Why Grand Theft Auto Will Likely Never Leave The US: Dan Houser Explains

The Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series has always been about American culture—and Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser said that’s probably never going to change. On the Lex Fridman podcast, Houser explained why every single numbered GTA game has been set in fictional US cities and why we might never see a real-world city as a setting for the franchise. The creative spirit of the multiple GTA and Red Dead Redemption games is based on Americana — a blend of guns, excess, satire, and larger-than-life characters that speak to the American experience.

Why GTA Stays in the US

Houser told the Guardian that America is a part of the game’s identity. While the 1999 GTA: London expansion made a brief detour across the pond, at their core both series were founded as American experiences.

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“For a full GTA game, we always decided that there was so much Americana inherent in the IP, it would be really hard to make it work in London or anywhere else,” Houser said.

He added that guns, crime, and cultural excess — core elements of GTA — are deeply tied to America’s landscape. “You needed guns; you needed these larger-than-life characters. It just felt like the game was so much about America,” Houser noted.

The Importance of Americana in GTA’s DNA

Each GTA series entry is a parody of American culture, from Liberty City’s riff on New York to Vice City mirroring Miami’s glitz and Los Santos embodying Hollywood’s madness. Even the only one set in a futuristic dystopia, GTA 2, was still very American.

Here’s how past games have mirrored real US cities:

Houser, who is British, argued that making a GTA game not set in the US would sacrifice most of what forms the bedrock of the series’ sense of humor and world-building.

Dan Houser on GTA 6’s Anticipation

That includes the hype for GTA 6, which is set to take players back to Vice City — this time a part of a larger state called Leonia based on Florida, according to Houser. He attributed the series’ continued success to Rockstar’s knack at constantly evolving its formula with each new release.

“They don’t come out that regularly,” Houser said. “And I think we did a really good job of constantly innovating within what the IP was. The games always felt different.”

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He also noted that Rockstar’s high-level marketing also contributed to the long-lasting excitement generated by the games.

Houser departed Rockstar Games in 2020 following the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2, but his impact on the GTA series still dictates how fans view the franchise to this day.

GTA 6 Release Date

Rockstar Entertainment announced Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 26, 2026, offering players modern satire, storytelling and open-world gameplay, with nostalgia-inducing three-dimensional Vice City levels.

Final Thoughts

Dan Houser’s points underscore what makes GTA special: that it’s not just crime and chaos but that it has always been a way of commenting on the extremes of America via biting storytelling and humour. While fans may fantasise about a GTA set in Tokyo or London, Houser’s comments suggest that it likely never will: the heart of Grand Theft Auto will probably always throb somewhere in America.