Following up one of the most successful entertainment products to meet fans' expectations is a near-impossible feat, but it is one that Grand Theft Auto 6 has to achieve. Red Dead Redemption 2 ensured that Rockstar Games' reputation for excellent all-new games is untarnished, despite the sub-par remakes of the PS2 GTA trilogy almost shattering the studio's lofty name. Grand Theft Auto 5 is the gift that keeps on giving, as after an astronomically successful launch it has gone on to sell over 165 million copies worldwide as of May 2022. The next game in the series is likely to deploy a fan-favorite setting, which gives it a good chance to be equally revered.
Whereas Grand Theft Auto prior to 2008 took advantage of different time periods to tell each story, the release of GTA 4 set in a theme of each new mainline game being set in modern times, poking fun at current cultural norms rather than looking back to decades past. Grand Theft Auto 5 pulls no punches, taking aim at the millennial generation and social inequalities, which feed into the ridiculous campaign and the world in which it takes place. Vice City has been all but confirmed to be the setting for Grand Theft Auto 6, which has to maintain its historical feel while contrasting it with modern sensibilities.
Vice City is Shrouded in Nostalgia
Much of the lure of Vice City is because it is reminiscent of a different time. Mimicking Miami in the 1980s with neon-infused streets and a story emphasis on the drug trade, it wears its influences on its sleeve to craft an experience that submerged itself in cultural and historical significance. It will be tough for Rockstar Games to bring such a retro-centric city into the modern day while maintaining what made it so special in 2002. That's what it's hoping to do if the somewhat recent leaks are anything to go by, however, and going back to such a beloved place would already be hard to replicate.
A place like Los Santos felt more connected with audiences because the places in which it takes inspiration from have moved massively with the times. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas may have harkened back to the 1990s with its story, but GTA 5 was able to transfer that into a cohesive narrative set in the modern day. Vice City feels far more like a time piece than its California-inspired counterpart, which could potentially have positive and negative implications on the degree to which Grand Theft Auto 6 executes its satirical themes.
Modern Influences were a Big Part of Grand Theft Auto 5
For the most part, Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto 5 did well to reintroduce a setting to players by bringing it to the 20th century. It was different enough to be awe-inspiring and surprising while also having familiar elements that kept its fundamental identity intact. It was a bold move from the developer, and achieving the same balance with GTA 6's world will be a significant achievement.
For some, Grand Theft Auto world best when it is poking fun at a specific time, be it California in the 1990s, London in the 1960s or in Vice City's case, Miami in the 1980s. Grand Theft Auto 6 has to keep those people happy while also layering the city they love with a modern makeover that feels new. It's a hard balance to get right, but if Grand Theft Auto 5 is anything to go by, Rockstar is in a prime position to make it work.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is in development.