Will there ever be a Grand Theft Auto set outside the United States? Rockstar North’s Rob Nelson, one of the lead developers on GTA 6, has given the most direct answer yet: “Never say never, but there’s still so much to do in America.” He said it in an interview with The Guardian a week before GTA 6 launches on November 19, alongside new details on how the team researched Miami starting in 2015. Here is exactly what was said, what it does and does not mean for GTA 7, and the small gameplay details Rockstar chose to show off.
Last checked on November 12, 2026. Official Quotes from Rob Nelson and Jennifer Kolbe are as printed in The Guardian’s interview by Keza MacDonald (November 11, 2026), after a day at Rockstar North in Edinburgh. Reported IGN and TheGamer report the same quotes. Our math The series history and timeline maths are ours.
What Rob Nelson said about a GTA outside America
Official Asked whether Rockstar could ever envision a GTA set outside the US, Nelson answered: “Never say never, but there’s still so much to do in America.” Asked whether being a mostly non-American studio gives Rockstar an outsider’s view, he said: “I think we’re all outsiders to this version of America. It doesn’t matter where you live … no one experiences the America that we’re portraying here in its fullness.”
Our math Read plainly, that is a “not ruled out” rather than a plan. The second half of the sentence matters more than the first: the person who oversees design, narrative and animation on GTA 6 is saying the US still has plenty of material. Nothing in the interview points to a specific city or country.
Claim check: what this does and does not confirm
| Claim you may see | Status | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Rockstar confirmed a GTA outside the US | Unconfirmed | No. Nelson said “never say never” and that there is “still so much to do in America”. |
| GTA 7 has been announced | Unconfirmed | No. There is no announcement or date (see GTA 7 release date). |
| A GTA Tokyo or GTA London is in development | Unconfirmed | No evidence. Neither city was mentioned by Rockstar. |
| Rockstar began Miami research in 2015 | Official | Stated in The Guardian’s interview. |
| GTA 6 was made by almost 5,000 people | Reported | The Guardian’s figure; Rockstar has not published a headcount. |
| Jason gains or loses weight depending on what he eats | Unconfirmed | Shared on X alongside the interview, but it is not in The Guardian’s article. We could not confirm it. |
GTA has left America only once
Our math Every mainline GTA is set in a version of the United States. The only exception in the series’ 29-year history is the pair of add-ons for the original game in 1999.
| Game | Year | Setting | In the US? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto | 1997 | Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City | Yes |
| GTA: London 1969 and London 1961 | 1999 | London, England | No |
| Grand Theft Auto 2 | 1999 | Anywhere City | Yes (US-style city) |
| GTA III | 2001 | Liberty City (New York) | Yes |
| GTA: Vice City | 2002 | Vice City (Miami), 1986 | Yes |
| GTA: San Andreas | 2004 | Los Santos, San Fierro, Las Venturas | Yes |
| GTA IV | 2008 | Liberty City (New York) | Yes |
| GTA V | 2013 | Los Santos and Blaine County, prologue in North Yankton | Yes |
| GTA VI | 2026 | Leonida (Florida), including Vice City | Yes |
What else is new in the interview
- Research started in 2015. Official “Before you’re doing hyper-organised research trips, you’re immersing yourself in the place and its history, the vibe of it,” Nelson said. The team was “always semi-undercover”.
- Field trips. Official Nelson describes a Miami nightclub until 4 a.m. followed by a racetrack drive with “a momentous hangover”, a police ridealong in South Beach and “weird bars in the Florida Keys”.
- Small animations. Official In the hands-off demo, Jason eats a hot dog, bites a donut while sipping a beer, and tucks a six-pack under his arm when he runs, with the liquid sloshing in the bottles.
- Who decides. Official The Guardian says a small group of long-serving leads runs the game; Nelson covers design, narrative and animation (“with a little casting on the side”), and lead writer Rupert Humphries has been at Rockstar since 2008.
- More to come. Official The Guardian says a longer feature runs in its Saturday magazine this week.
The long road from Miami field trips to launch
| Milestone | Date | Gap (our math) |
|---|---|---|
| GTA V released | September 17, 2013 | Start point |
| First Rockstar North research trips to Miami | 2015 | About 2 years after GTA V |
| First GTA 6 trailer | December 2023 | About 8 years after the first trips |
| GTA 6 launch | November 19, 2026 | About 11 years after the first trips; 13 years 2 months after GTA V |
Our math If research for any next game also started roughly two years after release, the earliest planning would begin around 2028. That is only an illustration; Take-Two has said nothing about the next GTA’s timing beyond Strauss Zelnick’s comment that release “velocity” could change (covered in our GTA 7 explainer).
What it means for you
- Do not expect a non-US GTA any time soon. The clearest signal from Rockstar is that America is not “done”.
- The interview stresses small animation details, so slow exploration is likely to be rewarded. Our how long is GTA 6 guide covers the roughly 80-hour developer playthrough.
- The Guardian also answered a reader worried about spoilers. Rockstar’s own rules on spoiler videos are in our GTA 6 spoiler policy guide.
FAQ
Will there be a GTA set outside America?
Nothing is planned publicly. Rockstar North’s Rob Nelson told The Guardian “Never say never, but there’s still so much to do in America.” That leaves the door open but points to more US settings.
Has GTA ever been set outside the US?
Yes, once. The 1999 add-ons GTA: London 1969 and GTA: London 1961 for the original Grand Theft Auto were set in London. Every mainline game has used a version of the United States.
Who is Rob Nelson?
The Guardian describes him as one of the lead developers on GTA 6, responsible for design, narrative and animation. Other outlets call him Rockstar North’s co-studio head.
When did Rockstar start researching GTA 6’s Miami?
According to The Guardian, Rockstar North developers made their first research trips to Miami in 2015, more than ten years before GTA 6’s November 19, 2026 launch.
How many people worked on GTA 6?
The Guardian says almost 5,000 people. Rockstar has not published an official headcount.