GamesRadar+: Rockstar told the NYT GTA 6's map is 3x Red Dead 2's, and Nelson's playthrough took 80 hours

Rockstar said GTA 6's map is three times the size of Red Dead Redemption 2's, GamesRadar+ reported on August 27, 2026, citing a paywalled New York Times write-up that accompanied Netflix's Extended Look. GamesRadar+ said it was the first time Rockstar had given a fairly definitive confirmation of the map's size.

The Times piece itself was not read for this story, so the claim rests on GamesRadar+'s summary of it. GamesRadar+ gave no figure in square miles or kilometres, and it did not say how the comparison was measured.

In a second article the same day, GamesRadar+ said Rob Nelson, co-studio head of Rockstar North, told the New York Times that he played through GTA 6 in February 2026 and that it took him 80 hours. According to GamesRadar+, the Times said that run covered the main story and "some optional goals with narrative ramifications". GamesRadar+ also quoted Nelson from the Times on everyday routines, such as opening the fridge and drinking a smoothie, which he said would "increase my health temporarily".

That is one developer's playthrough, not a promise about how long a typical player will need. GamesRadar+ itself noted that spending more time on side content would stretch it. Rockstar had not published an official length for the story.

The map claim was not the last word. On September 29, Video Games Chronicle reported from Game Informer that Rockstar's Aaron Garbut called Leonida the studio's biggest map, described as about twice GTA 5's. That is a different comparison from the August one, so the two should not be read as one measurement.