The Special Ability is a mechanic in the Grand Theft Auto series appearing in Grand Theft Auto V.
Each player has his own unique special ability which is based on his own "specialty"; Michael has the ability to slow down time during shoot-outs, Franklin can slow down time while driving, and Trevor can enter a "rage" mode where he is able to deal double damage to enemies while making himself nearly invulnerable to damage. Each player has a small yellow meter below the radar which indicates how much time the player has left before their special ability deactivates. While playing as any protagonist, the player can activate the special ability by pressing 
+
on PS3/PS4, LS+RS on Xbox 360/Xbox One, or Caps Lock on PC. Each protagonist has his own way of refilling the meter.
Franklin Clinton
Franklin Special Ability, from the GTA V Manual.
Franklin's ability, Driving Focus, allows him to slow down time while driving any land vehicle. This allows him to easily take corners at full speed and make precise maneuvers quickly. By enhancing this skill, you increase its maximum storage capacity, which directly affects its duration. Franklin's special ability begins at one third of maximum capacity, which lasts for 30 seconds of duration. As soon as the ability gets activated, the screen darkens and takes on a slight hue of green, during which the gameworld becomes very slow, and all of the lights on the screen become blurry and leave trails. Controls of the vehicle become smoother and allow Franklin to pass through narrow gaps between other cars to do dangerous turns and slides without losing control or speed of the vehicle and overall improve performance. This is reminiscent of the "Zone" ability in the Midnight Club series of video games, which were also made by Rockstar Games, which allows the player to slow down time to weave through traffic.
This ability only can be applied to ground motored vehicles like cars, motorcycles, and even to the Rhino tank. This is particularly useful if Franklin is attacking someone with the cannon. The special ability also applies to drive-by shootings.
Just driving around with Franklin can increase his special skill although minutely. The more extreme the circumstance the better chance of increased skill. The following events give an increase to Franklin's special skill in varying amounts:
- Drifting around corners adds a continuous bonus.
- Near vehicle misses at high speed: small bonus
- Driving on the wrong side of the street in traffic adds a continuous bonus.
- Driving at or above 90% of vehicle's top speed: continuous bonus
Lamar Davis is the only in-game character who acknowledges the existence of Special Ability, asking him to "use that special driving thing that he does" during Chop. According to him, Franklin looks funny while using it, "Like watching Chop try to read while you do that shit."
Michael De Santa
Michael's Special Ability, from the GTA V Manual.
Michael's Special ability is Bullet Time. While active, Michael enters a bullet-time-like effect, allowing him to slow time and gain the advantage in shootouts. By enhancing this skill, you increase its maximum storage capacity, which directly affects its duration. Michael's Special skill lasts for 30 seconds when the Stat Bar for Special skill has been maxed out. Similar to other Rockstar titles such as John/Jack Marston's Dead Eye (rank one) ability in Red Dead Redemption and the Bullet Time effect in the Max Payne series, this allows Michael to focus and plan his movements and aiming while shooting. As he activates the ability, the screen gets a blue tint and the action gets slower.
This ability can be activated only when Michael is on foot, cannot be activated when he's in a vehicle (unless when switching to him and he's in his car giving money to Tracey De Santa or Jimmy De Santa, the ability can be activated, but once the ability is stopped or depleted, it can't be activated again).
Special combat maneuvers increase Michael's Special. The following events increase Michael's Area Kill Special skill in varying amounts:
- Headshot: 7.5% bonus
- Stealth kill or knock out: 10% bonus
- Health drop below 25%: 20% bonus
- Maintaining high speeds in vehicles: small bonus
Tracey De Santa indirectly mentions his special ability in Daddy's Little Girl, saying "My daddy never misses!", although this could simply be her overplaying Michael's aim.
Trevor Philips
Trevor's Special Ability, from the GTA V Manual.
Trevor's special skill is Red Mist, which allows him to take less damage and inflict more damage on others, practically making him invincible. As the ability is activated, Trevor bursts into rage losing no health and increasing damage on enemies. The screen aquires an orange shade with a ripple visual effect and a buzzing sound effect, time slows down slightly, but never as slow as Michael's or Franklin's ability. By enhancing this skill, you increase its maximum storage capacity, which directly affects its duration. Trevor's Special skill lasts for 30 seconds when the Stat Bar for Special skill has been max'd out. This special move is reminicent to Tony Montana's rage in the game Scarface: The World is Yours, where he becomes invincible in a berserk rage. The similar ability is also happens in another Rockstar's movie-based game, The Warriors. This game also has a similar rage mode where the playable characters becomes invincible and their attacks doubled. And the screen is also becomes orange-shaded when activated.
He practically takes no damage, able to resist serious to lethal damage like fire, explosions, cougar attacks and Rhino cannons. He also performs a special melee attack with up close enemies. Unfortunately, while he takes no damage, he's still susceptible to the reactions of these attacks (body flying during an explosion, cars can run over him, cougars taking him down etc.), sometimes rendering him defenseless if attacked constantly with grenades, rockets or run by vehicles. A modified version of Trevor's ability is featured in Rampages.
He only can perform his special ability while on foot.
When activated, Trevor will furiously shout random unique taunts.
Things that make Trevor angry increase his special. The following events increase Trevor's Invulnerability special skill in varying amounts:
- Failing a mission: small bonus
- Fall over: small bonus
- Take damage: small bonus
- Rammed by vehicle: small bonus
- Bumping into pedestrian: small bonus
- Headshot: 7.5% bonus
- Kill at least one pedestrian in explosion: 15% bonus
- Maintaining high speeds in vehicles: small bonus
Trivia
- Michael's Area Kill slow motion does not affect the images on Television.
- If you repeatedly activate and deactivate Franklin's ability, the speed of the vehicle he's driving will dramatically increase. This is useful for slow vehicles like trucks.
- All three protagonists' special abilities involve slow motion, although in Trevor's case it's less prominent.
- In the Collector's and Special editions of Grand Theft Auto V, the abilities' regeneration periods are boosted by 25%.
Bugs
- If Franklin has maxed out his Special Ability level before participating in any race where he can utilize his Special Ability (Shift Work, Stock Car Racing), Franklin will lose almost two bars on his Special Ability level after a race is completed. This is just a minor inconvenience since it is easy to max out Franklin's Special Ability level through driving, and can even be replenished with another race. This does not pertain to races where Franklin cannot use his Special Ability like Sea Races or Triathlon. (Tested on the Xbox One)
- When controlling Michael for the first time in Complications his Special Ability meter remains empty, this is probably so that Michael would physically fight Simeon without using his pistol. However, after the mission Michael's meter stays empty and he cannot fill it no matter what he does in free-roam until he completes his next mission which can be either Father/Son or his Strangers and Freaks missions of Grass Roots or Exercising Demons.