Food & Drink
Wish List: What if GTA VI Were Set in Seattle?
Why our city is a grand location for the next installment of the popular video game franchise
By Heath Loshbaugh November 17, 2014
Wish List is our new series highlighting things that would be better if they were here.
A little more than a year after Grand Theft Auto 5 was released, it’s being ported over to the next generation of consoles on November 18. (PC gamers have to wait until January 27, 2015.) Rockstar Games, GTA’s maker, announced the release dates along with a whole host of technical and visual upgrades as well as new weapons, vehicles and loads of new songs.
And even though rumors that GTA VI is in production and will return to Vice City, its unconfirmed July 2017 release begs the question: Why not set it in Seattle?
The current map for GTA 5 is 100 square miles, so Seattle’s 142 square miles isn’t too much of a stretch. We’d start at Ballard and run across to the U District, then south to SoDo.
No GTA experience would be complete without including outlying neighborhoods, so we’re adding West Seattle, Mercer Island and Bellevue. With biking lanes throughout, natch.
Yes, this is all wild speculation, but it makes sense as there are a number of similarities to GTA 5 like ports, airfields, and budding (sorry) recreational marijuana shops in these areas. Plus the more upscale or up-and-coming neighborhoods like South Lake Union.
But on the other hand, would we want Trevor unleashed on the Emerald City? Something to ponder while we wait.