Grand Theft Auto V

2013

Audio: English · Subtitles: Portuguese, Chinese, German, English, Italian, Polish, Russian, Japanese, Spanish, French, Korean

shooter
racing
adventure
action
comedy
sandbox
open world
single player
multiplayer
co-operative

The story

Grand Theft Auto V is a vast open world game set in Los Santos, a sprawling sun-soaked metropolis struggling to stay afloat in an era of economic uncertainty and cheap reality TV. The game blends storytelling and gameplay in new ways as players repeatedly jump in and out of the lives of the game’s three lead characters, playing all sides of the game’s interwoven story.

What it’s like

Sun-bleached and hazy, Los Santos glows under wide, saturated daylight that turns to neon-streaked dusk over palm-lined boulevards, glossy freeway interchanges, and the scrubby brown hills above the city. The camera follows from behind and above with a fluid, cinematic swing, and the radio is a constant companion, cycling through satirical talk shows, classic rock, and synth-heavy stations that give every drive a different mood. Violence is frequent and often bloody, with gunfights, car chases, and explosions, along with brutal and darkly comic killings, so this is not a gentle pick. The vibe is wry, restless, and cynical, a satire of consumer excess and reality-TV vanity that sits uneasily beside its moments of genuine melancholy and loyalty between its three protagonists. Pacing swings between frantic set pieces and long stretches of aimless driving, golf, or wandering the coastline and countryside. Its three leads are damaged men clinging to old ambitions and each other, slowly and painfully drifting toward some form of reckoning. It suits players who want a big, reactive city to lose hours in, rewarding both chaotic mayhem and quiet exploration, and fans of crime satire with an ironic edge.

More games like Grand Theft Auto V

People love Grand Theft Auto V for its funny, cynical take on American excess and the three crooks at its center, and for the freedom to roam a sun-drenched city and keep stepping in and out of their lives.

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