GTA Beyond America: Rockstar Won't Rule Out a Non-US Setting

Rockstar isn’t ruling out setting a GTA outside the United States someday, though it doesn’t look like a priority. Rob Nelson, co-director of Rockstar North, said so in an interview with The Guardian that IGN picked up on November 11, 2026.

“Never say never,” but America first

Nelson was asked whether the studio would ever make a GTA far from the United States. His answer: “Never say never.”

He then added that, in his view, there’s still a lot left to do in America. The door isn’t closed, but there’s no announcement either: Rockstar hasn’t talked about any specific project.

Three settings in 25 years

According to IGN, the series has revolved around three settings over the past 25 years:

• Liberty City, inspired by New York.
• Vice City, inspired by Miami.
• San Andreas, inspired by California.

The most notable exception was North Yankton, a snowy state that appears in GTA V. IGN also points out that the series has come close to leaving the country before: Rockstar once considered a GTA set in Japan in the early to mid-2000s, and the first GTA had an expansion set in London.

Dan Houser’s take

Dan Houser, the series’ former writer and creative director, said in 2025, according to IGN, that a full GTA would work worse outside the United States. His argument is that the series carries so much American culture, with its guns and over-the-top characters, that it wouldn’t be the same in London or anywhere else.

Houser is speaking as a former member of the team, not on behalf of the studio.

What it means for you

Nothing changes for GTA VI. It launches on November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and it’s set in Leonida, with Vice City as the main city. You can find its six confirmed areas in our Leonida guide.

As for what comes after GTA VI, Rockstar hasn’t announced anything.