GTA 6 Cover Story Reveals Leonida’s 170+ Animal Species and a Twice-Sized Map

GTA 6 just got its deepest preview yet. Game Informer’s October cover story, published digitally on September 29, delivers a 14-page look at Leonida built on interviews with Rockstar’s lead designers, confirming more than 170 animal species, dynamic hurricane weather, and a map roughly twice the size of GTA V’s.

The feature arrives alongside 12 new exclusive screenshots, with Grand Theft Auto VI still locked in for its November 19, 2026 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Leonida’s Wildlife Gets Its Biggest Reveal Yet

The headline detail is scale. Leonida is home to more than 170 animal species, including over 60 types of birds and roughly 30 land mammals, alongside a wide range of fish and reptiles. Confirmed creatures span manatees, flamingos, pelicans, alligators, multiple shark species, whales, rays, turtles, and jellyfish, drawn from Leonida’s native Florida-inspired ecosystem.

Rockstar isn’t stopping at native species either. Invasive and exotic animals round out the list, including green iguanas, cane toads, feral cats, and rhesus macaque monkeys, all reflecting real wildlife patterns found across Florida today.

Visually, the animals get the same level of detail Rockstar is putting into everything else in Leonida. Game Informer reports the wildlife features iridescence, bioluminescence, and translucency effects, alongside varied fur, feather, and hair systems depending on the species.

Rare Creatures and a Zoo Players Can Visit

Some animals will fall into special categories Rockstar is calling Rare, Discoverable, and Legendary, though the studio hasn’t detailed exactly which creatures qualify or what finding them involves. It’s a clear evolution of the animal-tracking systems Rockstar built for Red Dead Redemption 2, now applied to a modern, urban-and-wetland setting instead.

Players will also be able to visit at least one zoo in Leonida, adding a dedicated wildlife-viewing activity alongside the open-world exploration. It joins a broader list of confirmed activities from the cover story, including gym workouts, billiards, kayaking, racing, and base jumping.

One screenshot from the feature shows protagonist Jason approaching a deer while carrying a rifle, hinting that hunting may return in some form, similar to mechanics seen in Rockstar’s past open-world titles.

Image: GameInformer

A Map Built Around Florida’s Real Ecosystem

Rockstar North co-studio head Aaron Garbut confirmed Leonida’s map is roughly twice the size of GTA V’s, with water playing a central role throughout. Rivers, wetlands, and the surrounding ocean are all built to support the game’s expanded wildlife population, alongside a dynamic, localized weather system that includes tropical storms and hurricanes.

According to Rockstar’s team, the goal was authenticity over spectacle. The developers researched Florida’s actual animal ecosystem to make sure Leonida’s wildlife fits naturally across its different biomes, from dense cities to open wetlands. For everything else confirmed about the setting so far, our GTA 6 map, characters, and everything confirmed hub tracks the rest of Game Informer’s reporting as more details emerge.

FAQ