Rockstar once explored GTA set in Tokyo, Rio and Moscow but walked away from the idea

Grand Theft Auto

Rockstar Games briefly considered taking the Grand Theft Auto series far beyond the United States, with early concepts exploring cities such as Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Istanbul. However, despite internal discussions and even early development talks, the studio ultimately chose to keep the franchise rooted in American settings to protect its identity and long-term commercial success.

The revelation comes from former Rockstar technical director Rockstar Games veteran Obbe Vermeij, who spoke about the abandoned plans in a recent interview. According to Vermeij, one of the most serious ideas involved a Tokyo-based GTA project that nearly moved into production through a partnership with a Japanese studio.

“We had ideas about GTA games in Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Istanbul. Tokyo almost actually happened. Another studio in Japan was going to do it, take our code and do GTA: Tokyo. But then that didn’t happen in the end,” Vermeij said.

Despite the appeal of international locations, Rockstar ultimately decided not to pursue these concepts. Vermeij suggested the decision was driven less by creative limitations and more by the sheer financial scale of the franchise. With billions of dollars tied to the series, the company chose to avoid risks that could disrupt its winning formula.

Rockstar’s leadership viewed the United States as a uniquely effective setting for GTA. American cities, culture and media are widely recognised across the world, even by players who have never visited the country. This familiarity gives the series an immediate sense of place and helps global audiences connect with the satire, characters and environments without additional explanation.

“When you’ve got billions of dollars riding on it, it’s too easy to go, ‘Let’s do what we know again,’” Vermeij explained. He added that America sits at the centre of Western popular culture, making its cities instantly recognisable and easier to parody in a way that resonates worldwide.

Historically, the only major exception to this rule was GTA: London, a late-1990s expansion that temporarily moved the action to the UK. Since then, every mainline entry has remained firmly anchored in fictionalised American cities.

Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser has echoed similar reasoning in past interviews. Houser explained that GTA’s DNA is closely tied to American themes such as gun culture, exaggerated personalities and social satire. He argued that the series works precisely because it presents America from an outsider’s perspective, something that would be difficult to replicate elsewhere without losing its edge.

This philosophy is not unique to GTA. Other long-running franchises have adopted similar geographic consistency. Bethesda’s Todd Howard has previously explained why Fallout continues to be set primarily in the United States, citing the importance of Americana to the series’ identity.