Why Leonida's outdoors matter
The September 2026 Game Informer wildlife report and weather report relay details from the magazine's exclusive Rockstar coverage. The figures and systems below are attributed to Game Informer's reporting on Rockstar's comments, rather than to a new standalone Rockstar.com feature list.
More than 170 animal species
Game Informer reports that Leonida will contain over 170 animal species across land, air and sea. Its examples include flamingos, manatees, pelicans and alligators, as well as green iguanas, cane toads, feral cats and rhesus macaques. The report describes visual detail such as different feather, hair and fur treatments, alongside iridescence, bioluminescence and translucency.
The article also says certain animals can be tracked in categories called Rare, Discoverable and Legendary. That does not imply every species has a tracking challenge or that these categories correspond to a fixed number of collectibles. Game Informer says the identities of harder-to-find creatures remain undisclosed.
Rain that belongs to a place
In its weather report, Game Informer describes dynamic clouds and localized storms: a player may be in sunshine while rain falls in the distance. It says puddles and other wet surfaces remain visible after a storm has passed, and rainbows may appear with suitable light. This is stronger evidence for regional weather and persistent visual effects than a single rainy trailer shot would provide.
Game Informer also reports tropical storms and hurricanes in Leonida. Their frequency, duration, effect on travel, missions or the story has not been disclosed. No specific damage model or evacuation mechanic should be inferred from the word “hurricane.”
Places to explore, without invented pins
The Leonida Keys, Grassrivers and Vice City show the range of environments already introduced by Rockstar. Game Informer's animal count and storm reporting apply to the wider state. They do not provide verified spawn coordinates, rare-animal routes or storm locations for our map.
Open questions before release
- Which species are in each tracking category, and how their tracking works.
- How weather changes driving, visibility, NPC behavior or missions, if at all.
- How often larger storms appear and whether they are scripted or dynamic.
- Exact animal locations and seasonal conditions.