Grand Theft Auto 6 could be a long way away, though after the recent buggy release of CD Projekt Red’s hotly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077, many fans are feeling far more patient than before. Not much is known about the next chapter in the series, though there have been long-running rumors that Rockstar may return players to Vice City, with some fans claiming that the studio sent scouts to Miami to record artistic references.
One change that could likely come to Grand Theft Auto 6, however, may be one of the least expected, at least for those who aren't deeply in tune with the lore. GTA 6 may take place in an entirely separate universe from the last game. This has precedent in the GTA series, and there may be particular reasons for Rockstar to want a fresh start with the world of its next game in the series.
The Multiverse of Grand Theft Auto
Rockstar has rebooted the continuity of Grand Theft Auto several times throughout its history, though many of the game’s non-continuous stories have allowed that fact to understandably slip by the vast majority of fans. The game’s multiverse began with the 2D Universe, which encompasses all of the original top-down GTA games. This starts with 1997’s Grand Theft Auto, followed by GTA: London 1961, GTA: London 1969, and Grand Theft Auto 2. Despite ending there, the 2D Universe introduced three of the most important cities in Grand Theft Auto’s version of America: Liberty City based on New York, San Andreas based on San Francisco, and Vice City based on Miami. Strangely, the games set in the UK opted to use two real cities, London and Manchester.
The 2D Universe was followed by the 3D Universe, beginning with Grand Theft Auto 3. It continued with Vice City, GTA Advance, San Andreas, Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories.
The 3D Universe is also the setting for Rockstar games Manhunt and Bully. Though using many of the same fictional settings from the 2D Universe, the 3D Universe had far more characters, organizations, and stories which were shared across its titles. For example, Claud, the protagonist of GTA 3, also appears in San Andreas as a minor character.
Dividing the HD Universe Before GTA 6
GTA 4 kicked off the HD Universe, which is split into two distinct eras. GTA 4, GTA Chinatown Wars, The Lost and Damned, and The Ballad of Gay Tony share several characters as well as a similar tone. GTA 5 and GTA Online are considered part of their own era within the HD Universe because they tell a self-contained story which rarely references the characters in the earlier era. This separation was to differentiate from GTA4 and focus on a new type of Americana.
It’s possible, therefore, that GTA 6 may take place in a new universe, but it’s also possible that it will take place in a new era within the current HD universe where the characters and locations of GTA 5 are broadly irrelevant despite existing in the same continuity. Before he left Rockstar, Dan Houser also spoke about the difficulties approaching GTA’s brand of satire in a polarized political landscape – a new continuity may well allow the studio the flexibility to tell a new kind of story in GTA 6.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is reported to be in development.