Rockstar set up a special GTA 6 team in Miami to meet with “ex-criminals, law enforcement, club promoters, gun dealers and anyone notorious or influential”
Rockstar Games has said it established a dedicated research team in Miami for Grand Theft Auto 6, alongside sending several developer groups to the city and surrounding areas over the past decade. The studio says the work is intended to make its Florida-inspired setting feel more immersive and culturally observant, rather than relying solely on familiar stereotypes such as the “Florida Man” meme.
Developers told Dazed they consulted ex-criminals, police, club promoters, gun dealers and other notable local figures, then compared those accounts with books and journalism. Rockstar is also expanding the variety and local specificity of non-player characters, drawing on places including Little Cuba and Mount Kalaga National Park, while research has covered Miami’s music, nightlife and fashion scenes. Miami-based stylist Jillian Carr has worked with the studio since 2023 on an in-game fashion ecosystem reflecting the city’s status, wealth and individuality.
- Rockstar embedded a GTA 6 research team in Miami.
- Developers consulted locals across crime, policing, nightlife and fashion.
- The studio aims for a richer, less clichéd Florida setting.
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Grand Theft Auto is a series of open-world video games made by Rockstar Games. Players explore fictional cities, meet characters and take part in stories shaped by crime and everyday life; the games often draw on real places while changing their names and details.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set in a fictional version of Florida, including a city inspired by Miami. Rockstar has spent years researching the region’s people, neighbourhoods, music, nightlife and fashion to inform the game’s setting and characters.
The research reflects a wider question in games: how to portray real communities in a setting built around crime without reducing them to familiar clichés. Local people and sources can offer different perspectives on how a place looks and feels.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Rockstar is pursuing authentic cultural representation by consulting directly with Miami's diverse residents across social strata, including those with genuine experience and perspective on the city's reality. Rather than relying on lazy stereotypes, the studio is balancing accounts from law enforcement, locals, business owners and those with street-level experience, comparing these against published sources. Working with local stylists, researching specific neighbourhoods and seeking cultural specificity treats Miami with seriousness and respect, creating a game that reflects the city's genuine complexity rather than caricature.
The case against
Whilst framed as cultural research, consulting with ex-criminals and gun dealers to enhance the authenticity of a game fundamentally centred on glorifying criminal activity raises ethical concerns. The contradiction is significant: claiming to move beyond stereotypes whilst using real criminal experience to make illegal gameplay more compelling could be seen as commodifying people's lives for entertainment. This approach risks romanticising and normalising crime within a game franchise designed to profit from criminal simulation, rather than genuinely respecting the communities whose experiences are being drawn upon.