As anticipation rises forGrand Theft Auto 6, players are increasingly excited about the possibility of having an all-new adventure in one of the franchise’s beloved cities. From theMiami-inspired landscape of Vice Cityto the mean streets of Liberty City, the possibilities are endless, and the next entry in the series has huge shoes to fill coming off the success ofGrand Theft Auto 5andRed Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar Games will be looking to craft another unforgettable experience in another gorgeous open world.
SinceGrand Theft Auto 3made significant leapsin establishing the 3D open-world genre,Grand Theft Autohas remained an industry leader. Rockstar Games has relied heavily onGrand Theft Autoto push sales, andGrand Theft Auto 5’s commitment to longevity has made it one of the go-to titles for many players across three console generations. One of the reasons for its continued success is Los Santos itself, but as open-world settings in the AAA space get bigger,Grand Theft Autowould do well to adopt a smaller and more intimate setting.
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GTA 4 Shows Huge Maps Need Better Traversal
One of the biggest criticisms ofGTA 4is its underwhelming driving mechanics. In a franchise that relies so heavily on stealing, driving, and upgrading cars, it was an issue that the vehicles in this 2008 release felt floaty, inconsistent at high speeds, and yet too realistic.Grand Theft Auto: San Andreasfelt like an advancement over the previous games andGrand Theft Auto 5’s driving mechanics are perfect, soGTA 4’s issues were all the more disappointing. The experience was dampened massively, and one of the reasons the poor driving was so blatant is the size of its map.
With a setting as vast as Los Santos inGTA 5,it’s important to get traversal right.Cars are usually the fastest and easiest way to get around inGrand Theft Auto,and if it takes time to get from one side of the map to the other it’s even more crucial. In a setting that doesn’t stretch to new and ridiculous sizes, the blemishes in driving or walking mechanics are far less obvious. In this case, bigger would be actively worse.
Bigger can be Boring
Huge maps are harder to fill, and games likeRage 2,The Crew,Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, andNo Man’s Skyprove that nonlinearity isn’t a beneficial philosophy without proper execution. It’s far more important to forge a space that has more activity than travel, and pushing the geographical boundaries has to be met with more things to do that is worth the (often lengthy) trip across the map.Yakuzaunderstands this, bringing players a deep story andplenty of fun in Kamurocho, a space that is significantly smaller than Los Santos inGrand Theft Auto 5.
It can be frustrating when a game has a huge open area with no incentive to explore it.Grand Theft Auto 5does well to fill its huge world with many activities like tennis, golf, or hunting, which is one of the reasonsRockstar Games' masterpiece continues to be so beloved.Grand Theft Autohas always created open worlds that are larger than other titles on the market, but it’s far more important to make use of the space, and a smaller map could feel more populated with relevant and worthwhile things to do.
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Grand Theft Auto 6 Should Buck the Trend
Open-world games are growing in both popularityand map size, andGrand Theft Autocould do something different in a bid to stand out. In decades past, the franchise was unique because it was offering the biggest maps in gaming, but asHorizon Forbidden West,Skyrim, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,andAssassin’s Creed Valhallapush the boundary too,Grand Theft Auto 6could separate itself from other AAA titles by pulling them inward, making the experience more personal.
It may sound like a downgrade, but smaller maps have their own appeal. Quality is always more important than quantity, andBully’s legacy shows that Rockstar is capable of crafting a small, but excellent open world. Rockstar should give players an experience that places more emphasis on the way the setting looks and feels to explore rather than how long it takes to reach all four corners.
Thesize of open worlds in 2022 is bigger than ever, and fans may expect Rockstar Games to follow suit by forging a map even larger than what came before. This is possible, even probable, but it set the trend in 2001 withGTA 3, so now would be the perfect time to parrot this influence by bringing players to a city significantly smaller than the one featured inGTA 5.
If the rumors are true and thenextGrand Theft Autogame is set in Vice City, the potential for a more intimate setting is evident. Los Angeles is far larger than Miami in the real world, and as Vice City the latter, this would be the best opportunity Rockstar has to buck the trend and do something different. Bigger doesn’t have to be better, as it can unnecessarily stretch the game’s length and make a setting feel less populated and interesting.
Grand Theft Auto 6is currently in development.
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