10 places I wish GTA 6 was set instead of Vice City
A Polygon opinion piece imagines alternative settings for GTA 6 instead of Vice City, arguing that whilst Rockstar's choice makes sense, the series could benefit from breaking away from its familiar formula of large, morally corrupt American cities. The writer contends that other locations, time periods and even genres could allow Rockstar's trademark social satire to shine in fresh ways.
The list includes a futuristic moon settlement inspired by The Expanse, a struggling rural American town in the vein of Far Cry 5, and London, as a chance for UK-based studios to turn their satirical lens on home soil rather than America. Other suggestions include an L.A. Noire-style detective narrative, a Baldur's Gate-inspired fantasy version dubbed "Grand Theft Dragon," and a setting in first-century Rome exploring political corruption through the eyes of enslaved Britons or Carthaginians, among further entries not detailed in the extract provided.
- Opinion piece pitches alternative GTA 6 settings besides Vice City
- Suggestions include the Moon, rural USA, London and Rome
- Also proposes fantasy and detective-noir spins on the GTA formula
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Rockstar's long-running Grand Theft Auto series is famous for setting its games in exaggerated, satirical versions of real American cities, from Los Angeles to Miami to New York. The upcoming GTA 6 continues that tradition by returning to Vice City, the series' fictional stand-in for Miami that first appeared in 2002. Rockstar has not yet released the game, but its setting has already been confirmed and widely discussed.
This particular piece is an opinion article from the gaming news site Polygon, not a news report or an announcement from Rockstar itself. The writer is using GTA 6's confirmed setting as a jumping-off point to muse, in a light-hearted way, about other places, eras or even genres the series could have explored instead, such as space, medieval fantasy or ancient Rome.
It matters mainly as a piece of fan and critic commentary on one of the most anticipated video games in years, reflecting wider conversation about whether GTA's familiar formula of big, morally murky American cities still has room to evolve.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates for a bolder departure argue that Rockstar's genius lies in social satire, and satire thrives on novelty; returning to a thinly veiled Miami risks retreading ground the series has already covered exceptionally well decades ago. They contend that a fresh backdrop, whether a struggling rural town, a distant future, or another country entirely, would let the studio's writers find new targets for commentary rather than recycling familiar tropes about excess and crime in sun-soaked American cities. For these fans, creative risk-taking is precisely what has kept the franchise culturally significant, and playing it safe with Vice City again could feel like a missed opportunity.
The case against
Those in favour of Rockstar's choice argue that Vice City is not a retread but a return to one of the series' most beloved and iconic settings, reimagined with vastly greater scope, detail and narrative ambition than was possible in earlier instalments. They point out that a modern American setting still offers rich terrain for satirising contemporary issues such as media, wealth and politics, and that changing genre or era entirely risks diluting what makes Grand Theft Auto distinctive. For these fans, familiarity is a strength rather than a weakness, giving Rockstar a proven canvas on which to demonstrate just how far the series has evolved technically and narratively.