Rockstar’s developers describe Leonida as about twice the size of GTA 5’s map and about three times Red Dead Redemption 2’s playable area. Edge goes further and says the total landmass is nearly as large as GTA 4, GTA 5 and RDR2 combined. What Rockstar has never given is a hard number: there is no official square-kilometer or square-mile figure.
Every other number you have seen comes from fans measuring leaked or promotional maps. Those estimates disagree with each other and with Rockstar’s ratios. Here is every figure in one place, graded, with the reasons they don’t match.
How big is the GTA 6 map? Every figure, graded
The table below lists each claim, where it came from, and what it would mean in area. The “implied area” column is our own arithmetic speculation, using the land figures VICE quoted for GTA 5 (49.3 km²) and RDR2 (35.9 km²).
| Claim | Who said it | Implied land area | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| About 2x GTA 5 | Rob Nelson to YouTuber TGG (Aug 2026 preview), repeated by Aaron Garbut to Game Informer (Sept 2026) | About 99 km² (38 sq mi) | reported |
| About 3x RDR2’s playable area | Rockstar to The New York Times (Christopher Byrd, Aug 27, 2026) | About 108 km² (42 sq mi) with a small RDR2; about 225 km² (87 sq mi) with a large one | reported |
| ”Nearly as large as” GTA 4 + GTA 5 + RDR2 combined | Edge cover feature by Simon Parkin, Oct 29, 2026 | Not stated | reported |
| Vice City alone is 2x Los Santos | Nelson to TGG | Not stated | rumour |
| Vice City plus suburbs is 11x Los Santos and surroundings | TGG | Not stated | rumour |
| About 125 km² of land, 2.55 to 2.6x GTA 5 | GTA 6 Mapping Project (community, co-run with GTA Wiki) | 125 km² (48 sq mi) | rumour |
| About 83.2 km² of explorable land, 1.69x GTA 5, 2.32x RDR2 | Reddit measurement of the August 2026 leaked map, via VICE | 83.2 km² (32 sq mi) | rumour |
| About 1.7x GTA 5 | GTABase map hub | About 84 km² (32 sq mi) | rumour |
| No official km² or sq mi figure | Rockstar | n/a | confirmed |
IGN’s Aug 27 piece quotes Rockstar calling it the studio’s most complex world and a “very big” map, per VICE’s roundup. That is as close to an official size statement as Rockstar has put out under its own name.
Is GTA 6 twice the size of GTA 5?
That is the most consistent figure from Rockstar staff. Rob Nelson, co-studio head at Rockstar North, gave TGG the “2x GTA 5” figure during the August 2026 Rockstar North preview, and Kotaku, IGN and PC Gamer relayed it reported. Aaron Garbut repeated it in Game Informer’s September 2026 cover story, according to GTA Intel and TimeSaver.
We grade it reported, not confirmed, because it reaches us through press and creator coverage rather than a Rockstar post. It is still the best single answer to “how big is the map”.
How does GTA 6 compare to Red Dead Redemption 2?
Rockstar told The New York Times the playable area is about three times RDR2’s reported. The Edge feature then said the landmass, “including Vice City and the surrounding areas”, is nearly as large as the playable maps of GTA 4, GTA 5 and RDR2 put together reported.
Those two framings are both from Rockstar, and both say “much bigger than RDR2”. Neither gives a number.
Why don’t the GTA 6 map size numbers agree?
The figures conflict for five concrete reasons.
1. Nobody knows whether water counts
Rockstar has not said whether its ratios include ocean, lakes and the Grassrivers wetlands. The Reddit 83.2 km² figure deliberately excludes water. A map with as much coastline and swamp as Leonida can look twice as big as GTA 5 on screen while having far less than twice the dry land.
2. RDR2 has two very different sizes
TimeSaver points out that “3x RDR2” and “2x GTA 5” only agree if RDR2 is measured small, at about 36 km² of land. With the higher RDR2 figure of about 75 km² that some sites use, 3x RDR2 would be roughly 225 km², which no other estimate comes near reported.
3. The leaked map may be old
The fan measurements lean on the full Leonida map leaked by CyberLeek in August 2026. GTABase suggested the leaked build may date from 2023 and that the map may be work in progress rumour. If so, any area measured from it is a snapshot of an unfinished game. See the leaked map and counties for what it shows.
4. Community projects use different outlines
The GTA 6 Mapping Project, now run with GTA Wiki, reached about 125 km² of land. Critics note that its outline also leans on the unverified leaked map. GTA Wiki said a “final version” would come out in November, before launch rumour. Its own ratio (2.55 to 2.6x GTA 5) is also slightly higher than a straight 125 / 49.3 division gives (about 2.54x), which suggests it uses a slightly smaller GTA 5 baseline speculation.
5. The Vice City figures are worded differently everywhere
“Vice City is 2x Los Santos” and “Vice City plus suburbs is 11x Los Santos and surroundings” both trace back to TGG. GTA Intel calls the 11x figure the least corroborated. A VICE roundup instead says “populated space nearly 11 times GTA 5’s”, which is a different claim rumour. Until launch, treat any “11x” headline with caution.
Is Vice City bigger than Los Santos?
Probably, but the only specific number is “about 2x”, from Nelson via TGG rumour. Rockstar’s official copy describes Vice City as “the glamour, hustle, and greed of America captured in a single city” and lists neighborhoods from Ocean Beach to the VC Port, but says nothing about its size.
Does a bigger map mean more to do?
Rockstar’s message is density as much as size. Aaron Garbut told Edge the game has “an order of magnitude more interiors” than its predecessors reported. Roads were narrowed compared with GTA 5, and many buildings have multiple exits for escapes reported. Our interiors guide covers what you can enter.
Rob Nelson also said the map unlocks gradually as you explore, and that a full playthrough with optional content runs about 80 hours, per Red Bull reported. Other outlets disagree on whether that 80 hours includes side content; see how long GTA 6 is.
Is the map one state, or more?
Leonida is a single fictional state with six official destinations: Vice City, the Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia and Mount Kalaga confirmed. Mount Kalaga sits “up against the state’s northern border”, and Trailer 2 shows license plates from Glorianna, a Georgia-style neighbor, and Liberty City. Nothing official says either is playable.
What we’re watching
- Whether Rockstar’s in-game map or a printable map lets the community take a clean measurement after Nov 19.
- The Mapping Project’s promised “final version”.
- Whether the leaked layout matches the shipping game. Our Leonida world hub will be updated once players have walked the coastline.