Will 2020 be the year where Rockstar Games finally announces Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) to be in active development? The breadcrumbs certainly lead there. Several rumors and reports have already surfaced that ascertain the highly anticipated installment to be in the works for next-generation platforms. While such claims are yet to be verified, those in reference to the setting of GTA 6 have mostly all converged on a singular location — the fictional Vice City based on a neon-soaked Miami, featured in the 2002 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

So where do these new trademark filings for Los Santos and San Andreas (1, 2, 3, 4) by parent company Take-Two Interactive fit in?

Recent leaks have also suggested that Rockstar Games is creating a massive open-world for GTA 6 much like the last installment. Hence, Vice City will not be the only location for players to roam around. Liberty City was another location churned out by rumor mills in the past, which makes sense since the location made an appearance in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. In addition, a fan-theory also suggested the storyline of GTA 6 to be involving the east coast, which is where Liberty City lies on the map. Point being that the eastern part of the San Andreas will probably account for majority of the open-world in GTA 6.

As for Los Santos, the location lies south of San Andreas and on the opposite far-end to Vice City. The latest trademark filing might mean that Rockstar Games is looking to include some portion of Los Santos in GTA 6. Perhaps for the new GTA Online component? As a post-release single-player expansion pack? Only time will tell. Based on ambitions alone, GTA 5 was huge and GTA 6, accounting for next-generation possibilities, might just raise the bar higher. Hence, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Rockstar Games feature such an expansive open-world in GTA 6 that covers both the eastern and western parts of the GTA map.

Back in December 2018, an anonymous third-party developer from Europe claimed that GTA 6 will be releasing on PlayStation 5 during the holiday season of 2020. The same leak also suggested that Sony has struck a deal with Rockstar Games to keep GTA 6 exclusive to its new-generation console for an entire month. In addition, the setting will be either Miami or New York.

There was obviously no way to confirm the claims back then. What happened was that the same leak also included information about PlayStation 5, most of which Sony officially confirmed down the road. Hence, giving credibility to the leak.