The short version
- The Keys are a chain of small islands linked by bridges, south of the Leonida mainland.
- Rockstar describes the waters as 'beautiful and dangerous'.
- Jason's backstory places him in the Keys working for local drug runners.
- Water traversal - Boats and diving - Is central to the region.
The Leonida Keys are the game's tropical south: small islands connected by bridges over shallow turquoise water, mapped directly onto the real Florida Keys.
They matter more than a scenic region normally would, because Jason's backstory is set there. Whatever the Keys are for in the story, the game establishes them as the place one of its protagonists comes from.
Leonida Keys official screenshot set
All six images Rockstar files under the Leonida Keys, with the publisher's location grouping preserved.
Filed by Rockstar under the Leonida Keys location group.
Official profile
Filed by Rockstar under the Leonida Keys location group.
Official profile
Filed by Rockstar under the Leonida Keys location group.
Official profile
Filed by Rockstar under the Leonida Keys location group.
Official profile
Filed by Rockstar under the Leonida Keys location group.
Official profile
Filed by Rockstar under the Leonida Keys location group.
Official profileThe geography
The Keys run as a chain, not a landmass. Small islands, long bridges, open water between them.
The road is a corridor
Each connection is a single span over water. There is no way around.
The water, not the road, is the open ground here.
That inverts how GTA regions usually work
On a mainland map the road network is freedom and the water is a boundary.
In the Keys the road is a chokepoint, which has obvious consequences for police pursuits and for smuggling.
What the Keys appear to be for
Read from footage and from Jason's stated background.
- Boat traversal as a primary movement mode, not a novelty
- Scuba diving, which is a confirmed activity
- Smuggling routes - The region's real-world reputation and Jason's stated work
- A visual counterweight to Vice City's density
- Fishing, confirmed as a returning activity
'Beautiful and dangerous'
Rockstar's own framing pairs the postcard with a threat. The series has always used tourist imagery ironically.
What it probably means in practice
The water is not a safe zone. Currents, wildlife, distance from help.
And whoever else is using the same routes.
A tension the series has not had
GTA V's ocean was scenery with a submarine in it.
A game where a protagonist's history is in the water needs the water to be a place. Our Jason profile covers that history.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Leonida Keys?
A chain of small islands south of the Leonida mainland, connected by bridges, based on the real Florida Keys.
Is Jason from the Keys?
His background places him working for local drug runners in the Keys after leaving the Army.
Can you scuba dive in the Keys?
Scuba diving is a confirmed activity in GTA VI, and the Keys are the region built around water.
How many islands are in the Leonida Keys?
Rockstar has not said.
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