 Rockstar overhauled their proprietary Rockstar Advanced Game Engine ( RAGE ) to increase its draw distance rendering capabilities . The game uses the Euphoria and Bullet engines for further animation and environment rendering tasks . The developers tried to use all of the potential power of both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 , having become familiar with the systems ' architectures over several years . The development team conducted extensive field research in Southern California while creating the game 's open world , set in and around Los Santos , a fictionalised depiction of Los Angeles . 
