1 Best Overall
- STUNNING VISUALS — Enhanced levels of fidelity and performance with new graphics modes featuring up to 4K resolution, up to 60 frames per second, HDR options, ray tracing, improved texture quality, and more
- FASTER LOADING — Quicker access to the action as the world of Los Santos and Blaine County load in faster than ever before.
- ADAPTIVE TRIGGERS AND HAPTIC FEEDBACK — Feel every moment through the DualSense controller, from directional damage to weather effects, rough road surfaces to explosions, and more.
- TEMPEST 3D AUDIO — Hear the sounds of the world with pinpoint precision: the throttle of a stolen supercar, the rattle of neighbouring gunfire, the roar of a helicopter overhead, and more.
- Please note that although this game is Region Free or Region Unlocked and will work on all systems, this is the European version and may differ from the local version in age rating, labeling or instructions.
What is known about exploration—and what is not
GTA V’s disclosed access and activities
In its May 2013 preview roundup, Rockstar said GTA V’s entire world would be open from the beginning. It also described a broad set of activities, including golf, tennis, yoga, cycling, parachuting, vehicle customization and encounters with characters during free exploration. These are launch-era descriptions of GTA V, not confirmations of what GTA VI will include.
GTA VI’s access rules remain unspecified
Rockstar’s descriptions establish Leonida as the setting and say the story stretches across it, but the reviewed material does not spell out the complete exploration rules: for example, how access to every area works or whether the whole world is open at the start. An in-game extended look captured on PlayStation 5 was announced in August 2026, but footage captured on that platform is not a map measurement or a guarantee that every shown feature will be final. Rockstar’s extended-look announcement.
Rank #2
- Experience the world of Grand Theft Auto V like never before with the power of the PlayStation 4.
- Explore the City of Los Santos, the countryside and even the ocean.
- Play through an epic single player experience using three very different characters.
- Join your friends in GTA Online and see what trouble you can cause.
- Play golf, tennis, see a film or call someone and just hang out.
How the protagonists connect the world to the story
GTA V’s three-protagonist structure follows Michael, Franklin and Trevor, whom Rockstar’s preview roundup presented as characters with distinct lives and skills. GTA VI’s official story material instead focuses on Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, whose criminal conspiracy spans Leonida. That shift changes the announced human frame of the open world: GTA V follows three leads, while GTA VI brings two leads together in a story tied to the wider state. Rockstar’s available descriptions do not establish a more detailed comparison of how missions or character switching will work.
Is the GTA 6 map bigger than GTA 5?
There is no confirmed official apples-to-apples answer in the cited Rockstar material. Rockstar describes both games’ settings, but does not publish matching playable-area figures for GTA V and GTA VI. A wider-sounding setting—Leonida rather than a city and its surrounding region—does not by itself prove a larger playable map. Treat exact size claims as unverified unless they identify an independent measurement method and are not presented as Rockstar’s figure.
Rank #3
Platforms and release date
As of October 4, 2026, Rockstar lists GTA VI as a single-player game for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, scheduled for November 19, 2026. Rockstar’s June 24, 2026 pre-order announcement says the physical edition is to be available starting November 12 for pre-loading and that the box contains a download code; it does not describe a game disc in the box. Check Rockstar’s current pre-order announcement and release update for any changes to date, platform or format.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Used Book in Good Condition
Rank #4
- GRAND THEFT AUTO V: When a young street hustler, a retired bank robber and a terrifying psychopath land themselves in trouble, they must pull off a series of dangerous heists to survive in a city in which they can trust nobody, least of all each other.
- GRAND THEFT AUTO ONLINE: Discover an ever-evolving world of choices and ways to play as you climb the criminal ranks of Los Santos and Blaine County in the ultimate shared Online experience.
- THE CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE STARTER PACK: The Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack is the fastest way for new GTA Online players to jumpstart their criminal empires with the most exciting and popular content plus 1,000,000 dollars bonus cash to spend in GTA Online - all content valued at over GTA 10,000,000 dollares if purchased separately.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
