Rockstar’s GTA 6 developers started field research in Miami back in 2015, more than ten years before launch. Lead developer Rob Nelson shared that and more in a new interview with The Guardian, published on Wednesday 11 November 2026, after a hands-off demo of Vice City at Rockstar North in Edinburgh.
- Who: Rob Nelson and Jennifer Kolbe of Rockstar Games, interviewed by Keza MacDonald
- Research: first Miami trips in 2015, including nightclubs, a racetrack, a police ridealong in South Beach and bars in the Florida Keys
- Details shown: Jason eating a hot dog, a donut in one hand and a beer in the other, and a six-pack he tucks under his arm when he runs
- Team size: almost 5,000 people, according to The Guardian
- More coming: a longer feature in the Guardian’s Saturday magazine this week
GTA 6 research trips to Miami began in 2015
Nelson told The Guardian that a group of Rockstar North developers made their first trips to Miami in 2015 to research the next Grand Theft Auto. The first step was not a checklist, he said, but soaking up the city, its history and its mood, and looking for the places the characters would later move through.
The team says it went “semi-undercover”, but a group of developers walking through rough neighbourhoods still stood out. Nelson also described a night out in a Miami club until 4 a.m., followed by a hungover ride around a racetrack a few hours later.
| Research stop | What the team did |
|---|---|
| Miami nightlife | Stayed out in a nightclub until 4 a.m. |
| Racetrack | Was driven around a track the morning after |
| South Beach | Went on a ridealong with police |
| Florida Keys | Spent time in local bars |
| Around Miami | Artists explored with cameras on their own |
The small details Rockstar showed off in Vice City
The demo took place at Rockstar North’s office in Edinburgh a few weeks ago. Nelson and Jennifer Kolbe guided the Guardian’s games editor through Vice City, the game’s version of Miami. According to the report, Nelson was keen to point out small animations rather than big set pieces.
- Jason eating a hot dog
- Jason walking around a gas station, biting a donut in one hand and drinking a beer in the other
- Jason moving a six-pack into the crook of his arm when he starts to run, with the drinks sloshing inside the bottles
- A jewellery store hold-up, where Nelson was briefly unhappy with how one guard’s feet were placed
The Guardian describes the world as absurdly detailed, down to pedestrians’ clothes, street art, flyers in cafes and what is inside fridges. Everything confirmed about the cast so far is on our GTA 6 characters page, and the places are on our GTA 6 map page.
How big is the GTA 6 team?
The Guardian writes that the game was made by almost 5,000 people, led by a small group of long-serving decision makers. One example it gives is lead writer Rupert Humphries, who has been at Rockstar since 2008. Rockstar has not published its own team figure.
Nelson’s own areas are design, narrative and animation, plus some casting. His background is in character art and animation, the report says. Kolbe compared the approach to Grand Theft Auto IV, where team members who had lived in New York for years visited parts of the city they had never been to.
Could GTA ever leave America?
Asked whether a future Grand Theft Auto could be set outside the US, Nelson did not rule it out:
“Never say never, but there’s still so much to do in America.”
Rob Nelson, Rockstar Games, to The Guardian
That is not an announcement of anything. Take-Two has only said that Rockstar will reveal what comes next “in the fullness of time”. Nelson also said that nobody, wherever they live, experiences the version of America the game portrays in full.
What this tells us before launch
- Confirmed by Rockstar staff on the record: research trips from 2015, the Vice City demo details, Nelson’s comment on settings outside the US
- The Guardian’s own reporting: a team of almost 5,000 people
- Not covered: no new characters, missions, vehicles or dates
GTA 6 launches on Thursday 19 November 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Everything else we know is on our GTA 6: everything we know page, and the official game page is at rockstargames.com/VI.
GTA 6 developer interview FAQ
When did Rockstar start researching GTA 6?
Rob Nelson told The Guardian that the first research trips to Miami took place in 2015, more than ten years before the 19 November 2026 launch.
How many people worked on GTA 6?
The Guardian reports almost 5,000 people. Rockstar has not given an official number.
Will there be a GTA set outside America?
Nothing is announced. Rob Nelson said “never say never”, but added that there is still a lot to do in America.
Sources: The Guardian, Keza MacDonald, “How years of research built Grand Theft Auto VI’s obsessively detailed world” (Pushing Buttons, 11 November 2026), Take-Two Interactive Q2 FY27 earnings call (9 November 2026).
