Grand Theft Auto might be the most American video game franchise ever created, and now we finally know why that will never change. Dan Houser, the co-founder and creative force behind nearly every GTA game from the early days through GTA V, just explained on the Lex Fridman podcast why the series is fundamentally tied to American culture in ways that make it almost impossible to transplant elsewhere. It’s a fascinating look at why Vice City’s return to Miami for GTA 6 makes so much sense.
The Melting Pot Problem
According to Houser, GTA has always gravitated toward specific American cities for one crucial reason: they’re melting pots. Miami, New York, and Los Angeles all contain the exact ingredients that make GTA work as a satire of American culture. You’ve got enormous wealth sitting right next to poverty, immigrants and native-born citizens creating culture clashes, glamour mixed with underbelly criminality, and every social dynamic you could possibly imagine living in close proximity.
“There’s a reason why GTA kept coming back to Miami, New York, Los Angeles,” Houser explained. “They’re all very good for exactly what you’re trying to do. There’s a melting pot aspect to LA. You know, there’s glitz, glamour, underbelly, immigrants, enormous wealth in all of them.” These aren’t just nice settings for a crime game. They’re essential components of what makes GTA actually work as social commentary.
The Americana DNA
Here’s the part that confirms GTA will likely never leave the United States. Houser was asked directly why the series doesn’t venture to London or other major cities around the world. His answer was revealing: “There’s so much Americana inherent in the IP, it would be really hard to make it work in London or anywhere else. You needed guns, you needed these larger-than-life characters. It just felt like the game was so much about America, possibly from an outsider’s perspective.”
That outsider’s perspective is crucial to understanding GTA as a whole. Rockstar Games, while founded by Americans, was created with an international sensibility. The franchise has always felt like someone looking at America from the outside, satirizing its excesses, contradictions, and absurdities. That perspective works perfectly when the setting is American cities, but it loses something fundamental if you try to apply it elsewhere.
Why Miami Is the Perfect Return
Vice City represents the franchise’s return to Miami 24 years after the original 2002 PlayStation 2 release. The timing and choice make perfect sense given Houser’s explanation. Miami has everything GTA needs: it’s a city of extremes where the American dream collides with its underbelly. It’s where wealth and crime, legitimate business and organized chaos exist in uncomfortable proximity.
The original Vice City was inspired by 1980s Miami culture, complete with Miami Vice aesthetics, Latin American influence, drug trafficking storylines, and the clash between new money and old money. GTA 6’s return to Vice City taps into that same energy but with a modern twist. For a 2026 release, Vice City can explore contemporary Miami: tech wealth, social media culture, immigration debates, and the city’s evolution over the past few decades.
Houser’s perspective explains why Rockstar chose Miami over trying something completely different. They could have set GTA 6 in a European city or an Asian metropolis, but those locations would require completely rethinking what makes the franchise special. The Americana perspective that defines GTA wouldn’t translate the same way.
The Dickens Comparison
One of Houser’s most interesting descriptions came when he compared GTA’s appeal to Charles Dickens novels. “It’s almost like a sort of psychotic version of a Dickens book,” he explained. Dickens’ novels worked because they depicted a wide cross-section of society in one location, showing how different social classes and characters collide and interact. That’s exactly what GTA does with American cities.
The difference, of course, is that GTA goes further into chaos and satire than Dickens ever could. But the core appeal is the same: showing a slice of life where vastly different people with different motivations all inhabit the same space, and hilarity (or tragedy) ensues.
Houser’s Legacy and New Directions
This interview marks one of the rare occasions where Dan Houser has spoken publicly in detail about his creative philosophy. Houser left Rockstar in 2020 and founded Absurd Ventures, a transmedia studio working on projects like the American Caper comic series. His willingness to explain why GTA is fundamentally American actually provides insight into his new creative ventures as well.
If Houser’s philosophy requires that a project have a specific cultural DNA that works within its setting, then his move away from GTA actually makes sense. He felt, as he said, that “the world’s probably had enough GTA from me” after writing the last 10 or 11 games in the series. His new projects at Absurd Ventures represent a different creative challenge: building new IP with different DNA rather than continuing to refine the American crime game template.
What This Means for Future GTA Games
If Houser’s analysis is correct, then every future GTA game will likely continue the pattern of returning to American cities. We might see Chicago, Las Vegas, New Orleans, or even Philadelphia reimagined as fictional cities in the GTA universe, but we probably won’t see the series attempt a London-set game with the same scale as GTA VI. The franchise’s identity is too tied to American culture.
This doesn’t mean Rockstar can’t create compelling games set elsewhere. It just means those games would need to have a different tone, different mechanics, and different narrative approach. They’d essentially need to be something other than GTA in spirit, even if they carried the name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is GTA so focused on American cities?
According to Dan Houser, American cities like Miami, New York, and Los Angeles have a unique “melting pot” quality with extremes of wealth, diversity, immigrant populations, and both glamour and underbelly crime. This creates the perfect environment for GTA’s satirical approach to storytelling.
Will GTA ever be set outside America?
Dan Houser stated that he and Rockstar decided against setting a full GTA game outside America because the franchise has too much Americana inherent in its DNA. The outsider’s perspective on American culture is fundamental to what makes GTA work.
Why did Rockstar choose Vice City for GTA 6?
Vice City returns in GTA 6 because Miami offers everything the franchise needs: wealth, diversity, crime, glamour, and grime all in one location. It’s a city where extremes meet, perfect for GTA’s brand of social satire.
What does Dan Houser compare GTA to in terms of storytelling?
Houser compares GTA to Charles Dickens novels, describing it as “a sort of psychotic version of a Dickens book.” Like Dickens, GTA shows a wide cross-section of society in one location, depicting how different social classes and characters interact and collide.
How long has Vice City been absent from the franchise?
Vice City hasn’t appeared in a major GTA game since the original Vice City released on PlayStation 2 in 2002. GTA 6’s return to Vice City marks a 24-year gap between appearances.
Will Dan Houser be involved in GTA 6?
No. Dan Houser left Rockstar in 2020 and had no involvement in GTA 6’s story or character development. He stated that he wrote the last 10 or 11 GTA games and felt the world had enough GTA from him.
What is Dan Houser doing now?
After leaving Rockstar, Dan Houser founded Absurd Ventures, a transmedia studio based in Los Angeles. The company’s first major project is the American Caper comic series, which debuted in November 2025. They’ve also expanded into game development through a new studio called Absurd Marin.
Could GTA work in London according to Dan Houser?
Houser stated that a full GTA game in London “would be really hard to make it work” because the franchise needs American elements like guns, larger-than-life characters, and the specific outsider’s perspective on American culture that wouldn’t translate the same way elsewhere.
Conclusion
Dan Houser’s explanation for why GTA is permanently rooted in America is both fascinating and limiting in the best possible way. It shows that great game design isn’t just about gameplay mechanics or graphics. It’s about understanding the cultural DNA of your franchise and respecting those creative boundaries. GTA works because it’s an outsider’s satirical look at American culture, depicted through cities that represent the worst and best of what America has to offer. Vice City’s return in GTA 6 isn’t just a safe choice. It’s the right choice, the smart choice, and arguably the only choice that makes sense given the franchise’s DNA. As for whether we’ll ever see a GTA game set in London, Paris, Tokyo, or anywhere else in the world, Houser’s words suggest we shouldn’t hold our breath. GTA belongs in America, and Rockstar has finally explained exactly why.