GTA 6 Leonida & Vice City: What We Know About the Setting

What Is Leonida in GTA 6?

Leonida is the fictional US state that Grand Theft Auto VI takes place in. Rockstar Games has confirmed Leonida as the game's setting and has shown multiple distinct environments across it — a major coastal city, tropical islands, wetlands, small-town and port areas, and a national park.

Leonida is the container for GTA 6's world. Vice City sits inside Leonida as its main urban center, alongside other officially named regions.

Is Leonida Based on Florida?

Leonida is clearly inspired by Florida. Rockstar's official trailers and screenshots depict palm-lined coastlines, tropical island chains, wetlands and swamp-adjacent areas, small coastal towns and beach cities that all evoke Florida's real-world geography and culture.

But Leonida is not literally Florida. It's a fictional in-universe state with its own place names, its own map and its own version of local culture. Real Florida cities, counties and landmarks are not featured in Leonida under their real names, and Rockstar has not described Leonida as a one-to-one recreation of the real state.

What Is Vice City?

Vice City is a fictional city in the Grand Theft Auto universe with a strong Miami-inspired identity. It first appeared in earlier Rockstar titles, most notably Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002), and returns in GTA 6 as the centerpiece city of Leonida.

The GTA 6 version of Vice City is a modern reimagining. Rockstar has depicted beaches, high-rise skylines, nightlife districts and dense street activity in official material.

Is Vice City Based on Miami?

Vice City has always drawn heavily on Miami — its climate, its coastline, its neon and art-deco aesthetic, and its beach and nightlife culture. That connection continues in GTA 6.

However, Vice City is not literally Miami. It's a fictional city in its own right, with its own layout, its own neighborhoods and its own in-universe history across GTA titles. Rockstar has not described GTA 6's Vice City as a real-world recreation of any specific Miami districts.

Where Does GTA 6 Take Place?

GTA 6 takes place across the state of Leonida. Vice City is the main urban destination, but the world extends beyond the city into surrounding regions — coastal islands, waterways, wilderness and smaller towns are all part of the setting Rockstar has revealed.

For a full breakdown of every individual region Rockstar has officially named, see the GTA 6 Map & Locations guide. This page focuses on the overall setting; that guide is the detailed authority for confirmed locations.

Confirmed Regions and Environments

Across official Rockstar Games material, GTA 6 shows a mix of urban, coastal and wilderness environments within Leonida:

• Vice City — the main urban center, coastal, Miami-inspired.
• Tropical islands — named as the Leonida Keys in official material, south of Vice City.
• Wetlands and waterways — visible in official screenshots of areas across Leonida.
• Small towns and port areas — non-urban settings shown in official material.
• A national park — a forested wilderness area within Leonida.

Individual region names, exact boundaries and a full district breakdown live in the Map & Locations guide.

Urban Areas vs Natural Environments

One of the clearest takeaways from official material is the contrast between Leonida's urban and natural sides. Vice City represents the dense, neon-lit urban experience — high-rises, beaches, traffic, nightlife. Outside the city, Rockstar has shown islands, wetlands, forests and open landscapes, suggesting a world where players move between very different environments.

Rockstar has not officially detailed how travel between these regions works, how large each region is, or which activities are gated to which environments.

How Vice City Fits Into the Larger State of Leonida

Vice City is a part of Leonida, not the whole thing. In earlier GTA titles, Vice City was effectively its own standalone map. In GTA 6, Rockstar has framed Vice City as the main urban center of a wider state that also includes islands, wetlands, small towns and wilderness.

That framing — a city within a state — is closer to how San Andreas contained Los Santos in GTA V, though the exact structure of Leonida has not been officially detailed by Rockstar.

How GTA 6's Setting Differs From GTA Vice City (2002)

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) was set in a 1980s-styled version of the city and covered a much smaller, standalone map. GTA 6 is set in a modern-day Vice City within the larger state of Leonida.

The GTA 6 version is a new modern reimagining. Rockstar has not confirmed that any specific districts, landmarks or businesses from the 2002 title carry over. Anything not shown in official GTA 6 material should be treated as unconfirmed for this game specifically.

What We Still Don't Know About Leonida

• Total map size — Rockstar has not published an official figure. Any specific square-mile numbers online come from leaks or fan reconstructions.
• Full district list — a complete breakdown of Vice City neighborhoods has not been officially published.
• Accessible interiors — Rockstar has not published a comprehensive list of enterable buildings.
• Travel systems — how fast travel, public transport or other systems work in Leonida has not been officially detailed.
• Mission and story locations — specific mission locations across Leonida are not confirmed ahead of launch.

Related GTA 6 guides

For the full location list, see the GTA 6 Map & Locations guide. For launch details, read the release date & platforms guide. Meet the cast in the character encyclopedia, or preview the interactive Leonida map (a launch-day feature).