Swimming

The ability for GTA protagonists to swim in deep bodies of water was introduced in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and has since been seen in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, and Grand Theft Auto V.

Player interaction with water prior to GTA San Andreas
Prior to GTA San Andreas, bodies of water were little more than lethal obstacles which acted as boundaries to prevent players from reaching locked areas. In Grand Theft Auto 1 and Grand Theft Auto 2, the player is instantaneously wasted when they fall into water, regardless of whether or not they are in a vehicle. Although this only applies to water they have fallen into from a height, water the player enters that is on their level allows them to paddle for a couple of seconds which will drown them eventually if they don't get back out again. (In GTA 1).



In Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, falling or wading into deep water is still potentially lethal, as the protagonist will rapidly lose health if they wade more than chest-deep into water. There are boats in both games though, making the water now cruisable.

GTA: San Andreas debuted swimming as an ability. However, its contemporary, Grand Theft Auto Advance and the subsequent Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories does not allow swimming (with exposure to water in LCS being once again near-instantly lethal). GTA Liberty City Stories is the last game of the series thus far to disallow swimming.

GTA San Andreas
In GTA San Andreas, the player can float (in a water treading position), and swim in any deep body of water using directional controls. The player can perform a breaststroke to swim at a slow pace; holding the sprinting key or button allows the player to perform a faster front crawl. Tapping the sprint key or button rapidly adds slightly more speed.

The player can dive underwater by using the "fire" key or button while in water. This allows the player to swim deep underwater using directional controls; the sprint key or button gives the player forward movement.

Whenever the player enters water, a blue bar denoting the player's oxygen appears on the game's HUD, beneath the Health and Armor bars. When underwater or in a sinking vehicle, the bar will gradually empty; when exhausted, the player's health will be reduced instead, leading to eventual drowning. The oxygen bar is replenished by returning to the surface of the water. The player's lung capacity determines how long the player can stay underwater, and is improved both by continuously diving and by collecting Oysters. The player can tread water and swim on the surface of the water indefinitely.

Diving allows the player to sneak past guards undetected in some missions, and can be used to explore the waters of San Andreas, revealing other secrets. In addition, the ability to swim allows the player to enter locked regions before they officially open, leading to a four-star wanted level in the process.

To date, GTA San Andreas still possesses the most sophisticated swimming system in the series.

GTA: Vice City Stories - GTA: Chinatown Wars
Following GTA San Andreas, four games have employed a swimming feature, but all employ simplified versions of GTA San Andreas' game mechanics, with the diving element absent.

While GTA Vice City Stories allows the player to swim, it only permits swimming for a limited amount of time, determined by a "stamina" bar which decreases as the player remains in the water. When the bar runs out, the player's health decreases, followed by drowning. This is to prevent the player from swimming across to still-locked areas. The player, however, can give the main character infinite stamina by beating the "Beach Patrol" side mission (by which time all regions of Vice City have been unlocked anyway).

In GTA IV and GTA Chinatown Wars, the player may stay in the water for as long as they please during multiplayer sessions in GTA IV; however, the player will begin to lose health after a certain amount of time in the water. Also in GTA IV, the player cannot swim underwater. The player can swim between the islands in lieu of using bridges, though attempting to access locked areas prematurely results in a 6 star wanted level.

Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V will include an improvement in the diving feature introduced in GTA: San Andreas. The game includes a form of underworld diving known as scuba diving, which includes a full set of scuba gear, as well as a much more detailed oceanic environment. The player is able to dive into the water from platforms. Players can now use a knife underwater. They can also lose their wanted level by swimming deeper into the water's depths. Another form of swimming in the game is competitive swimming, where the player can compete with other swimmers for 1st place in a race.

Missions involving swimming

 * GTA San Andreas
 * Pier 69
 * Amphibious Assault
 * The Da Nang Thang
 * Vertical Bird
 * Beat the Cock! (two optional side missions)


 * GTA Vice City Stories
 * Soldier


 * Grand Theft Auto IV
 * Waste Not Want Knots
 * A Revenger's Tragedy (Deal ending)


 * GTA Chinatown Wars
 * Yu Jian


 * Grand Theft Auto V
 * TBA