Rockstar North co-studio head and GTA 6 lead Rob Nelson says that there's always a chance GTA could leave the United States, but there's still too much to do with America.
Grand Theft Auto – especially from the 3D era onwards – has pretty much always been a satire of American culture. The games are rife with excess, with billboards, radio ads, and in-game companies that couldn't be more exaggerated if they tried, with the entire series very much being an outsider's view of American culture tuned up to its capitalist extremes. GTA 4 in particular is very much a deconstruction of the concept of the "American Dream" with Niko Bellic leaving his sordid past behind to start a new life in New York only to discover the sensationalized vision of the states is far from the reality.
This in turn causes debate whenever the idea of setting a GTA game outside of the states emerges. Many see the American culture to be so ingrained into the DNA of the series that it simply wouldn't work without it. Speaking to The Guardian, Nelson was asked about the idea, with the developer responding, "Never say never, but there's still so much to do in America."
When asked if Rockstar's roots in Scotland, with a ton of its studios residing outside the US, gave the developer a unique take on the country, he explains, "I think we're all outsiders to this version of America," adding, "no one experiences the America that we're portraying here in its fullness."
Given it's been almost 20 years since GTA took place in New York, I can't imagine there will be a non-USA game in the series for a while yet, as presumably that would be next in line for the series. Plus there's always the chance the studio strays away from its trio of California, New York, and Florida for a new state next time around.
Also yes, I'm aware there were London-based expansions for the original GTA.
