Los Santos hailed as GTA's greatest city by fans

The Grand Theft Auto series is one of the most popular brands of entertainment, and not just in the world of video games, but quite literally everything, including movies and TV.

When the Grand Theft Auto series began all the way back in 1997 on the original PlayStation and PC, it was humble beginnings, to say the least. Sure committing crimes and having loads of fun was its emphasis, but visually, gameplay and depth, it was nothing compared to what it is today.

Check out the GTA V trailer below!

However, that all changed with the release of GTA III in 2001 for the PlayStation 2, before arriving on other platforms at a later date. To say that GTA III revolutionised the open-world/sandbox formula in video games, would be a massive understatement. In the years that followed, many tried to replicate the GTA experience, but few could come close to capturing that Rockstar Games magic.

Over the years, the Grand Theft Auto franchise would be the home of iconic locations inspired by real-world cities such as GTA III and IV’s Liberty City, inspired by New York City. GTA: Vice City was inspired by Miami, and GTA: San Andreas and GTA V would welcome us to Los Santos, inspired by the ‘City of Angels’, Los Angeles.

You can ask any GTA fan what their favourite city is in the series and many would give you an equally valid choice. Personally, depending on my mood, I’d be torn between Vice City and today’s topic of discussion, Los Santos with some fans on Reddit hailing it as the series’ best.

“Which GTA city do you think is the greatest of all time?” asked Trevor_58.

“Driving around Los Angeles, I get constantly reminded of how accurate Los Santos is,” replied TheLORDthyGOD420. “Not only landmarks but just recognising random buildings and looking them up later, like yup! That's an apartment building from GTA V!!”

Fellow Redditor Nitrothacat recalled their own experience in LA and how close the fictional city of Los Santos is. “I Was just at the pier two weeks ago. The mountains to the north on the coast, houses against the beach, the pier and the beaches themselves. Felt like I was in the game,” they said.

As with any Reddit discussion, things can change. At the time of writing, the above comment received 223 upvotes. However, a new leader has entered the conversion and its GTA IV’s version of Liberty City with 295 upvotes.

“GTA IV's Liberty City. Not because of my biassed response due to me living near there, but because that city feels alive and dynamic like the real New York,” explained NJ_Bus_Nut. “For real, as a New Yorker, the game is so spot on it's scary. The Jamaican gangs in Brooklyn, the Puerto Ricans in the Bronx/Heights, Mafia in Jersey. Hella accurate,” added ayoitsthatman187.

In related news, despite being announced in February 2022, the release of GTA VI is not expected to arrive until some time between 2024 and 2025 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

That being said, Rockstar Games, please give us a Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay trailer and release date.