GTA 6 reportedly getting a female protagonist, 2024 release window

Grand Theft Auto 6 news comes alongside reports of an improving culture at Rockstar Games

➡️ The Shortcut Skinny

• 👩 GTA 6 story may feature a Latina protagonist in a Bonnie & Clyde scenario

• 🌇 It reportedly returns to Vice City – GTA's vision of Miami – and its suburbs

• 🌎 Map dials back plan to encompass swaths of North and South America

• 📆 GTA 6 updates will reportedly add cities and stories over time

Grand Theft Auto 6 isn’t going to launch any time soon, but we’re now getting the first details about its expansive map, the release window and the fact that it’ll co-star a female protagonist, according to a new report today.

The GTA 6 secrets were spilled by Bloomberg News's Jason Schreier in a story about a massive change of culture at video game publisher Rockstar Games following staff pushing back against a reported "culture of crunch, bullying, and frat-house antics" in 2018. One source, according to the report, called Rockstar a "boys' club transformed into a real company."

Changes made to Rockstar's development process include restructures that lessened the need for employees to work overtime. Schreier also reports that a Cops 'n' Crooks mode was in development for GTA Online, but noted it was canceled without fanfare in the wake of the George Floyd murder in June 2020.

Miami Vice

GTA 6 will reportedly return to the Miami-inspired Vice City, which was the titular setting of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the 2002 follow-up to GTA 3 on PlayStation 2. The report indicates GTA 6 will include both the major urban areas of Vice City and its suburbs while sporting more interior locations than any previous GTA game.

However, the original vision for GTA 6 was much grander, spanning "large swaths of North and South America." This all makes sense given the fact that GTA 6 has the internal codename leading to its internal codename “Project Americas.” Maybe that will happen over time. Rockstar Games plans to add more cities to the game over time so you can, adding even more places to explore and wreak havoc on new places.

Who runs the world?

The biggest GTA 6 story reveal from today’s report indicates the game will co-star a female Latina protagonist – it’s not the first playable woman in the franchise's history, but it’s a rare occurrence among recent titles for the male-dominated video game series.

The as-yet-unnamed GTA 6 female character will be paired with a male counterpart in what is said to be a “Bonnie and Clyde-inspired” story. 

This isn’t the first time that GTA 6 rumors have pointed us to a female protagonist. In June we heard about "twin siblings, one male, one female, who are separated following the death of their parents at the hands of the cartel" thanks to a report by gaming site Xfire. It also mentions that the brother becomes a member of the GTA universe's government drug task force, while the sister becomes a high-ranking member of the cartel to take revenge from within.

GTA 6 release date may come before March 2024, before the new fiscal year for Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive. Like every Grand Theft Auto game, that sounds ambitious and developers interviewed suggest that it may be even longer before we’re able to return to Vice City. Maybe the still-ongoing PS5 restock situation will be fully resolved by the time GTA 6 does launch.