The map of Grand Theft Auto VI is, by far, the most ambitious open-world project ever designed by Rockstar Games. Set in the fictional state of Leonida —the satirical reinterpretation of the state of Florida—, the setting promises not only an unprecedented territorial extension but also a density of urban life, wildlife, and explorable interiors that will redefine the genre.
In this guide we analyze in detail the estimated dimensions of the setting, the main cities, the diversity of biomes and how it compares to previous maps in the franchise.
1. Estimated territorial extension: how many km² will Leonida measure?
Unlike previous titles where scale was almost exclusively measured by asphalt surface, Leonida combines massive landmass, isolated archipelagos, and gigantic extensions of shallow waters and swampy canals.
Through the meticulous work of the GTA VI Mapping Project (which triangulates GPS coordinates from official trailers and leaked development plans), it is estimated that:
- Usable land surface: Between 75 and 90 km², comfortably doubling the playable terrain of San Andreas in GTA V.
- Total surface with navigable waters and keys: More than 120 km².
- Vertical scale: Unlike the real flat relief of Florida, Rockstar has introduced mountainous formations to the north such as Mount Kalaga and elevations in Redhill Forest to guarantee off-road driving and light aircraft flight variety.
To know exactly how much time is left until the title lands on consoles, you can check the official countdown for the GTA 6 launch, scheduled for November 19, 2026.
2. The six official regions of Leonida
Rockstar Games has confirmed six regions for the state of Leonida. This is an important fact because for months the figure of four circulated, based on initial promotional material:
- Vice City — the metropolis.
- Leonida Keys — the southern archipelago.
- Grassrivers — the swamps.
- Mount Kalaga — the mountainous and forested area.
- Port Gellhorn — the west port coast.
- Ambrosia — the agricultural interior, next to Lake Leonida.
Below we break down those with the most published material:
A) The Metropolis of Vice City and the East Coast
The cosmopolitan core of the game. It encompasses the financial district of skyscrapers (Downtown), the tourist promenades of Ocean Beach and Ocean Drive, the port industrial zone, and luxury enclaves like Starfish Island. Pedestrian and vehicular traffic density is the highest seen in any RAGE engine.
B) The Grassrivers Swamps and Lake Leonida
Inspired by the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee, they constitute a labyrinthine network of mangroves, rivers of grass and canals where navigation by airboat is essential. It is a lethal ecosystem populated by alligators, snakes, and wildlife.
C) The West Coast and Port Gellhorn
A slower-paced port and industrial city than Vice City, with highway motels, local race tracks, fishing piers and factories.
D) The Keys Archipelago (Leonida Keys)
A chain of tropical islands connected by the colossal Bocamar Viaduct (Overseas Highway). It is a paradise for recreational boating, coral reef diving, and maritime smuggling.
E) Mount Kalaga
The mountainous and forested region of the state, the vertical counterpoint to a map that is otherwise mostly flat. Its real reference is the elevated areas and forests of northern Florida, very far from the coastal postcard image.
F) Ambrosia
The region about which the least has been published. It is located next to Lake Leonida and its skyline is dominated by the Allied Crystal sugar refinery. It represents the agricultural and industrial interior Leonida, inspired by the sugar region around Lake Okeechobee.
3. About the size: what is being said and what is confirmed
Here it is appropriate to be precise, because many figures circulate with the appearance of official data.
What Rockstar has said: that it is the largest and most immersive world they have built. They have not published any measure in square kilometers, nor a full map labeled with a scale.
What external analyses estimate: between 1.5 and 2 times the size of the GTA V map. It is a wide range, and comes from approximate measurements on published material, not from a figure provided by the studio.
Why comparing by surface area is deceptive: the raw size alone says little. A map twice as big with half the density traverses worse. The elements that Rockstar has indeed shown —pedestrian density, traffic, accessible interiors— point to the relevant difference compared to GTA V not being in the kilometers, but in how many things happen inside them.
Any exact figure you find presented as official, today, is not.
3. Size comparison: GTA VI vs GTA V and RDR2
| Rockstar Title | Main Setting | Estimated Surface | Interior Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| GTA: San Andreas (2004) | San Andreas (3 cities) | ~36 km² | Very low (< 5%) |
| GTA IV (2008) | Liberty City | ~16 km² | Medium (~15%) |
| GTA V (2013) | Los Santos and Blaine County | ~76 km² | Low (~10%) |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) | 5 Western states | ~75 km² | High (~40%) |
| GTA VI (2026) | State of Leonida | ~100-120 km² (Mapping Project projection) | High (Under analysis) |
The great revolution of GTA VI does not lie only in raw square kilometers, but in volumetric accessibility: shopping malls, nightclubs, police stations, motels, airports and supermarkets have fully walkable interior modeling without loading screens.
If you are evaluating the budget needed to get the standard or collector’s edition on release day, you can check the updated breakdown in the GTA 6 prices and pre-orders guide.
4. How to interact with the map before launch
At Return to Vice we keep our interactive cartography updated with every official material published by Rockstar Games, always indicating the confirmation level of each data point. You can consult in real time the estimated coordinates, building types and confirmation level of each zone from our Leonida map explorer.
Likewise, if you are looking to optimize your experience and know the game mechanics from the first minute, do not hesitate to follow the guides and tricks for GTA 6.
The sixth region, the least commented, has its own guide: Ambrosia and Lake Leonida.