Rockstar hints future Grand Theft Auto games could leave America

Rockstar has offered a small hint that future Grand Theft Auto games might not always be set in America. In an interview with The Guardian, Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson said “never say never” when asked whether the series could ever leave the United States, though he quickly added that “there’s still so much to do in America.”

The GTA series has been almost exclusively tied to American settings, with the only exception being the London-based expansion for the original game. The upcoming GTA 6 continues that tradition by parodying Florida and Miami. Past comments from former Rockstar leaders, including co-founder Dan Houser, explained that American cities like Miami, New York, and Los Angeles offer extreme contrasts between wealth and poverty that suit the crime series, as well as the easy availability of guns.

Former Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij said last year that a GTA: Tokyo was once considered but would have been made by an external team in Japan. Vermeij described America as “basically the epicenter of Western culture” and predicted the series would remain stuck in a loop of about five American cities. For now, Rockstar’s official stance leaves the door slightly open, but no concrete plans for a non-American setting have been announced.