Every major game in the Grand Theft Auto franchise has remained in the USA, with the series only going outside the country for GTA: London back in 1999. However, it has been revealed that Rockstar seriously considered creating another Grand Theft Auto game set outside the USA, this time in Japan.
The game would have been named Grand Theft Auto: Tokyo and was being considered for development around the same time that GTA 3 and Vice City were released. Take-Two Interactive, the company who owns Rockstar, filed trademarks for GTA: Tokyo back in December 2003, along with GTA: Bogota and GTA: Sin City.
Before each Grand Theft Auto game they develop, Rockstar conduct reference trips to the areas they are considering basing the game on so that they can take pictures, meet local people, and get a taste for the area to see if they can replicate it into the game.
Sources close to Rockstar told Techradar that one such reference trip was organised for Tokyo several years ago so that the studio could assess the Japanese capital to see if it had the potential to be a new setting for a Grand Theft Auto game. However, after visiting Japan and Tokyo, the company decided that ultimately the series would be best remaining in the USA.
One of the main reasons why Tokyo was eventually deemed not to be viable was partly down to the road system, as well as the branding of cars and companies. Moving the game to Tokyo would have meant Rockstar needed to come up with new brands of cars and company names, as well as figuring out how to adapt and change a number of other series staples which ultimately make Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto.
The source who revealed this information to Techradar went on to confirm that preliminary work has started on Grand Theft Auto VI, however no location has been decided yet for the game. Grand Theft Auto V released back in September 2013, over two years ago now, so it is likely we could see the next installment in the franchise within the next few years.
There were five years between the releases of GTA IV and GTA V, with there only being four years between GTA: San Andreas and GTA IV.