Dan Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games, has revealed several details about Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption in a recent podcast. Among the topics discussed was the possibility of taking GTA outside the United States after GTA VI. His answer suggests that won’t happen — because GTA fits perfectly within American culture.
Although Grand Theft Auto once visited London with the expansions Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 and London 1961, many fans have long wondered why the series never left the U.S. again.
The American Culture Defines GTA
During the conversation, Lex Fridman noted that returning to Vice City (based on Miami) in GTA 6 makes perfect sense, thanks to the city’s rich potential for satire. It’s a place that looks glamorous on the surface but hides a darker reality beneath.
“It has influencers, crypto bros, yachts, bikinis, plastic surgeries, sports cars, drugs, cartel cash, and desperate poverty — just the whole of it,” Fridman explained. He described the city as the perfect setting to explore all kinds of characters in a story like GTA.
Houser explained that Grand Theft Auto often takes place in cities like Miami, New York, or Los Angeles because these locations naturally fit the kind of stories the series wants to tell. He said these cities have the right mix of culture, wealth, crime, and diversity, which makes them exciting settings.
Why GTA Works Best in the U.S.
Houser also recalled the London content in earlier GTA titles, calling it fun but limited. For a full-scale GTA game, Rockstar ultimately decided that the franchise had too much American influence to make sense elsewhere. They needed epic characters and a wide range of weapons — elements that are tightly linked to American culture.
Houser explained that Grand Theft Auto has always been deeply connected to the culture and atmosphere of the United States. He felt that the series, even when viewed from an outsider’s perspective, is built around American life and values, and moving it to another country would take away a key part of what makes GTA unique.
In other news, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that AI would not be able to create a game like GTA VI because AI models inherently lack true human creativity.
