GTA VI shows part of its map for the first time: two new Leonida islands

Hidden in plain sight: the Vice City Collection has served as Rockstar’s vehicle to show part of the GTA VI map for the first time. As Vandal details, the double-sided poster included in the collector’s box displays the map of Leonida, the fictional Florida-inspired state where the game takes place, on one of its faces.

Rockstar, true to form, plays with the intrigue: the promotional image doesn’t show the full map. What is visible is an archipelago west of Leonida with two islands named for the first time: Sandbars and Crude Islands.

The names fit what we already knew about the region. Rockstar described the map’s six major zones months ago, including the Leonida Keys, a “tropical archipelago” of quiet living at the doorstep of “the most beautiful and dangerous waters in all of America”. Everything suggests Sandbars and Crude Islands belong to that area, though their exact location can’t be confirmed until the full map is revealed.

That the first look at the map arrives tucked inside a $399.99 merchandising product says a lot about Rockstar’s endgame strategy: every piece of the campaign, from the Kaseya Center sign to the pre-order saga, is designed for the community to dissect pixel by pixel.

There are 55 days to go until November 19. If series history is any guide, the full official map shouldn’t be far behind.