GTA 6 will, like its predecessors, take place in the USA. Only one title in the series is set outside this country. One of the founders of Rockstar Games has now explained why this is the case.
Where does GTA take place? Almost all games in the series are set in the USA. Real cities serve as models but are slightly altered and given new names. For example, New York City became Liberty City, San Francisco became San Fierro, and Miami became Vice City. The metropolis of Los Angeles also received a new name and can be explored as Los Santos in GTA V.
Only one game is an exception: GTA London 1969 from 1999 takes place – as the name suggests – in the British capital. Since then, alternative locations outside the USA have been brought up repeatedly. What would a GTA set in a German city look like? Perhaps GTA Berlin? GTA Frankfurt? There are plenty of possibilities.
However, one of the founders of Rockstar, Dan Houser, does not believe that this wish of some fans will ever be fulfilled. In a YouTube video by Lex Fridman, he explains why GTA almost always takes place in the USA – and what makes the country so perfect for it.
GTA is typically American
What does Dan Houser say? The co-founder of Rockstar Games, who left the studio in 2020, explains that the USA is simply the perfect place for GTA. Much of what makes the series works so well, only functions because it takes place on American soil.
Although the brief trip to London was “nice and entertaining,” it was out of the question to let a main part take place in Europe:
In a full GTA game, we have always felt that the IP is so much shaped by Americana that it would be really difficult to implement it in London or elsewhere. You need weapons, you need these larger-than-life characters – it just felt like the game was so much about America, maybe from the perspective of an outsider, but that was such a part of the essence of the game that it wouldn’t really work the same way elsewhere.
Dan Houser
On one hand, GTA is always about societal critique that is treated satirically and full of clichés. For exaggerated storytelling, the USA, with its rich pop culture and many different political, cultural, and social influences, is indeed very suitable. Even though reality has become quite bizarre itself.
And a practical detail also plays a role: In the USA, gun laws are relatively relaxed. A game set in Europe would either have to deviate significantly from reality or adjust the gameplay. After all, in most countries you can’t just own a weapon, let alone carry one openly.
It is therefore more than understandable that Rockstar limits itself to the USA, takes the liberties that the country has to offer, and lets the next installment take place there as well.
GTA VI takes inspiration once again from Miami and brings players back to the beloved, sun-drenched Vice City. The first trailers already show that we can expect another wild mix of quirky characters, such as those that could only be found in the USA.
What do you think about it? Are you sad that you can’t drive through familiar big cities? Which ones would be your favorites? Feel free to let us know in the comments. The studio behind GTA is currently facing other problems: Rockstar is facing massive criticism for allegedly firing dozens of employees
