When Grand Theft Auto 5 launched in 2013, it changed open-world gaming forever. Los Santos is one of the most detailed, vibrant, and believable cities ever created. Even today, the city still feels alive and fun to explore.
But let’s be honest outside Los Santos, GTA V’s map feels empty, repetitive, and in some cases, boring. After more than a decade of playing, many fans agree that Rockstar nailed the city but left the rest of the map underdeveloped.
Now that GRAND THEFT AUTO VI is coming next year May 26, 2026, Rockstar has a golden chance to fix these problems. Below are the 25 biggest mistakes from GTA V’s map that Rockstar must avoid if they want Grand Theft Auto 6 to feel fresh, balanced, and fun across the whole world not just in one city.
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Table of Contents
1. Don’t make the map bottom-heavy
In GTA V, almost everything is packed into the southern tip (Los Santos). Most of the business and the game play you will have are in the bottom of map or in the one corner of map. The rest of the map feels like filler. GTA VI needs balanced hubs spread across the map.
2. Avoid empty northern areas
The countryside and northern coast in GTA V look big but don’t offer much to do. It is just mountains and filler between the missions. It feels pretty boring and energy draining if you are driving from Los Santos to Sandy Shores. Every part of GTA VI should have purpose and life.
3. Build bigger, better towns
Sandy Shores and Paleto Bay are tiny just a small number of streets and got nothing much to do and explore. Grand Theft Auto VI must make smaller towns feel worth visiting.
4. More than two highways, please
In Grand Theft Auto 5, getting to Paleto Bay means driving the same two highways again and again. Driving back and forth on the same highways makes the game boring. GTA 6 should have multiple routes with unique scenery.
5. Stop the repetitive long drives
Driving across empty land for 10 minutes gets old fast. Break it up with side missions, landmarks, and random events.
6. Spread out the hubs
Older games like San Andreas had three big cities. GTA 6 should follow that model instead of putting everything in one corner.
7. Offer more route variety
Liberty City in GTA 4 gave players endless ways to reach the same spot. GTA 6 should give us more street networks and paths not like GTA V endless same routes.
8. Make highways interesting
In GTA 5, highways feel lifeless. Add billboards, traffic variety, rest stops, and side content to make long drives less dull.
9. Fill the world with random events
Older GTA games had small surprises on every corner. GTA 6 needs more dynamic events outside the main city to keep players engaged.
10. Balance wilderness with activity
It’s fine to have countryside and nature—but don’t overdo it. Mix rural areas with towns, farms, and landmarks.
11. Improve air travel
Flying in GTA 5 is just going straight across nothing. GTA 6 should add aerial challenges, landmarks, or even air traffic for immersion.
12. Don’t focus all detail on one city
Los Santos is stunning, but everywhere else feels rushed. GTA 6 should give equal love to all parts of the map.
13. Give small towns more to do
Sandy Shores and Paleto Bay barely have side missions. GTA 6 should make every settlement feel alive with activities.
14. Make driving fun, not a chore
Mix up mission locations so players aren’t forced onto the same roads. Side quests and shortcuts can help.
15. Increase replayability of travel
In GTA 5, routes feel stale after a while. GTA 6 should offer varied paths that make repeat trips feel fresh.
16. Quality over size
Bigger isn’t always better. A smaller but richer map is more fun than a giant empty one. Rockstar should focus on density.
17. Give the northern coast purpose
Paleto Bay is forgettable. GTA 6 should make coastal towns exciting with missions, businesses, and unique culture.
18. Balance design effort
Los Santos got Rockstar’s full attention, but the rest of the map didn’t. GTA 6 should avoid that imbalance.
19. Diversify mission settings
Too many GTA 5 missions happen in Los Santos. GTA 6 should encourage exploration by spreading missions across the map.
20. Spread the fun everywhere
Economy, nightlife, and action are all crammed into Los Santos. GTA 6 should make every town feel rewarding to visit.
21. Encourage exploration
GTA 5’s layout discourages players from exploring the top half of the map. GTA 6 should give reasons to visit every region.
22. Make streets feel alive
Liberty City felt busy and full of character. GTA 6 needs dense areas with pedestrians, traffic, and street life beyond the main city.
23. Add more highway networks
Few highways in GTA 5 make the world feel smaller. GTA 6 should have multiple road systems, intersections, and scenic routes. For instance we have only 6 or 7 roads that can lead us to Sandy Shores these numbers are not bad but over the time it feels boring and gets hectic mostly in GTA online when you are doing Heists or running business.
24. Bring back classic GTA variety
GTA San Andreas had deserts, countryside, and three different cities. GTA 6 should bring that same variety back.
25. Avoid long-term boredom
At its worst, GTA 5 makes players feel like they’re doing the same trip endlessly. GTA 6 should focus on replayability and variety to keep players hooked for years.
Final Thoughts
GTA 5 gave us one of the best cities in gaming history, but also one of the most uneven maps. Los Santos is alive and fun, while much of the rest feels forgotten.
Rockstar has the chance to fix all of this in GTA VI. By learning from past mistakes—balancing the map, adding multiple hubs, making travel varied, and filling every corner with content—they can create a world that feels fun no matter where you are.
If Rockstar avoids these 25 problems, GTA 6 could give us not only the best GTA map ever, but possibly the best open-world map of all time.