Since it began in 1997, theGrand Theft Autoseries has brought players to fictional cities across the United States to engage in mayhem. It has become one of the largest franchises in gaming, and the streets of its cities have become staples of the open-world genre. However,Grand Theft Autohas returned to the same three cities for years, so it is time for Rockstar to create a whole new city for the franchise.
Grand Theft Autohas brought players to a fictional Miami, Los Angeles, and New York City. In fact, it has almost exclusively revisited these locales, except for the pit stop in London in 1999. Rockstar has barely scratched the surface when it comes to creating satirical versions of the United States, andGrand Theft Auto 6is a great opportunityto branch out with new locales. Specifically, Rockstar should look to the Midwest region of the United States for inspiration, as that will let it create a city unique toGrand Theft Auto.
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Grand Theft Auto Has Explored The Same Cities
The firstGrand Theft Autointroduced players to the three cities that would become the core of the franchise.The game let players traverse Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City, each based on real-life New York, San Francisco, and Miami. Since then, players have visited these places multiple times.
Liberty City was used not only inGrand Theft Auto, but it also made an appearance inGrand Theft Auto 3andGrand Theft Auto 4. San Andreas appeared inGrand Theft Auto: San AndreasandGrand Theft Auto 5,where it was expanded to be an entire state rather than one city and introduced players to Los Santos - a fictional version of Los Angeles.Vice City is one of the least exploredcities in the franchise as it has only appeared inGrand Theft AutoandGrand Theft Auto: Vice City, but rumors aroundGrand Theft Auto 6may point to it returning again soon. The series' exploration of London was only an expansion pack forGrand Theft Auto.
These three main cities have provided players expansive playgrounds to cause mayhem; worlds filled with satire and some pretty engaging stories. These cities have become major parts of the gaming industry, andRockstar will no doubt keep exploring their sandboxesand expanding on them. Yet there comes a time when a series has to shake up its formula, and the best way to do that forGrand Theft Autois introducing a brand-new city.
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Other Open-World Titles Have Explored Similar Cities
TheGrand Theft Autoseries is not the only franchise to explore fictional versions of New York, California, and Miami. New York City has been explored by a lot of video games:Tom Clancy’s The Divisionshowed a post-apocalyptic New York,Prototypelet players cause mayhem in an infected New York, players swung through the streets as Spider-Man inMarvel’s Spider-Man, andAssassin’s Creed 3let players see a New York during the American Revolution. New York has even appeared in non-open-world titles likeCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3andMetal Gear Solid 2.
Los Angeles and San Francisco have also seen a lot of attention in video games.LA Noiretells a detective story in 1947 Los Angeles,Watch Dogs 2lets players explorea technically advanced San Francisco,Life is Strange 2brings players on a road trip across California, andDriver: San Franciscohas players drive through the streets of its titular locale. The only city thatGrand Theft Autoexplores that has not seen a huge number of games is Miami, but even that has been explored by the likes ofHotline MiamiandDriver 3.
The Midwest is Untapped by Open-World Games
A lot of video games choose to explore the coasts of the United States, the old west, or New York City. Seldom do video games choose to explore the Midwest, with one of the few to do so inrecent years beingWatch_Dogsin 2013, which introduced players to a dreary version of Chicago. If Rockstar is looking for a new city to create inGrand Theft Auto, the Midwest has untapped potential.
Grand Theft Autocouldchoose to followWatch_Dog’sexampleand create its own version of Chicago, but that might feel too similar to Liberty City. It could also take inspiration from the Twin Cities and create neighboring areas inspired by Minneapolis and St. Paul. These cities could be filled with lakes, parks, and art, which would make them feel different from the cities it has explored previously. If Minnesota and Illinois are not of interest to Rockstar, it could look to cities like Detroit or St. Louis. Rockstar could even try its hand at creating smaller cities for players to cause mayhem in, inspired by Deadwood, Fargo, or even Wisconsin Dells.
These cities would also offer huge story potential for Rockstar, satirizing brand-new regions. It could craft a world and stories that utilize seasons more effectively, as the Midwest is known for its brutal winters unlike Miami and Los Angeles. These cities are also not short on crime, andGrand Theft Auto 6would no doubt create some intriguing criminals to follow. The Midwest region of the United States has many stories to tell and cities to explore that are just waiting to be tapped by the gaming industry, and Rockstar could take the first step.
While most rumors point toGrand Theft Auto 6creating anHD version of Vice City, it would be great if Rockstar attempted to create something wholly new for the franchise. The Midwest offers unique and beautiful cities to explore, and the gaming industry has yet to really tap this potential.Grand Theft Autoshould be the franchise that takes the leap, Rockstar just has to be willing to take a risk.
