There’s no shortage of Grand Theft Auto 6 conspiracy theories on the internet, but one of the strangest in recent memory involves an increasingly popular rumor that suggests the sequel will take place in Virginia.
While we’ve previously discussed rumors regarding possible Grand Theft Auto 6 locations, those rumors focused on major fictional/real cities such as Vice City and London. This is the first time we’ve heard that Virginia could be a location candidate. To be honest, it’s the kind of rumor that we would usually treat as nothing more than wild internet speculation fuelled by people’s desires to play a new GTA game.
Here’s the crazy thing, though. The rumor that GTA 6 could take place in Virginia isn’t based on wild internet speculation but rather this GTA Online trailer released by Rockstar:
GTA‘s eagle-eyed fans quickly noticed that the teaser above features a strange series of numbers that felt suspiciously prominent despite not playing a major role in the footage itself. At some point, someone realized that they looked a lot like GPS coordinates. So, they went to Google Maps and typed those coordinates in. This is what they found:
That’s a photo of a seemingly insignificant dirt road in Virginia that so happens to kind of, sort of look like the Roman numeral “VI.” Well…at least it does if you look at it from a specific angle and squint your eyes a bit.
Those are the facts that are available so far. While we don’t know what they actually mean yet (and we may never really know what they mean) fans have already formed several theories regarding the possible significance of this revelation. To help try to make sense of this whole thing, let’s look at some of the top conspiracy theories that have emerged so far.
GTA 6 Virginia Conspiracy 1: GTA 6 Will Take Place in Virginia
To be entirely honest, this conspiracy theory is by far the least likely to be true.
It’s not impossible that GTA 6 will take place in Virginia, but given Rockstar’s fondness for major urban areas in GTA games, it would be wild to learn that one of the most anticipated games of all-time will suddenly take the series to a much more rural environment.
Besides, does anyone honestly believe that Rockstar would just so blatantly tease GTA 6‘s location through some hidden text in a GTA Online teaser trailer?
GTA 6 Virginia Conspiracy 2: This is All a Coincidence
While I highly doubt that Rockstar would reveal GTA 6‘s location through a random photo of a dirt road, it feels equally unlikely that this whole thing is a simple coincidence.
It’s difficult to believe that a GTA Online artist or some kind of algorithm would generate a random series of numbers that double as GPS coordinates that point towards a road that could so easily be interpreted as the number “VI.”
I’m certainly not in full “Wake up sheeple!” mode about this whole thing, but it just makes sense that this move was designed to communicate something.
GTA 6 Virginia Conspiracy 3: The Real GTA 6 Hint Can be Found in The GTA Online Update
While much of the discussion surrounding that trailer is focused on the GPS coordinates, it feels noteworthy that the trailer itself is a teaser for a GTA Online update that will expand the mode’s map.
Could it be possible that the update is somehow meant to tease something related to GTA VI? The map expansion itself appears to just be a small island designed specifically for the purposes of a new heist, so it doesn’t feel like that new area would be substantial enough to support an entire sequel. Maybe there’s some kind of thematic connection that’s yet to be revealed? Maybe there’s another Easter egg somewhere on the island?
This definitely leans more into the pure conspiracy area, but it’s also not unreasonable to suggest that any significant new GTA content from Rockstar could hint at what’s next.
GTA 6 Virginia Conspiracy 4: This is All Just an Easter Egg
As disheartening as this will be to the millions of people waiting for any information related to GTA 6, the fact of the matter is that the most likely possibility is that this whole thing is nothing more than a joke.
If you don’t buy into the idea that this is all just a coincidence, then you have to consider the most realistic alternatives. Among those alternatives, the simplest explanation is that someone decided to subtly sneak a road that kind of looks like a “VI” into the latest GTA Online trailer. There are very few gaps in the logic required to buy into that possibility.
As for why Rockstar would choose a country road located somewhere in Virginia…well, there is this famous song that has become something of a meme following its appearance in a Fallout 4 trailer: