Grand Theft Auto V – does the logo drop any hints?

Grand Theft Auto is going to eat cheesesteaks in Philly

Pennsylvania has been featured in a number of recent games, even if they don't always come out and say it. Both Heavy Rain and the original Left 4 Dead had locations inspired by the Philadelphia area, which is often used for movies due to its unique appearance.

The city's style alone makes it a good location for the game, but there's another element of the City of Brotherly love that would make it fit in with the logo (and no, it isn't Paddy's Pub). It's the Philadelphia Mint. It was the first Mint in the nation when it was founded in the 1790s, and it still pumps out millions of dollars worth of new money into circulation every year. Even if the entire plot doesn't involve the mint, needing to get a group of criminals together to rob it could definitely be a major point in the story, making sense of the logo.

Grand Theft Auto is going to make it big in the City of Angels

Much as we’d like to see the next GTA cover new territory, we can’t help but think back to earlier this year, when a supposed leaked cast list was posted online and seemingly indicated that the next GTA would be set in Los Angeles – or more likely Los Santos, GTA’s version of L.A. It’s a pretty plausible rumor; not only does L.A. have a history of crime (and close association with a lot of crime movies), but Rockstar’s been at least partially responsible for two major games set there: L.A. Noire and Midnight Club: Los Angeles. It seems only natural that they’d make that a trifecta with their biggest franchise.

There are plenty of other reasons to suspect a Los Santos GTA, beginning with the fact that Los Angeles makes a pretty smart setting for an open-world playground. It’s a fantastically diverse city, home to some of the country’s richest neighborhoods and poorest slums, and its endless sprawl would enable Rockstar to give players countless of distinct areas to explore.

Sure, Los Santos was seen by some fans as the “boring” part of GTA: San Andreas, largely because it was the setting for the beginning of the game. But L.A.’s a more interesting place than a lot of people give it credit for, and seeing it take center stage with a GTA IV-style update, complete with faintly mocking versions of its landmarks and what we’re sure would be a vicious sendup of Hollywood culture, could be a damned impressive thing.

Grand Theft Auto is going to Vegas, baby

Looking at GTA V in the context of that V, though, the Los Santos theory might be slightly off the mark. Maybe we should shift our guess to another city, one close to Los Santos. One that’s very closely associated with money. We’re talking, of course, about Las Venturas, the Vegas-inspired casino town that was the setting for much of San Andreas’ final chapters.

Look at that V. Look at it. Can’t you just see the letters “ENTURAS” coming off of it?

Vegas/Venturas is a place that hasn’t been explored too much in games (outside of San Andreas, Fallout: New Vegas and the aborted This Is Vegas, anyway), but that doesn’t mean it can’t be an ideal setting. If you’ve ever been to Vegas, you already know there isn’t anywhere else quite like it; it’s loud, tacky and continually in your face, demanding you stay awake and give in to its countless banal opportunities to fork over your cash. It’s home to both five-star resorts and astoundingly shitty dives, with miles of desert and endless suburbs just past the lights. There’s a neon façade of excess and an undercurrent of crime and depravity, and to see that rendered in the kind of detail GTA IV lavished on Liberty City would be staggering.

Or it could be on the moon and the "five" could stand for the moon base it's on. We have no idea, this is all just speculation. If you have anything to add feel free to pile it on, we're definitely interested in hearing what you have to say.