Should GTA 6 feature more new locations rather than maps of previous GTA games?

As the E3 2021 has wrapped with no sign of GTA 6 or even a shred of news about GTA 5's Expanded and Enhanced Edition, fans have grown eager for some info about the franchise's future.

The big question and heavily rumored portion of GTA 6's development are that it will contain almost every known location of all GTA games into one single map under the "Project Americas" working title. But would combining Rockstar Games' map design from yesteryear be a good thing for GTA 6, or would new landscapes be better for the game in the long run?

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Would GTA 6 benefit from having new locations instead of the "Project Americas" concept?

The Project Americas rumor took off when a leaker posted some details regarding GTA 6 on 4chan before it made it to Reddit

The Project Americas rumors suggest that GTA Vice City will make a return. Players can hop over to other parts of the Grand Theft Auto universe's version of America, with Liberty City and others making a return.

Why new locations would be better

While GTA 5's map wasn't technically a "new location," it was a redesigned Los Santos built from the ground up, with inspiration from modern-day Los Angeles.

The map served as a testament of good design when it was released in 2013, and it still holds up today with the level of detail that it managed to achieve. Having this new location and putting players through the motions of learning is a fun and refreshing experience that genuinely immerses them. As they get more and more familiar with the map, the more they feel at home.

But with new sites, Rockstar can experiment with different biospheres and mission types that can rely on new and exciting mission types, like hijacking a train in the snow (think Red Dead Redemption 2) and many other fresh directions.

Why GTA's old locations could work

While the old ways of map design, where certain regions are locked off until story progression is made, would no longer work in today's climate, GTA 6 could benefit significantly from featuring reworked versions of older maps.

While some development hours could be saved due to having the map laid out already, reworking it to modern standards and bringing the size of a small map such as Vice City up to today's standards could prove challenging.

The payoff, however, could be massive as nostalgic players will return to see their favorite cities reimagined in a modern RAGE engine with fresh features and Ray Traced lighting.