A new fan project has reimagined London and the South Coast through the lens of the Grand Theft Auto universe, transforming familiar regional landmarks into fictionalised “GTA-style” counterparts.
The digital map, titled ‘Trafalgar’, was created by YouTuber CityEd, who released a detailed 30-minute breakdown of the project on 28 September 2026. The work serves as a comprehensive “what if” scenario, exploring how the United Kingdom might look if it were adapted into a modern entry for the blockbuster gaming franchise.
For readers in West Sussex and the surrounding areas, the map extends beyond the capital to include a reimagined South Coast. Notably, Brighton has been renamed ‘Sunny Shore’ within the fictional world. Other regional adjustments include Southend-on-Sea being rebranded as ‘Eastsea’.
Within the central ‘Trafalgar’ area, the creator has applied the series’ tradition of satirical renaming to several well-known districts.
Historical context and GTA 6
While developer Rockstar Games is currently focused on the scheduled release of Grand Theft Auto 6 in late 2026, the series has not officially featured a UK setting in over 25 years. The last official foray into Britain was the 1999 expansion ‘GTA: London 1969’, which notably used real-world place names rather than the fictionalised conventions seen in later titles like Liberty City (New York) or Los Santos (Los Angeles).
The project also includes a second map page featuring a nationwide “GTA-ised” UK, providing fictional names for various towns and cities across the country. Fans can view the full design process and cultural context for these name changes in the creator’s explanatory video.
For those interested in exploring the details of the ‘Trafalgar’ and ‘Sunny Shore’ regions, a high-resolution PDF version of the map has been made available for free download via the creator’s Patreon page. The project has already generated significant discussion among gaming communities regarding naming conventions and how local landmarks might be adapted for a digital sandbox environment.