Game Informer put GTA 6 on the cover of its November issue. In the 14-page feature "Welcome to Leonida", senior associate editor Marcus Stewart, a lifelong South Florida resident, asked Rockstar how it brought the state into the game. Answering were head of development Aaron Garbut, senior vice president of narrative Rupert Humphries, senior vice president of environment art Paul MacPherson, vice president of art for lighting and rendering Owen Shepherd, and vice president of dynamic art Michael Kane.
The cover art was made in-house at Rockstar: Jason and Lucia in a bullet-riddled convertible. The issue came with 12 exclusive screenshots, all of them below, and on October 2 the editors discussed the story on The Game Informer Show podcast.
Key takeaways
Screenshots: Game Informer.
- Garbut calls Florida "America dialed up to 11." That is why Rockstar returned to Vice City, but this time the city is only one part of an entire state.
- Leonida is the biggest map Rockstar has ever made: twice the size of GTA 5, and denser too.
Normally you compromise scale for detail or detail for interaction, but with this project we went the other way – everything is dialed up.
- There are six regions: Vice City, the Leonida Keys, the Grassrivers wetlands, the run-down tourist trap of Port Gellhorn, industrial Ambrosia with its biker gang, and Mount Kalaga National Park in the north, on the border with Gloriana, the game's take on Georgia.
- For the north, the team studied Panama City, Jacksonville and Ocala. Expect ATV trails, a mud park party, demolition derbies on floodlit ovals, mountain bike trails, farms, ranches, a private golf course and bass fishing. Asked about Orlando's theme parks and the Space Coast, MacPherson didn't give a direct answer.
- The weather system has been re-engineered. Clouds roll across the map and rain is localized: you can stand in the sun and watch a storm drench a nearby neighborhood. Puddles stay after the rain, and the right light can produce a rainbow.
- Wind is new too: offshore breezes after sunset, updrafts, and calm behind buildings. Hair and debris swirl on rooftops, and gusts bend the grass in the swamps.
- Leonida gets tropical storms and seasonal hurricanes. Rockstar didn't say how often they hit or whether they affect the story.
- There are over 170 animal species: more than 60 birds, over 30 land mammals, plus fish and reptiles. Natives include manatees, flamingos, pelicans and alligators; invasive species include green iguanas, feral cats, cane toads, armadillos and rhesus macaques. Underwater you'll find sharks, whales, rays, turtles and jellyfish.
- Animal fur gets wet, dirty and matted. Rare, Discoverable and Legendary animals can be tracked, as in Red Dead Redemption 2, but Rockstar is keeping their identities secret.
- Residents vary in height and build, with freckles, moles and tans. Tattoos and clothing depend on the area, and NPC chatter is written by a dedicated team in Los Angeles.
- Jason and Lucia can stay friends or become a couple; it's up to the player. There are no gameplay benefits either way, but parts of the story will change. Holding hands, opening doors for each other and answering calls and texts bring them closer.
- A new app called WAiNK scans a car before you steal it, showing its security system, tracker, registration cost and what a fence would pay. The map now resembles satellite imagery, and the RydeMe ride-share app gets you across town fast.
More screenshots
GTA 6 launches November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Everything shown to the press at the August preview is collected in a separate article, and on October 15 Rockstar released the launch trailer.
How the studio made the game over all these years is the subject of Jason Schreier's visit to Rockstar North, and Rockstar's writers talked about Jason and Lucia with LOVE magazine.
The editors' podcast
Below is an episode of The Game Informer Show; the GTA 6 segment runs from 3:25 to 41:06. Stewart said Rockstar was excited to have a Florida native write the story. The hosts wondered whether the game will punish players for hunting Florida panthers and manatees, both protected in the real state. The episode has no new facts, only impressions and speculation.