There is perhaps no video game franchise as iconic and prolific as theGrand Theft Autoseries. From its humble beginnings as a top-down game, the franchise has grown to become one of the most profitable entertainment products of all time. Titles such asGrand Theft Auto: San Andreashave become staples of gaming, and though the series has garnered itself mountains of criticism for its violence and crass humor, it has also earned itself the praise of gamers and critics alike.
Within theGrand Theft Autofranchise, there is one title that stands out —Grand Theft Auto 5. Originally released in 2013,GTA 5takes players to Los Santos, which offers a satirized view of California, complete with all its decadence, inequality, and materialism. Since the day gamers got their hands on it, the game has consistently remained in the top 10 sales charts, and in 2020, seven years after its initial release, it enjoyed its most profitable year since 2013. Rockstar shows no signs of wanting to put the game to rest, and it has planned yet another release ofGTA 5in 2022 for the Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Thanks to an intricately designed world, a trio of memorable protagonists, and an online mode that receives plenty of updates,GTA 5has managed to stand strong for three generations.
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Los Santos Offers Endless Adventures
Los Santos first made an appearance in theGTAseries withGTA: San Andreas, where it is an island sitting alongside San Fierro and Las Venturas. It bears an unmissable resemblance to California, and it satirizes the best and the worst parts of the American state.ForGTA 5, Los Santos was expanded upon, adding several more activities for players to indulge in. The beachside is a fun place to play in the waters, Del Perro pier has amusement park rides to hop in, the golf course lets players imagine themselves as the next Tiger Woods, and there is the mighty Mount Chiliad for fans of hiking.
Some of the most fun thatcan be had in Los Santosis the fun players make on their own. As sadistic as it may sound, arming oneself to the teeth, picking a busy area, and enacting a massacre is a thrilling experience made even more exciting by the cop chase that ensues afterward. Seeing how many stars one can rack up before they are busted or killed is something that never gets old.
While going on murderous rampages is astaple of every game in theGTAseries,GTA 5goes out of its way to offer non-violent alternatives for gamers to indulge in. Whether it be drag racing, playing tennis, or simply doing some yoga,GTA 5’s Los Santos is bursting with varied activities.
For gamers who do want some action, Los Santos offers no shortage of things to do. There is the most obvious choice, which is doing the main missions that involve going on multi-stage heists and dealing with the corrupt FIB (a parody of the FBI that doubles as a clever pun). However, there are far more options available too, including somewhat hidden missions such as Michael’s run-in with the Epsilon cult. There are equally as fun as the main missions, and they add more character to the world ofGTA 5.
The amount of detail on display in Los Santos is impressive, especially considering the game was originally released on the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Years after release, tiny Easter Eggs and secrets arestill being uncovered inGTA 5, and some questions remain unanswered. Far from being frustrating, such occurrences increase Los Santos’s mystique and enigma, which keeps gamers coming back to comb over every inch of it.
GTA 5 Has a Terrific Yet Troublesome Trio
At the center ofGTA 5stands an iconic trio of criminals who could hardly be any more different and yet they must work together. Michael Townley is a retired heist expert who, after faking his death, has moved to Los Santos to start his life afresh. However, the cushy suburban life turns out to be an entirely new challenge for him when he finds himself stuck with bratty kids and a needy wife. Although to many, he has achieved the elusive American Dream, he can find no peace.
Michael eventually crosses paths with a young man from Los Santos’s inner city.His name is Franklin, and he has indulged in small-time crime, but he wants more for himself. Being down and out is not appealing to him, but friends like Lamar do not seem to have big dreams like him. When Franklin sees Michael, he sees someone who can help him win the rat race and finally live the good life. Unfortunately, Franklin soon finds out he has bitten off more than he can chew, and he is quickly embroiled in a world of drug lords and corrupt government officials.
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The hardestGTA 5protagonistto understand is Trevor Philips. On the surface, he seems like a loose cannon with no morals or rationality. He does not hesitate to kill whoever annoys him, he has no regard for his safety, and his unpredictability makes him a danger to himself and everyone around him. Beneath the insanity on the surface, however, is a man who greatly values loyalty and has a sense of justice no matter how twisted it may initially appear.
The lives of the three characters intertwine in complex ways that highlight each of their personalities and their approaches to life. Although they all ultimately want the same thing, how they go about it is what defines each of them. There are many ways to interpret these characters. For some, the three characters represent three differentplaystyles inGrand Theft Auto, with Franklin representing the beginner still grinding their way to the top, Michael representing the end-game player who has already amassed wealth, and Trevor representing the reckless rampage enjoyers.
The ability to seamlessly switch between the three characters allows players to view Los Santos through three separate lenses, revealing how the same location can look very different to different people. It also helps to have three characters who roam different segments of the map, because traveling across Los Santos can be a time-consuming experience. If anyGTA 5features make it intoGTA 6, the ability to switch through multiple protagonists is hopefully one of them.
GTA: Online Keeps Players Returning
TheGTAcommunity has an intense love-hate relationship forGrand Theft Auto Online.GTA Onlineis one of the reasonsGTA 5has gotten no singleplayer DLC. As Rockstar’s director of design stated in an interview with Game Informer, “the online component had a lot of potential, but to come close to realizing that potential also sucked up a lot of resources,” and, consequently, Rockstar did not feel that “singleplayer expansions were either possible or necessary.”
There have been plenty of criticisms that have beenwaged againstGTA Online. The updates it receives have become wackier and wackier, involving flying cars and floating ramps. While it does help the game to remain feeling fresh, it also takes away from some of the more grounded aspects of the game. Perhaps the biggest gripe has to do withGTA Online’s economy.
If one spends any time in the game, they will soon come across other players with fancy cars, nice clothes, and lucrative businesses. To work up the ladder requires a ridiculous amount of grinding that cannot be achieved with mere casual play. Unfortunately, the only way to bypass this intense grinding is to purchase Shark Cards, which are bought with real-world money. Because of this, many viewGTA Onlineas a trap made to milk gamers of as much money as possible.
Despite all these criticisms,GTA Onlineremains one of the most popular games of all time. Since its release, millions of players have logged intoGTA Online, and on Steam alone the game enjoyed an average of 118, 883 active players during August 2021.GTA Onlineenjoys numbers other multiplayer games don’t typically reach, and the game has grown so large that it easily eclipses its singleplayer counterpart. For better or for worse,GTA Onlinehas played an important role inkeepingGTA 5alivefor almost a decade.
Understandably, after so many years ofGTA 5, many gamers are eager to move on to thenext adventure withGTA 6. However, that may take a while becauseGTA 5is still wildly successful and profitable and although many have grown tired of Los Santos, every day there is someone who is buying an Xbox, PlayStation, or gaming PC for the first time, and chances are thatGTA 5will be one of the games they purchase. For that reason alone, it seems likeGTA 5will still be around for a while.
Grand Theft Auto 5is available on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions are set to release in March 2022.
