Today, we are diving into the neon-soaked chaos of Grand Theft Auto V, legendary open-world playground that is well known in the open world genre! This action-adventure titan throws you into the shoes of three unforgettable protagonists, allowing you to play in both third-person and first-person POV. Set in the city of Los Santos (a spot-on parody of LA), you’ll carjack, heist, and uzi your way through a story dripping with dark humor and explosive set pieces. First launched by Rockstar in 2013 on 7th gen consoles, and later released on PC in 2015, the game still continues to receive very positive reviews from open-world enjoyers.
Side Activities
To start things off, the sheer variety of things to do in Los Santos is enough to be a game on its own, but let’s not get a head of ourselves. Let’s start with side quests or what GTA V has weirdly named the Strangers and Freaks Quests. The quests themselves range from various tasks. Where, one quest might have you jogging with a random lady, another might have you straight up unaliving people. Then there are the random side events that supposedly happen out of thin air. You pass by a neighborhood, and you just might see a robbery happening right in front of your eyes. These random events can keep you guessing what happens next as you live out your virtual days in Los Santos, and the choice is in your hands whether you want to butt in or not.
At this point, you might be wondering, what can I do when I’m not nose deep in a quest, though? Well, just about any activity you can think of. One moment you’re skydiving out of a plane, the next you could be indulging in a rejuvenating session of yoga, and it doesn’t stop there. Golf, street races, shooting ranges, among many others, GTA V has it all. And we’re not just talking about a lazy implementation of these activities. Take tennis, for example, the game actually lets you play a full-on tennis match with at least 3 sets. Just so you know what you’re getting into.
But wait, what if I wanna go shopping for some bling bling or something else? Don’t worry, you have a countless amount of stores you can visit as well. You’ve got a variety of clothing stores, convenience stores, gun stores, automotive shops, you name it. You’ll also be surprised that some stores, namely clothing stores, barber shops, and tattoo parlors, offer unique sets and choices. Essentially, as long as you have the cash, GTA V has the stores. The game even has car washes just in case you need to get some dirt or… blood off your car.
Let’s also take a look at what large sums of money can buy. There are properties that the three protagonists can buy, earning you good cash even after you finish the main storyline. As Michael is a connoisseur of the film arts, he is the only protagonist who can buy the Doppler Cinema, which generates passive revenue while you spend your time playing darts. Speaking of earning cash, you can also put your hard earned cash in the stock market, where it’s affected by decisions you make in the game.
Entertainment is also on the table in GTA V. You have them park rides, cinemas scattered all across the city, and a strip club… if you wanna ball your eyes out there.
Not all side activities are created equal, though. While pursuits like racing, hunting, and bounty hunting feel rewarding, some of the collectibles (like spaceship parts and letter scraps) come across as busywork, and it’s clear they exist more to fill up playtime than to enrich the experience.
That said, the vast amount of things to do ensures that GTA V’s world keeps you entertained.
Area of Freedom
Area of Freedom is GTA V’s star of the show. One of GTA V’s achievements is how seamlessly the world is connected, the whole map is a single and uninterrupted space. This means you can drive from the bottom of the map to the very top without so much as a hiccup in immersion. The same philosophy applies to buildings: whether you’re strolling into a gun store to stock up on ammo or stepping into a convenience store to rob the cashier, there’s no jarring transition or loading screen breaking the flow. Although not all the buildings are accessible, the number of buildings you can enter is a feat on it’s own. There are no hard invisible walls whatsoever, but the game does try to kill you when you go to the edge of the world, either by shark attacks, or some weird vehicle failure.
To sum it all up, the openness in GTA V truly stands at the peak of the open world genre.
Liveliness
Los Santos isn't just a backdrop. It feels like a living, breathing virtual playground, and it truly shows throughout the game. The city's diverse areas each tell their own tale. You have architectural marvels populating the skyline on one end you and you have the lush greenery and dry desert on the other. You even have underwater sections, with marine life filling up its space. This rich lineup of environments, each brimming with its own atmosphere and quirks, makes the game feel like a world itself. The game also adds an extra layer to this by having a few details. First, the radio stations breathe additional life into the world, streaming satirical talk shows, absurd commercials, a diverse range of music and reactive news broadcasts. The weather system also deserves a worthy mention, as it not only enhances realism but also affects gameplay. For instance, rain actually decreases vehicle handling when you drive on wet asphalt.
But no world is complete without the NPCs. Los Santos feels like each corner has just the right amount of “life”. NPCs wander the world with routines that feel believable: commuters rush to work, joggers stretch before their morning run, and tourists snap selfies in front of aesthetic landmarks. Random conversations drift through the air as you pass pedestrians, ranging from idle gossip to bizarre arguments that spice believable life into the game. What’s more, the city's residents also react to you. Bump into someone on the sidewalk, and you might get anything from a mumbled "watch it, buddy" to a full-blown street fight.
That said, while the urban areas of Los Santos are brimming with life, the same can’t always be said for the countryside. Blaine County and the desert regions, while visually stunning, lack the same density of activity. You’ll only find wildlife and the occasional hitchhiker, but then again, this is understandable, remembering that it is sort of… in the middle of nowhere.
Overall, Rockstar nails the feeling of a living world, with dedication to even the smallest details that are easy to miss when you play the game for the first time.
Customization
When it comes to customisation, GTA V offers a playground for gearheads and gun nuts alike. Vehicles are where the game’s customisation truly shines, with Los Santos Customs acting as your personal workshop for vehicle experimentation. Whether you’re tuning a luxury sports car for speed, slapping neon lights onto a lowrider, or decking out an off-road monster truck, the possibilities feel endless. Paint jobs, rims, spoilers, tinted windows, and engine upgrades allow you to turn even the most mundane car into a beast that’s as stylish as it is fast.
Weapons are equally customisable, with better gear unlocking gradually throughout the story, allowing you to tailor your arsenal to suit your needs. Silencers and scopes make stealth missions more viable, while extended magazines and explosive rounds let you go all-out when subtlety isn’t an option. Whether you’re sniping enemies from rooftops or wreaking havoc with an upgraded RPG, the weapons customisation enhances both the gameplay and the feeling of player choice.
And let’s not forget, character customization. The game presents a range of styles, going from old money to looking like a straight up gangster. It doesn’t stop there, you can also customize the trio’s physical appearance, like changing hairstyles and beards, specifically made for each character. You want a tattoo? The game’s got you covered there, too, with tattoo parlors with some unique tattoos for each protagonist.
At the end of the day, whatever you’re into, GTA V definitely gives you the freedom of choice when it comes to customization.
Engagement
Moving on to engagement, the game gives you a sense of urgency to finish the main story line from the high rewards, AKA that bread, and who can blame you when the game spoils you with the possibilities of the things that you can buy once you have all the money in the world. The game keeps you hooked from the moment you start that first heist, all the way to the big finale… which is again, another heist, but with a LOT more cash as the reward. And once you are done with that final heist, you’ll have a completely different problem from when you just started playing… and that is… what to do with all of your hard earned cash. I’m sure you’ll figure something out, though. Whether it’s collecting supercars in your garage, buying your own private jet, filling up your wardrobe with all the suits, arming yourself with all the guns, or doing it all. There is literally no end to what this game lets you do with the things you can buy.
Thus, engagement is definitely not something that you’ll be lacking in GTA V, especially when the game spoils you with all the wealth in the world after you finish the game.
Uniqueness
When it comes to standing out, GTA V doesn’t reinvent the open-world genre so much as it perfects a formula that Rockstar Games has been refining for years. What truly makes GTA V unique isn’t actually any single feature, but rather the level of polish and integration across all our previous aspects, creating the ideal open world game where everything feels so real and well connected.
Adding to this seamless design is the three protagonists feature, where you can freely switch between them. This not only adds depth to the gameplay but also opens up new possibilities for customizations for each of them, from personal vehicles to even separate properties and businesses. Beyond that, let’s also not forget that you have an incredible amount of activities to indulge in that sets this game apart from previous GTA games, which even caters to different types of players. Whether it’s strategizing your stock investments or going out to hunt Los Santos’ wanted.
Look at it this way, when you think of open world, it’s hard not to think of GTA V. So it’s no surprise that GTA V is the game that every other open world game wants to replicate and use as a reference. While some games might’ve surpassed some of the aspects in GTA V, they just simply aren’t able to match the extent of unity across the open world aspects that GTA V has accomplished.
At the end of the day, it’s a masterclass in refinement and integration, and that’s exactly what makes GTA V stand above the rest.
End Verdict
So there you have it, the pioneer of the open world genre, Grand Theft Auto V. What makes this game different is how it nails every aspect of open-world design. You've got tons of side activities to dive into, a world with zero borders holding you back, enough customization options to keep you busy, and rewards that'll keep you hooked from start to finish. But the real magic? It's how seamlessly everything binds together, creating a world with remarkable polish. At this point, it probably isn’t a surprise at all if this game gets the highest tier from us at GameTyr, which is exactly what it gets, an S Tier, classifying it as one of the true open world games we have today.
