Ever since Grand Theft Auto 3, one of the joys of that series is being able to wander around open-world recreations of famous cities. Gamers have traveled to New York (Liberty City), Miami (Vice City), and a mix of LA and San Francisco (San Andreas). So with GTA 6 on the horizon, where will Rockstar Games take us next? Well, we have some suggestions.
Like previous locales, each of these cities is known for their history of crime and potential for vehicular chaos. After all, it's not Grand Theft Auto if gamers can't steal cars. Here are ten cities that the Grand Theft Auto franchise could explore next.
10 Chicago
This seems like a natural choice. Chicago is the next big American metropolitan area after the three GTA has already covered. Similar to those previously-explored locations, the Windy City has a rich history of crime fiction for the developers to draw inspiration from. This is the city Al Capone called home, after all, and that legacy still lives on. Chicago is also a city not unfamiliar with car-based chaos. There's a reason The Blues Brothers trashed more vehicles than any other movie in Chicago.
9 New Orleans
Grand Theft Auto is, at its base, a criminal escapist fantasy. Gamers play it to indulge in simulated debauchery. So what better city to do that than New Orleans? The Big Easy is notorious for its history of sin. Booze, Mardi Gras, and adult entertainment in the Louisiana heat.
Aside from the city's unique architecture providing a fresh look, New Orleans offers a lot to GTA's humorous stereotypes. NPCs could be swamp hillbillies, voodoo priests, old southern gentlemen-types, or wannabe vampires.
8 London
Technically, Grand Theft Auto has already gone to London, but that was back in the top-down PS1 days, not the open-world gamers have come to expect. So, maybe Rockstar could hop the pond for the first time and build a fictionalized version of Britain's famed capital.
There is certainly no shortage of classic British cars for gamers to steal and funny accents to give NPCs. Plus, who wouldn't want to plow a double-decker bus through a line of cops? Though they might have to get around the no guns thing.
7 Washington DC
Insert your own political joke here. But seriously, DC is one of the most recognizable cities even for people who've never visited it. Getting a chance to explore a virtual recreation of its famous landmarks and drive through its neighborhoods would be great for gamers, especially if the game let them graffiti the Lincoln Memorial. Plus, if shows like The Simpsons and South Park have shown us anything, it's that the US Capital is prime material for GTA-style satire.
6 Boston
Why should New York get all the fun? Rockstar Games should give its rival city some love. Boston's cultural profile has been on the rise recently thanks to film directors like Martin Scorsese and Ben Affleck.
Aside from being a den of crime—according to those movies, anyway—Boston would be a unique change from GTA's other cities. As one of the US' oldest cities and a major college town, it has a distinct flavor no there city can really match. Just as long as they include a Dunkin' Donuts.
5 Dallas
Okay, we say Dallas, but only because it's probably the most well-known city in Texas. What we actually have in mind is something more like what Rockstar did with San Andreas; a mash-up of various different cities to get the defining attributes of all of them, except with Texas instead of California.
So you'd get the history of the Alamo and JFK, the football mania of Dallas, and the weirdness of Austin all rolled together. Rockstar could even let players steal a horse for some Red Dead Redemption crossover action.
4 Honolulu
Hey, Pokémon found success going to Hawaii. Why not Grand Theft Auto? A game set in Honolulu would be a nice change a pace from more grimy locales like Liberty City. The tropical flair could really catch Gamers' attention.
Throw in some cursed tiki idols and bikini babes and you're golden. TV shows like Hawaii 5-0 and Magnum PI demonstrate there's a market for crime stories in paradise. Speaking of Magnum, the chance to steal his famous red Ferrari would be worth the price alone.
3 Las Vegas
Given its glitzy exterior and history of illicit activity, it's surprising there hasn't been a Grand Theft Auto game set in Las Vegas yet. The amount of casino-based mini-games alone makes this seem like an easy choice.
From the Elvis impersonators to the goth-dude magicians, there's no shortage of funny NPC possibilities. There's even a story baked into the setting; players could start after losing all their money and have to climb their way up through the criminal ranks to escape Vegas alive.
2 Hong Kong
We would say Tokyo, but that might be stepping on Yakuza too much. Yet, if Rockstar wanted to cross the Pacific, Hong Kong is another good choice. It would basically be the video game version of a John Woo movie.
In addition to gunplay—bonus points if you jump through the air with two pistols!—they could vary up the combat with some martial arts as well. There's a long history of Hong Kong cinema to draw from, and its long separation from China gives it a local flavor all its own. Has Sleeping Dogs already covered this? Well, yes, but... c'mon!
1 Rome
Yes, another international city. But, according to the citizens themselves, drivers in Rome are all crazy, so it certainly fits the game.
Though, like with San Andreas, a mash-up of Italian cities may work better. Otherwise, Italy has all the necessities for GTA; fast and beautiful sports cars, distinctive architecture and local culture, and a history of organized crime. Just get in your Fiat and go all Italian Job in this game.