Photos of the physical map for Grand Theft Auto 6 have leaked online ahead of the game's launch, thanks to a pop-up store in London. The leaked images show the map displayed as part of the collector's edition at the Selfridges pop-up store, which opened this week.
While GTA 6 has already sold over eight million copies in pre-orders alone, and is set to be the most successful entertainment launch of all time, it has not been without frustrated complaints from fans. The lack of a physical release is a big one, but fans are also upset that physical copies of GTA 6's map need to be bought separately, despite past GTA games bundling a map as a free bonus.
Leaked Map Images
There won't be any map available until the game's launch next week, on November 19, but fans already have an idea of what it looks like thanks to the Selfridges pop-up store. Photos from the store have been circulating online, depicting the map as part of GTA 6's collector's edition. The display map is folded up so you can't make out much, but a photo of what the map looks like when opened has also been shared on X. Exactly who took the initial photo and how isn't clear, but it's suspected to be an employee of the store.
Unlike past physical maps, which were detailed enough to help find your way in-game, GTA 6's one is more stylised and only offers the general locations of important areas and how its various counties are divided. That's to be expected, though, as Rockstar is only selling the map for 99 cents (about 75p), and given how huge GTA 6's map will be in-game, the physical version was never going to be that detailed.
Map Availability and Future Settings
As a reminder, Rockstar will be offering digital downloads of the map for free via the Rockstar Store, and while you can buy it physically for less than a £1, it'll come as a freebie with anything you purchase from the store.
Speaking of maps, there's some renewed optimism for the GTA series breaking away from its US setting. In an interview with The Guardian, Rob Nelson, co-head of GTA 6 developer Rockstar North, was asked about the possibility of a future GTA game being set outside of the US. 'Never say never,' answered Nelson, but he did admit that there's 'still so much to do in America.'
It's far too soon to say whether this means GTA 7 will take fans to a new, untouched corner of GTA's version of the US or if it will return to past locales like Liberty City.
Changing Stance
Still, even this vague answer is an interesting change of stance for the studio. Back when Rockstar North co-founder and GTA series writer Dan Houser was still there, he very much ruled out the possibility of GTA games being set anywhere else. 'My own personal feeling is that GTA is America,' Houser said in 2013, 'I think we would love to set a game in the UK, set in London, whatever, but I don't know if it would be a GTA game.'
'I think there are plenty of great stories we could tell about the UK, great environments to showcase, great gameplay mechanics that could have a UK bent to them – I just don't think it would be a GTA necessarily.'
Houser did make a good point as GTA has primarily satirised US culture and that same writing approach can't simply be ported over to a GTA game set anywhere else. There's also the risk of alienating players, as US culture is globally recognised, which can't be said for most other countries. Even if it would be interesting to see the series mix up its setting, the simple fact is it's not guaranteed to sell as well.
That's not to say GTA hasn't tried this before. The first game saw two London themed expansions, but these were long before the series became the cultural juggernaut it is today and they were simple mission packs with barely any narrative connecting them. There were also reported attempts at GTA games set in Moscow and Tokyo that ultimately never went anywhere. The Tokyo one could've been interesting, though, as Rockstar apparently wanted to let a Japanese studio lead its development.
