There have been a ton of alleged leaks and rumors about the development of Grand Theft Auto 6, and the recent reveal of GTA Online's new heist sure looks to be poking some fun at some of the wilder theories out there. While nothing has been confirmed by Rockstar about the developmental status of Grand Theft Auto 6, the simple fact that it has been over seven years since GTA 5's release means most fans are sure something must be coming soon, and this assuredness has led to many, many ideas getting spread about GTA 6's location, its time period, and even what characters may or may not return.
While most (if not all) of this speculation has been categorized as such, there are always some people who want to trick others into believing something that isn't true just for the simple sadistic pleasure of causing confusion in a community. This is partly the reason why there are so many GTA 6 rumors about Vice City - people know it is something the fans have been asking for, and so when the lie is told it's easy for them to believe, since they already want it to be true. Nothing official has been confirmed about GTA 6, but the lack of concrete information has only made the amount of false information grow.
One of the most prevalent rumors about Grand Theft Auto 6 is called Project Americas, and it postulates that GTA 6 will be set in multiple locations, including the fan-favorite Vice City and "a new fictional location based on Rio de Janeiro." This proved to be a popular theory within the GTA community, and although it could still technically end up being true, it's very unlikely. However, GTA Online's new heist looks a lot like what that could have been.
GTAO's Cayo Perico Heist Looks Like A GTA 6 Rumor
Since the Project Americas rumor started, fans wondering about GTA 6's setting and timeline have tended to gravitate towards an island theme. This isn't just because of how Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's map was laid out, because nearly every 3D Grand Theft Auto title has been surrounded almost completely by water, but also because of rumored GTA 6 gameplay mechanics and plot elements, like drug-running and Columbian cartels. While it's unclear whether any of that will take place in GTA 6, they definitely have a spot in GTA Online thanks to the game's new Cayo Perico Heist.
The new heist in GTA Online takes place on a small island which is completely new to Grand Theft Auto 5's map, one which is owned by "the world's most notorious drug dealer." Rockstar calls the Cayo Perico Heist GTA Online's "biggest, most daring, and action-packed addition yet," which is a bold statement considering the company has been continually updating GTAO for over six years already. The fact that GTA Online continues to receive so much effort speaks to how popular and profitable of a game it is, but it seems like more and more often every new reveal from Rockstar is met with just as many fans asking for news about GTA 6 as there are people who are interested in GTA Online.
GTA Online's Cayo Perico Heist, with its island location and focus on drug-running, seems a lot like recent GTA 6 rumors. In fact, it is entirely possible (albeit unlikely) information or ideas about GTAO's new heist did leak out to the public, but was then mistaken for information about Grand Theft Auto 6 instead. Either way, it sure seems like a weird coincidence, but as 2020 nears a close and the only new Grand Theft Auto content continues to be GTA Online additions and current-gen remakes of GTA 5 once again, the Cayo Perico Heist may be the closest thing to Grand Theft Auto 6 fans are getting for a while.