When Is GTA 6 Set? Is It Set After GTA 5?

Grand Theft Auto 6 has finally been revealed in full by Rockstar Games, and the first trailer is out there, racking up tens of millions of views. It’s an exciting time to be a GTA fan, as although we need to wait until 2025 to get our hands on it, we now know exactly what the game will look like. In the short but sweet trailer (which is below), we get an in-depth look at the diversity of Leonida, the fictional setting for the game – but when is GTA 6 set? We know where, but when?

For the most part, we can work out when GTA 6 is set based on the trailer and everything it gives away. Typically, Rockstar Games likes to set each modern Grand Theft Auto game at the same time the game is released, so it can hit pop culture references and lean into easter eggs and jokes that apply to our real world. That’s how it has worked since GTA IV was released in 2008. Before that, Grand Theft Auto was a time machine, taking us back several years – or decades.

So, when is GTA 6 set? Let’s find out.

Is GTA 6 Set After GTA 5?

It’s almost certain that GTA 6 will be set after GTA 5, which of course leaves the door wide open for character-based crossovers. Several key indicators in the trailer give away the assumption that GTA 6 is set in our modern day. For instance, there’s a heavy focus on social media and content creation, with several scenes unfolding as though they were being watched on Instagram or TikTok. That’s something that has exploded in our real world in recent years, so it’s safe to assume that’s when GTA 6 is set.

However, if we look beyond that, everything from the fashion to the technology revealed in the trailer points to it being a modern-day title. Despite it being set in Vice City (and the surrounding area that comprises Leonida), it’s far removed from the 1980s, which is when 2002’s GTA Vice City was set. Here’s the trailer, so you can get an idea of what I mean:

It hasn’t been explicitly confirmed when GTA 6 is set, but it’s a safe assumption that it’ll line up neatly with our own real-world timeline when it drops in 2025.

Where is GTA 6 Set?

So, when is GTA 6 set? That’s when – it’s a modern-day title that’ll likely mirror our real world. But what about the game’s core location?

In a parallel breakdown, we looked at GTA 6’s location – Leonida. It’s a fictional state modelled on Florida, and it houses Vice City right at the centre of it all. It’s a diverse and dynamic map that stretches far off into the distance in any wide shot, which means it’s going to be absolutely enormous. Read more about the GTA 6 map by clicking the following link.