Last updated: August 4, 2026
The GTA 6 map vs GTA 5 comparison seems simple on the surface as we just need to work out which game is bigger. However, when you start to look into both worlds of Grand Theft Auto VI and Grand Theft Auto V, you realize that there is so much more to the maps of both games than just the square mileage.
In Grand Theft Auto VI, the whole state of Leonida is playable. This includes a modern take on the classic Vice City, set on a series of lush, vibrant, and colorful tropical islands. Each island contains its own Regional Towns, Industrial Locations, Wetlands, and more. Within the game, players will get to explore The Northern National Park, which is vast and filled with plenty of things to do as well as complete various missions.
Grand Theft Auto V takes place in the environment of the city of Los Santos and the county of Blaine in the Southern part of the state of San Andreas, or the Southern part of the state. The game’s world is based off that of Vice City and is a modern setting with a wide variety of environments including a large and busy city, beaches, desert towns and cities, a large network of highways, mountains and a very large area of open countryside.
The GTA 6 map is described by Rockstar Games to be the biggest and most immersive open world for the Grand Theft Auto series yet. But this is the biggest GTA of all Grand Theft Auto games and unlike with GTA 5’s open world of the map of Los Santos and Blaine County in Southern San Andreas’ Southern part, the developer hasn’t measured the square miles of the GTA 6 map and has not published any official comparisons with GTA 5’s to state that GTA 6’s open world is for example 20% bigger than Southern San Andreas.
These are online numbers. Therefore, they are irrelevant until confirmed by Rockstar Games and an official measurement and comparison by them.
We can compare GTA 6 and GTA 5 in terms of how they were structured and how the worlds were designed. GTA 6 seems to have more varied environments to explore. For example, there’s more focus on traveling through the world by water, more wildlife, and more people in crowds. Additionally, there are more environments or regions, each with its own identity and style to explore.
This guide will provide you with an in-depth comparison between the GTA 6 map and the GTA 5 map. We will be comparing the GTA 6 Leonida map with the GTA 5 Los Santos and Blaine County map in the Southern San Andreas region. The two maps will be assessed in terms of Map Size, Urban vs. Rural areas, Transportation, Wildlife, Interiors, Underwater Exploration, and overall World Design.
GTA 6 Map vs GTA 5: Quick Comparison
- GTA 6 setting: State of Leonida
- GTA 5 setting: Los Santos and Blaine County, Southern San Andreas
- GTA 6 main city: Vice City
- GTA 5 main city: Los Santos
- GTA 6 officially introduced regions: Six major destinations
- GTA 5 main regional split: Los Santos and Blaine County
- Exact GTA 6 map size: Not officially confirmed
- Official numerical comparison: Not released
- GTA 6 complete map: Not officially released
- GTA 6 underwater exploration: Confirmed through official imagery
- GTA 6 hunting and fishing: Associated with Mount Kalaga
- GTA 6 release date: November 19, 2026
Is the GTA 6 Map Bigger Than GTA 5?
Rockstar has not officially confirmed the exact size difference between the two maps.
The developer has not published a GTA 6 land-area measurement, total water-area measurement or side-by-side map created at an identical scale.
Leonida may ultimately be larger than GTA 5’s Southern San Andreas, but a precise claim cannot currently be verified.
Official promotional material does suggest that GTA 6 is designed as a broad state-level world. Players will travel beyond Vice City into several named regions with different landscapes, communities and transportation requirements.
Those confirmed destinations include:
- Vice City
- Leonida Keys
- Port Gellhorn
- Ambrosia
- Grassrivers
- Mount Kalaga National Park
GTA 5 also contains environmental variety, but much of its world is organized around Los Santos, Blaine County, the Grand Senora Desert and the Mount Chiliad wilderness.
Until the complete Leonida map is released, the safest conclusion is that GTA 6 appears broader and more environmentally varied, while its exact physical advantage remains unknown.
GTA 6 Map Comparison Table
| Feature | GTA 6 | GTA 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Main world | State of Leonida | Southern San Andreas |
| Main city | Vice City | Los Santos |
| Main island region | Leonida Keys | No comparable large connected island chain |
| Main wetland region | Grassrivers | Smaller marsh and river environments |
| Main mountain wilderness | Mount Kalaga National Park | Mount Chiliad and surrounding countryside |
| Regional towns | Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia and smaller communities | Sandy Shores, Grapeseed, Paleto Bay and others |
| Underwater exploration | Confirmed through reef and diving imagery | Available around San Andreas |
| Wildlife variety | Alligators, marine life, deer, wild cats and birds shown | Land, coastal and marine animals |
| Exact official size | Not announced | No new official comparison measurement |
| Direct Rockstar comparison | Not released | |
Vice City Compared With Los Santos
Vice City and Los Santos are the main urban centres of their respective games.
Los Santos is inspired by Los Angeles and combines downtown towers, residential neighbourhoods, beaches, entertainment districts, highways and surrounding hills.
Vice City is Rockstar’s fictional interpretation of Miami and modern South Florida. Official GTA 6 material shows beaches, hotels, luxury towers, dense nightlife, residential streets, marinas and tropical waterways.
The two cities have different visual identities:
- Los Santos emphasizes Southern California, Hollywood satire and car culture
- Vice City emphasizes tropical tourism, nightlife, social media and coastal living
- Los Santos is surrounded by hills and dry countryside
- Vice City is surrounded by islands, waterways and flat coastal development
Vice City appears especially crowded in official promotional footage. Beaches contain large numbers of people, roads carry dense traffic and nightlife areas remain active after sunset.
This does not automatically prove that Vice City is physically larger than Los Santos. It suggests that Rockstar may be prioritizing population density and environmental activity.
Will Vice City Be Bigger Than Los Santos?
Rockstar has not released an official city-boundary comparison.
Vice City may contain more coastal districts, waterways and surrounding islands, while Los Santos uses hills and inland neighbourhoods to define its outer boundaries.
City size can also be measured in different ways. One comparison may count only the central urban area, while another includes suburbs, industrial districts, beaches and nearby islands.
Vice City could therefore feel bigger because it contains more active interiors, crowds and businesses even if its road footprint is closer to Los Santos than some fan maps suggest.
Read our complete GTA 6 Vice City guide.
Leonida Compared With Blaine County
Blaine County gives GTA 5 its major rural contrast to Los Santos. It contains desert roads, small towns, farms, mountains, forests and the Alamo Sea.
Leonida’s non-urban regions appear more separated by individual themes.
Port Gellhorn is presented as an older regional town containing motels, railways and local nightlife. Ambrosia is built around agricultural fields, heavy industry and the Allied Crystal refinery.
Grassrivers is a large wetland environment requiring airboats and off-road vehicles, while Mount Kalaga introduces forests, rivers, wildlife and mountain roads.
The Leonida Keys adds another major environment that has no direct equivalent in Blaine County: an extended tropical island chain connected by bridges and surrounded by explorable water.
GTA 6 Has More Distinct Regional Identities
One of the clearest differences is the way Rockstar presents Leonida’s locations as individual destinations.
Each major GTA 6 region has its own promotional artwork and visual identity.
Vice City
A large modern city featuring beaches, towers, nightlife, entertainment businesses and dense traffic.
Leonida Keys
A tropical island chain containing bridges, boats, coastal communities, seaplanes and underwater reefs.
Port Gellhorn
An ageing regional town containing the Starlet Motel, Delights cabaret, railway infrastructure and industrial surroundings.
Ambrosia
An inland town built around sugar production, the Allied Crystal refinery and Final Chapter Motorcycle Club activity.
Grassrivers
An Everglades-inspired wetland containing airboats, alligators, flooded grasslands and mangrove channels.
Mount Kalaga National Park
A northern wilderness region containing mountain highways, forests, rivers, hunting, fishing and off-road trails.
GTA 5 also has varied environments, but Rockstar’s current presentation suggests that the regions of Leonida may receive stronger individual identities and more specialized activities.
Is GTA 6 Denser Than GTA 5?
Rockstar has not published a numerical density measurement, but official footage indicates a strong focus on crowds, traffic and environmental activity.
GTA 6’s beaches contain large groups of residents performing different activities. Urban roads appear busy, while smaller communities contain pedestrians, cyclists, parked vehicles and local businesses.
Density does not mean placing city-sized crowds inside every region. Each environment can feel active in a different way:
- Vice City uses people, cars and businesses
- Leonida Keys uses boats, residents and marine wildlife
- Port Gellhorn uses trains, local venues and roadside activity
- Ambrosia uses industrial traffic, workers and biker convoys
- Grassrivers uses waterways, birds and alligators
- Mount Kalaga uses wildlife, visitors and remote residents
This approach could make Leonida feel consistently active without making every region resemble a city.
Map Size Versus Meaningful Space
A larger map is not automatically a better map.
Meaningful open-world space contains places to visit, routes to discover, people to encounter and activities connected to the environment.
A huge empty mountain or ocean can add substantial area to a map calculation without adding the same amount of gameplay.
GTA 6 may improve meaningful space through:
- More populated city streets
- More detailed regional businesses
- Usable waterways
- Underwater exploration
- Wildlife encounters
- Off-road trails
- More varied transportation
- Additional interiors
Rockstar has shown several of these elements, but it has not quantified their total amount.
GTA 6 Water Area Compared With GTA 5
Water appears more central to GTA 6’s map design.
GTA 5 includes ocean, beaches, rivers, the Alamo Sea and underwater exploration. Boats and submarines can be used around Southern San Andreas.
GTA 6 appears to connect water more directly with its major regions.
Vice City contains canals, waterfront property and marinas. The Leonida Keys requires travel between islands, while Grassrivers replaces conventional roads with shallow swamp channels.
Mount Kalaga also contains narrower rivers suitable for kayaks.
Different watercraft appear suited to different environments:
- Speedboats for open coastal water
- Fishing boats for smaller communities
- Seaplanes for islands and coastal travel
- Airboats for Grassrivers
- Kayaks for Mount Kalaga rivers
This suggests that water will function as usable territory rather than simply separating land from the map boundary.
Underwater Exploration Comparison
GTA 5 allows players to swim and explore underwater areas around San Andreas.
GTA 6 will also include underwater exploration. Official Leonida Keys imagery shows scuba divers moving around a detailed reef containing fish and a sea turtle.
Rockstar has not revealed the total underwater area or whether diving systems have been expanded significantly beyond GTA 5.
Possible differences could include greater reef detail, more marine life and stronger connections between underwater locations and coastal activities.
These improvements remain unmeasured until Rockstar releases gameplay information.
Mount Kalaga Compared With Mount Chiliad
Mount Chiliad is GTA 5’s most recognizable mountain landmark and a major part of Blaine County’s landscape.
Mount Kalaga appears to be a broader national-park region rather than one famous summit.
Official GTA 6 material shows:
- Rocky valleys
- Mountain highways
- Dense forests
- Rivers and railway bridges
- Kayaking
- Hunting and fishing
- Dirt-bike trails
- Remote backwoods communities
Mount Chiliad offers roads, cable-car access, hiking paths and surrounding wilderness. Mount Kalaga may provide greater activity variety across a wider park environment.
Rockstar has not confirmed which mountain reaches the greater in-game elevation.
Grassrivers Compared With GTA 5’s Wetlands
There are some areas of marshes, rivers and coastal locations in GTA 5 but there is no wetland location similar in size to Grassrivers.
Grassrivers was created based around the shallow water and the special methods of traveling through the area that the game allows.
Airboats and off-road vehicles can drive through the flooded grass in these areas and there are also some muddy areas where off-road vehicles can drive through as well.
The area is populated by alligators as well as many species of birds.
I guess Grassrivers is an area meant to be explored slowly through shallow water and in a kind of an unpredictable fashion as opposed to simply blasting down miles of desert highway through Blaine County on nice tires.
Leonida Keys Compared With GTA 5’s Coastline
GTA 5 has an extensive coastline surrounding its island-based map, but most of its major land remains connected in one central mass.
The Leonida Keys introduces a long chain of separate tropical islands linked through bridges, boats and aircraft.
This may create more reasons to leave the main highway and travel over water.
The Keys also contains Jason Duval’s known home area and Brian Heder’s boat-yard operation, connecting the environment directly with the main story.
Read our complete Leonida Keys guide.
Wildlife in GTA 6 Compared With GTA 5
GTA 5 contains land animals, birds and marine wildlife across Los Santos and Blaine County.
GTA 6’s official footage shows wildlife connected closely with individual regions.
| GTA 6 Region | Wildlife Shown |
|---|---|
| Vice City and populated areas | Animals entering or moving near developed locations |
| Leonida Keys | Iguanas, fish and sea turtles |
| Grassrivers | Alligators and wetland birds |
| Mount Kalaga | Deer, birds, smaller mammals and a large wild cat |
The regional distribution may help wildlife feel like a natural part of each ecosystem rather than animals placed randomly across the map.
Rockstar has not released the complete animal list or detailed behaviour systems.
Will GTA 6 Have More Enterable Buildings?
New Rockstar game features detailed interiors for homes, shops, clubs, gyms, and businesses within the game.
Rockstar Games has not confirmed what percentage of buildings in the upcoming game will be able to be entered by the player.
GTA 5 had a lot of interiors for important locations like homes, shops and stores, a few night clubs, a few gyms, and other business locations that you can operate and manage in the game. Most of the buildings and locations in Los Santos are exterior focused, with very few of them accessible to players outside of completing a mission for that location, or if you already own the business and can enter it as needed.
Making more of the interiors accessible will make the Vice City feel a lot bigger & a lot more dense then it does currently without having to make the road map a lot bigger.
Comments suggesting that every building will be open or stating a percentage of open buildings are unsubstantiated by Rockstar.
NPC Crowds and Traffic
Official GTA 6 trailers place considerable emphasis on population.
Vice City beaches contain crowds of people relaxing, exercising and recording videos. Streets contain varied traffic, while bars, clubs and neighbourhoods appear active.
GTA 5’s Los Santos also contains busy urban areas, but GTA 6 is being designed for newer console hardware without the same PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 limitations affecting the original GTA 5 release.
This may allow Rockstar to display more characters and environmental activity simultaneously.
Rockstar has not published an official percentage increase in pedestrian or traffic density.
Transportation Variety
Both games contain cars, motorcycles, boats, planes and helicopters.
GTA 6’s regional structure appears to give specialized vehicles clearer environmental purposes.
| Vehicle Type | Possible GTA 6 Use |
|---|---|
| City cars and motorcycles | Vice City streets and highways |
| Boats and personal watercraft | Vice City coastline and Leonida Keys |
| Seaplanes | Coastal travel and island access |
| Airboats | Shallow Grassrivers waterways |
| Off-road vehicles | Grassrivers and Mount Kalaga trails |
| Kayaks | Narrow Mount Kalaga rivers |
| Trains | Regional railway network, full usability unconfirmed |
Specialized transportation may make travelling through Leonida more varied than using one fast car for nearly every journey.
Will GTA 6 Take Longer to Cross?
No official cross-map travel time has been released.
Travel time depends on the vehicle, route and environment rather than physical distance alone.
A helicopter can cross large distances quickly. Driving through Vice City traffic, following bridges through the Keys or navigating Grassrivers waterways may take considerably longer.
Mount Kalaga’s winding mountain roads could also make two nearby points difficult to reach directly.
Videos claiming an exact Leonida crossing time before release cannot be verified through final gameplay.
Story Design and Map Use
GTA 5’s story uses three protagonists whose homes and missions take players through Los Santos and Blaine County.
GTA 6 focuses on Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos. Their story begins from different personal circumstances before an easy score goes wrong and pulls them into a criminal conspiracy stretching across Leonida.
The statewide conspiracy gives Rockstar a clear reason to move the protagonists between different regions.
Jason’s background connects him to the Leonida Keys, while Vice City contains influential business and music figures. Raul Bautista is associated with professional robberies, and the other regions may introduce industrial, rural and wilderness contacts.
This could make each region part of the main narrative rather than optional countryside surrounding one city.
Will GTA 6 Have More Activities Than GTA 5?
Rockstar has not released a complete side-activity list.
Official GTA 6 material nevertheless shows or describes several regional activities:
- Boating
- Scuba diving
- Kayaking
- Hunting
- Fishing
- Off-road exploration
- Nightlife and music-related activities
- Wildlife encounters
The complete depth of these activities remains unknown.
For example, Rockstar officially associates fishing with Mount Kalaga, but has not revealed the equipment, progression or reward system.
Could GTA 6 Be Smaller but More Detailed?
Rockstar’s current presentation does not describe Leonida as a small world. However, it remains possible that some fan size estimates are exaggerated.
Even if the final map is smaller than unofficial concepts, it could still represent a major improvement through:
- Denser streets
- More accessible interiors
- More detailed NPC behaviour
- Greater wildlife variety
- More usable water
- More regional activities
- Greater environmental interaction
The quality of the map should therefore be judged through meaningful content and world design, not only its outline.
Are Fan-Made Map Comparisons Accurate?
Fan mapping projects use screenshots, trailer footage and visible landmarks to reconstruct Leonida.
These projects can provide useful estimates, but they are not official Rockstar maps.
Errors can occur because:
- Camera lenses distort distance
- Background skylines are difficult to position
- Roads continue behind unseen terrain
- Similar buildings may be mistaken for the same landmark
- Large areas may remain unrevealed
- Map elements could change before release
Fan comparisons should always be labelled as concepts or estimates.
Will Leonida Expand After Launch?
Rockstar has not announced a post-launch single-player map-expansion plan.
Rumours about additional cities, islands or states should not be treated as confirmed.
The final release already appears to include several major destinations, but Rockstar has not explained how future GTA 6 or online content will affect the world map.
GTA 6 Map vs GTA 5: Confirmed Facts and Rumours
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| GTA 6 takes place in Leonida | Confirmed |
| GTA 5 takes place across Los Santos and Blaine County | Confirmed |
| Vice City is GTA 6’s main city | Confirmed |
| Six major Leonida destinations have been introduced | Confirmed |
| GTA 6 contains islands, wetlands and mountain wilderness | Confirmed |
| GTA 6 includes underwater exploration | Confirmed through official imagery |
| Rockstar calls GTA 6 its biggest, most immersive GTA evolution | Confirmed |
| GTA 6 is officially twice the size of GTA 5 | Not confirmed |
| GTA 6 is officially 70 percent larger than GTA 5 | Not confirmed |
| Vice City is officially larger than Los Santos | Not confirmed |
| Every GTA 6 building is enterable | Not confirmed |
| Fan maps show the final exact Leonida layout | Not confirmed |
| GTA 6 contains multiple fully explorable states | Not confirmed |
| New cities will definitely be added after launch | Not confirmed |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GTA 6 map bigger than GTA 5?
Rockstar has not released an exact numerical comparison. Leonida appears broader and more environmentally varied, but its precise size advantage remains unknown.
How much bigger is GTA 6 than GTA 5?
No official percentage or square-mile difference has been published.
Is GTA 6 twice the size of GTA 5?
Claims that Leonida is exactly twice as large remain unofficial fan estimates.
Is Vice City bigger than Los Santos?
Rockstar has not published an official size comparison between the two cities.
What is the GTA 6 map called?
GTA 6 takes place across the fictional state of Leonida.
What is the GTA 5 map called?
GTA 5 takes place across Los Santos and Blaine County in Southern San Andreas.
What locations are confirmed for GTA 6?
Vice City, Leonida Keys, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia, Grassrivers and Mount Kalaga National Park have been officially introduced.
Does GTA 6 have more cities than GTA 5?
Vice City is the only GTA 6 city currently presented at the largest urban scale. Port Gellhorn and Ambrosia are separate regional destinations.
Will GTA 6 have more interiors?
Several detailed interiors have been shown, but Rockstar has not announced the total number or percentage of accessible buildings.
Will GTA 6 have more wildlife?
Official media shows varied wildlife across several ecosystems, but Rockstar has not released a numerical comparison with GTA 5.
Does GTA 6 have underwater exploration?
Yes. Official imagery shows scuba divers exploring a reef in the Leonida Keys.
Does GTA 6 have mountains?
Yes. Mount Kalaga National Park contains mountain roads, rocky valleys, forests and rivers.
Does GTA 6 have a desert?
Rockstar has not officially introduced a large desert region comparable to GTA 5’s Grand Senora Desert.
Will GTA 6 have trains?
Railway infrastructure and trains appear in official media, but unrestricted passenger travel has not been fully explained.
Will GTA 6 have airboats?
Yes. Airboats appear in the Grassrivers wetland region.
Will GTA 6 have hunting and fishing?
Rockstar officially associates hunting and fishing with Mount Kalaga National Park.
Are GTA 6 fan maps official?
No. Fan maps are community reconstructions based on promotional footage and visible landmarks.
Has the complete GTA 6 map been released?
No. Rockstar has not published the complete official Leonida map.
Will the GTA 6 map expand after release?
Rockstar has not announced a confirmed post-launch single-player map expansion plan.
When will GTA 6 be released?
Grand Theft Auto VI is officially scheduled for November 19, 2026.
Final Thoughts
The GTA 6 map appears designed to improve on GTA 5 through variety, density and regional identity rather than relying only on a larger external outline.
Vice City gives Leonida a dense urban centre comparable with Los Santos, but the wider state introduces environments without direct GTA 5 equivalents at the same apparent scale.
The Leonida Keys adds connected tropical islands and underwater reefs. Grassrivers introduces extensive wetlands designed around airboats, while Mount Kalaga provides forests, rivers, hunting, fishing and mountain trails.
Port Gellhorn and Ambrosia give the state regional communities with distinct economies, architecture and criminal groups.
Rockstar has not yet provided the measurements needed to prove that GTA 6 is a specific percentage larger than GTA 5. Claims involving exact multipliers should therefore be treated as unofficial estimates.
The confirmed information still suggests a major evolution. Leonida appears more environmentally diverse, heavily populated and closely connected to specialized transportation, wildlife and regional activities.
Read our complete GTA 6 map-size guide and our confirmed GTA 6 locations guide.
You can also explore Vice City, Leonida Keys, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia, Grassrivers and Mount Kalaga National Park.
For official information, visit the official Grand Theft Auto VI website, the Rockstar Games Only in Leonida page, the official GTA 6 screenshots and the official GTA 5 website.