Grand Theft Auto 5 Weapon and Vehicle Customization

Earlier today, Rockstar Games provided us with an almost 5-minute look at Grand Theft Auto 5 in action. For the first time, players could get a real sense of how the game will actually play.

However, with so much to cover in only a short amount of time, the Grand Theft Auto 5 gameplay trailer left a lot to the imagination. Customization for example, was briefly teased, but not outright detailed.

Thankfully Lead Mission Designer Imran Sarwar was on hand to answer a few post-trailer questions as they pertain to customization. Specifically, Sarwar provided additional information as to how players will be able to customize their weapons and vehicles in Grand Theft Auto 5.

For starters, Pay & Spray is no more, replaced by a store called LS Customs (the LS stands for Los Santos, GTA 5's Southern California inspired locale). LS Customs will be players' one-stop shop around Los Santos where they can customize anything and everything under and above the hood. Some missions will require vehicle customization, but players stop by LS Customs anytime they like.

Customization won't just be about new paint jobs or body modifications either; players will be able to fine-tune their car or bike's performance on the road. All told, Grand Theft Auto 5 offers more than 1,000 car modifications.

"In addition to the many cosmetic customization alterations such as body kits, paint jobs/finishes, wheels, exhaust tips, window tints, tire smoke color, bull-bars, extra lights, and lots of other extra accessories, we have modifications that will affect gameplay and vehicle performance. Some of the modifications that affect gameplay include brakes, engine tuning, suspension, horns, bulletproof tires, panel armor, and of course, a general repair! There are more than 1,000 modifications in total. And when you're done customizing your car, you can take a picture of it using the in-game cell phone and upload them to the Social Club."

On the weapon front, Grand Theft Auto 5 will offer players dozens of different customization options like larger ammo clips, grips to improve accuracy, weapon skins, flashlights, scopes, and suppressors. Sarwar says these new weapon mods are "all part of broadening the range of tactical options for the player." In other words, how a player customizes their weapon will determine how they approach combat encounters.

With so many customization options at players' fingertips, it's hard to imagine one Grand Theft Auto 5 experience will be the same as the next. Not only with players be able to customize their weapons and vehicles, but also they will be able to switch between one of the game's three main characters on the fly.

And although Rockstar is not ready to talk about it just yet, we wouldn't be surprised if the type of customization options available in the single player are taken to even greater heights in the multiplayer. But as the new trailer explains, Rockstar isn't ready to talk about Grand Theft Auto Online just yet.

What do you think of the customization options available in Grand Theft Auto 5? How do you plan to use them to customize your experience?

Grand Theft Auto 5 releases September 17, 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

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Source: Game Informer