GRAND THEFT AUTO V
Gameplay
Grand Theft Auto V is an
action-adventure game[3] played from either a
first-person[4][d] or
third-person view.
[5] Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story.
[6] Outside of missions, players may
freely roam the
open world.
Composed of the San Andreas open countryside area and the fictional
city of Los Santos, the world is much larger in area than earlier
entries in the series.
[7][e] It may be fully explored after the game's beginning without restriction, although story progress unlocks more gameplay content.
[9]
Players use
melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies,
[f] and may run, jump, swim or use vehicles to navigate the world.
[g] To accommodate the map's size, the game introduces vehicle types absent in its predecessor
Grand Theft Auto IV, such as
fixed-wing aircraft.
[12] Auto-aim and a
cover system may be used as assistance against enemies in combat.
[13] Should players take damage, their health meter will gradually regenerate to its halfway point.
[h] Players
respawn at hospitals when their health depletes. If players commit crimes while playing, law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a "
wanted" meter in the
head-up display (HUD).
[14]
Stars displayed on the meter indicate the current wanted level (for
example, at the maximum five-star level, police helicopters and
SWAT teams swarm to lethally dispatch players).
[15][i]
Law enforcement officers will search for players who leave the wanted
vicinity. The meter enters a cooldown mode and eventually recedes when
players are hidden from the officers' line of sight (as displayed on the
mini-map).
[17][j]
The single-player mode lets players control three characters:
Michael De Santa,
Trevor Philips and
Franklin Clinton—criminals
whose stories interconnect as they complete missions. Some missions are
completed with only one character and others feature two or three.
Throughout single-player, players may switch between the protagonists
at will by means of a directional compass on the HUD. The game may
switch between characters automatically in single-player missions to
complete certain objectives. A character's compass
avatar will flash red if he is in danger and needs help, and flash white if he has a strategic advantage.
[20] Though players complete missions as any of the three protagonists, the more difficult heist missions require aid from
AI-controlled
accomplices with unique skill sets like computer hacking and driving.
If an accomplice survives a successful heist, they take a cut from the
cash reward
[21] and may be available for later missions with improvements to their unique skills.
[22] Differentiation in heist mission strategies is encouraged; in a
holdup mission, players may either stealthily subdue civilians with an
incapacitating agent or conspicuously storm the venue with guns drawn.
[23]
Players may take cover behind objects during firefights to avoid taking damage from enemies.
Each character has a set of eight skills that represent their ability
in certain areas such as shooting and driving. Though skills improve
through play, each character has a skill with expertise by default (i.e.
Trevor's flying skill).
[24]
The eighth "special" skill determines the effectiveness in performing
an ability that is unique to each respective character. Michael enters
bullet time
in combat, Franklin slows down time while driving, and Trevor deals
twice as much damage to enemies while taking half as much in combat.
[25]
A meter on each character's HUD depletes when an ability is being used
and regenerates when players perform skilful actions (for example,
drifting in vehicles as Franklin or pulling off
headshots as Michael).
While free roaming the game world, players may engage in context-specific activities such as
scuba diving underwater or
BASE jumping via parachute. Each character has a
smartphone for contacting friends, starting activities and accessing an in-game Internet.
[27] The Internet lets players trade in stocks via a
stock market.
[28]
Players may purchase properties such as homes and businesses, upgrade
the weapons and vehicles in each character's arsenal, and customise
their appearance by purchasing outfits, haircuts, tattoos and jewellery.
[29]
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