GTA 7 Could Be MASSIVE! Rockstar May Finally Leave America

For decades, Grand Theft Auto has turned fictional American cities into open-world playgrounds. Liberty City draws on New York, Los Santos on Los Angeles, and Vice City on Miami. GTA 6 continues that pattern with Leonida, Rockstar’s fictional Florida.

But could GTA 7 take the series somewhere completely different?

A recent interview with Rockstar North lead developer Rob Nelson has brought that question back. Asked by The Guardian whether Rockstar could ever make a Grand Theft Auto game outside the United States, Nelson replied: “Never say never, but there’s still so much to do in America.”

That answer leaves the door open, but it does not confirm GTA 7 or reveal the next game’s location.

Rockstar Has Not Ruled Out an International GTA

Nelson commented in an interview with The Guardian, published on November 11, 2026. The conversation focused on the making of GTA 6.

When the interviewer asked about a GTA game outside America, Nelson did not dismiss the idea. However, his follow-up matters just as much as the first part of his answer. He said Rockstar still has plenty to explore in America.

GTA 6 takes place across Leonida, a fictional version of Florida, with Vice City as its best-known urban centre. The state gives Rockstar more room to build different environments, characters and stories than a single city could offer.

Nelson also spoke about the studio’s view of the country it portrays. “I think we’re all outsiders to this version of America,” he said. He added that nobody experiences the America shown in GTA 6 in its entirety, no matter where they live.

His comments help explain Rockstar’s approach to satire. The studio builds fictional places from real details, then throws them into the strange, chaotic situations that define GTA.

The Guardian also described Rockstar’s research in Miami. Developers first travelled there in 2015, years before GTA 6’s release. Their work included exploring neighbourhoods, visiting nightlife spots in the Florida Keys and joining police officers on a ridealong in South Beach. Rockstar used those experiences to shape the world before building its story around it.

That research would matter even more overseas. A new setting needs more than famous buildings. Rockstar would have to understand its streets, people and local details.

GTA Has Already Taken Players to London

An international Grand Theft Auto setting would not be a first for the franchise.

In 1999, Rockstar released Grand Theft Auto: London 1969, an expansion for the original game. It moved the action to a crime-filled version of London in the late 1960s. Rockstar’s official game page still lists the expansion and describes its London setting.

A second PC expansion, Grand Theft Auto: London 1961, followed in the same year. It took place earlier in the same city. It added more missions to the original game, according to GamesRadar’s series history.

These releases used the top-down style of early GTA rather than the large 3D worlds seen in modern entries.

They showed that the GTA formula could work outside the United States, with a city that had its own identity.

Rockstar has not returned to London for a major modern instalment. The main series instead continued to use American-inspired settings, including Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas.

GTA: Tokyo Almost Happened

GTA 7 Tokyo has a real connection to the franchise’s history.

Obbe Vermeij, a former Rockstar North technical director who worked on several early 3D GTA games, discussed the studio’s old location ideas in an interview with GamesHub. He said the team had considered games set in Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Istanbul. Tokyo, however, came closer to becoming a real project.

Vermeij said another studio in Japan was expected to use Rockstar’s code to make GTA: Tokyo. The plan eventually fell through before production.

GTA 7 Tokyo was more than a fan suggestion, but it never became an announced or finished game. Vermeij was recalling past discussions, not revealing a current GTA 7 plan.

He also explained why the studio often returned to American cities. Familiar places give players an easy point of reference, even when they have never visited them. A fictional version of New York or Los Angeles already has a recognisable image in many players’ minds.

An unfamiliar setting would ask more from Rockstar. The studio would have to build that connection from the ground up, which may help explain why those ideas never became mainline releases.

Could GTA 7 Take Place in Tokyo?

If Rockstar moves GTA overseas, GTA 7 Tokyo would be an obvious candidate. Its urban districts and visual identity would look very different from recent American settings.

A Tokyo-based GTA could use busy commercial streets, quiet residential areas, railway stations and nightlife districts to shape its map, missions and characters.

The key would be to make the location part of the story. A few neon signs and narrow streets would not be enough. Rockstar would need to build a believable fictional version of Tokyo, with local details that influence how players move through the world and interact with its characters.

The city’s changing pace could also support different types of missions and characters. Rockstar would still need to choose which districts belong on the map and how to connect them into one playable world. The same challenge would apply to London, Rio or any other overseas setting. A strong map would need to feel like a place people live, not a checklist of famous sights.

There is also a risk in choosing a city mainly because it looks different. A location should give the writers and designers material for a strong GTA story. It should offer room for satire, conflict, humour and memorable characters. Otherwise, the setting could feel like a new coat of paint on the same old game.

Tokyo is not the only option. Vermeij also named Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Istanbul as ideas discussed at Rockstar. London has already appeared in the franchise. Each would give the studio a distinct setting.

However, none of these cities has been confirmed for a future Grand Theft Auto game. They are past concepts or possible fan choices, not a list of locations Rockstar has approved for GTA 7.

Why Rockstar May Stay in America for Now

Rockstar may keep using American settings because it already has fictional versions of New York, Los Angeles and Miami. These familiar places give its writers a base for stories about crime, money and fame.

Rockstar also spends years researching its settings. The Guardian reported that the GTA 6 team studied Miami and Florida for years. Doing the same in another country would take time and a clear creative reason.

A new country would also change Rockstar’s satire. Its jokes and characters would need to fit the setting. Moving American stereotypes to another city would not make the game feel international.

The location would need to shape the game from the start. The strongest reason to leave America would be the chance to tell a story that could not work in Liberty City, Los Santos or Vice City.

For now, Rockstar has not announced GTA 7 or named the setting of its next major Grand Theft Auto game. Nelson’s interview only confirms that the studio has not ruled out leaving America one day.

GTA 7 Outside America: What We Know So Far

Here is what we know: Nelson has not ruled out a future GTA outside America. At the same time, Vermeij said Rockstar discussed Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Istanbul. He said GTA: Tokyo came closer to production, but never moved forward.

The 1999 London expansions also took the series overseas, but none of these examples tells us where the next game will take place.

GTA 6 remains Rockstar’s immediate focus, with Rockstar listing a November 19, 2026 release date on its official website. Until the studio announces another game, any GTA 7 location remains speculation.

Still, the idea of leaving America is worth discussing. Tokyo could give the series a fresh look. At the same time, London, Rio or Istanbul could offer very different settings for a new crime story. The best choice would be the city Rockstar can turn into a believable world, not simply the one with the most exciting skyline.

Where should Rockstar take Grand Theft Auto after GTA 6? Would you pick Tokyo, London, Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul or another city? Share your choice in the comments.