With millions of people on their fan base, the Grand Theft Auto franchise is one of the most successful ever. The first ever GTA game was released in 1997 and since then, it has come a long way. The fifth main installment was released way back in 2013 but it’s still as popular as ever. GTA 5 is an action-packed adventure game that takes you to the city of Los Santos.

If you ask people on the street if they know GTA 5, there’s a high chance that they’d know! That’s how popular this game is seeing as it’s the second best-selling video game of all time. It has sold 135 million copies and got $6 billion in sales. So, whether you’re just a first-time player or a fan of the series looking for more info on this iconic game, you’re in the right place!

The Latest Installment

When you talk about action and adventure games, there’s a lot of debate as to what’s the greatest. But you can’t talk about that topic without bringing up GTA 5. This game has been one of the best out there even with all the new releases today. At the time of its released, it topped the charts globally for a long time. No other game could come close to the success that this one has accomplished.

Why wouldn’t it? After all, it has one of the best graphics, character designs, missions and many more features. If you compare it with most open world games today, you would not believe that GTA 5 was created 8 years ago. Rockstar certainly knows how to create games that would make a lasting impact for years and decades to come. There’s even talks about GTA 6 a few years from now! But until then, we’ll talk about the greatness of this one first.

Top 10 GTA 5 Features

GTA 5 introduced a lot of cutting-edge technology that we see in today’s games. As such, it’s such a waste not to talk about it as much! This then leads us to the top 10 features of this game.

1. A huge map – The fictional city of Los Santos is based off of Los Angeles. This is not surprising for most as one look at the game and you can tell that it’s accurately based on the city. From the iconic VINEWOOD sign that mimics the HOLLYWOOD sign to the bustling streets and the beaches, there are tons to explore. And since the city is based off of Los Angeles, it’s so big that you can’t explore it all on a single day of gaming. You’d need other characters just to get to certain places.

2. A great deal of missions – As always, the missions are what you’ll be doing in the game. They are the things you need to complete in order to progress the story. In GTA 5, There are plenty of missions all throughout. In each mission, you’re tasked to do certain things. There are missions that involve rescuing people, driving cars, escaping from gangsters, assassinating people, fighting with enemies, heists and more. Each of the missions are unique and adrenaline-rushing that failure to complete them would get you some trouble.

3. 3 Playable Characters – In most games, there’s usually just one protagonist. But GTA 5 has managed to do the impossible by adding 3 protagonists as playable characters! Each of them has different races, jobs, and backgrounds. The first one is Michael De Santa who’s a retired bank robber that has struck a deal with the FBI which has allowed him and his family to move to Los Santos. Next is Franklin Clinton who works as a repo man. Lastly, a former military pilot and a bank robber, the crazy guy of the bunch is Trevor Philips. He’s friends with Michael who befriended Franklin. Together, the 3 will partake in dangerous missions and heists all throughout the game. As there are 3 characters you can play, there are different endings that you can achieve for each of them. This will all depend on the interactions and how you carry out the missions throughout the game.

4. Star-studded Radio Stations – Another interesting aspect of the game are the numerous radio stations. They are interesting as they’re not just some random music put together. There are actually licensed songs from popular artists such as A$AP Rocky, Pam Grier, Outkast, N.W.A, Kenny Loggins and more.

5. Fancy vehicles – GTA 5 features hundreds of vehicles that you can use. There are many options from different categories such as Sports cars, Muscle cars, Super, Sports Classics, Sedans, SUVs, Compacts, Coupes, Motorcycles, Off-Road, Open Wheel, Vans, Utility, Industrial, Service, Commercial, Emergency, Military, Boats, Planes, and Helicopters. In each of these categories, there are different vehicles you can choose to use. Of course, you can always buy them but the fun starts when you just hijack them from people.

6. Plenty of mini games – Even as a game, GTA 5 boasts plenty of mini games you can do inside it. These are designed to take your mind off the main missions or wind down when you want. In a game as large as GTA 5, there are a variety of things you can do here such as play golf, tennis, parachute overlooking the city, do yoga, or just take a drive around the city. But if you’re truly daring, you can just commit a crime – if you’re not afraid to get a wanted status that is.

7. GTA V Online – GTA 5 also features GTA 5 Online which is the multiplayer mode. Here, plenty of people can interact with each other in real time to do missions and other activities. It can act as a simulation game where you can explore different places, talk to different people and go on adventures together.

8. High-quality graphics – Even when it was released some time ago, GTA 5 still has one of the best-looking graphics ever. It’s thanks to this fact that it can compete with modern day games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption and many more.

9. Exciting and smooth gameplay – Overall, the gameplay of GTA 5 has become smoother than ever. It came a long way from GTA IV and from the first GTA games. This game features some rad shooting mechanics, modern driving gameplay and just overall realistic gaming experience.

10. Hunt – What’s even more surprising is that you can go hunting in here! There are tons of animals you can hunt and places to explore! Indulge in an entirely different aspect of the game and enjoy the hunt.

Tips to Get the Most Out of GTA 5

Even when this game was released 8 years ago, it’s still being played for the first time by many people. Due to this, we though it would be helpful to give some pointers.

1. Participate in the stock market – Just like in real life, you can buy and sell stocks in GTA 5. There are two exchanges here which is LCN and BAWSAQ. You can invest money in here and potentially become richer easily if you just heed to the news and the advices of other people. Most importantly, just continue investing and analyze the charts.

3. Escape the police – When playing GTA 5, there’s always going to be an instance of raising your wanted level whether with 1 or 5 stars. Since getting involved with the police is inevitable, you should learn how to escape their line of sight. The best way to do this is to go off road whenever possible. Or, you can go on foot and lose the police through fences and houses.
4. Use your special abilities – In GTA 5, there are special abilities for each of the characters. Use them to gain more proficiency. Most of all, try to use them in difficult scenarios as much as possible.