Grand Theft Auto VI is set to release on Thursday, November 19, and the series is packed with homages to Scotland. Rockstar North, based in Edinburgh, is the main studio behind the new game, which is considered one of Scotland's most iconic cultural exports.
The Daily Record has compiled a list of six Scottish references across the Grand Theft Auto series, from a traffic cone on a statue to a golf course named after a Scottish park.
GTA III and Vice City Tributes
In Grand Theft Auto III, the Liberty City War Memorial statue in the fictional Liberty City, based on New York City, features a traffic cone atop its head. This is an obvious reference to the longstanding tradition of placing a cone on the statue of the Duke of Wellington in Glasgow.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, set in a fictional city inspired by Miami, includes the Leaf Links golf course and country club. Its name is a reference to Edinburgh's Leith Links park, where golf has been played for hundreds of years.
San Andreas and GTA IV Nods
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the Kincaid Bridge and Garver Bridge connect the fictional regions of San Fierro and Tierra Robada. The two bridges are modelled after the Forth Bridge and Forth Road Bridge, which span the Firth of Forth.
Grand Theft Auto IV features the fictional Jakey's Lager beer brand, which shares its name with a derogatory Scottish slang term. The brand's logo also features a Scottish saltire.
GTA V and Online References
Grand Theft Auto V pays homage to Greyfriars Bobby, the dog who spent 14 years guarding his owner's grave in Edinburgh. At one of the game's graveyards, a dog can be seen stopping at a headstone with a bouquet of flowers.
Grand Theft Auto Online, the online component of GTA V, includes the Loch Santos Monster, an homage to the Loch Ness Monster. The creature can be seen swimming in the sea during one of the game's missions.
