1. GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas – The Early 3D Universe
- GTA III (2001): Set in Liberty City, it was a pioneer of its time, featuring a map size of approximately 3.5 square miles.
- GTA Vice City (2002): Increased the play area to about 5.4 square miles, with the colorful and lively city of Vice City providing more varied landscapes.
- GTA San Andreas (2004): Took a massive leap with a map covering around 13.9 square miles, including three distinct cities and vast expanses of rural land, setting a new benchmark for open-world environments.
2. GTA IV – The Leap to High Definition
- GTA IV (2008): Presented a more detailed and dense version of Liberty City, with the map size being roughly 3.1 square miles but filled with intricate details and lifelike urban environments, demonstrating a preference for quality and depth.
3. GTA V – A New Scale of Ambition
- GTA V (2013): Pushed open-world design to new heights with a map size of about 31.3 square miles, encompassing the urban expanse of Los Santos and extensive rural areas, mountains, and deserts, providing an unmatched scale and diversity.
4. Looking Forward – GTA VI Speculations
While exact details about GTA VI’s map size are still under wraps, there is great anticipation for Rockstar to surpass previous entries, potentially featuring multiple large cities and more dynamic and interactive environments.
The growth from the modest yet groundbreaking expanse of GTA III to the vast and diverse landscapes of GTA V illustrates the remarkable evolution of map sizes in the GTA series, paralleling advancements in video game technology. As the entire gaming community looks forward to GTA VI, expectations are set for an even more expansive world, aiming to set new standards in open-world gaming. What are your predictions, how large the new map is going to be?