Rockstar lead says GTA outside America is possible, but not soon

Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson has left the door slightly open for a Grand Theft Auto game set outside the United States, though he stressed that the series has plenty of American ground left to cover. Speaking to The Guardian, Nelson responded to a question about a non-American setting with a cautious 'Never say never, but there's still so much to do in America.'

The developer reflected on how the studio's Scottish roots shape its depiction of the country. 'I think we're all outsiders to this version of America,' Nelson said. 'No one experiences the America that we're portraying here in its fullness.' That perspective has fueled the series' signature satire, from billboard parodies to exaggerated radio commercials and a critique of capitalist excess.

Grand Theft Auto 4, set in a fictionalized New York, explored the gap between the myth of the American Dream and its gritty reality through protagonist Niko Bellic. That entry remains a touchstone for how deeply American identity is woven into the franchise's narrative DNA, a factor that often surfaces when fans debate the viability of a game set elsewhere.

With nearly two decades since a modern GTA title revisited Liberty City, speculation about the next location after Vice City tends to circle back to another American metropolis. The studio's historic trio of California, New York, and Florida leaves several states unexplored, and Nelson's comments suggest the team is in no hurry to look beyond U.S. borders.