As the expectation rises for Grand Theft Auto 6, players are getting more and more excited about the opportunity to experience an all-new adventure in one of the franchise’s beloved cities. From the Miami-inspired landscape of Vice City to the mean streets of Liberty City, the possibilities are endless, and the next entry in the series has huge shoes to fill born of the success of Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar Games is looking for another unforgettable experience in another beautiful open world.
Ever since Grand Theft Auto 3 made significant strides in establishing the 3D genre in the open world, Grand Theft Auto has remained a market leader. Rockstar Games leaned heavily on Grand Theft Auto to boost sales, and Grand Theft Auto 5Its commitment to longevity has made it one of the favorite titles for many players across three console generations. One reason for its continued success is Los Santos itself, but as the open world in the AAA space expands, Grand Theft Auto would do well to adopt a smaller and more intimate setting.
GTA 4 Shows Huge Maps Should Be Moved Better
One of the biggest critiques of GTA 4 is the disappointing driving mechanics. In a franchise that relies so heavily on stealing, driving, and upgrading cars, what was an issue was that the vehicles in this 2008 release felt floaty, inconsistent at high speeds, yet too realistic. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas felt like an improvement over the previous games and Grand Theft Auto 5‘s driving technique is perfect, so GTA 4‘s troubles were all the more disappointing. The experience was hugely muted, and one of the reasons the poor handling was so blatant is the size of the map.
With an environment as expansive as Los Santos in GTA 5, it’s important to get the passage right. Cars are usually the fastest and easiest way to get around in grand theft auto, and if it takes time to get from one side of the map to the other, that’s even more important. In an environment that doesn’t extend to new and ridiculous sizes, the imperfections in driving or walking mechanics are much less apparent. In this case, bigger asset would be worse.
Bigger can be boring
Huge cards are harder to fill, and games like anger 2, The crew, Ghost Recon: Breakpointand No Man’s Sky prove that nonlinearity is not a salutary philosophy without proper execution. It’s far more important to forge a space that has more activity than travel, and pushing the geographic boundaries needs to be accomplished with more things worth the (often long) journey across the map. Yakuza understands this and brings players a deep story and a lot of fun in Kamurocho, a space significantly smaller than Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto 5.
It can be frustrating when a game has a huge open area with no incentive to explore it. Grand Theft Auto 5 does well to fill its vast world with many activities such as tennis, golf or hunting, which is one of the reasons why the Rockstar Games masterpiece remains so beloved. Grand Theft Auto has always created open worlds that are larger than other titles on the market, but making use of the space is much more important, and a smaller map could feel more populated with relevant and valuable things to do.
Grand Theft Auto 6 must go against the trend
Open world games are growing in both popularity and map size, and Grand Theft Auto can do something else to stand out. Over the decades, the franchise was unique in that it offered the biggest cards in gaming, but if Horizon Forbidden West, Skyrim, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla push the limit too Grand Theft Auto 6 could differentiate itself from other AAA titles by pulling them in, making the experience more personal.
It may sound like a downgrade, but smaller cards have their own appeal. Quality is always more important than quantity, and Bully‘s legacy shows that Rockstar is able to create a small, but excellent open world. Rockstar should provide players with an experience that places more emphasis on how the environment looks and feels to explore rather than how long it takes to reach all four corners.
The scale of open worlds in 2022 is greater than ever, and fans can expect Rockstar Games to follow suit by forging a map that’s even bigger than the last. This is possible, even probable, but set the trend in 2001 with GTA 3so now would be the perfect time to echo this influence by taking players to a city significantly smaller than the city in GTA 5.
If the rumors are true and the next one Grand Theft Auto game is set in Vice City, the potential for a more intimate setting is clear. Los Angeles is much bigger than Miami in the real world, and being Vice City, the latter, would be the best chance Rockstar has to go against the trend and do something different. Bigger is not necessarily better, as it can make the game unnecessarily long and make a setting less populated and interesting.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently under development.
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