As anticipation rises for Grand Theft Auto 6, players are increasingly excited about the possibility of having an all-new adventure in one of the franchise's beloved cities. From the Miami-inspired landscape of Vice City to the mean streets of Liberty City, the possibilities are endless, and the next entry in the series has huge shoes to fill coming off the success of Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar Games will be looking to craft another unforgettable experience in another gorgeous open world.
Since Grand Theft Auto 3 made significant leaps in establishing the 3D open-world genre, Grand Theft Auto has remained an industry leader. Rockstar Games has relied heavily on Grand Theft Auto to push sales, and Grand Theft Auto 5's commitment to longevity has made it one of the go-to titles for many players across three console generations. One of the reasons for its continued success is Los Santos itself, but as open-world settings in the AAA space get bigger, Grand Theft Auto would do well to adopt a smaller and more intimate setting.
GTA 4 Shows Huge Maps Need Better Traversal
One of the biggest criticisms of GTA 4 is its underwhelming driving mechanics. In a franchise that relies so heavily on stealing, driving, and upgrading cars, it was an issue that the vehicles in this 2008 release felt floaty, inconsistent at high speeds, and yet too realistic. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas felt like an advancement over the previous games and Grand Theft Auto 5's driving mechanics are perfect, so GTA 4's issues were all the more disappointing. The experience was dampened massively, and one of the reasons the poor driving was so blatant is the size of its map.
With a setting as vast as Los Santos in GTA 5, it's important to get traversal right. Cars are usually the fastest and easiest way to get around in Grand Theft Auto, and if it takes time to get from one side of the map to the other it's even more crucial. In a setting that doesn't stretch to new and ridiculous sizes, the blemishes in driving or walking mechanics are far less obvious. In this case, bigger would be actively worse.
Bigger can be Boring
Huge maps are harder to fill, and games like Rage 2, The Crew, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, and No Man's Sky prove that nonlinearity isn't a beneficial philosophy without proper execution. It's far more important to forge a space that has more activity than travel, and pushing the geographical boundaries has to be met with more things to do that is worth the (often lengthy) trip across the map. Yakuza understands this, bringing players a deep story and plenty of fun in Kamurocho, a space that is significantly smaller than Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto 5.
It can be frustrating when a game has a huge open area with no incentive to explore it. Grand Theft Auto 5 does well to fill its huge world with many activities like tennis, golf, or hunting, which is one of the reasons Rockstar Games' masterpiece continues to be so beloved. Grand Theft Auto has always created open worlds that are larger than other titles on the market, but it's far more important to make use of the space, and a smaller map could feel more populated with relevant and worthwhile things to do.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Should Buck the Trend
Open-world games are growing in both popularity and map size, and Grand Theft Auto could do something different in a bid to stand out. In decades past, the franchise was unique because it was offering the biggest maps in gaming, but as Horizon Forbidden West, Skyrim, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla push the boundary too, Grand Theft Auto 6 could separate itself from other AAA titles by pulling them inward, making the experience more personal.
It may sound like a downgrade, but smaller maps have their own appeal. Quality is always more important than quantity, and Bully's legacy shows that Rockstar is capable of crafting a small, but excellent open world. Rockstar should give players an experience that places more emphasis on the way the setting looks and feels to explore rather than how long it takes to reach all four corners.
The size of open worlds in 2022 is bigger than ever, and fans may expect Rockstar Games to follow suit by forging a map even larger than what came before. This is possible, even probable, but it set the trend in 2001 with GTA 3, so now would be the perfect time to parrot this influence by bringing players to a city significantly smaller than the one featured in GTA 5.
If the rumors are true and the next Grand Theft Auto game is set in Vice City, the potential for a more intimate setting is evident. Los Angeles is far larger than Miami in the real world, and as Vice City the latter, this would be the best opportunity Rockstar has to buck the trend and do something different. Bigger doesn't have to be better, as it can unnecessarily stretch the game's length and make a setting feel less populated and interesting.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently in development.