Game Informer just dropped the biggest GTA 6 info dump since the Extended Look. On September 29, 2026, issue #382 went live digitally with a 14-page cover story, 12 new screenshots and original artwork of Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos. The headline: Leonida is the most ambitious world Rockstar has ever built.
With launch set for November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, here is everything that matters.
The map: roughly twice the size of GTA 5
According to Rockstar North art director Aaron Garbut, Leonida is roughly twice the size of GTA 5’s map, making it Rockstar’s largest map yet. It spans six confirmed regions:
- Vice City, the Miami-inspired metropolis
- Leonida Keys, the island chain based on the Florida Keys
- Grassrivers, Everglades-style swampland
- Port Gellhorn, a port town
- Ambrosia, an industrial and farming region
- Mount Kalaga, a national park full of trails and wildlife
The north of the state gets real attention for the first time. Inspired by Panama City, Jacksonville and Ocala, it features ATV trails, dune motocross, mud-bogging parties, demolition derbies, farms, ranches and bass-fishing lakes.
Rockstar also promises more interiors than any previous GTA, with extra focus on rooftops, alleys and the spaces between major landmarks.
Weather: localized rain and hurricanes
Weather is now localized and persistent. It can rain in one neighborhood while the next one stays sunny, puddles linger after storms, and wind ripples across water and rooftops.
Tropical storms and hurricanes are confirmed. Rockstar has not said how often they hit or whether they affect missions, so that is the next big question.
Wildlife: 170+ species
Leonida is home to more than 170 animal species, including 60+ bird species and 30+ land mammals: manatees, flamingos, pelicans, alligators, several shark species, whales, rays and turtles. Rockstar even added real Florida invasive species like green iguanas, cane toads and rhesus macaques, plus a tracking system similar to Red Dead Redemption 2 with rare, discoverable and legendary animals.
The most detailed NPCs in the series
Pedestrians vary in height, build and musculature, with freckles, moles and tan lines, region-appropriate tattoos and the largest range of clothing and accessories in GTA history.
How Rockstar researched Florida
The team went on night drives with former Miami police officers, hit the clubs, toured the Everglades and the Keys, and photographed real interiors for reference.
Activities mentioned in the cover story
Beyond the map and weather, the cover story lists a long set of things to do in Leonida, according to Forbes’ summary of the issue:
- On the water: scuba diving, kayaking, airboats and jet skis.
- Racing: street races and off-road races.
- Leisure: billiards, mini golf, gyms, zoos and hiking dates.
- Extreme: base jumping.
Wildlife has tiers
The 170+ species, including more than 60 bird types and 30+ land mammals, are sorted into Rare, Discoverable and Legendary categories for tracking. Manatees, flamingos, pelicans and alligators are among the named animals. Rockstar has not said exactly how tracking or rewards work.
Twice GTA 5 or three times Red Dead 2?
You may have seen two different size claims. Game Informer quotes Aaron Garbut saying Leonida is about twice the size of GTA 5. Some coverage of the August presentation compared it to roughly three times Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar has not published an official area, so neither number is a precise measurement. Garbut’s quote in Game Informer is the most direct statement from the studio so far. Any square-mile figure you see online is a fan or press estimate.
Sources for this section: Forbes (Oct 6, 2026) on Game Informer issue #382, and GameSpot.
Still unconfirmed
- How often hurricanes happen and how they affect gameplay
- Whether Leonida includes takes on Orlando’s theme parks or Cape Canaveral
- A PC version (still not announced)
Bottom line
Game Informer’s coverage makes one thing clear: GTA 6 is not just bigger, it is more alive. Neighborhood-level weather, 170+ species and a map twice the size of GTA 5 show Rockstar brought the lessons of Red Dead Redemption 2 to Vice City.
Which detail are you most hyped for? Drop a comment and follow Vice Wave FM for the countdown to November 19.
Sources: Game Informer · GTABase · VGTimes
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Cover image: Rockstar Games.
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