The Grand Theft Auto series has become notorious, and often quite controversial, for its portrayals of crime and violence. While some people have chastised the games for their encouragement of morally dubious behavior, the series has developed a strong fanbase. Grand Theft Auto 5's online mode remained popular for over a decade after its release, and now Grand Theft Auto 6 is on the horizon. A major pattern of the games is the use of a large open-world city, often a thinly-veiled caricature of a real place, as a backdrop for a morally ambiguous narrative and the player's inevitable vehicular mayhem. They've taken inspiration from Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco at different times.
While the settings may be varied, they all take place in the United States. As much as the games enjoy satirizing American life, they are missing the opportunity to explore crime in other parts of the world. There are a number of large cities outside the USA that would make great settings for the games, but which currently remain untouched.
7 Dublin
Take On The IRA
Ireland has a history of crime and division, especially after the Irish War of independence (1919-1921). This conflict saw the rise of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), a movement originally formed to resist British occupation, but ended up fracturing into several different radicalist organizations.
Descendants of the IRA still exist today, and the level of internal strife created by their competing ideals creates some very good opportunities for criminals to take advantage of. GTA has never been afraid to get political (after all, politics are so often intertwined with crime), so it could certainly work with the IRA and Ireland's complicated relationship with England.
6 Hong Kong
Deal With The Triads
Hong Kong is certainly a dense urban environment likely to have a lot of interesting characters, perfect for a GTA game, but it also comes with its own unique aesthetic and culture that would better distinguish it from American cities. It's also a popular setting for crime films, something the developers would certainly want to pay homage to.
There is a logical direction to go with a GTA game set in Hong Kong, as it would create an opportunity to bring in a distinct brand of organized crime not seen much in the series-the Triads. They've already been a stable of crime movies and h ave been the subject of popular games like Sleeping Dogs, so there is definitely a market for it.
5 London
An Iconic City With Some Ridiculous Politics.
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Grand Theft Auto loves to take inspiration from large, well-known cities like New York and Los Angeles. If the series were to move out of America, it would make sense to pick a fairly well-known city, and it doesn't get much more iconic than London, England. Ubisoft has already had some success with making an open-world London in Assassin's Creed Syndicate and Watch Dogs: Legion, so there's certainly a market for it.
London does have an interesting history with crime, but it also has a lot of recent developments that a GTA game could certainly have fun with. They could probably make some interesting storylines just ridiculing Brexit, or the short-lived term of Prime Minister Lis Truss (who was famously outlasted by a cabbage).
4 Johannesburg
A Wretched Hive Of Scum and Villainy Like No Other
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South Africa has an alarmingly high crime rate, significantly more than the United States. Cities like Johannesburg have no shortage of issues with corruption, inequality, and poverty; all factors that make very favorable conditions for crime to get out of control. Some estimates argue that South Africa has one of the highest murder rates of any country in the world.
A city like this would have plenty of illegal antics for the player to get up to, but a story set in Johannesburg could also explore a lot of much deeper issues that produce such an environment. The series already satirizes issues such as poverty, racial and class inequality, and government corruption, so Johannesburg would fit right in.
14 Grand Theft Auto Characters Who Appear In Multiple Games
While Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto games generally introduce new casts, some characters have made appearances in multiple entries.
3 Sydney
Throw In Some Survival Elements To Make Crime More Exciting
GTA usually likes to take place in big cities, but it's easy to forget that V also included the more rural outskirts of Los Santos in its map. Australia is another location that could do both, while also taking them up a few notches. Sydney is a decent-sized city that would make a great map, and the game could also have parts of the outback at is edges.
Taking this approach would add a fun aspect where the player might occasionally have to deal with snakes, and in more extreme cases, crocodiles or cassowaries. Australia also has its own legendary outlaw, Ned Kelly, who could easily be a great source of inspiration. And some players would probably get very excited about an opportunity to destroy Sydney's famous opera house.
2 Tokyo
Watch Out For The Yakuza
Japan's capital has a lot going for it. Aside from being a massive city full of unique locattions and people (perfect for a GTA map), it's also a popular destination for businesses (both local and foreign) that are likely to engage in some less-than-ethical activity.
But a Japanese setting would allow one particular angle, since it just so happens that they have a very distinct form of organized crime: the Yakuza. These infamous syndicates have captured the attention of many, and even have an entire game series named after them. The popularity of the Yakuza series definitely suggests a market for a fully open-world game dealing with their enterprises.
GTA 6: 5 Locations That Should Return
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is home to some of the most iconic locations in the series. Here are some places that should return in GTA 6.
1 Toronto
GTA In The GTA
Canada has been referenced in the games, but not usually given much focus. Most notably, in GTA V there was an interesting decision to write Trevor Phillips, one of the three playable characters, as a Canadian (albeit one who tries to deny it), despite most of the game being set in a caricature of Los Angeles. But there is some potential to actually putting a game in Canada, and what better choice than one of its best-known cities? Toronto is a huge city that could easily be full of interesting encounters, and it's had some issues ripe for satire.
One could certainly imagine a parody of Doug Ford being incorporated into the game. While it is considered one of Canada's safest cities, that might just make it more fun to cause total mayhem and destruction. Rockstar could also have some fun with Canada actually having gun laws, perhaps requiring players to get more creative in obtaining firearms. However, the best part of using Toronto as a setting? A big part of the city is referred to as the Greater Toronto Area, or GTA. That would make this a GTA game actually set in the GTA.
Grand Theft Auto 6
- Released
- November 19, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
