

One of the best features of Yakuza games is substories that feature a wide variety of characters that help flesh out the city and its people. The world of each Yakuza game wasted practically no space, as each building is designed for a reason, whether it’s a restaurant to dine at, a minigame to play, or just as set dressing to add to the overall aesthetic. Part of the charm of Yakuza games is seeing how locations like Kamurocho change and evolve over time. The Yakuza series is a prime example of this, as each game features a relatively small map that’s crammed with different activities and characters. Having a more condensed map would allow Rockstar to make each location feel more vibrant, and create interesting characters that players can truly interact with. You absolutely need to use vehicles to get around Los Santos, and there’s a large amount of time simply spent traveling to a destination in each mission. GTA 5 has a number of side activities, but it’s hard to recall anything outside of distinct landmarks. You can’t deny that GTA 5’s version of Los Angeles is gorgeous, but a lot of the map feels like empty space, simply serving to extend the time you need to travel. A smaller map would let Rockstar really focus on a dynamic environment, and tell smaller stories that evolve across GTA 6. Over the years the size of Rockstar’s worlds has only gotten bigger, but at this point, it seems like the series would seriously benefit from scaling things back.


Grand Theft Auto has presented some stunning fictional versions of American cities over the years, from the colorful Vice City to the sprawling Los Santos.
