Less Set Dressing Could Elevate Grand Theft Auto 6’s World to New Heights

Grand Theft Auto 6 is bringing Vice City back into the spotlight, and the Miami-inspired city will be thrilling to see brought to life with modern graphics. There are a lot of different features to look forward to in Grand Theft Auto 6, but one of the most anticipated aspects of the game is how immersive the world will be.

Through the years, Rockstar has brought immersion to new heights with its rich and well-crafted worlds. GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 are the most recent examples of how in-depth the worlds of Rockstar games can be, and this makes the expectations for GTA 6 huge. Vice City already looks to be a massive map based on early information, and one of the best ways to make the world truly feel lived in is by getting rid of set dressing and making the world as explorable as possible.

GTA 6 Should Break Tradition With Its Set Dressing

Despite the realistic nature of the cities in past GTA titles, there are only a few buildings that players can actually walk into and explore. Barber shops, strip clubs, convenience stores, and clothing shops are the main types of buildings players can enter, but it would be exciting to take this even further. Everything else surrounding these buildings is just set dressing, and if GTA 6 wants to really turn the notch up on its immersion, then branching out to other types of buildings is a must.

Opening Up More Opportunity For Exploration

So far, the buildings players have been able to enter usually serve a specific purpose. Whether it’s buying ammo and guns, new clothes, or getting a haircut, each building plays a specific role in the gameplay. However, it would be fascinating to see GTA 6 move away from this and also allow exploration of buildings that don’t really serve any major purpose. There are many ways that GTA 6 could improve the franchise, and getting to explore Vice City to its full limits would be a huge step forward.

Getting to enter a building just because a player feels like it would really bring realism in GTA to its apex. This is, of course, quite a tall order to achieve, but Rockstar has been working on GTA 6 for quite a long time, so there is still the possibility that at least something close to this type of in-depth open world could be present—Rockstar did this incredibly well with Red Dead Redemption 2. Maybe not every building has the ability to be entered, but it sure does feel like it.

It was recently confirmed by Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, that
GTA 6
is set to release in fall 2025.

GTA 5 had greater detail in its map with a lot more to its environment than Red Dead Redemption 2, but the latter at least proved that something close to full-on exploration could be achieved. With such high hopes for the game, Rockstar needs to make sure that GTA 6 transforms the franchise in some meaningful ways. Based on the trailer alone, the graphics already look like a major upgrade, so it will be fascinating to see how gameplay mechanics are changed as well.

It’s clear that GTA 6 is going to be a huge moment for the franchise, and opening Vice City up to all kinds of exploration could be the cherry on top of an already fascinating world. From grocery stores to sports stadiums, the opportunity to venture into as much of Vice City as possible could make GTA 6 a next-level open-world experience.