Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V featured image

The GTA series returns to San Andreas and moves into the mean streets of Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto V. Also called GTA V, the game is the 15th entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise and the 5th game in the HD universe era.

The original version was released on September 17, 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. An "enhanced" version for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 was released on November 18, 2014, and later on for Windows PC on April 14, 2015. There is also an updated version for later generation consoles, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Plot and location

The game is set in the year 2013, with locations in the southern state of San Andreas, specifically in the countryside of Los Santos City and Blaine County, and tells the story of three main characters.

Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton and Trevor Phillips are three unique criminals that plan and execute daring and profitable heists in different key locations in Los Santos. Los Santos itself is based on the real world Los Angeles, California. Nine years after a botched robbery in the fictional North Yankton town of Ludendorf, former bank robber Michael Townley and his family relocate to Los Santos under a new identity, but he will eventually return to his criminal roots, setting up the rest of the GTA V storyline.

grand-theft-auto-v-GAMEPLAY

The events in the game tak place approximately five years after the events of Grand Theft Auto IV and eight years before the events of Grand Theft Auto Online's Contract Update patch.

Gameplay

Grand Theft Auto V is an action-adventure game played from a third or first person perspective. Players complete missions which linear scenarios with set objectives. Outside of missions, players can freely roam the open world, which includes the San Andreas countryside, the fictional Blaine County, and the city of Los Santos.

Overall, the playable area in GTA V is significantly larger than any prior standalone game in the franchise. But this larger area allowed the introduction of vehicles not present in prior GTA games, such as fixed wing aircraft, aside from the previously established methods of travel like running, jumping, and swimming as well as cars, trucks, and other land vehicles.

As per the standard for GTA games, players can choose to branch off from the main storyline, performing side quests and optional tasks. This will often lead to combat situations. Fortunately, players can fight in melee, employ firearms, or use explosives. There is an auto-aim and cover mechanic to help players land more hits or avoid getting shot, respectively.

If a player takes damage, they can gradually get healed up to half their health meter by avoiding further damage for a period of time. There are also health power ups and locations where the player can recover health faster. If health drops to zero, the player will respawn at a hospital location.

As is expected for a GTA game, committing crimes will lead to a Wanted status, with the severity indicated by the number of stars on the HUD. The higher the Wanted status, the more intense the law enforcement response becomes, to the point of alerting SWAT and having helicopters chase the player down.

Visuals and other features

Controls and functionality of GTA V vehicles have been greatly improved from how they work in previous installment. Rockstar Games has implemented more complex physics, which is noticeable when comparing regular cars with faster or more maneuverable models.

For instance, you can have some cars hug the ground or the road more effectively or the improved responsiveness when making turns for high-performance vehicles.

During the free-roaming instances, players can perform other activities, many of which are new to the GTA V game. Scuba diving, BASE Jumping, and even buying stocks through the in-game internet are available options. With enough cash accumulated, players can buy properties such as commercial businesses and garages. They can also upgrade their weapons and vehicles owned.

Customization in GTA V is also available for the characters through buying new clothes, getting haircuts, and having tattoos applied. However, modifying the body mass of the lead characters is not available, which is a marked difference from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Perhaps the biggest addition to GTA V is Grand Theft Auto Online, which is a standalone online multiplayer game. This was included for free for the retail version for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Release Date

Sep 17, 2013

Metacritic Score

92

Rating

Achievements Count

539

DLCs

3

Play Time

31.5 hours

Games in Series

9

ESRB

Mature 17+: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

System Requirements

Minimum:

  • CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs) / AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs) @ 2.5GHz
  • GPU: NVIDIA 9800 GT 1GB / AMD HD 4870 1GB (DX 10, 10.1, 11)
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • HDD: 72 GB

Recommended:

  • CPU: Intel Core i5 3470 @ 3.2GHz (4 CPUs) / AMD X8 FX-8350 @ 4GHz (8 CPUs)
  • GPU: NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB / AMD HD 7870 2GB
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • HDD: 72 GB

Interesting Facts

  • The game is played from either a third-person or first-person perspective, and its world is navigated on foot and by vehicle.
  • Optionally, players are also able to purchase access to Grand Theft Auto V as an add-on for the standalone versions of Grand Theft Auto Online.
  • Grand Theft Auto V has more vehicles than in any other Grand Theft Auto game to date.
  • GTA V has similar mission structures to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
  • GTA V is the third game in the series to start with a bank robbery.
  • Convertibles in GTA V can retract and deploy their soft top/hard top covers. This is a significant improvement compared to prior games where convertibles were stuck with the tops down.
  • GTA V is the first game in the series to feature in-game incidental music tracks during gameplay and not limited to cut scenes.
  • If a player controlling a protagonist finds one of the other protagonists, the A.I. will be controlling the latter. This can lead to the protagonist A.I. becoming suspicious and may knock out the player into a Wasted status.
  • The Wanted status has a max of 5 stars for the first time. Previously, the max is 6 stars.
  • If the player gets arrested (i.e. Busted), they keep their weapons but lose all their ammunition. In previous games, weapons are confiscated by the cops.
  • On that note, GTA V is the first game in the series (aside from Grand Theft Auto Advance) which allows the player to store all the weapons in their inventory.

Mod Support

Yes

Cheats support

Yes

Microtransactions

Yes

LGBTQ Inclusive

Yes

Virtual Reality Support

Yes

Number of maps

1

Third/First Person

First person and Third person

Platforms

PC PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox Series S Xbox Series X

Genres

ActionAction-AdventureDrivingModernThird-person shooter

Game Engine

RAGE

Protagonist sex

Male

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