Updated September 23, 2026.

The GTA 6 map is shaping up to be substantially larger than GTA 5's, and we now have more to work with than community estimates alone. Reporting from Rockstar's August 2026 preview cycle describes GTA 6's world as roughly twice the size of GTA 5's and about three times the size of Red Dead Redemption 2's.

There is also a striking city-level comparison: according to information relayed by TGG after a preview at Rockstar North, Vice City itself is around twice the size of Los Santos.

Those comparisons give us a much clearer sense of scale, but Rockstar has not published an official square-kilometer total or a like-for-like land-and-water breakdown. The better way to compare the games is therefore to look at both how large Leonida is reported to be and what Rockstar is putting inside that space.

GTA 6 map vs GTA 5: quick answer

  • Is GTA 6 bigger than GTA 5? Reportedly yes. Information relayed after a Rockstar North preview puts the GTA 6 map at roughly 2× the size of GTA 5's.
  • How does it compare with Red Dead Redemption 2? Reporting around Rockstar's August 2026 preview describes GTA 6's map as roughly 3× the size of RDR2's.
  • Is Vice City bigger than Los Santos? According to the same preview reporting, Vice City is approximately twice the size of Los Santos.
  • Do we know the exact GTA 6 map size in km²? No. Rockstar has not published a comparable official land-and-water measurement.
  • What does GTA 6 add geographically? Leonida combines Vice City with tropical islands, wetlands, smaller coastal and industrial communities, inland water, and northern wilderness.
  • Are community maps official? No. They are reconstructions built from official footage, screenshots and, in some cases, leak-derived material.
GTA 6 vs GTA 5 comparison table showing cities, setting, reported map size, countryside, islands and evidence status.
GTA 6 and GTA 5 compared across their main cities, wider settings, environments and current map-size reporting.

GTA 5's geography can be seen in GTABase's main-map overview. GTA 6's currently revealed regions are documented through Rockstar's official GTA VI site and its media gallery.

GTA 6 vs GTA 5 and RDR2: how much bigger is Leonida?

The clearest scale comparisons arrived during Rockstar's August 2026 preview cycle.

GamesRadar, reporting on a New York Times preview, said Rockstar described GTA 6's map as roughly three times the size of Red Dead Redemption 2's.

A separate comparison came from YouTuber TGG after a three-hour preview at Rockstar North. According to his account, as covered by PC Gamer, Rockstar told him the GTA 6 map is about twice the size of GTA 5's, while Vice City itself is about twice the size of Los Santos.

GTA 6 map size comparison table showing reported differences versus GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Los Santos.
Current preview reporting describes GTA 6 as roughly twice the size of GTA 5 and around three times the size of Red Dead Redemption 2.

These ratios are more useful than assigning GTA 6 an exact square-kilometer figure before release. Existing GTA 5 measurements use different definitions of land, water and playable space, while Rockstar has not published an equivalent GTA 6 measurement.

Why the RDR2 comparison matters

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a useful benchmark because its world is structured very differently from GTA 5.

RDR2 relies heavily on wilderness, trails, rivers, mountains and slower travel. GTA 5 is much more road-oriented, with cars and highways allowing players to cover long distances quickly. A GTA 6 world reported to be around three times RDR2's size does not necessarily mean journeys will feel three times longer.

Road layout, bridges, islands, wetlands, water routes, traffic and the distribution of towns can all change how large a world feels in practice.

For GTA 6, that distinction may matter more than ever because Rockstar has placed major environments on both land and water.

What we actually know about the GTA 6 map

Six major destinations revealed by Rockstar

Rockstar's location material gives us six major destinations across Leonida. They are not six cities; they represent different regions and types of environment.

Vice City

Vice City is the main metropolis and GTA 6's most recognizable location.

Rockstar describes a city stretching from the pastel hotels and white sands of Ocean Beach, through Little Cuba and the Tisha-Wocka flea market, to VC Port, which it calls the cruise ship capital of the world.

The city is therefore much more than its beachfront skyline. Commercial districts, residential areas, nightlife, ports and neighborhoods appear to spread well beyond the locations shown in the earliest trailers.

Leonida Keys

The Leonida Keys form a tropical archipelago south of the main urban area.

Rockstar describes the Keys as beautiful but dangerous waters, and official material connects the area directly to several characters. Brian Heder operates his boat-yard business there, while Jason's background is also tied to the region.

The Keys make boats, islands and sea crossings part of the core geography rather than optional space around the edge of the map.

Grassrivers

Grassrivers is Leonida's large wetland region, clearly inspired by Florida's Everglades.

Mangroves, waterways, airboats and alligators give it a different identity from GTA 5's countryside. This is one of the clearest environmental differences between Southern San Andreas and Leonida.

Port Gellhorn

Port Gellhorn is a faded vacation town on Leonida's coast.

Rockstar describes cheap motels, abandoned attractions and empty strip malls, giving it a much more run-down character than Vice City's tourist districts.

It is an important reminder that GTA 6's world is not simply Vice City surrounded by wilderness. Rockstar is building smaller populated areas with their own identities.

Ambrosia

Ambrosia is an industrial community dominated by the Allied Crystal sugar refinery.

Its economy and visual identity appear closely tied to industry, while Rockstar also associates the area with the Final Chapter biker gang.

That makes Ambrosia different from both Vice City and the tourist-focused Port Gellhorn.

Mount Kalaga National Park

Mount Kalaga National Park sits near Leonida's northern border.

Rockstar describes hunting, fishing, off-road trails and wilderness in the area. Its presence is important because GTA 6's Florida inspiration sometimes leads to the assumption that Leonida will be almost entirely flat.

Mount Kalaga shows that the final map will include more varied elevation and wooded terrain.

More GTA 6 locations are already named

The six featured destinations are only the broadest layer of the map.

Rockstar's current material also names places including Ocean Beach, Little Cuba, Tisha-Wocka and VC Port within Vice City.

Descriptions published with GTA 6's editions and bonus content introduce additional names including Watson Bay, Gambit Bay, Washington Beach, Shore Drive, Lake Leonida, Stockyard and Southside Vice City.

These names expand our picture of Leonida, but they should not all be treated as equivalent map regions. Some are neighborhoods, bays, roads, commercial areas or locations associated with individual activities.

A name being official does not automatically tell us how large an area is or exactly where its boundaries fall.

GTA 6's Vice City vs Los Santos

Vice City is only one part of GTA 6, just as Los Santos is only one part of GTA 5.

That distinction matters when comparing the two games.

The strongest current city-level comparison comes from TGG's account of his Rockstar North preview. According to that report, Vice City is approximately twice the size of Los Santos.

That does not mean Vice City occupies twice the area of GTA 5's entire map. GTA 5 extends north from Los Santos through Blaine County, Sandy Shores, the Grand Senora Desert, Mount Chiliad and Paleto Bay.

GTA 6 does the same conceptually on a larger scale: Vice City is the main city, while Leonida extends far beyond it.

How the cities differ

Los Santos already contains a dense mix of downtown towers, residential neighborhoods, beaches, highways, hillsides, industrial areas and a major port.

Vice City builds around a different geography.

Water appears much more deeply integrated into the city and its surroundings. Beaches, islands, bays, bridges and port infrastructure are repeatedly visible in Rockstar's official material.

The city also appears to spread through several distinct identities: Ocean Beach's tourism and art deco architecture, Little Cuba's commercial streets, the Tisha-Wocka flea market, VC Port and newer areas named through Rockstar's edition descriptions.

The result should not be described simply as "Los Santos, but bigger." Its relationship with the coast and the wider state is visibly different.

How GTA 6's Vice City relates to the original Vice City

GTA 6 does not simply enlarge the 2002 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City map.

The original game used a much smaller version of Vice City divided primarily between Vice Beach and the mainland, with areas such as Ocean Beach, Washington Beach, Vice Point, Downtown, Little Havana and Little Haiti.

Some familiar names return in GTA 6. Ocean Beach appears prominently in Rockstar's current Vice City description, while Washington Beach is referenced in newer GTA 6 content.

That continuity is useful for longtime players, but the modern Vice City belongs to a completely different map.

GTA 6's version is part of the wider state of Leonida, with the Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia and Mount Kalaga extending the playable world far beyond the city.

In other words, Rockstar is revisiting Vice City rather than recreating the 2002 map at a larger scale.

Leonida vs GTA 5's wider San Andreas map

The comparison becomes more interesting once we leave the main cities.

GTA 5 moves from Los Santos into the Grand Senora Desert, Sandy Shores, the Alamo Sea, Grapeseed, Mount Chiliad, forests and Paleto Bay.

GTA 6's revealed regions suggest a different environmental mix.

GTA 6 and GTA 5 geography comparison showing cities, wetlands, mountains, islands, inland water and industrial areas.
Leonida and Southern San Andreas differ significantly in geography, with GTA 6 emphasizing wetlands, tropical islands and coastal environments.

These are thematic comparisons rather than one-to-one replacements.

Port Gellhorn is not simply GTA 6's version of Paleto Bay, just as Ambrosia is not a new Sandy Shores. Rockstar is giving the regions different economic and cultural identities rather than repeating GTA 5's geography with Florida scenery.

Los Angeles vs Miami and Florida

GTA 5 draws heavily on Los Angeles and Southern California. GTA 6 shifts the inspiration to Miami and Florida.

Both worlds compress and remix their real-world influences.

Los Santos is not a scale model of Los Angeles, and Leonida should not be expected to reproduce Florida city by city.

That also means speculation about Orlando, Tampa, Georgia, the Caribbean or other real-world locations should not be treated as confirmation that equivalent areas exist in the final GTA 6 map.

The differences Rockstar has actually revealed are already substantial: tropical islands, extensive wetlands, a major coastal city, industrial communities and northern wilderness.

How big is the GTA 5 map?

To understand the reported 2× comparison, we need a GTA 5 baseline.

For this article, GTA 5 means the main Los Santos and Blaine County world. It does not include separate locations such as North Yankton or GTA Online's Cayo Perico.

One of the better documented community measurements comes from designer Dom Riccobene, who mapped GTA 5 in 2020 using scripts and mods.

His original measurement puts the main playable footprint at approximately 80 km² / 31 mi², including underwater playable area.

He estimated roughly 36% of that measurement as ocean.

GTA 5 map size table showing approximately 80 square kilometers total, including land and underwater playable space.
A documented community measurement estimates GTA 5's main playable footprint at about 80 km², including underwater areas.
Diagram explaining the difference between land area, land plus water, and a map’s bounding rectangle.
These measurements answer different questions. Comparing them as though they were equivalent creates misleading size ratios.

This is a community measurement, not a Rockstar specification.

It also explains why GTA 5 map-size figures vary so much online. Some measurements include water; some measure only land; others calculate a rectangle around the entire map.

Those numbers cannot be compared directly without knowing what was measured.

Why we should not turn “2× GTA 5” into a GTA 6 km² figure

It may be tempting to take the approximately 80 km² GTA 5 measurement and simply double it.

That would produce a number around 160 km², but it would not be an official GTA 6 map size.

The 80 km² GTA 5 figure is a particular community measurement that includes underwater playable area. The Rockstar preview comparison does not come with a matching technical definition explaining exactly what was included in the GTA 6 measurement.

Until both games are measured using the same method, the safest description is the one we actually have: GTA 6 is reported to be about twice the size of GTA 5.

What community map estimates show

Before Rockstar's latest preview material, much of the GTA 6 size discussion depended on community reconstructions.

One widely circulated comparison estimated roughly 83 km² / 32 mi² of land for GTA 6 against about 49 km² / 19 mi² for GTA 5. That works out to around 1.7× the GTA 5 figure used in that particular graphic.

The estimate received attention because it attempted a like-for-like land comparison, but the underlying GTA 6 map was still a reconstruction. Members of the mapping community also questioned parts of the calculation.

That makes the estimate useful as evidence of how fans have tried to measure Leonida, but it should not override more recent preview reporting or be presented as GTA 6's final size.

The same applies to other figures such as 125 km² or 150 km² that circulate online. Without a documented map version, calibrated scale and consistent treatment of water, they remain estimates.

GTA 6 map overlays vs GTA 5

A same-scale overlay can be useful when its methodology is clear.

The problem is that GTA 6 community maps continue to change as new footage and screenshots reveal roads, buildings and coastline.

The September v16 reconstruction, for example, included revisions to northern terrain, Port Gellhorn's coastline and the Leonida Keys after newer material became available.

That means two GTA 6 overlays published only a few months apart may use different coastlines and dimensions.

When comparing an overlay, check three things:

  • which GTA 6 reconstruction version was used,
  • whether both maps use the same scale,
  • and whether the comparison measures land, water or the full bounding area.

Two maps fitted into equal-sized image panels are not automatically displayed at equal scale.

The GTA 6 map may feel bigger than its raw area suggests

Raw area is only one part of open-world scale.

A map can feel large because of travel routes, terrain, water, density and the amount of activity between major destinations.

Roads and travel

GTA 5 has a road network designed around fast cars and highways. Even distant points on the map can be reached relatively quickly.

Leonida's islands, wetlands and waterways could create different travel patterns.

Two locations may be physically close but require a bridge, causeway or longer inland route. Likewise, boats may provide shortcuts that do not exist on land.

We will not know how this affects typical travel times until the final road and water networks can be tested.

Water is part of Leonida's geography

Water appears much more central to GTA 6's world than a simple ocean border around the map.

The Leonida Keys are an archipelago. Grassrivers is dominated by wetlands and waterways. Official screenshots and descriptions also show boats, kayaks and coastal infrastructure.

That means water can serve several different roles: a route, an obstacle, an activity space and part of the scenery.

For map-size comparisons, those roles matter more than simply counting every blue area as either "empty water" or "playable space."

Density still matters

A larger map is not automatically a more interesting map.

The important question is how often the world gives players something worth stopping for: a distinctive building, encounter, business, side activity, landmark or alternative route.

Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson has discussed discoveries that players can encounter without conventional objectives or map icons, according to GamesRadar's coverage of the August preview.

That gives us a better idea of Rockstar's exploration philosophy, but we still cannot calculate a meaningful "activity density" for GTA 6 before release.

Will GTA 6 have more interiors than GTA 5?

There are good reasons to expect more interiors, but there is still no verified percentage for how many GTA 6 buildings players can enter.

Historical Bloomberg reporting from 2022, covered at the time by VGC, said Rockstar planned more interior locations.

More recently, Rockstar has shown and named a growing number of businesses and activity locations, including Rideout Customs, Sara's Unisex Salon, Stock 305, Electric Fang Tattoo and One-Eyed Willie's.

Some of these are linked to specific editions or bonus content, so they should not be used to claim that every building in the world will be accessible.

The widely repeated claim that 70% of GTA 6's buildings will be enterable has not been confirmed by Rockstar.

Neither has the idea that every building can be entered.

How fans reconstructed the GTA 6 map

Community mappers have spent years turning trailers, screenshots and other available material into a working reconstruction of Leonida.

In PC Gamer's interview with the GTA 6 Landmarks Map Project, contributors described identifying landmarks, comparing repeated views, building 3D models and estimating camera positions.

The process works because the same building, road or landmark may appear from several angles.

If two images show the same group of buildings from different camera positions, those relationships help narrow down where each object can be placed on the reconstructed map.

One example involved the alligator-at-a-gas-station sequence from Trailer 1. A nearby restaurant visible in other material helped community researchers place the gas station more accurately.

How accurate is the community map?

Accuracy varies across the reconstruction.

An intersection visible repeatedly from several angles can be positioned with much more confidence than a distant coastline or an inferred road.

New Rockstar material can therefore change parts of the map without invalidating the entire project.

That happened again with the v16 reconstruction, where newer footage changed parts of the northern terrain, the coast around Port Gellhorn and sections of the Keys.

The best way to use these maps is as evolving reconstructions, not final Rockstar maps.

GTA 6 map details you may have missed

Lake Leonida is now an official name

Lake Leonida is no longer just a label from older community-map discussions.

GTA 6's edition descriptions place One-Eyed Willie's, an off-road modification shop, at Lake Leonida.

We still do not know the lake's complete dimensions.

VC Port and Port Gellhorn are different places

The similar names can be confusing.

VC Port is part of Vice City and is associated with cruise ships and major port infrastructure.

Port Gellhorn is a separate coastal community described as a declining former vacation destination.

Ambrosia has a clear industrial identity

Ambrosia is centered on the Allied Crystal sugar refinery.

That gives the region a stronger visual and economic identity than simply describing it as another rural town.

Mount Kalaga does not confirm another playable state

Rockstar describes Mount Kalaga National Park as being near Leonida's northern border.

That does not mean players will be able to cross the border into another state.

The Leonida Keys are tied directly to the story

Brian Heder operates a boat yard in the Keys, while Jason's background also connects him with the area.

That suggests the archipelago is more than optional scenery around the main city.

How much of the GTA 6 map have we actually seen?

There is no reliable public percentage.

Rockstar has now shown far more of Leonida than during the early Trailer 1 era, including six featured destinations, dozens of screenshots and the August 2026 Extended Look.

But seeing many locations is not the same as knowing what percentage of the final world has been revealed.

We still do not have Rockstar's complete world map, official city boundaries or a complete road network.

Community reconstructions can fill some of those gaps, but parts of the map remain more certain than others.

Could the GTA 6 map expand after launch?

Rockstar has not announced a public post-launch map expansion roadmap for GTA 6.

The idea has a real historical source. Bloomberg's 2022 reporting said the developers planned to add new missions and cities over time, as VGC reported at the time.

However, development plans can change.

That reporting should not be treated as confirmation of a particular future island, state, city or GTA Online expansion.

GTA 6 map vs GTA 5: final comparison

The GTA 6 vs GTA 5 map comparison is much clearer than it was during the first years of community reconstruction.

The strongest current reporting points to three useful benchmarks:

  • GTA 6's overall map is about twice the size of GTA 5's, according to TGG's account of a Rockstar North preview.
  • Vice City itself is reportedly around twice the size of Los Santos.
  • GTA 6's map is roughly three times the size of Red Dead Redemption 2's, according to reporting around Rockstar's August 2026 preview.

Those comparisons tell us far more than speculative square-kilometer totals.

Just as importantly, Leonida is geographically different from GTA 5's Southern San Andreas. Instead of Los Santos, desert and mountain country, GTA 6 combines Vice City with tropical islands, extensive wetlands, coastal towns, industrial areas and northern wilderness.

The result is not simply a larger GTA 5 map. Rockstar is building a world around a different mix of environments and different relationships between cities, roads and water.

The remaining question is how densely that much larger space will be filled once players can explore it for themselves.

Explore the world of GTA VI with GTA 6 Map

Want to explore the places that make up Leonida? GTA 6 Map helps you discover GTA VI's setting through an interactive map, locations, points of interest, and related game coverage. Visit GTA6-Map.com to explore Vice City and the wider state of Leonida, and bookmark the site to follow new location details and map findings as more information becomes available.

Disclosure:
GTA6-Map.com is an independent editorial project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive. Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto VI are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. The sources linked above were checked on September 23, 2026. Rockstar-confirmed locations, preview-reported size comparisons, community reconstructions, and leak-derived estimates are distinguished throughout this guide; unofficial map measurements should not be treated as Rockstar-published specifications.

FAQ

Is the GTA 6 map bigger than GTA 5?

Yes, according to current preview reporting. TGG said that during his Rockstar North preview he was told the GTA 6 map is roughly twice the size of GTA 5's.

Rockstar has not published a matching square-kilometer land-and-water measurement, so the 2× comparison is more useful than trying to calculate an exact GTA 6 area from community measurements.

How big is the GTA 6 map in km² or square miles?

There is no verified official GTA 6 total in km² or square miles.

Community estimates depend on which reconstruction is used, how it is scaled and whether water is included. They should therefore be treated as estimates rather than Rockstar-published measurements.

How big is the GTA 5 map?

Dom Riccobene's documented community survey measured GTA 5's main playable footprint at approximately 80 km² / 31 mi², including underwater playable area.

That is not a dry-land-only figure and is not an official Rockstar measurement.

Is Vice City bigger than Los Santos?

According to TGG's account of his August 2026 Rockstar North preview, Vice City is approximately twice the size of Los Santos.

That is a reported comparison from the preview rather than a publicly released survey with official city boundaries.

Is the GTA 6 map bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2?

Current reporting says yes.

GamesRadar, reporting on a New York Times preview, said Rockstar described GTA 6's world as roughly three times the size of Red Dead Redemption 2's map.

Has Rockstar revealed the full GTA 6 map?

No.

Rockstar has revealed numerous locations and six major destinations across Leonida, but it has not published a complete navigational world map with an official area breakdown.

Community reconstructions should not be confused with a final Rockstar map.

What locations are confirmed in GTA 6?

The six headline destinations revealed by Rockstar are:

  • Vice City
  • Leonida Keys
  • Grassrivers
  • Port Gellhorn
  • Ambrosia
  • Mount Kalaga National Park

Rockstar has also named additional neighborhoods, roads, bays, businesses and other places through character profiles, screenshots and edition descriptions.

Will GTA 6 have multiple cities?

GTA 6 is not confined to Vice City.

Rockstar has revealed other populated locations, including Port Gellhorn and Ambrosia. However, the six featured destinations should not be described as six cities, and Rockstar has not published a final count of every city and town in Leonida.

Will every building in GTA 6 be enterable?

There is no verified Rockstar announcement saying every building will be enterable.

The widely circulated claim that around 70% of buildings can be entered is also unconfirmed. Official footage shows numerous interiors, shops and businesses, but that does not establish a percentage for the entire map.

Sources