Masks (clothing)

Masks are clothing items which first appeared in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Masks have appeared in every Grand Theft Auto game since, with the exception of Grand Theft Auto Advance, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad Of Gay Tony and Chinatown Wars.

Description
Masks are items of clothing primarily used for concealing the protagonists' identity during a crime, particularly a bank robbery. They can be worn for fashion; this being expanded upon in Grand Theft Auto Online. Masks can also have effects on the game world itself, such as in Grand Theft Auto V, where a Scuba Mask can make the protagonist survive underwater without coming up for air.

Availability
In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, a mask is included in an outfit Tommy Vercetti wears whilst performing a bank robbery. After the mission, the outfit can be obtained from The Malibu Club.

In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Carl Johnson can purchase masks and shades from certain clothing shops. However, some masks, such as the one included as part of the Gimp Suit, are unlockable. There are eight masks in total.

In Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Toni Cipriani receives an outfit which includes a mask after completing The Portland Chainsaw Masquerade. The outfit is required to start SlashTV. Another outfit including a mask (the "Hero Outfit") is unlocked after completing the Avenging Angels mission in Shoreside Vale.

In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Victor Vance obtains a robbery outfit containing a Balaclava after purchasing a high-roller robbery empire building.

In Grand Theft Auto IV, Niko Bellic is given a Balaclava in the mission Three Leaf Clover. After the mission, he can obtain the balaclava from his safehouse's wardrobe.

In Grand Theft Auto V the player can purchase masks from Vespucci Movie Masks. Masks are also required for some heist preparation missions (such as the mission of the same name), and they are used by the three protagonists during Blitz Play. If the player chooses the Roof Entry method for the The Bureau Raid, Michael and Franklin will don balaclavas.

The Online Protagonist can also purchase masks in Grand Theft Auto Online. The list of masks available was massively expanded with following updates.

Trivia

 * The Clown Face mask added in the Heists Update bears an uncanny resemblance to The Joker's mask at the opening bank robbery scene of The Dark Knight. It may also be a reference to the clown masks featured in another game, Payday 2, as most crew members use clown masks.
 * The Don mask bears a striking resemblance to the iconic from the graphic novel and film , albeit with a wider shape and the absence of the upper-lip mustache and broad grin of the original.
 * One of the new masks added in the Import/Export update is of an eerie looking octopus creature, a clear reference to H.P Lovecraft's Cthulhu monster.
 * The white Hockey mask originally resembled Jason Voorhees' hockey mask, as it had the same red streaks on the sides. However, an update changed it so instead of a straight line, the red streaks became zigzagged.