Certain single drives come to define GTA games - San Andreas' cable car ascent, the desert highway stretch in GTA V, the subways of IV. The bridge route from Vice City all the way out across the island chain looks poised to be this game's contender for most iconic drive.
This page concentrates on the trip itself - the drive - and not so much on what's at the destination (the islands). For the islands themselves, see the Florida Keys map page and the comparison with the real Keys.
The route in Trailer 2
Wide shots in Trailer 2 frame the bridges from above. There is a road starting at the south end of Vice City, travelling out over water, skipping across small islands, bridging longer expanses of water with long bridges, and finally connecting into the chain. The visual coding points to the real Florida Keys - particularly the Seven Mile Bridge stretch and the smaller bridges around it.
Driving shots in the same trailer depict the road from the driver's perspective - water stretching out on both sides, islands visible in the distance, one road cutting through the centre of the frame. It's one of the most distinctive moments in either GTA 6 trailer.
What the real Keys route is
The real US Highway 1 goes from Miami south through the Florida Keys to Key West - 113 miles of bridges and tiny islands. It is considered one of North America's most-driven scenic routes. The Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon is the most famous part.
Rockstar won't recreate 113 miles. They never recreate actual distances. What they seem to be trying to capture is the essence - a long, exposed drive over open water, with nothing but road underfoot for long stretches. You can get that feeling across with far less mileage in-game.
What the route is likely to feel like to drive
It's an open drive - slow at first while leaving Vice City, then a brisk, steady pace over the bridges. You'll have plenty of visibility for miles. Traffic is light. Weather will play a factor on this road in a way it won't elsewhere on the map - the storm shots in Trailer 2 suggest dynamic weather. Driving across an open bridge through a storm is an entirely different experience from driving through one in the city.
Audio will matter as well. Just looking at them, the trailer's bridge frames are visibly quieter than the city frames. Empty road, the sound of water below you, distant boats - a completely different soundscape from the city's traffic and pedestrians.
What the route is likely to be used for
Editorial speculation. Story missions tying into the islands. Side activities with a smuggling or trafficking theme. Leisure driving - the best single 'cruise' route the map has to offer. Set pieces catering to streamers. Photo mode. Maybe even a marathon-style run on first launch.
What the route is unlikely to be: a main commuter route. More of the game map lies north of the islands than south of them, and the islands are likely a destination rather than a transit point.
What we don't know yet
Total length of the drive. How many islands does the route cross? Are the bridges broken up by tolls or checkpoints? Real-Keys analogues for the named islands along the route (Key Largo, Marathon, Key West). Does the route go beyond the southernmost island into open water, with boats only?
The Keys cluster is one of the lesser-talked-about areas of the map throughout pre-launch discussions. We suspect it will pleasantly surprise many players upon launch.