Where Does GTA 6 Take Place? Vice City and Leonida Explained
02 June 2026
A lot of people still talk about GTA 6 as if it simply takes place in Vice City again. That is understandable because Vice City is the emotional hook. But the official framing is broader than that. Rockstar has tied the game to Vice City and to the wider state of Leonida, which changes how players should think about the scope of the world.
That matters because Rockstar is not only trying to revive a famous city. It is building a bigger environment around it, one that can support more variety, more tonal shifts, and a larger sense of criminal geography than a single nostalgia landmark could carry alone.
What is officially confirmed about the setting
- Vice City is part of GTA 6’s world.
- The game also takes place across the wider state of Leonida.
- Rockstar frames the setting as more than just a return to one familiar urban core.
Why Leonida matters
| If players focus only on Vice City | If players include Leonida in the picture |
|---|---|
| The game looks like a nostalgia-driven city return | The game looks like a larger modern-state sandbox |
| Attention stays on one iconic location | Attention expands to world variety and broader atmosphere |
| Expectations get narrowed too early | Expectations align better with Rockstar’s official framing |
That is the smarter reading. Vice City is the banner headline, but Leonida is the structural clue. It suggests Rockstar wants a world that can do more than repeat old visual memory. The bigger state-level framing creates room for a more varied, more contemporary take on the setting.
GTA 6 takes place in more than a revived Vice City. Leonida is the clue that Rockstar is building a broader world, not just reopening an old one.
Which article explains the emotional side best
If this article gives you the structural picture, the emotional picture is covered best in Why Vice City Is Driving So Much GTA 6 Hype. That is where the setting’s emotional force becomes clearer.
Bottom line
GTA 6 officially takes place in Vice City and the wider state of Leonida. Vice City is the iconic emotional anchor, but Leonida is what tells you Rockstar is thinking bigger than a simple return. The setting is designed to feel familiar enough to trigger memory and broad enough to support a much larger new fantasy.
Does GTA 6 only take place in Vice City?
No. Rockstar has also tied the game to the wider state of Leonida, which means the setting is broader than just Vice City alone.
Why is Leonida important to understanding GTA 6?
Because it suggests Rockstar is building a larger and more varied world rather than relying only on Vice City nostalgia.
Why do people still mainly talk about Vice City?
Because Vice City is the most iconic emotional hook in the setting and the name that instantly means something to long-time GTA fans.
