Nearly twenty years ago Rockstar explained why GTA 6 couldn’t share a world with earlier entries. The new Grand Theft Auto VI is set in Leonida—a reimagining of Florida—yet Florida actually exists in GTA 4.

Fans have long debated whether Grand Theft Auto installments occupy a shared universe—and even a single timeline. While many entries portray the same jaded, decaying vision of the United States, not every title intersects or overlaps. For instance, GTA IV and GTA V appear to coexist, as both reference Los Santos and Liberty City. GTA VI, however, breaks the pattern for one simple reason: Florida isn’t there.

Per the GTA wiki, Leonida is the state featured in GTA VI: inspired by Florida but renamed and remapped. By contrast, GTA IV referenced real Florida (or Florida-like fictions), while GTA 3 explicitly mentioned Miami rather than Vice City. This points to Rockstar employing a retcon—introducing later information that revises earlier events, characters, or details—to redefine the universe or branch timelines.

The easiest read: Leonida in GTA 6 wasn’t planned in advance

That notion is gaining traction in the community. Reddit threads argue Leonida “wasn’t on the board in 2008,” when GTA IV launched—supporting the idea that GTA VI lives on a separate timeline. If Leonida replaces Florida for the new game, Niko Bellic’s story may sit in a different universe—one built before the naming shift—while GTA VI reboots from a fresh starting point.

This kind of move isn’t unusual for Grand Theft Auto, which has retconned maps and locales before. Vice City is the clearest case: despite sharing its name with the city in the upcoming GTA VI and featuring familiar landmarks, it’s been rebuilt from the ground up—much like Los Santos was for GTA V.

In any case, players await official word from Rockstar on whether GTA VI will indeed slip—as many predict—or hit May 2026. Until then, the buzz around Take-Two’s next open world will keep stoking debates like this one.

Source: 3DJuegos