GTA 6 setting rumours resurface thanks to developer's Instagram post

Rockstar
(Image credit: Rockstar)

Rumours suggesting that GTA 6 will be set in a version of Vice City are swirling once again after a cryptic Instagram post from a Rockstar employee.

The post comes from soundtrack manager and music supervisor Tony Mesones, who has worked at Rockstar since 2011, providing music for GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2, and L.A. Noire. The image appears to show a section of Miami's South Beach, with the caption "who said it would be cold???" 

As a number of social media commentators have pointed out, Miami is a very popular US tourism spot, which could just mean that Mesones is taking some time off work, rather than teasing his company's next project. What's a little more confusing, however, is that he decided to tag the Rockstar Games account in his post, a detail many have taken to mean this trip relates to a future Rockstar project.

Mesones' post is far from proof of the game's setting, but a trip to Miami does line up with a report that GTA 6 is set in modern-day Vice City, which was later corroborated by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. It's no secret that the classic GTA setting is heavily inspired by Miami, which has sparked speculation that Mesones is visiting the city for some professional inspiration.

Sadly, we're unlikely to find out the purpose of the trip for a long time yet. The reports discussing the setting of GTA 6 also claimed that while Rockstar might initially have been aiming for a 2023 release, the studio is now targeting a launch as late as 2025 in an attempt to improve employee wellbeing, and avoid any public delays. That's also likely to mean that the game will only be available on new-gen consoles and PC.

Of course, until Rockstar officially announces GTA 6, it's important to take all of this information with a pinch of salt. Development details are subject to regular change, and it's also worth remembering that in this instance in particular, a Rockstar employee might just be sharing his holiday snaps.

If you can't wait five years for GTA 6, here's a list of new games 2021 to get excited about instead.

Ali Jones
News Editor

I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.