Grand Theft Auto 5 was released in 2013 and remains the definitive Grand Theft Auto experience. Rockstar Games learns something new from each title, which is why fans eagerly await the potential of Grand Theft Auto 6, considering by the time it will release, it would have been well over ten years since Grand Theft Auto 5.
There are plenty of things that GTA 5 does better than other Rockstar titles, including their western franchise, Red Dead. The iconic return to San Andreas bolsters great features, characters, and missions to make the player experience still fun over 9 years later.
9 Weapon Wheel
As a satire of modern America, GTA 5 is home to guns and more guns. This can range from a broken bottle to a minigun. All these weapons can be purchased from Ammu-Nation, the gun store chain across Los Santos. The Online mode of GTA 5 features even more weapons, with the likes of alien blaster rifles.
Having an abundance of weaponry can be no easy task, especially when players are in a situation where they’re fishing through their inventory to try and find a viable weapon to use. Luckily for GTA 5 players, time slows down when the weapon wheel is open, allowing for players to easily access a different weapon before returning gunfire.
8 Three Protagonists
Grand Theft Auto 5 is the first Rockstar title to feature not just one protagonist, but three of them. The game does a great job of managing the stories and desires of three central characters. As the player continues through GTA 5, they’ll be juggling the separate and joint missions of Franklin, Michael, and Trevor.
The inclusion of three protagonists was a gamble that paid off in GTA 5. It adds more content and a variety of choices, including different endings. Each protagonist also has their special ability and skill set.
7 Vehicle Variety
A Grand Theft Auto game wouldn’t mean much without the ability to steal cars. It’s never been easier than in GTA 5, in which players just have to simply walk up to a car, smash the window or pull the driver out of the driving seat. There are many cars on the streets of Los Santos, some low-end and some high-end.
Not only can the player steal some great-looking cars, and upgrade them to their specifications, but players can also purchase vehicles on the many websites on the character’s phone. These vehicles range from planes, helicopters, cars, motorcycles, and even bicycles. There’s a wide variety of fast cars, powerful cars, and even dangerous jets.
6 The Mysteries
Rockstar Games always include a wild cast of colorful characters. These characters can be the definition of crazy, and can often be found as specific characters around Los Santos. These are often known as Stranger Missions and can include great mysteries such as Franklin and a talking dog, or even something silly with Michael's dysfunctional family.
There’s a bounty of mysteries in GTA 5. At certain times, at certain locations, players can find UFOs that hover or underwater bunkers that will kill them if they get too close. There’s even a ghost mystery that Franklin can solve. It’s wild and perfect for GTA’s satirical world.
5 Abundance Of Music
No car ride is more boring than a lack of music. Whether that be from the AUX cord or the radio. Players can be on the road for a while in GTA 5, with the large open space in Sandy Shores, or stuck on the highway in Vinewood. The ability to listen to music is great, and GTA 5 has licensed some amazing tunes.
The songs in GTA 5 can range from some of the best classics in a multitude of genres. From Rock to Rap, there’s a station out there for everyone. Many songs will have the player banging their head to the beat, or waiting until the song finishes before leaving their car to start a mission. This is the benefit of having licensed music.
4 Recreation Of Los Angeles
It’s no secret that the city of Los Santos is a direct comparison to the city of Los Angeles in California. Los Santos is huge, and sprawling with architecture and interesting locations, much like its real-life counterpart. Many people to this day are still amazed by the similarities and attention to detail that the team at Rockstar Games could develop when building Los Santos.
From the replicated Hollywood sign, turned “Vinewood,” and to Vespucci Beach and its pier. There’s so much love and craft for the city of Los Santos, and when many see the compared pictures between the two cities, one fictional and one real, they are blown away.
3 Activities Galore
What makes GTA 5 so immersive isn’t just its great graphical capabilities, which still hold up almost ten years later. GTA 5’s charm is assisted by the many activities that the player can embark on. This doesn’t just include hijacking a military jet and going for a joyride in the sky, even if that is a great activity for the game.
Parachuting, tennis, golf, and marathons are just some of the many activities that players can experience in GTA 5. It makes the player feel free, in the ever-sunny city of Los Santos, and truly enjoy the high life, even if it’s experienced with a controller in hand.
2 Heisting
In all GTA games, players can rob and steal as much as they like to a criminal degree. However, GTA 5 features a mechanic that is entirely new to the franchise and one that many hope carries over in GTA 6. Trevor and Michael are retired heisters, who come back into the action for the events of GTA 5.
There’s a great deal of heist content in the story mode, and a wide variety of how to approach it. Players can choose what characters assist them on the heist. This depends on the cut the player is willing to play, as a smoother heist will require better professionals who want more pay. Heisting is a great feature for GTA 5, and hopefully the future of the franchise.
1 Online Mode
When GTA 5 revealed the upcoming online mode, GTA: Online, none could foresee just how big that mode would become. GTA: Online has surpassed GTA 5, thanks to the abundance of content like the constant stream of updates. Players can heist with friends, or make fun games and races for themselves and the many other players online. There is an abundance of things to do, and players will never experience a true game over.
GTA 5 has seen a long life, and part of that is thanks to GTA: Online, and how it continues to evolve itself even after almost a decade. The online mode for GTA 5 truly blows other modes out of the water, like Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s an open-world experience for all to enjoy.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.