GTA 5 vs GTA 6: 5 improvements to map design that Rockstar should look to include in the next game

GTA 5 was a phenomenal game, but Rockstar Games could make many improvements to GTA 6's map to avoid some of the former's flaws.

GTA 5 was wildly different from past Grand Theft Auto games in multiple ways. One of the most notable aspects for fans was how everything was on a singular island.

Past GTA games were notorious for having the player progress throughout the game, unlocking new islands and territories. Hence, it was interesting to see GTA 5 change this formula by several notches.

Note: This article will not include recent GTA 6 map leaks, as it's possible for those leaks to be invalid. Plus, discussions like this are already based on fan opinions and subjective topics, so discussions of leaks would unnecessarily muddy the discussion.

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Five improvements fans would love to see in GTA 6 after playing GTA 5

5) More scenic variations

Snow is only seen in a few instances within the GTA series (Image via GTA Wiki)

One feature fans loved from GTA San Andreas was how different every island looked. GTA 5's map, by comparison, felt very homogenous at times, with the most variation taking place in the city (which makes up for a small section of the in-game world).

Depending on where GTA 6 takes place, it would be great to see environments that GTA fans usually don't see, like swamps, snowfields, etc.

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4) More major cities

GTA San Andreas had a fair share of diverse cities, which GTA 6 could learn from (Image via GTA Wiki)

Part of the charm older GTA games had was in the various cities the player could explore. Even if they're smaller than GTA 5's single major city, they felt different enough to feel less repetitive when being explored.

Having multiple major cities to visit would also help diversify how GTA 6 feels compared to GTA 5, which could be relevant in making their respective online modes feel alive and not redundant thanks to the other existing.

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3) Less open space

So much of GTA 5 lacks content because of its open nature (Image via Rockstar Games)

Sometimes less is more. While it's impressive how large GTA 5's map is at times, a great deal of it is the countryside, where nothing is really happening. The heart of the game's content only occurs in a small section of the map, making it feel barren when players are not there.

If GTA 6 had to have a countryside of its predecessor's proportions, it would be nice if there were more activities to make it feel less open.

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2) Spread more activities across the map

Hunting was a good activity, but more activities could be introduced to make the countryside more engaging (Image via GTA Wiki)

GTA maps tend to have some sections that either are barely used or go by completely unused by anything relevant in-game.

It would be great if GTA 6 gave players a reason to explore more of the map for reasons other than just finding a useless collectible.

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1) More interactive buildings

The casino isn't enterable in GTA 5, but it is in GTA Online, which is great (Image via Rockstar Games)

As large as GTA 5's map is, the lack of interactive buildings makes it feel less immersive. If GTA 6 introduced more buildings that a player could interact with, that would help make the game world feel more alive and less constrained.

Given how buildings can house practically any activity, it wouldn't be that difficult to implement more interactable structures in some capacity for GTA 6.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.