Is GTA 5‘s Los Santos Based on Miami? No, It‘s Modeled After Los Angeles
Unlike other Grand Theft Auto games, GTA 5 does not take place in a fictionalized version of Miami, Florida. Instead, GTA 5 is set in the sprawling metropolis of Los Santos – Rockstar‘s satirical take on Los Angeles and Southern California.
The Core Inspiration for Los Santos is Clear: Los Angeles
Rockstar put an incredible amount of work into bringing Los Santos to life as a dynamic, fully-realized parody of LA. From urban neighborhoods to winding mountain roads to celebrity culture and more, nearly every aspect of Los Santos is modeled after real-world Los Angeles.
Landmarks and Locations Mirrored from LA
Downtown‘s soaring skyscrapers, Vinewood‘s ritzy mansions, the lush golf courses, even Los Santos‘ natural features like Mount Chiliad and rivers are direct references to specific LA landmarks and environments. Rockstar expertly mimicked the complex layout of highways, suburbs, beaches and wilderness areas comprising the vast LA metro region.
Art Director on Crafting Los Santos‘ Distinct Visual Identity
In an interview with The Verge, GTA 5 Art Director Aaron Garbut described how Los Santos was crafted deliberately to feel like "if you took Los Angeles and cut it up and put it back together." The eclectic neighborhoods and distinctive urban architecture had to reflect LA‘s one-of-a-kind look and vibe.
Extensive Field Research Across All of LA County
The full Grand Theft Auto developer team did exhaustive on-location research spanning all of LA County to ensure Los Santos felt deeply authentic to Angelenos and Southern California natives. From East LA to West Hollywood to the Santa Monica Pier, the real-world inspiration is evident.
Vice City and Miami Remain Crucial to the GTA Series Lore
While Los Santos break new ground geographically for the Grand Theft Auto franchise, the series has an extensive history with locations modeled after Miami.
Vice City and Vice City Stories Focused on Scarface-Era Miami
Both 2002‘s GTA: Vice City and its 2006 prequel GTA: Vice City Stories used fictional "Vice City" to parody 1980s Miami vibes and crime dramas like Scarface. These classics put players in control of mob bosses and drug kingpins warring over Miami‘s lucrative cocaine trade.
Rumors Suggest GTA 6 Will Revisit a Modern Vice City
According to leaks and insider speculation, the next numbered Grand Theft Auto game (GTA 6) will return to Vice City with a modern spin. This would continue a pattern of GTA sequels alternating settings between their Los Angeles analogue (Los Santos) and Miami counterpart (Vice City).
Los Santos Sets Itself Apart Through Sheer Scale and Density of Content
From a game design perspective, Grand Theft Auto V evolves the open world blueprint in major ways. Los Santos represents a quantum leap forward in interactive population density, environmental detail and overall size/scope.
Vastly More NPCs Bring Los Santos to Life
With its sprawling sidewalks and highly-reactive citizens, Los Santos feels bustlingly alive compared to previous GTA cities. Cutting-edge programming allows over 1,000 dynamic NPCs to be rendered simultaneously with unique dialogue and behaviors.
| Game | Concurrent NPCs |
|---|---|
| GTA V (Los Santos) | 1000+ |
| GTA IV (Liberty City) | 175 |
Intricate Environmental Design Sets New Standard
When traversing Los Santos by foot, players experience public spaces filled with graffiti, trash, vandalism and clutter. Previously, GTA pedestrian areas felt somewhat sterile by comparison. Los Santos adds new layers of urban grit and realism.
69 Square Miles of Diverse Game World Content
From the Port of Los Santos to Banham Canyon wilderness, Los Santos provides a staggeringly dense 69 square miles of terrain to explore. Over 240 narrative missions unlock organically based on where players roam in this expansive game world.
In closing, Rockstar‘s Los Santos marks a high point for their cutting-edge open world design philosophy. Building on past GTA titles but ambitiously pushing into new frontiers of realism and customization, Los Santos comes to life as Los Angeles like never before in a video game. For gamers worldwide, it remains endlessly captivating years after launch.
