Grand Theft Auto V

"Developed by series creator Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto V heads to the city of Los Santos and its surrounding hills, countryside and beaches in the largest and most ambitious game Rockstar has yet created."

- Rockstar Games



Grand Theft Auto V Main Theme (Oh No - "Welcome to Los Santos")



Grand Theft Auto V (also known as Grand Theft Auto Five, GTA 5 or GTA V) is a video game developed by Rockstar North. It is the fifteenth installment in the Grand Theft Auto series and the successor of Grand Theft Auto IV. The original edition was released on September 17th 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. An enhanced edition is scheduled to be released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 both on November 18th 2014,  then released for Microsoft Windows on January 27th 2015.

The original edition was announced on October 25th 2011, the game's first trailer was released on November 2nd 2011, at 4:00 PM GMT. The game was initially slated for a Spring 2013 release, but was pushed to September 17th the same year. Then, on July 15th 2013, Rockstar announced the Japanese release date for the game: October 10th 2013, almost a month after it was released in the West. The enhanced edition was announced on June 9th 2014, with pre-orders to be available on June 10.

Grand Theft Auto V is set circa 2013 in the city of Los Santos and the surrounding areas and tells the stories of three protagonists: Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton, and Trevor Philips. It takes place about five years after the events of Grand Theft Auto IV, and four years after the events of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

As one of the most awaited video game titles to be released in 2013, the game was widely anticipated prior to its release. Grand Theft Auto V was released to universal acclaim, holding scores of 96 and above on MetaCritic and GameRankings, as well as receiving perfect scores from over 30 reviewers. The game sold 11.21 million copies and grossed $800 million on its first day, setting many records, and eventually making $1 billion within 3 days of the game's release.

Gameplay
Grand Theft Auto V evolves nearly every mechanic that was in the previous Grand Theft Auto games. As far as driving goes, the vehicles have been greatly improved, with Rockstar running more complex physics on them. The cars can even hold to the ground slightly better. The driving mechanics feel more like a racing game, particularly the Midnight Club series, compared to  Grand Theft Auto IV' s rocky, boat-like handling system. The shooting mechanics are better in terms of the feel of the mechanics and larger compared to the melee mechanics in the game, but that doesn't mean that the melee combat won't be fun, as it as been improved over the previous titles as well. Weapon selection has now also been changed. Instead of the old way of selecting through all the weapons, there is now a Weapon Wheel, which is similar to the one featured in Red Dead Redemption, another Rockstar game. Grand Theft Auto V draws inspirations from many different Rockstar titles in the past, including Max Payne 3, Midnight Club, Manhunt, and Red Dead Redemption.

There are many unique features in the game, one of those features is that when the players are playing as one of three protagonists in the game, the other two are living out their daily lives, and you will be surprised by what you find the characters doing when you switch back into them. Another unique feature is that the character swapping feature is executed in a Google Earth-styled manner and was displayed during a Game Informer demo, which was showed to have ran smoothly and without lag.

New activities have been added, such as yoga, triathlons, jet skiing, parachute jumps, tennis, golf, and scuba diving. Random events have also been added to the game and can appear any time, while the player is exploring the map. The mobile phone has returned from Grand Theft Auto IV but is now only used for calling the player's contacts, surfing the web, and quick saving. Giving people the middle finger is another new feature the player can use while in a vehicle (which Rockstar recommended you do in various locations around Los Santos to see the outcome of this effect, depending on where the player is at, they will get different reactions from pedestrians).

Rockstar has also made changes to the pedestrian mechanics; some pedestrians you see at the bus stops in East Los Santos will reappear in Rockford Hills working on rich peoples' lawns and gardens. Some minor mechanics that help out the environment and looks of Los Santos come on at certain times, such as a sprinklers system coming on in the morning in rich areas like Morningwood.

The map is larger than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Red Dead Redemption combined. After some calculations by members of GawdAlmighty.com, that would equal to around 27.5 square miles when land and sea are combined. 

Vehicles
Grand Theft Auto V has more vehicles than in any other Grand Theft Auto game to date, with a variety of vehicles, including airplanes, helicopters, cars, utility vehicles, emergency service cars, motorcycles, and jet skis. Players are able to fly planes, which impossible in Grand Theft Auto IV because of the size of the map, but the feature is now in Grand Theft Auto V because of the much larger map. In a brief scene in the first trailer, overhead wires are visible on a banking next to the road, which are probably wires for a railway track. There are also submarines that players are able to use to explore the Pacific Ocean. The Rhino from previous GTA titles has returned, including a new complex aiming system and a realistic depiction of a tank. A new feature allows you to roll-over a vehicle when the car is flipped upside down.

Businesses
According to the trailer, businesses in Grand Theft Auto IV appear. New businesses also appear, as seen in the trailer, such as the Bugstars fumigation company and Up-n-Atom Burger fast food restaurant. Unfortunately, the option to eat from restaurants such as Burger Shot is no longer available. Instead, the player can only buy drinks from the various Vending Machines across the map.

Weaponry
The game features a large variety of weapons, like the Norinco Type 56-2 assault rifles with sound suppressors, mounted flashlights, olive drab polymer furniture, and side-folding stocks. There is now the option to mount attachments onto various different guns, each one affecting the performance. Melee weapons like the nightstick and the golf club that weren't present in Grand Theft Auto IV have also returned to Grand Theft Auto V.

Character Customization
In the game, the player has the option to customize the three protagonists' wardrobe and appearances. They can choose to either change their clothing or their hair and facial features. There is much less customisation available compared to that of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (E.G. Changing the thinness/fatness and the muscle amount of your 3 characters isn't available like it was with CJ in San Andreas). There are now options such as tattoos and applying facial hair.

Multiplayer
Grand Theft Auto V carries over the multiplayer feature that was present in Grand Theft Auto IV. This multiplayer mode is known as Grand Theft Auto Online. In GTA Online, multiplayer crews from Max Payne 3 can be carried over to Grand Theft Auto V. Grand Theft Auto V has multiplayer features linked to Rockstar's Social Club. If the player created a crew in Max Payne 3, it can be imported to Grand Theft Auto V via the Social Club.

Multiplayer holds up to 16 people on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, and 30 players in next-gen versions

Multiplayer was confirmed in the Grand Theft Auto V official release statement, as it mentions "online multiplayer". Apart from the fact that Crews from Max Payne 3 are carried over to Grand Theft Auto V, and therefore confirming crews in Grand Theft Auto V.

Downloadable Content
Several DLCs have been released after the launch of GTA V, adding new vehicles and weapons. They are however more advanced in V's multiplayer section, with  the availability of clothes and jobs. The first was released in late November 2013, titled the Beach Bum Update, which featured four beach type vehicles, and two weapons, a pistol and a broken bottle. Since then, there has been five extra DLCs as follows;

On February 13th 2014, a Valentine's Day DLC was released, referencing 1929's Valentine's Day Massacre. It featured a classic Cadillac-style 20's limo and a remake of the M1928A1 Thompson machine gun. Unlike the Beach Bum Update, content in Online was limited edition and was removed on March 3rd, 2014, a day before the next DLC.

On March 4th 2014, a business-style DLC was released. It featured three high end sports vehicles, and a private jet. It also featured two advanced weapons, a Carbine Rifle and a pistol.

On May 13th, 2014, another business-style DLC was released. This featured a hypercar, a sports car, a luxury SUV and a motorbike. It also featured another assault rifle.

On June 17th, 2014, a hipster style DLC was released. This featured six vehicles including two hatchbacks, a supermini, a lowrider, two sedans and an off road truck, an adapted version of an already present SUV. It also featured another pistol and knife.

On July 1st 2014, another special was released, this time in commemoration of Independence Day. It featured a monster truck, motorbike, a classic Musket rifle and a firework launcher. Like Valentine's Day's DLC, it was limited edition. The content was removed on August 3rd 2014.

On August 19th, 2014, a flight-school themed DLC was added to GTA V. This featured four new vehicles : the Swift returning from The Ballad of Gay Tony, the Besra trainer jet, the Miljet military passenger jet, and the Coquette Classic, and introduced the Flight School for Online.

A special DLC is added if the player buys the Collector's Edition of GTA V. It features a classic hot rod, a sports bike, an electric sports car, a shotgun and a hammer. This is available when the Collector's Edition is installed.

Rockstar has confirmed future DLCs, including GTA V centered DLCs including new assassination and flight school missions, or new property.

Setting
On November 3rd 2011, Rockstar Games confirmed that the game would take place in Los Santos and the surrounding countryside - and will not feature a recreated rendition of an entire State of San Andreas - in a statement on their Newswire:


 * "We are very proud to officially announce that Grand Theft Auto V is in full development."

Developed by series creator Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto V heads to the city of Los Santos and surrounding hills, countryside and beaches in the largest and most ambitious game Rockstar has yet created.


 * "A bold new direction in open-world freedom, storytelling, mission-based gameplay and online multiplayer, Grand Theft Auto V focuses on the pursuit of the almighty dollar in a re-imagined, present day Southern California."

During the Game Informer Grand Theft Auto V Cover Story, the vice president of creativity for Rockstar Games, Dan Houser, has stated that Los Santos this time around is different and a lot more developed (having cities, wilderness, deserts, farmlands, towns, a Mount Chiliad, a military base and a fully detailed ocean floor (including coral beds). The state of San Andreas is also about five times larger than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Red Dead Redemption. After some calculations by members of GawdAlmighty.com, that would equal to around 27.5 square miles when land and sea are put together.

Characters and Premise

 * Los Santos: a sprawling sun-soaked metropolis full of self-help gurus, starlets and fading celebrities, once the envy of the Western world, now struggling to stay afloat in an era of economic uncertainty and cheap reality TV. Amidst the turmoil, three very different criminals plot their own chances of survival and success: Franklin, a former street gangster, now looking for real opportunities and serious money; Michael, a professional ex-con whose retirement is a lot less rosy than he hoped it would be; and Trevor, a violent maniac driven by the chance of a cheap high and the next big score. Running out of options, the crew risks everything in a series of daring and dangerous heists that could set them up for life.


 * - Game's Description

Grand Theft Auto V features three playable protagonists: Michael, Trevor and Franklin.

Michael is a retired professional bank robber, who after making a sweet deal with FIB, returned to the life of crime. Trevor is the loose cannon in this story, and is also a long time best friend of Michael's and a hothead psychopath as well. Last but certainly not least, we have Franklin, a young and grim repossession agent who has a large amount of experience behind the wheel, but no real experience with crime until he meets Michael while he was trying to hustle.

Other main characters include Amanda De Santa, Michael's wife; Jimmy De Santa and Tracey De Santa, Michael's children; Lamar Davis, Franklin's friend; Ron Jakowski, Trevor's paranoid friend; and Lester Crest, an associate of the protagonists.

Media

 * Radio Stations
 * Television in GTA V
 * Internet

Hobbies and Pastimes
These are all the hobbies and pastimes listed in the Rockstar Social Club page, note that they are not all mandatory to achieve the 100% completion in the game.
 * Stunt Plane Time Trial Challenges (Only in the Special/Collector's Edition)
 * Shooting Range
 * Street Races
 * Tennis
 * Golf
 * Darts
 * Strip Club
 * Triathlon
 * Offroad Races
 * Bail Bond
 * Arms Trafficking Air
 * Arms Trafficking Ground
 * Hunting
 * Flight School
 * Sea Races
 * Yoga
 * Parachute Jumps

Next-Gen & PC Versions
Prior to the announcement of the next-gen & PC versions, there was wide speculation and anticipation regarding an official announcement from Rockstar. On change.org, there was a petition with 728,000+ signatures asking for a PC version at the time of announcement. Within the comments section of the Rockstar Newswire, and many other GTA related blogs, there were many comments asking for a PC/Next Gen release. After its reveal at E3 2014, the news spread like wildfire, and became one of the most talked about announcements.



The next gen version of Grand Theft Auto V is scheduled for release in November 18, 2014 for the PS4 and Xbox One and January 27, 2015 for PC. With the release, there will be many improvements and changes compared to the versions released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. These include:

Screenshots

 * See more, Grand Theft Auto V/Screenshots

Artworks

 * See more, Grand Theft Auto V/Artworks

Trivia

 * The vehicles in the trailers all have plates reading "San Andreas". Some of the license plates in the trailer are stylized as modern California license plates, while some are stylized after the 1980's style California plate, oddly out of place on new cars.
 * This is the first Grand Theft Auto game where the map is one whole landmass, rather than several islands linked together as in previous games.
 * This is the first Grand Theft Auto game to take place in two different years. It takes place in 2004 in the Prologue and 2013 for the rest of the game.
 * A moving Atomic Blimp is visible amongst the skyline of Los Santos.
 * For the first time, the cars can retract and deploy their soft top/hard top covers. In previous games, convertibles were stuck with the roof they had or didn't have (with the exception of being able to install a permanent cover on low-riders in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas).
 * This is the first game in the series that does not have limits on what time of day (in-game) a mission can be played. Previous games would have given the player a message stating to return at a certain time of day to start a mission. In Grand Theft Auto V, almost all the missions can be started at any time, and an animation will play which shows the transition of time in a few seconds (along the lines of a time lapse camera) to the time the mission is set in.
 * Grand Theft Auto V is the first game in the franchise to feature in-game music aside from the introduction, credits, pause themes, and radio music.
 * The registration plates have orange stickers on the top right. The same plates are used for 2013 California registration plates. The same was also used in California in 2008.
 * Although it is unclear when exactly in 2013 the game takes place, the calendar in Trevor's trailer is open on the month of August. Due to Trevor's unconventional lifestyle, he may have left it on the same month for quite some time. One of the barbers in Sandy Shores might comment on how it is October already. This usually happens towards the end of the storyline and after the story has been completed.
 * Some houses have pumpkins on their front porches. Pumpkins are rarely seen at any time of the year other than autumn.
 * Each protagonists' character was made to fit a specific Grand Theft Auto player:
 * Michael initially represents the player who has already "beat the game," now living out their life as a successfully retired criminal.
 * Trevor is a complete psychopath, representing the type of player who prefers to kill and cause chaos when they free roam.
 * Franklin is a small time thug wanting to rise through the ranks of the criminal underworld similar to the traditional protagonists that the player controls in previous games.
 * Each protagonist seems to represent a different Rockstar game. Michael represents both Max Payne and Red Dead Redemption, seeing as he is a troubled retired middle aged "family man" with a criminal background and bullet-time ability. Franklin represents Midnight Club: Los Angeles, due to him being an ambitious young man with an impressive driving ability. Trevor represents Manhunt, mainly, because of his psychotic personality and reckless behavior that defines his character.
 * In addition, the protagonists' personalities can be determined by how long they sleep. Michael sleeps for 6 hours, Franklin sleeps for 8 hours, and Trevor sleeps for 12 hours. This could mean that Franklin is the most "normal" of the characters.
 * The game Saints Row IV has a DLC pack of weapons and clothes named GAT V, which is a reference to the initials of Grand Theft Auto V. The publisher, Deep Silver released it for free on PC, mocking GTA V's absence from the platform at the time.
 * The script for Grand Theft Auto V is 10,000+ pages long, according to Dan Houser in an interview in 2012.
 * The name of the theme song ("Welcome To Los Santos") might be a reference to the first lyrics in Young Maylay's "San Andreas Theme Song" being "Welcome to San Andreas".
 * It's the first GTA since GTA 2, released in 1999, which doesn't feature the Stallion (GTA Advance features a Diablo Stallion).
 * This is the first game in the series that the player can increase the protagonists' health while in cover, beside using a health pack, saving the game, drinking, eating a snack, or respawning in hospitals and police stations.
 * Grand Theft Auto V, along with Grand Theft Auto 1, Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, are the only games to take place in the year it was released. GTA IV was the first game since GTA III to do so.
 * In the game, there is an animation for if the player gets stuck under a vehicle, but it is almost never used.
 * The animation is used if the player is stuck under a truck, but if the player is stuck under a car, they will simply teleport next to the car.
 * This is the first game in the GTA series to feature a great variety of animals.
 * With a budget of approximately $265 million, this is the second most expensive video game created to date behind Destiny.
 * Grand Theft Auto V has similar mission structures to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas such as heists requiring setup, as did the main heist in GTA San Andreas and introducing characters by name. Also many flying missions resembled ones from San Andreas such as Nervous Ron which required dropping equipment from a plane later on in the mission like N.O.E. in San Andreas. Minor Turbulence also had similarities to N.O.E. but also Freefall and Stowaway.
 * Two major antagonists in GTA V and GTA San Andreas were both government figures: a corrupt government agent and a crooked police officer.
 * The coyotes' sounds were re-used from Red Dead Redemption.
 * There is a unique feature in the game, that when you press Square/X (PS3 and Xbox 360 respectively) to jump, and then hit Circle/B (PS3 and Xbox 360 respectively), when the character is in the air, he will be in ragdoll mode. This can be used to wrestle, slide over cars, or get in places that you can't enter when you stand.
 * This is the first GTA game, and also Rockstar Games' first game to be launched for 8th generation consoles (Xbox One and PS4).
 * All characters have drugs, (Marijuana for Michael and Franklin, gasoline for Trevor) at their house, along with TV (All characters), Internet access (Michael and Franklin), and alcohol (whiskey for Michael, wine for Franklin and beer for Trevor), counting the safehouses at the end of the game.
 * This is the second GTA game to have an enhanced editon released for another console. The first was GTA: San Andreas for mobile.
 * It is unknown if any non-engine straining features (i.e Weapons, Vehicles, Clothing, Animals) affiliated with the Remaster will appear in updates for last generation consoles.

Controversy & Criticism
Like all GTA games, GTA V was no stranger to controversy. The game is significantly more violent and offensive than its predecessor.

Controversy (missions)
The game received controversy from people who didn't play over a mission that requires the player to torture a target for the government. The mission contains water-boarding, using a wrench on kneecaps and genitals, electrocution and even an action in which the player could pull a tooth using pliers.

Another mission, has a sex scene involving two dogs. The player can also view it in first person perspective.

Criticism
GTA V received criticism both for the game and its Online counterpart. One part was missions, players were expecting lots of lengthy high paying missions, but the fans were given 70 missions total. It did beat the system from GTA IV referred to as the A-C system, which was drive from A to B to shoot C, with Heists added, however only three made the player profit, and only one of them topped $1,000,000. Missions were longer and more grueling and low to little paying. Only 7 of the non heist missions gave a payout; Franklin and Lamar gave the player $250, Nervous Ron gave the player $62,000 and Lester's Assassinations gave the player anywhere between $3000-$10000. The ending had three options and all but one involved killing a fellow protagonist.

In the Online section, players are being peeved by the Cash Card Scam. This started when the Valentine's Day Massacre Special came out and the items were extremely expensive. This changed from the Beach Bum Content Update where everything was free. As were the DLC contents from the Special and Collector's Edition, as well as bonus Social Club content. More and more DLCs were added, with no car being priced below $100,000, and most items of clothing being over or just under $100. This is further added by the frustration at the delay of the Heists DLC, meaning that the only ways to make money were to do missions or buy the cards. Players felt more trapped as missions were altered to change the difficulty, and changed again to lower the payouts, meaning the easiest way to make money for DLC content was to buy the Cash Cards.

Copyrighting and Lawsuits
Almost as soon as GTA V came out it saw difficulty from celebrities over content used without permission. Names were not the same, but celebrities including Lindsay Lohan claimed that Rockstar used her likeness without permission for in game celeb Lacey Jonas. However, Rockstar snubbed this, claiming that it was just attention seeking.

In October 2013 Daz Dillinger claimed Rockstar used two songs from Death Row Records without permission; Kurupt's C-Walk and Tha Dogg Pound's Nothin' But the Cavi Hit featuring Mack 10. However, Dillinger was not signed on to Death Row at the time, and had an ongoing feud with Kurupt. The lawsuit was dropped, but the songs stayed in the game.

Title Update Notes
To see a list of GTA V's patch notes history, see Grand Theft Auto V/Title Update Notes