The Rhino is a military tank featured in Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
The tank also appears in the HD Universe, where it later assumes the name Rhino Tank.
Description[]
The Rhino appears as the successor of the Tank, the Tiger Tank and the Royal Pain from the 2D Universe games, remaining a large vehicle with limited mobility but with strong armor and devastating firepower thanks to its cannon. Like its predecessor in Grand Theft Auto 2, the Rhino appears when the player attains a six-star wanted level. Law enforcement tends not to use the main cannon of the vehicle.
Design[]
Grand Theft Auto III — GTA Vice City Stories[]
In Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, the Rhino does not appear to be directly based on any real-life military vehicle. However, its front end does bear some resemblance to that of the six-wheeled M93 Fox reconnaissance vehicle, and the sides belong to the design of the Panhard ERC 90, with a turret bearing resembling turrets found on the Panzer IV series of tanks. Its features also resemble the seemingly original and chunky design reminiscent of a modified M3 Stuart, but with a front that more closely resembles that of an M4 Sherman. The weapon configuration and chassis of the Rhino are similar to the equipment of the LAV-600. Contrary to most real-life tanks, the Rhino uses individual wheels instead of continuous tracks (likely due to technical limitations).
The Rhino is depicted as a block-shaped vehicle with a truck-style, three-axle chassis, a narrow windshield and large doors on each side, along with the corresponding turret on top. In its original appearance in GTA III, the Rhino assumes a stark appearance with little detail on its armored body. The GTA Vice City rendition, however, saw the addition of a variety of equipment to the vehicle, as well as the enlargement of the barrel of the turret. The GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories renditions of the vehicle follow the design cues of the GTA III and GTA Vice City ones, with the turret barrel of the GTA Liberty City Stories rendition even being of the same size and length as that in GTA Vice City, although the GTA Vice City Stories one is even longer. The Rhino only spawns in a worn green color, which is actually a texture placed over the whole vehicle. The wheels are mostly covered by the side walls, but when destroyed they reveal to have the same design as the ones from most industrial vehicles.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the Rhino resembles the General Dynamics M1 Abrams and is much more realistic and larger than its predecessors, albeit still using wheels with tires as in the previous entries, again attributed to technical limitations.
The Rhino is depicted with a seemingly long and bulky hull, which features a circular hatch on the front that is used for the driver, and small vents on the rear where the engine is located, as well as a set of headlights and tail lights on both ends (though not programmed as actual lights). The turret is mounted almost in the center of the hull and has additional details, including dual hatches and quad smoke grenade launchers on each side. The Rhino is only available in a beige/desert color and uses a set of industrial wheels.
Performance[]
Grand Theft Auto III — GTA Vice City Stories[]
Vehicle[]
The Grand Theft Auto III rendition of the Rhino remained unchanged through the games it appeared in, being a large and heavy vehicle. A main disadvantage of this version is that its handling is pretty inferior compared to other heavy vehicles, as, even at low speeds, it has a wide turning radius. While its top speed is average, it has very low acceleration, mainly due to its rather huge mass. The slow speed and presence of doors on the sides makes the player easily vulnerable to being busted by law enforcers or being otherwise pulled out by any hostile pedestrian (especially when the doors are missing, since they are quite fragile). It has a working handbrake, but because of its wide turning radius and dual rear axles, it is difficult to tighten turns with it. The tank is quite bouncy, so its wheels easily lose contact with the ground. Its small ground clearance, bouncy suspension and low torque make this tank a poor choice when driving off-road, or even through small barriers. The Rhino has better handling in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]] and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, but otherwise functions the same as the Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City renditions.
Despite the limited performance, the Rhino has serious ramming capabilities; any vehicle hit will either explode instantly or end up burning instead. This makes the vehicle ideal for dealing with wanted levels, as most police vehicles have a tendency to hit the player's vehicle in an attempt to block their path.
The vehicle uses a diesel engine, a four-speed gearbox and an all-wheel-drive layout. It also uses the engine sound from trucks such as the Barracks OL, the Packer and the Linerunner.
Defense[]
The Rhino is practically invincible to small arms fire and collisions; only explosives and the gun mounted on the Police Maverick can inflict damage. Additionally, flame weapons such as the molotov cocktails and the flamethrower are able to damage the tank. Note that it is also possible to destroy a Rhino with conventional ordnance, but it takes a staggering amount and a long time to do so. In Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, if the player can get the Rhino up and onto the tracks of the subway, the incoming train cars will destroy the tank on impact. The tires of the Rhino are also bullet-proof, making them immune to small arms and spike strips. Only the windshield can be considered a weak spot, although this is only evident when confronting military-controlled Rhinos to hijack them.
Weaponry[]
The Rhino is equipped with a cannon turret, which has devastating firepower against most vehicles. The turret is quite limited in traverse, only being able to rotate horizontally and with the use of additional buttons (making precise shooting almost impossible). However, this is mostly compensated by a very strong vertical auto-aim, which is very noticeable and a probable balancing factor against Police-controlled Mavericks (as they tend to fly out of the firing angles of the tank pretty easily).
Interestingly, the cannon can be used as a trick to reach high speeds; by rotating the turret towards the rear of the tank and starting to shoot, the generated recoil from the cannon will propel the tank forwards, and vice versa.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
Vehicle[]
The Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas rendition performs almost identically to the GTA III model, except it is much bulkier and heavier than before. It has somewhat better off-road abilities and better acceleration and grip, but it still cannot go through high obstacles. It handles better on road as well, thanks to its multiple wheels. This version also replaces the traditional handbrake with a steering mode in a similar fashion to the Monster, allowing it to make extra tight turns. Because of the more realistic access hatch, it is more difficult for the player to get busted.
Compared to the GTA III model, damage caused to other vehicles is determined by the amount of force actually used in the tank: slight touches only push other vehicles with minor damage, harder hits cause more damage to a vehicle or just ignite its engine, an even stronger strike will destroy the vehicle upon impact. Motorbikes are not affected by this, however.
Again, the vehicle uses a diesel engine, a four-speed gearbox and an all-wheel-drive layout. It also uses the engine sound from trucks such as the Linerunner, the Tanker and the Roadtrain.
Defense[]
The Rhino is immune to bullets and explosions. Its weaknesses are colliding several times with vehicles that do not destroy in one hit such as the military-operated Rhinos and walls of all buildings, exposing it to fire damage, overturning it, and hitting it with a melee weapon multiple times, which will eventually prompt it to smoke, as shown if the tank is viewed from the inside, and eventually burn and explode like other vehicles. While driving the Rhino, one should be careful not to drive through the flames left behind by vehicles that have exploded, as these will set the Rhino on fire, doing massive damage and usually destroying it. The tires of the vehicle remain bullet-proof.
Weaponry[]
Like the GTA III model, the Rhino is equipped with a cannon turret that works mostly identically. However, its destructive capabilities appear to be upgraded as well, as the turret can be aimed with the mouse (PC) or the 
button (PlayStation 2), allowing for more precise shooting. The cannon can also be aimed upwards, ideal to shoot down aircraft such as the Police Maverick.
The player can still use the turret trick to accelerate. However, because of the camera controls, the player cannot see anything in front of them while the cannon is aimed rearward. A workaround is to switch to first-person view or cinematic view camera once the cannon is aimed rearward.
3D Universe Overview[]
| Acceleration (0-60 mph in Seconds) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh) |
Gears | Engine | Drivetrain (FWD / RWD / AWD) |
Mass (kg / lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 50 / 80 | 4 | Diesel | AWD | 18000 / 39683 (GTA III & GTA Vice City)
25000 / 55116 (GTA San Andreas — GTA Vice City Stories) |
| N/A | N/A | 4 | N/A | AWD | Cannot be observed |
Gallery[]
Design[]
Images[]
Locations[]
In all of its 3D Universe appearances, the Rhino is called out once the player has reached a six-star wanted level.
Grand Theft Auto III[]
- Spawns at Phil Cassidy's Army Surplus in Rockford all the time, but it only becomes unlocked after completion of The Exchange. Its right side may collide with the sandbags, causing the right door to be scratched off.
- Can be obtained at Portland Harbor once all emergency vehicles have been collected for Import/Export.
- Can be spawned using cheats. (PC cheat: giveusatank)
- Can also be obtained after Arms Shortage given by Ray Machowski by pushing it to the safehouse near Belleville Park, thus unlocking it.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City[]
- Can be found inside the Fort Baxter Air Base after having collected 90 hidden packages.
- Can be spawned using cheats. (PC cheat: panzer)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
- Two spawn in eastern Area 69, in two large hangars near the airstrip where two Hydras spawn, after finishing the cutscene of Verdant Meadows.
- Entering the base gives a five-star wanted level, though it should not be a problem to the player. One can drive a vehicle through a fence nearby, quickly get to the Rhino tank, and then enter it and escape through the same fence that they came through. One can also fly a plane very low and quickly bail out before the SAMs hit, jack the Rhino and escape through the same fence mentioned in the previous example.
- Will spawn underneath the overpass going above the end of Grove Street after 100% completion is achieved.
- Can be spawned using a cheat (see Cheats in GTA San Andreas page). (PC cheat: TIMETOKICKASS or AIWPRTON)
- The military will pursue CJ at a six-star wanted level, sometimes using Rhinos. One can get it only if it was left by its driver. Provided that the player has enough health, this is relatively easy to achieve. All the player needs to do is exit their vehicle or approach an occupied Rhino on foot (or simply bring their vehicle to a complete stop without getting rammed by one), which will prompt the driver of the Rhino to get out. The player must then contend with the soldier's Carbine Rifle and enter the tank. Finally, they must get away fast enough before the soldier jumps on to the tank, opens the hatch and busts them.
- It is far easier and safer to trap the Rhino between an obstacle, such as the entrance doorway in front of Wang's Used Car Show Room. Attract the attention of the Rhino driver, then lead it to the doorway, where it will be stuck, then quickly turn around, with a good gun, such as the MP5, AK-47 or the M-4, shoot at the driver's hatch. This will usually kill the driver beneath, causing him to flop out of the tank, making it a cinch to steal it afterwards.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories[]
- Spawns in Fort Staunton when 100% is achieved.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories[]
- Inside the Fort Baxter military base, it is there from the beginning of the game and locked until the mission Over the Top is done.
- Driven by the army when the player gets a 6 star wanted level. As with the Rhino at Fort Baxter, they remain locked until the completion of Over the Top unless set on fire. Note: in the original PS2 version of the game, the Rhinos remain inaccessible, even after completing Over the Top, but in the double pack version, the Rhinos are almost always unlocked.
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay[]
3D Universe[]
In the Rhino, the player can perform Vigilante missions, which involves eliminating suspects. The Rhino is not necessarily the best vehicle to do this mission (especially not in games where the Hunter is available) because the player risks increasing his own wanted level at an accelerated rate due to the penchant of the tank for collateral damage. On the other hand, if the player cannot complete the missions with the other, comparatively flimsy police vehicles, the Rhino might be better. If the player can intercept the enemy vehicles, rather than chasing them, the player may be able to strike the targets with the tank instead of firing on them. This method cuts down on the wanted level the player receives, which may help them avoid having to fight the military on some occasions.
Grand Theft Auto III[]
- Import/Export - The Rhino is one of the 23 vehicles wanted for the Portland Island portion of the Import/Export side mission.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City[]
- Sir, Yes Sir! - Tommy must steal one from a military convoy before they reach their destination, then deliver it under a three-star wanted level. Once the tank is entered, a self-destruct countdown begins, with the tank exploding once the bar on-screen is full.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
- During "Green Goo", a Rhino is seen being carried by a freight train, but it cannot be obtained.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories[]
- During the mission "Shogun Showdown", the Yakuza are storing weapons in a warehouse along with a Rhino tank, which Toni Cipriani steals and later destroys.
Notable Owners[]
- Phil Cassidy
- Cortez's Buyer
- Yakuza (Formerly)
Oversights[]
3D Universe[]
- In Grand Theft Auto III, the player is able to park the Rhino anywhere and it will stay in that exact spot without disappearing.
- A glitch that involves one of the health cheats in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas creates a whole new axle dead center in the drive train (confirmed on the PS2 and PC versions).
- In GTA San Andreas, if one enables the "vehicle of death" cheat and engages a Rhino tank, the Rhino will explode while the player is unharmed.
- Sometimes in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, when the player uses a cheat to spawn a Rhino while standing on the road, it will sometimes spawn on top of them and trap the protagonist inside the Rhino. The only way to get out the Rhino is to suicide or reload a save file, but no damage is dealt on the player.
- In GTA San Andreas, if a player tries to steal a Rhino by shooting at the driver's hatch to kill the driver, there is an off-chance the dead driver will flop down between the tank, causing a texture clipping where the dead driver's body will clip through and become part of the tank. Since the game still thinks the driver is in the tank, it will become unstealable, since there is no way to remove the dead body from the vehicle if stuck this way.
- To avoid this, the player must kill the tank driver only when the Rhino is completely still. In this case, the driver will fall out instantly. If the driver is killed while the Rhino is still moving, the player has only three seconds to force the Rhino to become still where the driver will fall out. Otherwise, the Rhino will continue to chase the player. Typically the game will spawn three Rhinos, two of them will be left by their drivers, while one of them will try to run the player over.
- This glitch also applies for the Enforcer, the FBI Rancher and free roaming police cars while having no wanted level.
General[]
- The Rhino may have gotten its name from a World War II era German tank destroyer, the Nashorn, the name being German for 'rhinoceros'.
- Moreover, "Rhino tank" is a nickname for Allied tanks equipped with hedgerow cutting devices in 1944.
- In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, when the Rhino is viewed from afar, its low-detailed LOD model resembles the Grand Theft Auto III model of the same, though with a beige color.
- Also in GTA San Andreas, the Rhino is set to perpetually spawn with a primary color of red, but this cannot actually be seen in the game, due to the set texture the tank has, unless the vehicle crashes/is crashed into and one pays attention to the red color of the crash particles.
- One of the artworks for Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories depicts a Rhino with tracks.
See Also[]
- Tank - Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto 2 and Grand Theft Auto Advance equivalents.
- Royal Pain - Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 equivalent.
- Tiger Tank - Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 equivalent.
- APC - The Ballad of Gay Tony equivalent, returned in Grand Theft Auto Online as part of the Gunrunning update.
- TM-02 Khanjali - A light tank in Grand Theft Auto Online, introduced in The Doomsday Heist update.