Grand Theft Auto VI is sending players back to Vice City and this time, the setting covers more than one main city.
GTA 6 open world is so highly anticipated and gamers are wondering what all they will get to experience. Rockstar Games has already shown different places to explore. There are beaches and downtown streets. There are also small towns, wetlands, long stretches of road and rural land.
One question keeps coming up. How big is the GTA 6 open world? And what will players find once they are in Leonida?
What is Leonida in GTA 6?
Leonida is the made-up state where GTA 6 is set. It feels like a Florida kind of place and Vice City sits right at the middle of it.
Rockstar says Jason and Lucia get pulled into a criminal plot in Leonida. The plot covers a lot of Leonida, not just one city. Because of that, the game is not stuck in Vice City and as the story goes on, you will go to other areas of the state too.
On the official GTA 6 site, you can already see that multiple locations across Leonida are planned.
| Leonida location | What we know |
| Vice City | The major city and the modern return of GTA’s famous Vice City |
| Leonida Keys | An island region inspired by the Florida Keys |
| Grassrivers | A wetland region with a strong Everglades-like feel |
| Port Gellhorn | A coastal town and surrounding area |
| Ambrosia | Another community outside the main city |
| Mount Kalaga National Park | A large natural area with mountains and wilderness |
These names are not simply fan theories. Rockstar’s official GTA 6 media library contains screenshots for Vice City, Leonida Keys, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia, Grassrivers and Mount Kalaga National Park in GTA 6 open world.
Vice City is only one part of the world
Vice City is likely the best known spot in GTA 6 open world, but it is not the whole picture in Leonida.
This map area draws from the Miami region, in the same way past Vice City entries took cues from Miami. The new version is bigger and it has more detail too.
New details in Rockstar’s 2026 preview suggest that Vice City alone measures about two times the area of Los Santos in GTA 5. After that, the rest of Leonida stretches well beyond the city center.
So GTA 6 open world feels built in a different way than a title that just hands you one giant city. Rockstar seems to be shaping Leonida as a wider state with many kinds of areas. The goal is for travel to feel less the same across regions, with more variation as you move around.
Players can expect a mix of:
- Large city streets and skyscrapers
- Beaches and coastal roads
- Small towns
- Rural areas
- Wetlands
- Islands
- Highways
- Natural areas
- Tourist locations
- Businesses and entertainment areas
A world built around the story
People are pointing out one detail about GTA 6 that stands out. Rockstar talks about building the GTA 6 open world and the story side by side.
In a 2026 preview from Rockstar North, Rob Nelson, who leads development, said the team first looked into Florida. After that, they shaped the geography, the cast, and the plot as a set. He also said Rockstar aimed for many kinds of communities and places. The goal was that those places would fit the characters and the missions in a natural way. That is one reason Leonida can feel so varied.
You can see it in how the story might move. Jason and Lucia could start in a busy city zone. Then they could end up in a smaller town. After that, the game could shift again towards the Keys or a quieter rural area.
As Jason and Lucia are the main leads, their crime path runs through multiple areas of Leonida. As they go through, they get pulled into a bigger conspiracy than they expected.
Leonida should feel more alive
Rockstar is also paying close attention to the people in this open world adventure.
The official GTA 6 site shows characters tied to places across Leonida. Brian Heder, for instance, is linked with the Keys. Other characters connect to Vice City groups tied to entertainment, crime, and business.
Recent practical reporting from TroisCouleurs talked about systems meant to change how the world responds. In one preview, police could link separate reports based on what the player did and what the player wore.
So it looks like Rockstar wants a more responsive open world. It is not just about placing more buildings and cars.
What makes Leonida different from GTA 5?
GTA 5 gave players Los Santos and Blaine County. GTA 6 expands the idea into an entire fictional state.
The basic difference can be shown like this:
| GTA 5 | GTA 6 |
| Los Santos and Blaine County | State of Leonida |
| Large city focus | City plus towns, islands and natural regions |
| Los Santos | Vice City |
| Blaine County | Multiple regions outside Vice City |
| One major metropolitan area | Several distinct environments |
GTA 6 therefore appears to be using the open world as a major part of the experience rather than simply making the map larger.
What we still do not know
Despite all the new information, several important details remain unknown.
Rockstar has not officially revealed:
- The exact size of Leonida in square kilometres
- A complete official map showing every road and location
- The complete list of towns and smaller areas
- The total number of missions and side activities
- The exact amount of wildlife and random events
- If the map will expand after launch
- The complete list of activities available in every region
This is why fan-made GTA 6 maps should be treated carefully. They can be useful for discussion, but they should not automatically be treated as Rockstar’s final map.
Final Thoughts
The real idea for GTA 6 open world is that Rockstar wants one place to feel like several worlds at once.
Vice City looks like the main city zone. The Keys add islands and beaches. Grassrivers seems built for wetlands and green areas. Port Gellhorn and Ambrosia back up the same theme. Leonida is not only streets and skyline. Mount Kalaga National Park adds yet another kind of scenery.
Rockstar’s own updates say these regions belong to the GTA 6 open world. It is clear Leonida is meant to do more than expand the map. GTA 6 is set to launch on November 19, 2026, so be ready to explore the game world that could be the most fascinating ever.
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