The Grand Theft Auto 6 mapping project has been underway since September 2022 and in just a few years it has come a massively long way. But as we crawl closer to GTA 6’s official release players are starting to query how much of it is truly accurate.
“It’s crazy that even with how little info we’ve really had about this game for a while now the folks on the GTA VI mapping community have been able to cook up an amazing and accurate map,” EliteFireBox says. “Just like they did over a decade ago with GTA V.
“It’s been cool to see the scale of the mapping project increase with the amount of info the mapping community is finding and the info that Rockstar has put out. The fact that it is possible the map could be even larger than what is currently known is crazy. I cannot wait for how improved the mapping project will be here within the next six months.”
The majority of GTA 6’s mapping project is based on information from a major leak which happened back in 2022. It confirmed character names, the game’s location, and a rough idea of development length. But a lot can change in a few years, even the composition of the game’s map.
“Rip panhandle soon,” one player declares. According to information discussed on the GTA 6 mapping Discord, some people are starting to think that the panhandle—which has been a part of the theorised map since the beginning— is going to be stripped away.
GTA VI Mapping Project September 2022 versus May 2025 from r/GTA6
There’s no evidence to point towards this, but there is a lack of evidence. Rockstar has released tons of new assets, including two trailers, and nothing points towards there being an extra bit of land tagged onto the State of Leonida.
This is more than just a map change to some people, it’s the removal of something special. “The panhandle on the GTA 6 map will be the greatest addition for immersion and making the island feel less like an island and more like an actual landmass,” Recent-Management-37 says. “A complaint I had with GTA V was that it felt you could only go north or south. The map felt very thin and dull to look at and explore.”
I can’t say that I’m a massive fan of the panhandle, but it does look pretty cool, so I hope for everyone’s sake it sticks around. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up. It seems like much of the evidence of the panhandle was based on signs scattered around which seem to just be placeholders. “The image on the signs was Florida… as in actual Florida, not Leonida,” one player says.
But it’s not just the panhandle that’s getting an update. “Here comes the giant list of cut items,” a player says. “Prone. I’m looking at you.” Going prone is an ability that was part of the 2022 leak, “we still don’t know if this is official,” someone else chimes in. “Cutting prone out while adding 700+ enterable stores sounds like bullshit.”
We can keep on theorising about what will or won’t be included in GTA 6, but I think it’s probably best to hold tight and mourn the loss of a geographical landmass once we find out it’s gone for sure.
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