If the State of Leonida is GTA 6's answer to Florida, then the Leonida Keys are its answer to the Florida Keys — a string of tropical islands trailing off the southern tip of the mainland into warm, shallow water. Confirmed as one of GTA 6's six major regions, the Leonida Keys represent something relatively new for the Grand Theft Auto series: an island chain with its own distinct culture, geography, and presumably its own criminal ecosystem.
What Are the Leonida Keys?
The Leonida Keys is one of six officially confirmed regions in GTA 6's State of Leonida. The other five are Vice City, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia, and Mount Kalaga National Park. The Keys sit south of the main Leonida landmass, mirroring the real-world geography of the Florida Keys, which extend southwest from the tip of the Florida peninsula.
The region's name is a direct analog to its real-world inspiration. Just as the Florida Keys are a chain of small coral islands connected by the Overseas Highway, the Leonida Keys will presumably feature a series of small islands — some developed, some wild — linked by bridges or accessible by boat.
What the Florida Keys Tell Us About Leonida Keys
Rockstar has built Leonida specifically as a fictional version of Florida, and the state's analogies to real geography have been precise enough that the real Florida Keys are a useful guide to what Leonida Keys might contain — while being careful to note that specifics beyond what Rockstar has confirmed are speculation.
The real Florida Keys include:
- Key Largo — the first and most developed of the upper keys
- Islamorada — a sport-fishing and diving destination with upscale restaurants
- Marathon — a mid-keys hub with a small airport
- Key West — the famous southernmost city, heavy on tourism, bars, and a bohemian identity
Leonida Keys almost certainly draws on this geography and culture without copying it directly. Expect a mix of tourist-facing development (marinas, resorts, dive shops) and the wilder, low-key fishing-camp atmosphere of the less-developed islands. Whether specific named communities within the Keys have been confirmed by Rockstar is a different question — as of this writing, the region name is confirmed, but individual town names within it are not officially confirmed.
Why the Keys Matter for Gameplay
Island chains are interesting in open-world games because they create natural chokepoints and defined territories. Bridges become strategic. Boats stop being optional. The water itself becomes a navigable environment rather than an obstacle.
For a game that has already confirmed a massive overall map and 700+ enterable interiors, the Leonida Keys likely serve as a change of pace — a region where the density of Vice City gives way to something more open, more water-adjacent, and more reliant on watercraft and small aircraft. If Rockstar follows the logic of their own world-building, the Keys probably harbor a distinct criminal operation: smuggling by sea, drug running through isolated island airstrips, or the kind of offshore financial crime that thrives in tourist-heavy island communities.
Trailer 2, released May 6, 2025, and watched more than 475 million times in 24 hours, showed enough water-adjacent activity and boat sequences to suggest that maritime gameplay is a first-class citizen in GTA 6. The Leonida Keys would be the natural home of that content.
The Leonida Keys and GTA 6's Protagonists
Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval — the confirmed Bonnie & Clyde-inspired protagonists of GTA 6 — are a criminal couple operating across Leonida. The Keys, as a region with natural geographic isolation and a culture of looking the other way on certain activities, would be a natural hunting ground for the kind of score-based, get-in-get-out criminal operations that define the GTA mission structure.
Whether the Keys serve as a major story location or primarily a side-mission and exploration area isn't confirmed. But given that Rockstar has committed to six full regions, each presumably with mission content, it's reasonable to expect the Keys to feature in the story — label that expectation as reasonable inference, not confirmed fact.
Getting to the Leonida Keys
In the real Florida, you drive the Overseas Highway — a 113-mile stretch of US-1 that hops from island to island across a series of bridges, including the famous Seven Mile Bridge. In GTA 6, the equivalent route is unconfirmed in its specifics, but a similar bridge system is the obvious choice given the real-world inspiration.
Players will also presumably be able to reach the Keys by boat or small plane, adding transport variety and opening up smuggling route mechanics. Again, this is informed speculation based on game logic and real-world geography — not a confirmed Rockstar statement.
How the Keys Fit Into the Broader Leonida Map
The Leonida Keys anchor the southern extreme of the GTA 6 map. To the north lies Vice City. Further north and west are the rural and wilderness regions — Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, and Mount Kalaga National Park. This north-south range gives Leonida a geographic logic that matches Florida: the dense urban center in the middle, the island resort culture to the south, and the swamps and wilderness spreading northward.
For more on the full regional breakdown, see GTA 6 Map: A Full Guide to the State of Leonida and GTA 6 Regions: Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, and Ambrosia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Leonida Keys based on the Florida Keys?
Yes — the Leonida Keys are GTA 6's fictional equivalent of the Florida Keys, just as Leonida as a whole is modeled on Florida. Specific named communities within the Keys haven't been officially confirmed by Rockstar.
Can you reach the Leonida Keys by boat in GTA 6?
Rockstar hasn't confirmed the specific travel mechanics, but given the island setting and trailer footage showing extensive water activity, boat travel to the Keys is widely expected. This is inference, not a confirmed fact.
How big are the Leonida Keys?
No official size measurement for the Leonida Keys region has been released. As part of the overall GTA 6 map — roughly 2.4–2.7× the size of GTA 5 — the Keys occupy a portion of that total, but exact dimensions are unconfirmed.
Is Key West in GTA 6?
Key West is not in GTA 6 — GTA 6 is set in a fictional state. However, a Key West-inspired settlement may exist within the Leonida Keys. Rockstar has not confirmed any specific community names within this region.
The Bottom Line
The Leonida Keys is a confirmed GTA 6 region and one of the most distinctive on the map — a tropical island chain that sits at the southern edge of Leonida and brings maritime culture, island geography, and a distinct vibe to a game already bursting with variety. Specific details about individual islands and town names within the Keys remain unconfirmed, but the region's existence and Florida Keys inspiration are solid. Expect it to be a highlight of the November 19, 2026 experience.