Region of Leonida · Inspired by the Florida Keys
GTA 6 Leonida Keys: map of the island chain, its people and every confirmed fact
The Leonida Keys are the tropical island chain of GTA 6, in our reading Rockstar's take on the Florida Keys. Confirmed facts only, plus our preview map.
Updated October 25, 2026Official sources only, no leaks
- Inspired by
- Florida Keys
- State
- Leonida
- Rockstar's motto
- “Gateway to Paradise”
- Key characters
- Jason Duval, Brian Heder, Lori, Cal Hampton
- Release
- November 19, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
- Status
- Officially confirmed
What Rockstar says about the Keys
Rockstar introduces the Keys under the title “Gateway to Paradise.” The motto: “The dress code is casual, the bars are loaded.” Life on this tropical island chain is not flashy, Rockstar says, but easy: drink in hand, lounge chair unfolded. There is a catch, and Rockstar delivers it right away. You are sitting on the doorstep of some of the most beautiful and most dangerous waters in all of America.
That makes the Keys the counterpart to Vice City: less glamour, more hammock. They are not quite as harmless as they look, though, as the characters further down show.
What the official images show
Rockstar has released five official images for the Keys. Together they paint a pretty precise picture of how the islands are meant to feel:
- Iguana vs. mobility scooter: An iguana strolls across the road in front of an electric scooter. That is close to reality: green iguanas are not native to Florida, but since the 1960s they have spread from Miami all the way down to the Keys.
- Seaplane over the islands: In the background, a road bridge connects two islands. This too probably has a real-world model (our reading): Dry Tortugas National Park, about 70 miles (110 km) west of Key West, can only be reached by boat or seaplane.
- Beach bar: Outside a packed bar, a man sleeps among empty bottles while a couple kisses next to him. So Rockstar takes the motto about loaded bars literally.
- Divers on the reef: Two divers swim among corals, fish, a moray eel and a sea turtle. In our reading, the model is the Florida Reef, the third-largest barrier reef system in the world.
- Boat party: Several boats are rafted together, someone floats on a flamingo ring, others sunbathe on deck, and jet skis race by in the background.
Who lives in the Keys
Jason Duval
Jason grew up among grifters and crooks and joined the Army to leave a difficult youth behind. Afterwards, according to Rockstar, he ended up in the Keys doing what he does best: working for local drug smugglers. It might be time for something new. Meeting Lucia, Rockstar says, could be the best or the worst thing that ever happened to him.
Rockstar also shows Jason's hideout. Parked outside are his Vapid Ganado pickup, the Dinka Enduro motorcycle and a Crest Kayak. Rockstar does not say outright that the house is in the Keys. It seems likely, though, because Jason lives in one of Brian's houses. That is our assessment. More on all three under vehicles.
Brian Heder and Lori
Brian is one of those smugglers, and an old-school one: Rockstar calls him a classic drug runner “from the golden age of smuggling in the Keys.” He still moves product through his boat business, together with his third wife Lori. These days he leaves the dirty work to others. Jason lives rent-free in one of his houses as long as he helps out on protection runs and drops by now and then for Lori's sangria. In Trailer 2, Brian sends him off to collect his checks. Brian's best line on the official website: he has moved so much weed in his plane that he could have gotten all of Leonida high.
Cal Hampton
Cal is Jason's friend and also one of Brian's people. He feels safest at home with a few beers, private browser tabs and the Coast Guard radio he secretly listens in on. Rockstar describes him as someone living at America's low tide and happy with it. One of his lines on the official website: “What if everything on the internet was true?”
What Rockstar says about the other characters is on the characters page.
Leonida Keys and Florida Keys: what stands for what
In our reading, the Leonida Keys are modeled on the Florida Keys. Rockstar has not explicitly equated the two, though according to reports on the Game Informer cover story, its team traveled to the Keys for research. The individual matches below are our reading.
| In GTA 6 | Real-world model |
|---|---|
| Leonida Keys | Florida Keys (Monroe County) |
| Road bridge between the islands | Overseas Highway: 113 miles (182 km) over 42 bridges to Key West, including the Seven Mile Bridge (6.8 miles / 10.9 km) |
| Divers on the coral reef | Florida Reef, the third-largest barrier reef system in the world |
| Seaplane | Flights from Key West to the Dry Tortugas |
| Brian's smuggling past | South Florida's smuggling era of the 1970s |
Brian's “golden age of smuggling” has a real background. The bales of marijuana that smugglers dumped into the sea off South Florida in the 1970s even had their own nickname: “square grouper.” Key West is only about 90 miles (150 km) from Cuba.
Where exactly the Keys lie in Leonida, Rockstar has not shown on any official game map yet. Following the Florida Keys model, they stretch south of Vice City down to the southern tip of the state.
What you can do in the Keys
In the Extended Look of August 27, 2026, Rockstar showed diving, fishing and jet skiing, among other things, as several sources consistently report. Whether those scenes take place in the Keys, Rockstar does not say. The official Keys images match them exactly, though: divers on the reef, jet skis at the boat party. Add the bridges between the islands and the seaplane. Whether you can fly the plane yourself is not confirmed yet.
Explore the Leonida Keys on the map
The preview map already shows the whole island chain today. After the release on November 19 we'll add verified locations here step by step.
Frequently asked questions about the Leonida Keys
What are the Leonida Keys in GTA 6?
The Leonida Keys are a tropical island chain in the state of Leonida, in our reading Rockstar's take on the Florida Keys. Rockstar introduces them as the “Gateway to Paradise”: laid-back island life, loaded bars and some of the most beautiful and most dangerous waters in America.
What are the Leonida Keys based on?
Most likely the Florida Keys, the island chain south of Miami down to Key West; that is our reading, Rockstar has not explicitly confirmed it. As there, road bridges connect the islands, and a coral reef lies off the coast.
Can you dive in GTA 6?
Yes. Diving was shown in the Extended Look of August 27, 2026, and one of the official Keys images shows two divers on the coral reef with fish, a moray eel and a sea turtle.
Who is Brian Heder?
Brian Heder is a drug smuggler from the “golden age of smuggling” in the Keys. He still moves product through his boat business, together with his third wife Lori, and lets Jason live rent-free in one of his houses.
Does Jason live in the Keys?
According to Rockstar, Jason works for local drug smugglers in the Keys and lives rent-free in a house owned by Brian Heder. Where exactly that house is, Rockstar has not said.
How many islands do the Leonida Keys have?
Rockstar has not revealed that, and the size of the island chain is not officially known either. Numbers online come from leaks or estimates.
How do you get to the Keys?
In the official images a road bridge connects the islands, and there are boats, jet skis and a seaplane. As in real Florida, you should be able to drive across the bridges. That is our assessment, though, not a confirmation.
Sources: the official GTA VI website by Rockstar Games (rockstargames.com/VI), Trailer 2 of May 6, 2025, and reports on the Extended Look of August 27, 2026. Real-world models: Wikipedia (Florida Keys, Overseas Highway, square grouper), U.S. National Park Service (Dry Tortugas) and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (green iguanas). No leaks, no rumors.