GTA 6: Rockstar Developer Says Florida Research Went Deep

Rockstar’s Florida research for GTA 6 included time with police officers, gang members, and local residents, head of development Aaron Garbut said in a recent interview. The account matters because it shows how the studio gathered social detail for Leonida, not just reference material for its scenery.

That background offers useful context for Vice City and the wider Florida-inspired setting. It does not confirm that any particular real person, story, or encounter will appear in the finished game.

What Rockstar’s research involved

Garbut described a process that started with a small group traveling from Miami through nearby towns, the Florida Keys, and Key West. The team recorded locations and considered how real places could be adapted for GTA 6’s fictional world. As development grew, Rockstar spent more time with the communities it wanted to represent.

“We do go in-depth, we hang with locals and we hear lots of stories and learn as much as we can,” Garbut said.

He also said developers traveled with law enforcement officers and gang members. That gave the team access to very different perspectives on Florida life, although the comments did not connect those conversations to a named character, mission, or gameplay system.

The fieldwork included an unusual aerial trip. Rockstar staff flew low over mangrove inlets in the Everglades, then hovered above a stadium during a Beyoncé concert. Garbut recalled that the flight may have drawn local attention the next day.

How the research could shape Leonida

Garbut said the goal was to build a world with believable detail. Rockstar also recorded smaller observations that could influence pedestrian conversations, fictional radio programs, and advertisements. Those elements matter because they can shape the parts of Leonida players encounter between major story events.

That approach fits the Florida-inspired setting covered in Vice Hub’s GTA 6 setting guide and the locations collected in our Leonida map guide.

“We try to build a world that is believable and varied, with depth, so that is the research we need,” Garbut said.

What remains unconfirmed

The interview account does not establish that GTA 6 will recreate a specific Florida community or include recognizable versions of the people Rockstar met. It also does not confirm a mission based on the police or gang-member research, or tie the Everglades flight and stadium visit to a playable sequence.

For now, the clearest takeaway is about process. Rockstar used locations, local accounts, and field observations to inform its fictional world, while the exact details that reached the final game remain unconfirmed.