I live in NYC but other than a momentary 'Oh hey I worked there, oh hey I walk here', it felt flat. Especially since I didn't give one shit for Nico or his antics, or, in GTA V, for any of the main three. Trevor belongs six feet under. Michael needs a bullet in the balls and Franklin a slap to the fucking face from someone he cares about.
I would prefer something more like GTA:O when it comes to games like this. Your own character making their own way, a barebone plot, nothing too fancy. Nico taking in his old buds and the main three taking on that weird merc-corp guy didn't do it for me.
Give me GTA6 in a new, huge-as-fuck Liberty City with some few plotpaths and customizable-as-hell characters and I'll be happy with that.
I refuse to play GTA: V online, but from watching some YouTube videos about it, it does look interesting. Like, you create a character that legit goes through a bunch of shit. It seems fun... but I don't know how far I'd get if I refuse to purchase any of that pay to win shit.
If you go with friends it can be fun but you need to spend money to make money. The most fun content for coop are casino and cayo perico heists, both require spending $ on properties to plan those gigs (it makes no sense I know). Other than that you also need $ for PvP equipment like Nightshark, Oppressor Mk2 and Hydra. For a solo player GTA: Online is a boring experience - but it was designed for interactons with other people so you can still enjoy single-player experience without Sci-Fi bikes blowing you up every time you drive near Eclipse Towers.
I think GTA VI will be or should be a hybrid multiplayer game. Story mode should allow you to play solo or in coop with friends/randoms and have invasion mechanics for different activities similiar to Dark Souls. The game should also have dynamic activities / zones for PvP, like for this week this district and those activities is full-on PvP, don't go there / do those if you do not have proper character.