Why GTA 6 Should Be Set Somewhere New

Grand Theft Auto is a franchise with pedigree. With seven games in the Metacritic Top 20 games of all time list (and five of them being GTA V) it’s clearly a well-liked game series.

This being said, it’s not a game that can’t be even better in the future - hello a possible GTA 6. With years of updates to GTA online, maybe it’s time for something new.

Why GTA 6 Should Be Set Somewhere New

As of right now, all signs point towards a reunion in modern Vice City for GTA 6 and, while this could still be great, the limits of past games might hold it back.

Having to fit tonally into a work that is over two decades long provides its own unique challenges. Rockstar showed with GTA V and its ties to The Lost and Damned that they’re capable of doing that, but also that it's limiting.

It Could Sully What We Know

Constructing the narrative to something beloved is a risky move that could ruin some of what we loved prior. The Lost and Damned was an optional DLC and was treated a little more like a cameo than a plot device for most of GTA V. It’s hard to ignore the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City of it all when we’re reminiscing in its past.

After spending years adapting and changing GTA Online, I’d like to see a clean break, just something new and different. Characters to get accustomed to, a different setting to explore. The constriction of what we know often stops us from exploring new themes and ideas.

Its Comedy

The same can be said for Grand Theft Auto’s comedy. Generally speaking, satire can be understood from anywhere, it’s a multilingual form of comedy but, oftentimes, the target is the same within GTA. Its sense of comedy tends to be quite America centric, generally hitting the same jokes and ideas.

If GTA was set in Europe somewhere, it could give the comedy space to breathe, new targets to hit and a new way of exploring similar ideas. While comedy tends to span generations, giving it new places to explore is how you get rich and interesting writing, something Rockstar is certainly known for.

They certainly haven’t explored everything they could within America but providing something a little broader could let the game go as in-depth as they choose.

GTA’s humour doesn't tend to be especially subtle, so why not play into its strengths? It is bombastic and often over the top, in a way that is fun to see and play.

New Customs

As well as this, working under the customs of a different nation could give more places for the gameplay to explore.

Somewhere without concealed carry may make weapons harder to come by or a little more deceptive. Everything, from the side of the road cars drive on, to the way businesses work could give depth to the world and something interesting to explore.

Moving from here, the addition of a new city or country could play into the multiplayer and even connect the experiences you have with GTA Online. Players could exist in the same world, thousands of miles apart, messing with each other and causing havoc. They could share some races but have their own unique cars, share some matches but have their own guns.

Ultimately, I want a reason to jump into GTA 6 and the leaks haven’t given me that reason just yet. The game isn't even official yet, so we could be wowed later down the line, but the best way of doing this for me is by giving me something entirely new.

Restricting itself to the laws and logic of Vice City could leave the offering feeling a little timid. Fundamentally, when I boot up GTA 6, I want an experience I feel like I can’t get with GTA V or GTA Online. Who knows if we will get it.