For the Grand Theft Auto V weapon sharing the same name with the GTA IV iteration, see Combat Pistol.
The Desert Eagle is a pistol featured in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto IV (as the Combat Pistol), Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online (as the Pistol .50).
In GTA V and GTA Online, the weapon is manufactured by Hawk & Little. It is a bonus to those who have either the Special/Collector's Edition, or for all players owning the Enhanced Edition. In the former case it is free, while in the latter case it costs in-game money to purchase. However, the players who bought the Special/Collector's edition of the original game will still get it for free.
Design[]
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
The Desert Eagle takes the form of the weapon of the same name, specifically modeled after the .50 AE caliber version, given the seven rounds. The weapon also appears in some cutscenes of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, but it is never available in normal gameplay.
The gun is evidently larger than the Pistol and appears to replace the Python from the previous game, given the similar usage and larger cartridge.
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
Referred to as the Combat Pistol, the Grand Theft Auto IV rendition is still modeled after the .50 AE variant of the Desert Eagle (as evidenced by the lack of a fluted barrel) and features a more detailed appearance. However, the nine-round magazine appears to be derived from the .357 Magnum variant.
The gun is a bit larger than the Pistol and features a slightly longer barrel with "DEAGLE 47, LIBERTY CITY ARMS" etched into it. Due to how the texture is designed and mapped, the text is mirrored on the left-hand side of the weapon.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
Referred to as the Pistol .50, the Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online rendition retains the form of the Desert Eagle, but with a multitude of changes made to the design: besides the removal of the famous "Beaver Tail", the slide-mounted safety has been removed, the frame mounted slide release is missing, the cocking serrations on the gun are chunkier, an underbarrel rail has been added, the barrel lock has been omitted, a sliding safety has been added in place of the slide release and the trigger guard has been redesigned. In addition, the muzzle has been shifted downwards towards the middle of the barrel, and is noticeably larger in diameter. It has tritium-illuminated iron sights (like the Pistol and Combat Pistol) that are based on other modern pistols such as the FN Five-seven.
Performance[]
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
The Desert Eagle is more powerful than the Pistol, but holds less rounds than the former in a single magazine. Despite its small size, it is able to decapitate NPCs like Assault Rifles, Shotguns, and Sniper Rifles.
Depending of the weapon skill, some of the weapon's attributes change:
- At 'Poor' (default) weapon skill, the Desert Eagle is decently accurate and powerful, able to take down targets with two body shots. However, it is generally slow to use.
- After reaching the 'Gangster' weapon skill with the Desert Eagle, the weapon slightly improves in accuracy and range (both lock-on and weapon), as well as fire rate. Its damage profile is significantly improved, able to take down non-armored NPCs in one shot and two for armored NPCs. It also becomes slightly faster to use.
- After reaching the 'Hitman' weapon skill, its lock-on range improves slightly and matches with the overall range. Rate of fire appears to be the same regardless if the character is standing or not (unlike previous skill levels where the weapon fires faster when crouched). It is also faster to use and thus, the player is less exposed to enemies when using it.
GTA San Andreas Overview[]
| Damage | Fire Rate [?] | Range (m / ft) |
Ammo Specifications/ Capacity |
Reload Mechanism | Reload Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 (At 'Poor' skill level) 140 (At 'Gangster' and above) |
N/A | 'Poor' skill: 25 / 82 (Lock-on) |
7 | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | 'Poor' skill: 62 RPM(standing) |
Cannot be determined | 7-round standard magazine | Upper slider | N/A |
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
In Grand Theft Auto IV, the Combat Pistol is more powerful than the standard Pistol, but sacrifices ammunition capacity for it, holding only nine rounds in the magazine as opposed to seventeen rounds for the Pistol. While it can be used for drive-bys, its semi-automatic capabilities and the 9-round magazine makes it hard to use at neutralizing targets in car chases, meaning that it is at its best in gunfights on foot.
The Combat Pistol takes about 3–4 body shots to take down unarmored NPCs, and has a much higher fire rate than the GTA San Andreas rendition (it is the same as the Glock).
GTA IV Overview[]
| Damage (per shot) |
Fire Rate [?] | Range (m / ft) |
Ammo Specifications/ Capacity |
Reload Mechanism | Reload Speed [?] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 160 |
333 | 45 / 147.6 (Lock-on) 50 / 164 (Weapon) |
9 | N/A | 2000 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2-3/8 4/8 [?] |
180 RPM 130 RPM [?] |
Cannot be determined | 9-round standard magazine | Upper slide | 2 seconds |
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
The Pistol .50 has very high damage per shot of pistols, at the cost a slightly reduced, semi-automatic rate of fire coupled with notable recoil. Capacity is lower than that of the Pistol but it can be freely improved to be on par with it. The Pistol .50 lacks the damage falloff of the Pistol and Combat Pistol, increasing its usefulness at medium range. The main weakness of the Pistol .50 is its accuracy, which makes it ineffective for drive-by shooting and of reduced efficiency at a long distance while on foot. However, this handgun remains effective against NPCs in close quarters, making it a viable pistol for use in hectic battles.
In Grand Theft Auto Online, the properties of the Pistol .50 make it a good weapon for quickly finishing the first waves of a Survival, as a single shot to the chest is able to kill enemies at lower survival waves. Also, with the introduction of vehicles with bullet-resistant glass, the Pistol .50 can be a good alternative against these vehicles, requiring ten rounds to shatter bullet-resistant glass in contrast with the usual 16 rounds for most firearms (although it is outclassed by most revolvers, sniper rifles and any MK II weapon with FMJ rounds).
True to its name and the markings, it is chambered in .50 Caliber, which is a very large and powerful cartridge that gives the pistol such power.
GTA V and Online Overview[]
| Damage (per shot) [?] |
Fire Rate [?] | Range (m / ft) [?] |
Ammo Specifications/ Capacity |
Reload Mechanism | Reload Speed [?] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.5 (40.8) 38.3 |
0.52 (115 RPM) | 55 / 180.4 (Lock-on) 120 / 393.7 (Weapon) |
9 | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | 9 rounds (Social Club description) | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | 55 / 180.4 (Lock-on) 120 / 393.7 (Weapon) |
9-round standard magazine 12-round standard magazine (Extended clip) |
Upper slider | N/A |
 |
Damage | 51% 51% | |||
| Fire Rate/Speed | 40% 40% | ||||
| Accuracy | 55% 55% | ||||
| Range | 35% 35% | ||||
| Clip Size | 8% 8% | ||||
Customizations[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
| Rounds & magazine | GTA V | GTA Online | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rounds (24) | $19 | $57 | |
| Default clip (9 rounds) | Default | Default | |
| Extended clip (12 rounds) | $23,750 | $9,500 | |
| Attachments | |||
| Flashlight (provides illumination when aiming) | $5,000 | $2,000 | |
| Suppressor (silences but slightly reduces damage and range) | $30,625 | $12,250 | |
| Special | |||
| Platinum Pearl Deluxe Finish | $50,000 | $50,000 | |
| Tints | |||
| Black | Default | Default | |
| Army | $100 | $5,000 | |
| Green (Collector's and Enhanced Edition) | $200F | $5,250 | |
| Orange (Collector's and Enhanced Edition) | $400F | $5,500 | |
| LSPD | $600 | $5,750 | |
| Pink (Collector's and Enhanced Edition) | $800F | $7,500 | |
| Gold (Collector's and Enhanced Edition) | $1,000F | $10,000 | |
| Platinum (Collector's and Enhanced Edition) | $1,500F | $12,500 | |
- F Free for players that have the Special/Collector's edition of the game.
Image Gallery[]
In-game model[]
HUD icon[]
First Person View[]
Locations[]
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
Desert Eagle's locations map
General
- Grove Street Families are armed with this gun after all 100 Tags are sprayed.
- Available at Ammu-Nation after the mission Black Project, for $1200 per 15 rounds.
- Playa Del Seville - Corner of wire fence around beach. From Carl's house in Ganton, head east towards the main road that overlooks the ocean in East Beach. Head south from there towards Playa Del Seville. On the corner as the road curves west towards the Ocean Docks, head along the beach and look in the corner of the wire fence that separates the beach from part of the docks.
- Southwest corner of warehouse in junkyard. Take the northwest road out of Angel Pine and take the first right. Follow this road northeast and look for the Angel Pine Junkyard on the left side of the road. Head down the dirt path and into the junkyard, and head to the heap of scrap in the middle of the junkyard. In front of the heap of scrap, there is an open warehouse with a cement truck inside. Head inside this warehouse and the Desert Eagle is in the southwest corner.
- Garcia - Starting from Zero RC, go south just and take the first alley to the left, then left again into a small enclosure just in front of STW:Books. It is in the southeastern corner.
- Bayside Marina - In corner of the wall behind house from the Gant Bridge, head north until reaching Bayside, and take the first right. Follow the winding road round and take the first left. Immediately after turning left, look along the left side of the street for a row of posh white houses. Head behind the third house, and look along the back wall. The Desert Eagle is in the corner of the wall to the far right.
- Lil' Probe'Inn - Under solar panel in trailer park. From the Fallow Bridge, cross the bridge and take the third left at the fork in the road. Turn right and pass under the railroad tracks, and look along the right side of the road for a trailer park opposite the Lil' Probe Inn bar. Head towards the trailer park and the Desert Eagle is under the middle solar panel on the east side of the trailer park.
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
General
- Can be purchased from the Underground Gun Shops after passing the mission Museum Piece. It costs $1,500 plus $100 per magazine.
- Can be also obtained early by attacking the shop manager. He will drop the weapon if provoked.
- In The Ballad of Gay Tony, it is the starting weapon of Luis, with 50 rounds of total ammunition.
- During the TBOGT mission Going Deep, the NOOSE team will be using the weapon, specifically the detectives from the FIB Buffalos.
- Francis International Airport - Can be found at the oil refinery on Tudor Street on a platform between two rows of oil refining towers. There is a ladder on the north side of these towers to reach the platform.
- Charge Island - Can be found underneath a walkway ramp on top of an oil storage tank in the oil refinery under the East Borough Bridge. It can be easily reached by jumping onto the tank from the Charge Island off-ramp before the toll booths from the Broker side.
- Industrial - Can be found on the westernmost segment of the uncompleted Northern Expressway. It can be easily reached by helicopter, or by taking a series of stunt jumps across the various segments.
- The Triangle - Can be found on the wall of the balcony of the west side of Grand Easton Terminal, nearest the Columbus Ave construction site.
- City Hall - Can be found on the ground near some planters at a café off Union Drive West.
- North Holland - If the player decided to kill Playboy X in the mission The Holland Play, he carries a Combat Pistol. The player can collect it after they dispatch him. It will not be dropped if the player assassinates Playboy, only if they kill him before he reaches the door.
- Alderney City - Can be found on a large electrical wire spool in the third berth of the old ferry terminal off Asahara Rd. The player can only see the orange glow of the pistol, since the actual piece is clipped in the spool.
- Acter Industrial Park - Can be found on top of the oil storage tank closest to the Alderney State Correctional Facility on Storax Rd.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
Original version[]
- The Pistol .50 is available for free in the Special/Collector's edition of the game after completing the mission Franklin and Lamar and it will be available for free in-game at Ammu-Nation.
Enhanced version[]
- The Pistol .50 is available to all players to buy for in-game currency, for $4,000.
- However, returning Special/Collector's edition players can still get it for free.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- Can be purchased at Ammu-Nation, for $3,900.
- Returning Special/Collector's edition owners will not have to pay for it.
Trivia[]
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City[]
- Although the Desert Eagle was not featured as a usable weapon, it can be seen in some cutscenes (this is not the case in The Definitive Edition of GTA Vice City, where the standard M1911 pistol is used instead). The cutscenes are the following:
- In the mission Supply & Demand, Ricardo Diaz can be seen with a Desert Eagle during the cutscene where he shoots his VCR after it eats his favorite El Burro movie.
- In the mission Rub Out, Lance Vance wields a Desert Eagle during the cutscene where he and Tommy gun down Diaz.
- In the mission The Shootist, Phil Cassidy can be seen firing two Desert Eagles during the cutscene at the shooting range, one of which he gives to Tommy (although Tommy uses a regular pistol during the competition).
The easter egg showing Ronald Reagan with the Desert Eagle
- Additionally, an easter egg in the Ammu-Nation of Downtown features a picture of U.S. President Ronald Reagan shooting a target with a picture of Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev on it.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
- The appearance of a .50 AE Desert Eagle in San Andreas is slightly anachronistic, as the model firing it first went on sale in 1995, while the game takes place in 1992. A .357 or .44 Magnum version would have been more appropriate.
- Using the Adrenaline cheat code reveals that the firing sound for the Desert Eagle is the same as the Pistol but slowed down.
- It is possible to use a bug to make the gun shoot faster by doing this: Aim, fire, release both fire and aim, click Crouch button, and do the same thing again. This bug also works via the "Free aim" option in the controls menu. Choosing this, the player can rapidly tap the fire button over and over, making the weapon fire far faster. This applies to the other pistols as well.
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- In the PC version of GTA IV, the Combat Pistol has more visual recoil that the Pistol. However, in the console versions of this game (and on all versions of EFLC), it has the same recoil as the Pistol.
- GTA IV's price of $1,500 is true to the Desert Eagle's actual retail value, as they usually go for $1,500-$2,200 for the .357-.50AE respectively. The gun in GTA IV is intended to be the .357 model, making the price accurate.
- Although the weapon is not available for purchase through friends' Gun Vans, in Armando's one, where the Pistol and the Pistol .44 are located, there appears to be a third holster seemingly hidden by the Parachute, which would be suitable to hold the Combat Pistol.
- During the mission "That Special Someone", if the player chooses to execute Darko Brevic with a Desert Eagle, Niko will shoot him twelve times without reloading, despite the Desert Eagle only holding nine bullets.
- A concept artwork suggests that the LCPD would have used the Combat Pistol as a sidearm in the beta. Why they use the Pistol in the game instead is likely due to the fact that the Glock series is a favorite of the NYPD, whilst the Desert Eagle is too impractical and expensive of a pistol to be used by any U.S. police department.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
- The Pistol .50 is notable for having a very high recoil; when fired, it will blow the player's hands upwards heavily.
- This is not present in the Enhanced version while in FPS mode, however, as it kicks backward rather than upward when firing in first person. This was likely done to make it more accurate when in first person.
- The Pistol .50 appears to be based on a custom built Desert Eagle, rather than the actual production version.
- The Pistol .50's beta model much more resembles its real life counterpart than the final product. It was possibly changed to avoid copyright issues.
Oversights[]
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- The Flashlight is attached too close to the trigger guard, having the on/off switch clipping through the same.
- For some reason, the gun may switch to having all accessories equipped and apply the Platinum Pearl Deluxe Finish. This appears to happen randomly upon logging into the game, and also applies to the SNS Pistol Mk II.