Titles from Rockstar Games like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 are renowned for their realism. To that end, fans are constantly discovering new details in-game even years after the games are released. Now, in a bit of an inverse situation, one fan has found an odd real-life location that is likely the inspiration for one of Grand Theft Auto 5's major in-game spots.
While driving through Mecca, California, one fan spotted an all too familiar-looking liquor store. In fact, the Redditor had come across the real-life inspiration for the infamous Liquor Ace, a run-down shop where one of GTA 5's main protagonists, the ever-quotable Trevor Philips, ran a meth lab.
While the store frontage appears slightly different from the Liquor Ace's in-game facade, the sign that hails drivers is nearly identical. The in-game sign and its real-life equivalent have identical bright yellow "liquor" and "grocery" advertisements. There's also the obvious aesthetic shared between the in-game desert-like Blaine County and the real-life Colorado Desert where Mecca, California is located. In a game full of neat Easter eggs and details, such as the dog that visits its owner's grave everyday, it should come as no surprise to see the inspiration for Liquor Ace, but what is perhaps surprising is just how alike the two locations are.
In the comments, many Californians revealed the depth of parallels between that region of California and its in-game equivalents. The Liquor Ace is not the only in-game location to draw heavy inspiration from that area of California. For example, the Silent Probe Mountain, the central location in the "Beam Me Up" mission is an obvious nod to Salvation Mountain, a real-life location that sits less than an hour's drive from Mecca, California. In fact, the entire Sandy Shores and Blaine County region is loosely based on the Salton Sea area in Southern California.
If fans felt inclined to take a look at the area, one commenter suggested googling "Historic North Shore Service Station California." The real-life version of the Liquor Ace is just up the road from where Google Maps drops viewers off. Obviously, the Liquor Ace is far from the only real-life inspired location in GTA 5, but it's among the most niche and unexpected. While most of the major locations in GTA 5 draw some inspiration from actual places, the Liquor Ace is truly just a dilapidated gas station in the middle of a desert.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development.