The GTA 5 map: the fictional state of San Andreas with the city of Los Santos and Blaine County. The main districts and their real-life inspirations, how big the map actually is and how it compares with GTA 6, based only on confirmed figures.
The GTA 5 map: what is on it
The GTA 5 map covers the fictional state of San Andreas, which Rockstar built on Southern California. It has two big parts: the metropolis of Los Santos (a take on Los Angeles) in the south and rural Blaine County in the north. Between them are the Vinewood Hills, highways and mountains, and all around is the ocean, where you can dive down to shipwrecks.
The map has a big city, desert, forests, mountains, the salt lake Alamo Sea, a military base and airports. The real-life inspirations are easy to spot, but Rockstar presents them with satire and exaggeration, so it is not an exact copy of Los Angeles.
Districts of Los Santos and Blaine County
| Area | What is there | Inspiration / character |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Los Santos | business district skyscrapers | Downtown Los Angeles |
| Vinewood and Vinewood Hills | a boulevard of "stars", a giant sign on the hill, mansions | Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills |
| Rockford Hills | expensive homes and boutiques | Beverly Hills |
| Vespucci and Del Perro | beaches, a pier with rides, a boardwalk | Venice and Santa Monica |
| South Los Santos (Davis, Strawberry, Chamberlain Hills) | working-class neighborhoods where Franklin starts out | South Los Angeles |
| Port and LSIA | the cargo port and Los Santos International Airport | the Port of Los Angeles and LAX |
| Sandy Shores and the Alamo Sea | a desert town where Trevor lives | the Salton Sea in the Southern California desert |
| Mount Chiliad | the highest mountain on the map, with a cable car | California's mountains |
| Paleto Bay | a small town in the north, the target of one of the heists | the northern coast |
| Fort Zancudo | a restricted military base | California's military bases |
The story events in each area are covered on the GTA 5 missions and GTA 5 heists pages.
How big the GTA 5 map is
Rockstar never published an exact area. There are three figures that often get mixed up:
- The official comparison. In November 2012, in a Game Informer feature cited by GamesRadar and MCV, Rockstar said the GTA 5 world is bigger than the maps of San Andreas, GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption combined.
- 49 square miles (≈127 km²): the figure the media have repeated since 2013. It includes land and water and is an estimate, not Rockstar data.
- Player measurements. Enthusiasts on GTAForums used the coordinate grid to count about 76 km² (roughly 29 sq mi) in total and about 48 km² (roughly 18.5 sq mi) of land. By the same measurements, the GTA 5 map is several times bigger than GTA IV and about twice the size of San Andreas.
These figures do not really contradict each other: the difference is in what gets counted, just land or the ocean and seabed too, and how much of the map you can actually visit.
GTA 5 map vs GTA 6 map: the facts
Rockstar has not given the GTA 6 map area either, but the developers have offered several comparisons with GTA 5:
| GTA 5 | GTA 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| State | San Andreas (Southern California) | Leonida (Florida) |
| Main city | Los Santos | Vice City: twice the size of Los Santos, according to Rob Nelson of Rockstar North |
| Built-up areas outside the city | Sandy Shores, Paleto Bay, Grapeseed | about 11 times more built-up territory than GTA 5 (the same Nelson) |
| Whole map | bigger than San Andreas, GTA IV and RDR combined (Rockstar, 2012) | about three times the size of the RDR2 map, according to The New York Times citing Rockstar |
| Area | not officially stated | not officially stated |
Claims like "the GTA 6 map is 2.5 times bigger" from viral images are fan reconstructions, not Rockstar data. What is officially known about the state of Leonida is on the GTA 6 map page.
How to use the map in the game
- Set a waypoint on the map in the pause menu, and the GPS will plot a route.
- Map icons show stores, garages, properties and the missions available to each character.
- The fastest way across the map is by plane or helicopter; the vehicles for that are covered on the GTA 5 vehicles page.
- To find specific places, such as hidden packages and collectibles, players use interactive maps from fan databases such as GTABase.
GTA 5 map FAQ
What is the city in GTA 5 called?
Los Santos. Together with Blaine County it makes up the fictional state of San Andreas, based on Southern California.
How big is the GTA 5 map?
Rockstar has not given an area. The often-quoted figure is 49 square miles (about 127 km²) including water, while player measurements come to about 76 km² in total and 48 km² of land.
Is the GTA 6 map bigger than GTA 5?
Yes. According to the developers, Vice City alone is twice the size of Los Santos, and the whole map, according to The New York Times, is about three times the size of the RDR2 map.
What city is Los Santos based on?
Los Angeles: Vinewood stands in for Hollywood, Vespucci for Venice, and the sign on the hill parodies the famous Hollywood sign.
What is Fort Zancudo?
A restricted military base in Blaine County. Breaking in instantly gives you a high wanted level, and the army responds with heavy equipment.