The Biggest Traditions In The Series

Summary

• No crime goes unpunished in GTA, thanks to law enforcement adding consequences.
• Car chases test players’ skills and add excitement with intense pursuits in each game.
• Easter eggs, satire, and killer soundtracks make GTA unique and immersive for players.

Grand Theft Auto is a titan in the video game industry. These games often set new standards for video game development, as Rockstar uses the series as a launching pad for new mechanics. Each new iteration of Grand Theft Auto features new characters, graphics, cars, and gameplay features.

However, there are also many traditions in this series that have spanned across the games for decades. As gamers await the arrival of Grand Theft Auto 6, it’s interesting to see how many of these traditions will carry over to the newest game in the series.

8

Law Enforcement

No Crime Can Go Unpunished

Grand Theft Auto is a series based on criminal enterprise. And just like in real life, criminals can’t run rampant without inevitably facing the strong arm of the law. Law enforcement in GTA has been an important part of the experience since its inception, because it keeps players in check. The increasing wanted stars act as harsh consequences for the player’s actions, ensuring that the gamer’s freedom comes at a cost.

The police force adds to the thrill of a Grand Theft Auto experience. In some cases, they’re even baked into the main story of the game, like in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Officer Tenpenny (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) was a crooked cop who terrorized the main character, CJ, throughout the entire story. Police are so synonymous with the series that a recent GTA Online update allows players to finally purchase police vehicles and play as police bounty hunters.

7

Car Chases

The Thrill Of The Chase

One thing those wanted levels are great for, is creating spur-of-the-moment high-speed chases. Being chased around the map is one of the most entertaining aspects of any GTA game, and it’s the best way to test out the capabilities of a freshly acquired vehicle.

Vice City in particular is known for having one of the most brutal law enforcement deployments, as they will go to extreme lengths to slow down a speedy player. They will try to shred tires, and steer their cars into players in an attempt to get them out of the vehicle. Grand Theft Auto 5 has an intense chase system too, but it is also generous in offering players many ways to get the cops off their backs. Players can lose all of their wanted stars easily if they know a few key spots on the map to hide.

Chases can happen spontaneously, but Rockstar also does a great job of adding scripted chases into the story missions. The opportunity for good, scripted chases has risen with the addition of heists to the series.

6

Easter Eggs

Serendipity Is High In GTA

Grand Theft Auto has had memorable Easter eggs in the past. Some of the best include Hillary Clinton’s face being depicted on the Statue of Happiness in GTA 4, the heart inside the Statue of Happiness, and the alien invasion in GTA 5.

One of the most popular Easter eggs in a GTA game was in Vice City, featuring an apartment reminiscent of the infamous scene from Scarface where Tony Montanna watches his partner get attacked with a chainsaw. If players go into the apartment, they’ll find a blood-stained bathtub and a chainsaw that they can pick up for later use.

Rockstar often uses Easter eggs to make each game feel connected. For instance, a popular Easter egg in GTA 5 sees three Grove Street gang members riding on bicycles, as a callback to the early GTA: San Andreas sequence with CJ, Sweet, and Ryder on bikes. It won’t come as a surprise if there are some cool GTA 5 and GTA Vice City callbacks in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6.

5

Satire That Hits Home

Rockstar Are Masters Of Parody

One thing that separates Grand Theft Auto from other games is its unique brand of humor. The games are known for spoofing popular cities, with the mainline games focusing on American culture. The satire often mirrors some of the hard truths facing society at the time of release. For instance, GTA 5 features a media brand called LifeInvader, a clear parody of Facebook.

Throughout the game, players see how Lifeinvader harvests users’ data unapologetically. Ironically, three years after the release of GTA 5, Facebook would find itself in a huge data scandal, showing just how true to life Rockstar’s depiction of Facebook was.

4

Killer Soundtracks

GTA Is Known For Its Grooves

Aside from the cars and crime, another thing that this series always gets right is its soundtracks. Rockstar cleverly weaves the music selection into the game via the car radio, giving players the choice of which type of sound they want to hear. This is far better than forcing a bunch of music into the game that may not appeal to every player. It also allows Rockstar to curate the perfect selection of songs for each genre, fitting the time period of the game. The Vice City soundtrack is perhaps one of the best in the series, as it perfectly captures the essence of the 80s.

Rockstar is also known for collaborating with artists to create new and original music. One example is the recent DLC for GTA Online, The Contract: Dr. Dre. This DLC introduced new unreleased music produced by Dr. Dre, as well as adding many of his classic records to the existing playlist.

3

Betrayal

Backstabbing Is Part Of The Recipe

Betrayal is a consistent theme throughout the GTA series. Grand Theft Auto 3 literally kicks off with main character Claude being betrayed by his girlfriend Catalina after a robbery, which kicks off Claude’s journey of getting revenge on her. Another instance of betrayal, and one that really hurt, was Lance Vance in Vice City. Lance decides to sell out Tommy Vercetti to Sonny after everything they’d gone through with taking over the city.

One major betrayal that weighs heavily on players is in San Andreas, when it’s revealed that Big Smoke and Ryder sold out the Grove Street family, aligning themselves with Frank Tenpenny and the Ballas gang. Betrayal and revenge write themselves in Grand Theft Auto games.

2

Exploration

Rockstar’s Worlds Are Rich With Details

This series is known for its rich sandbox experiences. It’s easy for developers to craft an open-world game, but then fail to give players enough encouragement to explore it. Rockstar, however, has always rewarded its players for taking the time to explore the map. Early games like GTA 3 did it with rewards and collectibles. Later entries started introducing creative Easter eggs, landmarks, and side missions.

GTA 5 has mastered the formula. Los Santos has many districts, each depicting a different economic reality, much like real life. The upper rural portion of the map is Blaine County, which is a stark contrast from the city, where people are poorer, less opportunistic, but also more self-sustaining. The two halves of the Los Santos map are so rich with content that players can spend hours exploring every interesting detail Rockstar planted. It only raises the bar for GTA 6.

1

Stealing Cars

Well, Duh!

It’s all in the name. Stealing cars is a pivotal part of the Grand Theft Auto series, and it’s a feature that will never leave. It’s one of the easiest tasks to do in the game, and for good reason. Driving vehicles is an essential part of the gameplay experience. In GTA, car culture is baked into the core experience, even if it isn’t the main selling point of each release. Players don’t need to be the biggest gearhead in the world to enjoy the game, but the desire to drive a large variety of vehicles will always be there regardless.

Rockstar will reportedly make stealing cars more gamified in GTA 6, requiring the player to have certain tools for breaking into common and luxury cars. This has some players divided, as some people believe stealing cars should be the easiest thing to do in the game, while others are ready for some changes to this mechanic. One thing is for certain: it’s impossible to spell Grand Theft Auto without Auto Theft. Stealing cars is a tradition of this series that is rightfully never going away.