Game Informer reveals GTA 6's Leonida

Game Informer's September 29, 2026 cover story, "Welcome to Leonida," gave the deepest look yet at the state where GTA 6 takes place, with 12 new screenshots and new detail on the map, weather, wildlife and crowds. The feature ran on issue #382 and lands less than two months before the November 19 launch.

The Leonida map, in detail#

The story confirmed Leonida as the biggest map Rockstar has built, described as roughly twice the size of the GTA 5 map with greater density and more interiors. It breaks into six named regions:

• Vice City (the Miami analogue): art deco, beaches, a cruise port and congested roads.
• The Leonida Keys (the Florida Keys): a tropical island chain where Jason's story starts.
• Grassrivers (the Everglades): wetlands packed with wildlife.
• Port Gellhorn: a faded coastal industrial and tourist area.
• Ambrosia: factories, refineries and rural crime.
• Mount Kalaga National Park: the northern wilderness edge of the state.

Weather, wildlife and crowds#

• Storms and hurricanes are in. Rockstar confirmed tropical storms and hurricanes can strike, with a weather system that varies by area, so it can rain in one part of the map while you stand in sunshine elsewhere. Rockstar has not said how often storms hit or whether they affect the story.
• More than 170 animal species, many of them trackable in the style of Red Dead Redemption 2.
• Denser, more varied crowds, with pedestrians differing in height, build, skin, tattoos and clothing.
• More activities, from sunbathing and hiking to billiards and mini-golf, across the state.

Why it matters#

The feature is the clearest evidence yet of how far Rockstar is pushing the world's simulation, and it arrived without a new trailer, part of a steady drip of magazine features and screenshots rather than trailer drops. The same batch of coverage revealed new screenshots of Jason and Lucia a week later. Game Informer's write-up is also the source for the confirmed pictures of Leonida in most outlets.

Rockstar has not confirmed the map's exact dimensions, how many buildings are enterable, or the storm frequency. For the full map reference, see the Leonida map guide; for what you can do in the world, see the gameplay features guide.