The fictional open-world maps of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series have grown progressively in scope, density, and verticality across console generations. This report compares three signature settings within the HD Universe and broader series canon: Leonida from Grand Theft Auto VI (2026), San Andreas from Grand Theft Auto V (2013) and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004), and Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto IV (2008). The comparison covers approximate physical size, geographical inspiration, structural composition, and design philosophy, drawing on Rockstar Games promotional material, journalistic coverage, and developer interviews collated by Wikipedia.
Grand Theft Auto VI is set within the fictional U.S. state of Leonida, modelled on Florida, and is scheduled for release on 19 November 2026 (Wikipedia, 2026a). According to Rockstar, the state encompasses Vice City (a Miami analogue), Grassrivers (Everglades), the Leonida Keys (Florida Keys), Ambrosia, Mount Kalaga National Park, and Port Gellhorn (BBC News, cited in Wikipedia, 2026a). Although Rockstar has not disclosed an official square-kilometre figure, the variety of urban, swamp, key, and rural biomes, combined with the game's PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S exclusivity, signals a substantially expanded explorable area over predecessors. Industry analysts and outlets have widely speculated that the Leonida map will be the largest in series history, supported by reports of a US$1–2 billion development budget which would make it the most expensive video game ever produced (Wikipedia, 2026a).
The HD-era San Andreas, the setting of Grand Theft Auto V, is modelled on Southern California and Los Angeles, and was constructed using Google Maps projections of LA road networks alongside extensive field research throughout the region (Wikipedia, 2026c). The map comprises the city of Los Santos, Blaine County, and significant open countryside, mountains, and ocean. Wikipedia notes the world is "much larger in area than earlier entries in the series" (Wikipedia, 2026c), with community measurements consistently placing it at roughly 75–80 km², making it the largest GTA map prior to VI. The 3D-universe San Andreas of 2004 was substantially smaller at 36 km² (14 mi²), about four to six times larger than GTA III and Vice City, with each of its three cities (Los Santos, San Fierro, Las Venturas) roughly equal in size to all of Vice City (Wikipedia, 2026b).
Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV is based on four New York City boroughs — Broker (Brooklyn), Dukes (Queens), Bohan (The Bronx), and Algonquin (Manhattan) — plus the neighbouring state of Alderney (New Jersey) (Wikipedia, 2026d). The development team took over 100,000 photographs (some sources say up to 250,000) and consciously rejected a precise recreation in favour of a caricature emphasising the "highlights" of NYC. Crucially, Rockstar art director Aaron Garbut stated that although Liberty City is smaller in raw area than San Andreas (2004), the team considered it "comparable in scope due to the city's verticality, number of buildings, and level of detail" (Wikipedia, 2026d). The map is roughly three times the size of Grand Theft Auto III's Liberty City, and is generally measured at approximately 14–15 km².
| Map | Game | Inspiration | Approx. Size | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty City | GTA IV (2008) | New York City + NJ | ~14–15 km² | Dense urban verticality |
| San Andreas | GTA V (2013) | Southern California | ~75–80 km² | City + wilderness diversity |
| Leonida | GTA VI (2026) | Florida | Undisclosed (largest projected) | Multi-biome state |
Each map reflects a deliberate design ethos. Liberty City prioritises dense, walkable urbanism and architectural detail over horizontal scale (Wikipedia, 2026d). San Andreas in GTA V pivots towards expansive countryside, aerial vehicles, and contrast between Los Santos and Blaine County (Wikipedia, 2026c). Leonida promises both: a Vice City urban core alongside rural Everglades, mountainous national park, and oceanic key archipelagos, parodying 2020s American culture, social media, and "Florida Man" memes (Wikipedia, 2026a). The progression demonstrates Rockstar's iterative expansion of open-world ambition — from boroughs, to states, to multi-environment statewide simulations.
The trajectory from Liberty City to San Andreas (HD) to Leonida illustrates Rockstar Games' continual scaling of explorable space and environmental diversity. While Liberty City emphasises vertical density and San Andreas pioneered city-plus-wilderness contrast, Leonida is positioned as the most ambitious entry yet — combining urban, swamp, key, and national-park biomes within a single fictional state. Official map dimensions for Leonida remain unconfirmed pending release, but its scope, budget, and biome variety strongly indicate a generational leap consistent with Rockstar's historic pattern of doubling or quadrupling map area each main entry.
Wikipedia (2026a) Grand Theft Auto VI. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_VI (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Wikipedia (2026b) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto:_San_Andreas (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Wikipedia (2026c) Grand Theft Auto V. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_V (Accessed: 14 May 2026).
Wikipedia (2026d) Grand Theft Auto IV. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_IV (Accessed: 14 May 2026).