Game Informer's GTA VI cover story details Leonida's weather, wildlife and side activities

Game Informer published its Grand Theft Auto VI cover story on September 29, 2026. The 14-page feature in issue 382 draws on interviews with several of Rockstar's lead designers and runs a dozen new screenshots, according to the magazine's cover reveal.

Most of the feature is for Game Informer subscribers only. Leonidle did not get around that paywall, so the details below come from the part of the story the magazine made public and from other outlets' summaries, and each is credited to where we found it.

What it means for players

The launch plan is unchanged: GTA VI is still due on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. What the story adds is the most detailed picture so far of how Leonida behaves outside of missions, from weather that differs from one area to the next to the animals that share the map with you. It also names a long list of side activities. For the practical launch-day questions, see the launch FAQ.

What Game Informer set out to cover

In the September 25 reveal, Game Informer said the story looks at how Rockstar built Leonida, its version of Florida, and Vice City within it. It named four threads: weather systems modeled on the stormier side of Florida's climate, wildlife on land, at sea and in the air, the research Rockstar did into Miami and the wider state to get the culture and look right, and the view of writer Marcus Stewart, who is from South Florida. The cover, showing Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, is original artwork from Rockstar.

The feature itself opens with Stewart's essay on Florida before the paywall begins. The only game detail in that free section is a screenshot caption saying the game's NPCs have more varied body types and distinct physical features.

Push Square pointed out that fans had expected a GTA VI cover earlier in the year, when Game Informer featured a different game instead.

Weather

Gfinity's rundown of the feature says Leonida's weather is localized and persistent, with a dynamic cloud system whose skies run from clear to stormy, and that hurricanes and tropical storms are in the game. Nothing we read says how often the big storms arrive or whether they affect missions.

Wildlife

Gfinity puts the number of animal species in Leonida at more than 170, among them 60 kinds of bird and 30 land mammals, and presents that figure as reported rather than stated. Treat it the same way: we have not seen Rockstar give the number directly. The same summary names alligators, flamingos, manatees and pelicans, plus sea life such as sharks, whales, stingrays, turtles and jellyfish.

The people of Leonida

Besides Game Informer's caption about body types, Gfinity quotes Rockstar as paying close attention to "culturally correct tattoo styles that fit Leonida's diverse communities and regions." That is the only direct Rockstar line we could check. None of the public material names the designers who spoke to the magazine.

Regions and activities

Gfinity's rundown also lists Leonida's six regions, though it does not say they come from Game Informer. In alphabetical order they are Ambrosia, Grassrivers, Leonida Keys, Mount Kalaga National Park, Port Gellhorn and Vice City. Vice City draws on Miami, and Grassrivers is Leonida's answer to the Everglades.

On activities, the summary mentions kayaking, jet skiing, scuba diving and airboating; street and off-road racing; base jumping; and quieter pastimes such as billiards, mini golf, the gym and a day at the zoo. Gfinity notes that a few of these had already been hinted at in trailers or in Rockstar's Extended Look video in August.

Game Informer says print copies reach subscribers and newsstands in the coming weeks. Our timeline places the feature alongside Rockstar's other reveals this year.