GTA 6 is set in Vice City. I get why. Of all the GTA locales over the decades, we've seen Vice City a handful of times, none of which were enough to give the city a distinct identity like Liberty City developed. Now's the time to change that. But I can't help thinking about how different GTA 6 and the broader series could be with a change of setting, something that wasn't just another big, bad city. These are 10 of the things that popped into my mind.

In a hypothetical future where the moon is settled, of course. Not now! That'd just be running around on a big rock.

I'm imagining something like The Expanse but done up in GTA-style, with two interstellar criminals finding ways to build a new life after getting sent down (up? out?) on Earth. Rockstar's social critique would transfer just as well to a futuristic sci-fi setting, if not even better since it's less bound by the constraints of reality. If nothing else, it's a good excuse to swap standard weapons and vehicles for much cooler visions of the future. Flying a helicopter to your clubs around Miami? Snore. Swiping a corvette-style spaceship and using it for off-planet heists? Yes, please. Maybe the forthcoming The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will capture similar vibes?

Big cities aren't the only place where misdeeds and oppression thrive. All the factors that make somewhere like Miami or New York — sorry, "Vice City" and "Liberty City" — ideal settings for a gritty crime tale are just as true of small town USA. It worked for Far Cry 5, after all.

Social pressures are heightened........

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