MMOexp: What the GTA 6 Map Tells Us About the Future of the Series

As anticipation for Grand Theft Auto VI continues to reach historic levels, few aspects of the game have generated as much sustained discussion as its world map. Rockstar Games has always treated its open worlds as living, breathing entities—spaces that define how players interact with systems, stories, and chaos. With GTA 6 Money, that philosophy appears to be taken further than ever before. Thanks to a combination of leaked material, community-led analysis, and insights drawn from the first official trailer, the GTA 6 mapping project has emerged as the most ambitious attempt yet to reverse-engineer a Rockstar world before launch.

This article explores the latest iteration of that project, focusing on newly revealed areas, event locations, and structural changes—particularly within Vice City. From the potential scale of the map and highway networks to the confirmed inclusion of Starfish Island, the picture forming around GTA 6 suggests a world both familiar and radically expanded.

The GTA 6 Mapping Project: A Community Effort on an Unprecedented Scale

For those unfamiliar, the GTA 6 mapping project is a large-scale, community-driven initiative aimed at reconstructing the game’s map as accurately as possible using all available evidence. This includes leaked development footage, environmental clues, architectural details, and frames from Rockstar’s official trailer. Unlike speculative fan maps of the past, this project emphasizes cross-referencing sources and updating layouts only when supported by consistent evidence.

In previous iterations, the project identified major changes in regions such as the Borgorn and Grass Rivers areas, ultimately expanding the projected map size to an impressive 18 by 8 kilometers. That alone would place GTA 6 among the largest open worlds Rockstar has ever built. However, the most recent update shifts focus toward a denser, more complex area: Vice City itself.

Three Major Cities? What the Map Is Beginning to Suggest

One of the most persistent rumors surrounding GTA 6 is that the game will feature three major cities. So far, Vice City stands as the most clearly identified urban center, heavily inspired by Miami. Another city—often referred to as Port Gorn or Portalhorn—appears to be a hybrid of several Gulf Coast cities in Florida, blending industrial ports with modern urban layouts.

The third city remains speculative. Earlier rumors suggested a location named Yorktown, roughly aligning with the real-world position of Tampa. However, leaked footage from Port Gorn revealed architectural elements more reminiscent of Panama City. This reinforces the idea that Rockstar is not creating direct one-to-one replicas of real cities, but instead fusing recognizable features into unique fictional spaces.

This approach aligns with Rockstar’s design philosophy: evoke realism without being constrained by it. The result is a map that feels authentic while still serving gameplay flow, narrative pacing, and variety.

Vice City Under the Microscope: Subtle Changes With Major Implications

The latest mapping update reveals that Vice City is undergoing continuous refinement, particularly in the Stockyard and Crosstown areas. At first glance, these changes may appear minimal, but closer inspection shows meaningful adjustments to street layouts, building placements, and overall connectivity.

Roads have been subtly rerouted to improve traffic flow and traversal, suggesting a greater emphasis on seamless navigation—especially important if GTA 6 introduces more advanced AI-driven traffic systems. Building positions have also shifted, including the relocation of the Jack of Hearts nightclub, a location visible in both leaked footage and the official trailer.

Adjacent structures seen during the trailer’s music video shoot scene have been rearranged as well, reinforcing the idea that Rockstar is fine-tuning Vice City’s urban density. These changes may seem cosmetic, but they significantly affect how players move, escape, and interact within the city—core pillars of GTA gameplay.

Dynamic Events: A Living City Revealed Through Leaks

One of the most exciting additions to the mapping project is the inclusion of event locations derived from leaked material. These events introduce a dynamic layer to the map, hinting that GTA 6 may feature more emergent, situational encounters than previous entries.

So far, four distinct events have been identified and marked on the map with light blue indicators:

A missing person’s poster at a liquor store

A big cat cage rooftop scene at the Everyday Art Elephant location

The Everyday Art sidewalk creep incident

Additional activity clustered around the Crosstown SL Stockyard area

The close proximity of these events suggests Rockstar is deliberately designing hotspots where unpredictable scenarios can unfold. This aligns with the idea of a more reactive open world—one where NPC behavior, environmental storytelling, and player choice intersect more frequently.

If these events are representative of a broader system, GTA 6 could blur the line between scripted missions and organic encounters more than any previous Rockstar title.

Vice River and the Airport Marina: Reshaping the Waterfront

Another major area of change lies along the Vice River, where several buildings have been repositioned and moved closer to the water. The overall shape of the riverfront has also been altered, pointing to a stronger emphasis on waterfront gameplay and visual cohesion.

Perhaps most notably, new evidence suggests the addition of a marina building near the airport. This could have major implications for vehicle variety and mission design. Boats, aircraft, and possibly amphibious travel may play a more integrated role in GTA 6, supported by infrastructure designed to facilitate smooth transitions between land, sea, and air.

Waterfront areas have historically been underutilized in GTA games. GTA 6 appears poised to change that, turning rivers and marinas into active gameplay spaces rather than scenic backdrops.

Eeka and Belleville: From Outskirts to Core Neighborhoods

One of the most intriguing revelations involves Eeka and Belleville, two locations previously believed to be small towns on the outskirts of Vice City. New evidence now suggests they are actually integrated neighborhoods within the city itself.

Although their names remain speculative—highlighted in red on the map—Eeka is thought to be inspired by Allapattah, while Belleville draws parallels to Brownsville, both neighborhoods in Miami-Dade County. This reclassification dramatically changes how we understand Vice City’s scale and density.

It also helps contextualize certain leaked scenes, such as the moment where a police officer chases an overweight suspect through a residential area—now believed to take place in Belleville. This reinforces Rockstar’s focus on diverse urban environments, capturing socioeconomic contrasts within the same city.

Starfish Island Confirmed: A Powerful Link to GTA’s Past

Perhaps the most nostalgic revelation comes with the confirmation of Starfish Island’s inclusion. The island appears behind the Rockstar Games logo and in a scene featuring a bikini-clad woman in the official trailer, leaving little doubt that it exists as a playable location.

Starfish Island holds deep significance for longtime fans. In GTA: Vice City, it was home to Tommy Vercetti’s mansion, one of the most iconic player properties in the franchise. Its reappearance raises compelling questions: Will the mansion return? Will it be accessible, abandoned, or repurposed?

For now, the name remains speculative, leaving open the possibility that Rockstar may rename it while preserving its identity. Regardless, its inclusion serves as a deliberate bridge between GTA 6 and its predecessor, blending nostalgia with modern design.

Highways, Plazas, and the True Scale of the Map

Beyond city blocks and neighborhoods, the trailer reveals hints of expansive highway systems that suggest the map may be far larger than initially assumed. These highways appear to stretch beyond Vice City, reinforcing the theory of multiple major cities connected by long-distance routes.

The trailer also confirms the existence of an accessible plaza, signaling Rockstar’s continued investment in detailed public spaces. Plazas often act as social hubs in GTA games, making them prime locations for missions, events, and emergent chaos.

When viewed alongside conceptual representations of the full map, these elements paint a picture of a world designed not just for scale, but for variety—urban sprawl, waterfront districts, suburban neighborhoods, and long highways that encourage exploration.

A World Built for the Next Generation

Taken together, the latest updates to the GTA 6 mapping project suggest a game world that is both meticulously planned and dynamically alive. Vice City is no longer just a nostalgic callback—it is shaping up to be a sprawling, interconnected metropolis supported by multiple cities, evolving events 
buy GTA 6 Items, and refined geography.

Rockstar’s willingness to blend real-world inspirations, rework classic locations, and embed dynamic systems into the environment points toward a generational leap in open-world design. While much remains speculative, the evidence so far supports one conclusion: GTA 6 is not just expanding the map—it’s redefining what that map can do.

As the community continues to analyze new footage and Rockstar slowly reveals more, the GTA 6 map will keep evolving. And if this mapping project is any indication, players should prepare for the most ambitious open world the series has ever delivered.