Grand Theft Auto V

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4181 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,358 out of 4181
  2. Mixed: 329 out of 4181
  3. Negative: 494 out of 4181
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  1. EzzOmen
    Sep 18, 2013
    6
    GTA V being very overrated is probably the worst thing about Metacritic User Reviews.

    The Game is brilliant, an easy 8-9/10, but it isn't perfect, Murky Textures and somewhat dull activities are highlighted here. Campaign is interesting,the world is Huge and messing around has never been as fun on a GTA game, but if you're reading reviews and want a genuine answer of the games    GTA V being very overrated is probably the worst thing about Metacritic User Reviews.

    The Game is brilliant, an easy 8-9/10, but it isn't perfect, Murky Textures and somewhat dull activities are highlighted here.

    Campaign is interesting,the world is Huge and messing around has never been as fun on a GTA game, but if you're reading reviews and want a genuine answer of the games quality that isn't biased about how its 'perfect' or 'terrible' this is what you need to read.

    Pros:
    Huge World
    Storyline
    Characters and General Improvements to them
    Pace

    Cons:
    Textures
    Activities (while fitting to the game, tennis isn't something i want to spend my time on GRAND THEFT AUTO doing.)    … Expand
  2. JohnnySnowstorm
    Sep 19, 2013
    6
    I think I've been spoiled by the recent influx of really good third person shooters and open world games. Sleeping Dogs, Saints Row, and others have all added a good mix of fun and great ideas to the genre. And because of that, I feel rather unimpressed by GTA V.

    The story is weak, which isn't really that surprising since most GTA games aren't known for their depth, but I was actually    I think I've been spoiled by the recent influx of really good third person shooters and open world games. Sleeping Dogs, Saints Row, and others have all added a good mix of fun and great ideas to the genre. And because of that, I feel rather unimpressed by GTA V.

    The story is weak, which isn't really that surprising since most GTA games aren't known for their depth, but I was actually really invested in the stories of Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire, both of which are of course Rockstar titles. None of the main characters really appeal to me, they're not funny or clever, and after 30 hours of doing just story missions I find myself really let down. I get that everything is a parody, that the political cartoons on TV and the jabs at Facebook are pop culture references, but none of it is really making me laugh. The side characters like Jimmy and Tonya are just obnoxious and I keep wishing I could permanently drive them off a cliff, but I can't!

    As for gameplay, the driving is really bad, and with cars being the center of the game mechanics, that's saying something. Cars don't feel very different, they don't seem to have much weight to them, the GPS is really archaic and detracts from other things. There are clipping issues with items along the road and the car physics still seem way off. Shooting from cars is horrible, I mean who the hell thought it would be a great idea to make shoot and target the same button? That kind of stuff is unforgivable in 2013, especially since other recent games have it so much better. Movement is clunky, it feels like it hasn't improved a bit since RDR, I constantly "bump" into people and annoy them even though I clearly didn't even touch them. Moving around the house or inside areas does not feel nice, it feels like I'm moving a fridge rather than a person. Why is it so hard to actually stash cars and have a garage? What happened to my customized cars? It feels like Rockstar didn't put much thought into making car management very fluent, and again, when cars are so prominent in the game, WHY is it like this? Also, the mission rating system is ridiculous when you can't even seen the requirements for different medals before or during the mission.

    The side missions and activities are all over the place, they're not deep enough to be good simulations, but they're also not good enough to be arcade style mini games. Tennis in particular is terrible, so why even bother putting it in when you don't make it any fun or any good? Managing stock markets, browsing the internet, watching TV, going to strip clubs, etc, they're all kind of boring and I felt no need to do any of them ever again.

    Character customization is average, it's nowhere near as fun as it is in Saints Row, and so far I haven't found anything worth buying at the clothing stores in Los Santos. The leveling system for stats is not fun, since you can't really tell you're getting better at something until the game tells you. There's no way to track progress, which makes it uninteresting. They'd have been better off just making the different characters good at certain things and bad at others, and then just keeping it that way. The fact that you need an iphone app to level your dog is especially when the app itself is unstable and keeps resetting progress. Please don't make external apps that influence in-game stats, it's a terrible idea.

    Graphics wise, meh, while I think it looks a lot like L.A. the game is certainly not pushing any boundaries. The aliasing makes everything seem...I don't know, shiny but unappealing? There's something about it that doesn't feel right, it feels a bit too reflective and not real enough. I'm kinda sad that there's no performance capture stuff like they had with L.A. Noire, GTA V looks really old in comparison which is weird.

    I won't bother to complain about every gaming site giving it a 10 since it's just a product of this gaming generation, but I will say I'm surprised to see that many normal people raving about it. The game doesn't bring anything new to the table and is quite honestly very boring most of the time. I would have rather had a game like Red Dead Redemption set in a different time and place, something a little more interesting than a recreation of L.A.    … Expand
  3. XenonGTX
    Sep 9, 2014
    6
    I dont like it. There is just nothing about it that makes me want to play it. IV, SA and VC had that special something. That atmosphere. IV lacked it, but it was still a great game. But this? They threw the fun car physics from IV away and made all suspensions out of stone or something. Combat. Ohh im boiling right now. It's like under water. if you fall down you just lay there for aI dont like it. There is just nothing about it that makes me want to play it. IV, SA and VC had that special something. That atmosphere. IV lacked it, but it was still a great game. But this? They threw the fun car physics from IV away and made all suspensions out of stone or something. Combat. Ohh im boiling right now. It's like under water. if you fall down you just lay there for a couple of seconds and then slooooooowwwwlllyyy start to get up. Now the good: Music is decent. Better than IV anyways. Includes Online so that's something new even though it gets boring 30 mins in. Car mods. Great.… Expand
  4. Sammiches
    Sep 25, 2013
    6
    Now that GTA V has been out for over a week and people have had time to sink their teeth into the real meat of the game, we can finally start seeing some honest reviews about the experience, from start to finish. It's no surprise that the game is pretty good as reflected by its sales and media buzz, but I feel that all too often the media exaggerates the quality of a game like GTA V andNow that GTA V has been out for over a week and people have had time to sink their teeth into the real meat of the game, we can finally start seeing some honest reviews about the experience, from start to finish. It's no surprise that the game is pretty good as reflected by its sales and media buzz, but I feel that all too often the media exaggerates the quality of a game like GTA V and frustrates people that were expecting that kind of quality. GTA V has quite a few problems, actually, and I'm going to bring them to light.

    First of all, the visual style of the game is great. Played it on the xbox and was surprised to find some great lighting, a great sense of being in an expansive world, and some stunning looking water with cool displacement physics. Characters, vehicles, and the environment look generally great. It's when you start getting into the countryside that things fall apart. Terrain has gross, tiling textures making up a lot of the landscape with some poorly detailed, sparse vegetation here and there. The desert area simply looks awful. Framerate is at the very least as inconsistent as GTA IV, though the drops are not quite as severe.

    The controls are once again a point of issue. On foot and driving controls are generally tighter, but for some reason your ability to free aim has taken a hit, especially in vehicles. Awkward weapon draw times and clunky aiming out of the vehicle makes it impossible to steer and hit your target. The camera doesn't help either. Each character has their own set of skills and abilities that you can upgrade through use of whatever that particular skill requires. Improving these skills didn't seem to have too profound an effect with any character, especially sneaking, which seemed to work brilliantly regardless of how far the skill was progressed. The only real change I may have noticed was weapon reloads becoming slightly faster with shooting upgraded. Big whoop.

    Gameplay is solid for a Grand Theft Auto title, but apart from a few cool new setpieces and the more complex structure to heist missions, it's generally the same old drive here shoot this guy sort of deal. Scripted chase scenes are still the absolute worst thing in this game featuring completely invulnerable AI drivers that are always faster than you until some arbitrary point where life is breathed into the husk of the car and you notice the suspension physics taking over. Speaking of heists, they're yet another disappointment. There are only six of them, and all of them have two ways to take your score. Each one has you going around town collecting items and vehicles needed for the gig before actually going for the score. The bad part is that the later heists have you collecting a lot of objects and not doing a whole lot with them in the end. You spend more time preparing than you do actually taking scores! What makes this even more frustrating is the inbetween side missions and activities. Most of the strangers and freaks missions fall prey to boring, formulaic GTA gameplay. Go around searching areas for cars to deliver, or go around searching for something to steal, or just go chase down and kill some dudes, maybe bring something back. Most pay next to nothing, and unless you really enjoy the dialogue in this game so much, there's no real reason to do these. SIde activities bolster stats, but they really just function and that's it.

    Notice how I mentioned that getting paid is a problem with side missions? Well, this problem extends to the rest of the game. Outside of missions, there isn't a whole lot you can do to earn cash. Buying property is probably the best way, but to do that you need money to begin with, so until you've done most of the heists (and missions in the game for that matter), you'll probably not really have the money you want to get the things in the game you want. For instance, the very expensive vehicle tuning, which is a luxury you can afford to live without. Then you have the stock market. Other than buying stocks recommended by a character who runs assassination missions and making a little money that way, I stood clear of it.

    Now finally, the part everybody loves. The social satire in this game is more often than not hilarious. The only real reason I continued to play this game was because I really got into the writing and the characters. It's not so much that I was doing some of these boring, play-by-numbers missions for the sake of getting through, but so that I could see how the characters would react to whatever crazy thing just happened and what might happen next for this story. Then the game started to progress and I started losing my love for the characters. They really don't undergo any real changes, and sometimes behave in odd, erratic ways that seem like contrivancies to keep the plot moving in a particular direction. Then you have your ye olde Rockstar ending, and I don't have to say anything because it's so obvious what's going to happen. I'll give it a 6/10.    … Expand
  5. Ozwald
    Oct 12, 2013
    6
    Rockstar have truly lost their way, instead of fun over the top games they now create messy, misogynistic games that try far too hard to be offensive for the sake of it. GTA 5 does have some amazing features to it, such as the world and how detailed it is, but sooner or later everything you appreciate the game will come crashing down due to one thing or another.

    The controls in this    Rockstar have truly lost their way, instead of fun over the top games they now create messy, misogynistic games that try far too hard to be offensive for the sake of it. GTA 5 does have some amazing features to it, such as the world and how detailed it is, but sooner or later everything you appreciate the game will come crashing down due to one thing or another.

    The controls in this game are absolutely awful, I expected Rockstar to have worked on this after the mess that was GTA 4, but they feel practically the same. You can't just throw in an auto aim that is far too generous because you couldn't be bothered to fine out the aiming, that is just shameful. The driving is better admittedly, but it couldn't have gotten any worse after GTA 4. Every action is over animated, it makes the controls incredibly cumbersome and frustrating and nearly impossible to get through small doorways without running into walls first.

    The story in this game is about as disjointed as they come, the only real connection being that everyone needs to make money, which is once again an incredibly lazy plot driving point. I never had a sense that what I was doing was important to progressing the story or characters once during my time with the GTA 5 main missions and I found myself getting tired of it very often. Free roaming is a lot of fun, probably where the most fun will be had with this game, there is a lot on offer in the world of Los Santos and it rewards the observant gamer. It is a shame then that the police will punish you for even the slightest of crimes, tap one of their cars? Accidently bump into an officer due to the clunky controls? They will shoot you on sight for it. I'm not sure if there is an underlying message to this about America and its police brutality or if Rockstar really were just too lazy once again to bother adding different reactions to each wanted level.

    The biggest problem with this game is GTA Online, unfortunately it comes as part of the package so it should be rated as part of the entirety of this game. The playerbase is absolutely awful, one of the worst standing side by side with the Call of Duty community. This however is not Rockstar's fault, but like it or not you will have to rely on these people sooner or later to help you either in missions or just roaming around. The missions themselves are pretty much just cut and copy over and over with only the bare basics changed; such as mission location or how many enemies you need to kill. Practically all the missions will revolve around killing a group of people, collecting something and then reaching a destination.

    GTA Online was never going to live up to the hype it created, but it could have been so much more. Because of the disappointing single player and the outright horrid Online feature I can only give GTA 5 a 6/10.    … Expand
  6. Kazek7
    Sep 25, 2013
    6
    Overall, a disappointment in singleplayer.
    Pro's
    More Vehicles Los Santos Customs Planes Massive open world map Buy-able Businesses Stock Market Cons Characters you cannot relate to. Side activities are dull. Police are impossible to Survive getting away from. Helicopter handling is awful. Not enough health Terrible Frame rate. Loading times take too long. Aim reticule is a    Overall, a disappointment in singleplayer.
    Pro's
    More Vehicles
    Los Santos Customs
    Planes
    Massive open world map
    Buy-able Businesses
    Stock Market
    Cons
    Characters you cannot relate to.
    Side activities are dull.
    Police are impossible to Survive getting away from.
    Helicopter handling is awful.
    Not enough health
    Terrible Frame rate.
    Loading times take too long.
    Aim reticule is a tiny dot that is very hard to see.
    Unexplained reasons for the Balla's owning Grove st.
    Yes, I'm not one of the sheep giving this game a perfect score because of the logo on the box. Time to wake up to the reality that this game is just another GTA 4, except a lot less fun, as for multiplayer time will tell. 6/10 Singleplayer score. Hopefully Multiplayer is a thousand times better then the dissapointing single player.    … Expand
  7. Kiwi_Ingenuity
    Mar 8, 2014
    6
    A superfluous experience; visually impressive, but ultimately a bland experience. The three main characters only have a single motive: ill-gotten wealth. They may've intentionally substituted plot for an enjoyable experience, but both aspects fall flat. There isn't much fun to bad had that hasn't already been doable in the previous instalments. Multiplayer is also a bore; a hodgepodge ofA superfluous experience; visually impressive, but ultimately a bland experience. The three main characters only have a single motive: ill-gotten wealth. They may've intentionally substituted plot for an enjoyable experience, but both aspects fall flat. There isn't much fun to bad had that hasn't already been doable in the previous instalments. Multiplayer is also a bore; a hodgepodge of boring activities that replace searchable lobbies for each game-type, a poor money system, and a lame selection of games to choose from after a match ends. The game's story is worth experience once, but that's about it, really. Hardly an improvement over it's predecessor. It still suffers from he Sandbox Paradox; You can do anything you want to do, so long as it is within the permitted bounds of the game; you can choose how to plan a bank robbery, but only with the listed options provided.… Expand
  8. jafc34
    Sep 19, 2013
    7
    A good game but hardly revolutionary, the 3 character model does add some more diversity to the story but that leaves you with 3 characters to build until they are decent and switching from one to another you do notice when one is lacking. The game has all the good stuff they gutted from GTA 4, but little else, but they have made optional activities and mini games it less intrusive whenA good game but hardly revolutionary, the 3 character model does add some more diversity to the story but that leaves you with 3 characters to build until they are decent and switching from one to another you do notice when one is lacking. The game has all the good stuff they gutted from GTA 4, but little else, but they have made optional activities and mini games it less intrusive when you want to be doing something else.

    The graphics are solid but not exceptional, the mission structure is alright but obvious and while the plot line is complex, enjoyable and different it is more than a little thin in places. The map is nice and it is quite a challenge to get used but in a good way. The AI is both good and bad at times; the cops are like rhino’s on steroids and the npc’s on the street can be just as bad.

    And quite honestly the Trevor character is a bit too psychotic to make him likable; verging on sociopath monster-a whole lot of anger went into making him and this game in general I think.

    If you liked GTA 3 then you will like this game, but wait until its half price or you are trading something in for it.    … Expand
  9. Zachhockey2
    Oct 2, 2013
    7
    Whenever I play this game, I can't help but feel like there's something missing. I find myself comparing it to GTA IV and being a little disappointed. The story is a pretty good one, just not as good as IV in my opinion. Shooting doesn't feel as nice as it did in IV, although I like the new weapons wheel. Driving has pros and cons. One pro being that the tires handle better. Another beingWhenever I play this game, I can't help but feel like there's something missing. I find myself comparing it to GTA IV and being a little disappointed. The story is a pretty good one, just not as good as IV in my opinion. Shooting doesn't feel as nice as it did in IV, although I like the new weapons wheel. Driving has pros and cons. One pro being that the tires handle better. Another being that the player doesn't fly out the front window of the car nearly as much anymore. Flying was rather annoying in the beginning of the game but got better either as my characters flying skill was improved or mine was. Not sure which... Probably the biggest annoyance I have with the game, is the lack of intractable buildings. GTA IV had fast food restaurants, hospitals, etc that one could walk into and interact with. That's largely gone in V. Also, the game isn't quite as fun to run around goofing off as IV. Too easy to die and whatnot. I also hate that the cheats can't be easily activated like you could in IV using the cell phone. To me, cheats are essential for proper goofing off.

    The game just feels considerably less fun than IV to me. Maybe when it comes out on PC the game will look better, play better, and fix some of the cons.    … Expand
  10. Bannana_Man
    Oct 2, 2013
    7
    While Grand Theft Auto V is an amazing ambitious technical achievement, it still has a lot of flaws and doesn't have that magic that previous games in the series had. I'm sure you've heard all the great stuff about GTAV, so I'm only going to focus on its problems.

    When i first heard that the game would feature 3 main characters, it had me worried that the game would be 3 short stories    While Grand Theft Auto V is an amazing ambitious technical achievement, it still has a lot of flaws and doesn't have that magic that previous games in the series had. I'm sure you've heard all the great stuff about GTAV, so I'm only going to focus on its problems.

    When i first heard that the game would feature 3 main characters, it had me worried that the game would be 3 short stories instead of 1 long one. And this worry has since been confirmed. I managed to finish the main story in 13 hours and 34 minutes, plus i spent a good hour or two dicking about during the story. Also bare in mind that even though i had finished the main story missions, i was still only 74% complete. So while it's still a long game, it's still short for a GTA game.

    The story isn't as good as previous GTA games. It's not a patch on GTA Sanandreas or GTAIV. You remember and grew fond of previous GTA characters. The only memorable one in GTAV is Trevor, and not because he's a good character who you will grow fond of and will on while playing the campaign. It's because of the crazy dark he does throughout the campaign.

    It simply doesn't have the magic that previous GTA games had. I've been playing GTA since it began way back in 1997. I'm sot sure what it is, it just lacks that GTA magic! I'm still playing GTA Sanandreas 9yrs on, it just never gets old and i'm still discovering new buildings/clubs etc to explore 9yrs on. GTAV doesn't have all this. Yes it has buildings you can enter or buy, just nowhere near as many as GTA San Andreas has. For instance the size of GTAV is huge, yet it only has 1 strip club. It has Clucking Bell and Burger shots, but you can't enter any of them. You can enter clothes shops and buy an array of different clothes for your characters though, but still not as many as GTA Sanandreas. You can also enter 'some' petrol stations, even though the interior is just a copy and paste so each looks the same. Again, you could enter more and had more in GTA Sanandreas. So it's been scaled back in this area to add new different content, like Tennis, Yoga, drinking juice, alcohol, going to the cinema etc. You can't play pool or gamble like you could in GTA Sanandreas either.

    Car damage has been toned WAY down and a bit weird in GTAV. In the previous instalment GTAIV, cars would realistically crumple on impact, even the roof. On GTAV you can kick a car and it would dent and smash realistically, but, if you crash into another car or a wall etc hardly anything happens and sometimes nothing happens at all! You can dent, scratch, have bits fall off, jam your wheels etc, it just a hell of a lot more to achieve all this and is very inconsistent. It really is a big let down and takes a lot of fun out of the game.

    GTA has always been famous for adding such insane detail to its games, and GTAV is no exception. To see a car go around a corner to kick up a little swirling dust cloud is impressive even if i have only seen it happen once so far. The fact that Rockstar North adds these tiny details is part of what makes GTA so amazing. Trouble is GTAV misses some silly little things from previous games that niggle me. For instance, in GTAIV if you drove head on in traffic, the traffic would beep their horns and flash their lights. In GTAV they just beep their horns. In GTAIV if a pedestrian was in the way you bepped your horn and they would move. In GTAV they totally ignore your horn. To get them to move or react you have to be driving quite fast near them for them to react. Or if they refuse to move and ignore your horn you just have to wait for them to walk out the way or run them down. Breaking into cars is also a mixed bag. Some people react and some don't (In GTAIV they reacted) In GTAV they will either react with an "OMG" moment for a split second before walking off without a care in the world, some don't even notice or care, and some phone the police.

    The Police A.I is another downer. You can't even fart without the police being alerted. In previous GTA's you could have a little fun before the police were even alerted. In GTAV if you even look at somebody wrong a whored of police is there to blow your head off. They way they hunt you down is very DRIV3R as well. This kills some of the fun for me.

    Another thing is the handling. Each car has its own handling as in previous games, but this time its very twitchy and arcadey. And the bike handling is straight out of DRIV3R which is another huge let down. The handling in GTAIV was spot on, very cinematic.

    The radio stations in GTA III were great. The radio stations in Vice City were fantastic. The radio stations in GTA Sanandreas were legendary. The radio stations in GTAIV were ok ish. The radio stations in GTAV between "meh" and ok ish. You can see it has tried to mimic GTA Sanandreas in a way, but it's falls flat. 90% of the music is poop (It features Brittney Spears, i know!!) and the humour is nowhere near as good as previous games.    … Expand
  11. jimbomcbob
    Oct 11, 2013
    5
    Very dissapointed with this game. The clunky movement and gun mechanics feel like a real letdown. The game offers a lot of things but does none of them well at all. The graphics are weak and there appears to be no innovation here.

    Loading times are also far too slow. Any other game with these loading times would have been destroyed on day 1 reviews. The general interface also feels    Very dissapointed with this game. The clunky movement and gun mechanics feel like a real letdown. The game offers a lot of things but does none of them well at all. The graphics are weak and there appears to be no innovation here.

    Loading times are also far too slow. Any other game with these loading times would have been destroyed on day 1 reviews. The general interface also feels quite poor.

    I understand that 5 or so years ago people might find the size of the world immersive, but there's simply a real repeditiveness throughout. This will fool some for a while and then they will move on to another game.

    The one plus is the fairly enjoyable driving and car customization.

    I can't believe how many critic reviews give this ten. Over hyped and something fishy going on there imo.    … Expand
  12. JQLeitch
    Oct 2, 2013
    5
    Sorry but Rockstar I like my games with anti aliasing, a nice resolution, a high framerate, more custom-ability and most importantly on my platform of choice which you don't understand actually has a market? Just incase you lived under a rock :P. Oh and by the way I have been spoiled the ending by a facebook photo comment so yeah pretty being a GTA Fan and a PC Gamer ey?
  13. mose-man6768
    Oct 3, 2013
    5
    When buying GTA 5 I became extremely excited thinking it would of improved on everything wrong with GTA 4 and therefore make it the better game. I was wrong. The story was awful with only 69 main missions overall of which some were stealing vans and driving them back for storage. There are only three big heists in the game in which 2 are boring and easy. The last mission was also extremelyWhen buying GTA 5 I became extremely excited thinking it would of improved on everything wrong with GTA 4 and therefore make it the better game. I was wrong. The story was awful with only 69 main missions overall of which some were stealing vans and driving them back for storage. There are only three big heists in the game in which 2 are boring and easy. The last mission was also extremely disappointing as it was ridiculously easy and long winded. After finishing the game I looked at my stats and found that I had only played 5 hours as Trevor, 8 as Micheal and 10 as Franklin, throughout the whole story I never got attached to one character like I did with Niko and Roman which I feel was because of the lack of personal story based missions and the fact you have to play as 3 people constantly switching.

    If you were a fan of the GTA 4 flying and driving you will be massively disappointing, they moved away from realism in the cars and instead went to Saints Row style driving with every car having an insane amount of grip which leaves you almost not needed to even concentrate on driving at all. They unfortunately went the complete opposite way in the flying department making it to realistic, you cant fly a helicopter straight for more than 5 seconds even with the maximum flying stat. This also applies for flying planes. I've tried numerous times to steal a jet which admittedly should be hard but not as crazy as it is on this, I got shot out of the sky while parachuting almost near the clouds by a tank! This level of accuracy also goes for the police who will not give up even on a 1* wanted level for at least 2 minutes, the tutorial says to hide in alleys to get away from them, but guess what as soon as you do this they pull up near you, get out their cars and start looking for you on foot.

    I have been playing the online over the last 2 days and I can say I'm un-pleased with this aswell, I dont mind the constant bugs because I know so many people are on it and that its still got alot to work on. Your online character creation is horrendous and virtually impossible to make look like yourself or any human being for that matter. Rockstar also felt the need for each user to be allowed 5 online characters 2 of which are unlocked straight away, I doubt anyone will even use more than 2 character slots as you don't have special abilities or load outs for them and you may as well just play as one person and get there stats up as high as possible.

    Overall I am very disappointing in the lack of enjoyment I got out of this game, If I was you I would rent before buying this game and even then with the price it is now just go and buy GTA4 as you will have more fun in every second.    … Expand
  14. SSWKHEISENBERG
    Oct 11, 2013
    5
    Gta 5 was very fun at the begining but after a few hours I started to see its flaws. Gun play and movement felt chopy and The world may look amazing but after a while of exploreing you find that it is just as empty as all of the other gta worlds. With all of this hype i expected more from gta 5.
  15. ebureau67
    Oct 15, 2013
    6
    This game is so overrated by critics. It's not worth a 10/10! The map is very large, but there is not much to do than in other GTA. Many many bug. Some Frustrating gameplay. Automatic shooting is so boring. This is a disappointment for me. Too many promises unfulfilled. Who wants to play golf, tennis etc We can not even sell our car. And I'm not talking about Online!!!
  16. netcoder
    Sep 19, 2013
    5
    Rockstar did it again. And by that I mean GTA 4.

    They put you in a huge game world, with interesting characters, landscape and all that (and even more now with customized weapons and cars). Then they put all of it in the trash because they're not rewarding you for anything, aside from the story missions. It's a complete joke. Why was Saints Row so fun? Side missions. Why was GTA:SA    Rockstar did it again. And by that I mean GTA 4.

    They put you in a huge game world, with interesting characters, landscape and all that (and even more now with customized weapons and cars). Then they put all of it in the trash because they're not rewarding you for anything, aside from the story missions. It's a complete joke.

    Why was Saints Row so fun? Side missions. Why was GTA:SA so fun? Side missions. Why was GTA:VC so fun? Side missions. Do I need to go on here?

    So you buy this business, and the manager calls you because some guy is robbing you. So you go there and cap the guy. What does that give you? NOTHING. And if you just ignore it, the result is... the same NOTHING. Oh wait, maybe you'll get $15-20 from looting the corpse.

    Or you can rob the two car wash stores in town and get $1000, big deal.

    Or you can stumble upon some armored truck and rob it for a few grand, if you happen to find them AND if you're lucky.

    Or you can invest on the stock market by listening to tips on the radio. Oh my god, who the hell cares?

    Oh and some of the businesses you can buy cost a few MILLIONS.

    Like GTA:IV, the gameplay is fun and all, but there is NOTHING to do in there. I really hope GTA Online is the sh*znit, otherwise it's the last GTA I'll ever buy (and I have never ever thought I'd say that back in the SA days).    … Expand
  17. Mavado1
    Sep 19, 2013
    6
    Pro: Best Open World experience in gaming history, nice graphics, good sound and music
    Contra: Boring story, incredibly bland and uninteresting characters, the game cant decide if it wants to be serious or like Saints Row.
    In conclusion: Good, but worse than GTA IV.
  18. GTAFANBOY
    Sep 22, 2013
    6
    As I played it, I just didn't feel the magic, it just felt, recycled, to the extent that I felt like I was playing a reskin.
    Whilst a must for newcomers, I can't help but feel that die hard fans, or fans of the series, who have kept up with the series, won't feel anything new.
    I give it a 6.
  19. EvanHaseo
    Sep 21, 2013
    7
    This game is very fun. The story feels like a movie but at the same time it's still a game. The characters are also great. all three of the main characters have their own motivations and all have very defined personalities so they never appear similar to each other. The game looks and sounds great, absolutely great attention to the details in the environment and all the characters andThis game is very fun. The story feels like a movie but at the same time it's still a game. The characters are also great. all three of the main characters have their own motivations and all have very defined personalities so they never appear similar to each other. The game looks and sounds great, absolutely great attention to the details in the environment and all the characters and people on the streets animate so fluidly. However, the gameplay the bulk of what your going to be doing, is plagued by something i like to call "Realism Delay," it's what happen's when the game developers try to make their game so immersive and realistic, that the game mechanics get in the way of the control of your character. GTA IV, Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3 had this. some people can get over it, but then there's people like me that like to have complete control over the one there controlling. I got a lot of respect for R* they are a great Developer that love what they do, but with these glaring game design choices i cant bring myself to love this game like so many other people. I give it a 7/10.… Expand
  20. Memburg
    Feb 10, 2014
    5
    I myself at first had great fun with this title, yet the fun very much wears thin after an extremely short amount of time. You see, the game has so much, and believe me a lot of it is very appreciable and is fun, yet so so much of it is painfully sub-par. Allow me to make an example, in one mission playing as Trevor (who buy the way is a psychopath who should have far better things to doI myself at first had great fun with this title, yet the fun very much wears thin after an extremely short amount of time. You see, the game has so much, and believe me a lot of it is very appreciable and is fun, yet so so much of it is painfully sub-par. Allow me to make an example, in one mission playing as Trevor (who buy the way is a psychopath who should have far better things to do with his time, such as blowing up international airports and banging women) in which I had to blend into a work environment in order to plan a robbery, and this involved using a crane to stack crates. FOR HALF AN HOUR. THIS MONEY GRABBING, 9.5 ACTION AWESOME BADASS TITLE HAS ME STACKING CRATES AND A DOCK FOR HALF AND HOUR. GOD! I hope future titles in the Grand Theft Auto series have far less grindy nonsense than this overblown bore.… Expand
  21. EDOARDOMASTER
    Sep 27, 2013
    7
    Its the same of all time, but its ok. By the way, the online has not released yet, but I think it will be very similar with GTA IV, just as I say it, the same of all time.
  22. Crudu98
    Oct 4, 2013
    7
    This game is Great! Why only a seven out of ten? Because a seven out of ten is good! This game achieves many things. The easiest way to explain it is like this. Imagine San Andreas had a child with GTA 4, it took the mother's eyes, and personality, but the father's loves,and passions. This is what GTA 5 is, i mix between the best of GTA San Andreas and GTA 4 to make a behemoth of a game.This game is Great! Why only a seven out of ten? Because a seven out of ten is good! This game achieves many things. The easiest way to explain it is like this. Imagine San Andreas had a child with GTA 4, it took the mother's eyes, and personality, but the father's loves,and passions. This is what GTA 5 is, i mix between the best of GTA San Andreas and GTA 4 to make a behemoth of a game. But, and this is a stinky but. The script, and characterization are total crap! GTA 4 was witty, cynical, and interesting, meanwhile GTA 5 is filled with toilet humor. Apart from the the game isn't very creative, and does little to change the formula. Sure i can play as three different characters, but when does character's scripts are no more complex than And their arcs are more like angles it makes little difference. It's fun in gameplay to switch between people, but it's not different enough to be praised as much as it is. And after 7 games in the same series, all just being slight upgrades of the others, i would have expected perfection by now. If this was a new IP I would praise it and tell them to keep going and try to improve. But considering this how old this series now is i just want to say one thing to Rockstar. Maybe you guys should stop beating this horse, because you have almost killed, but time after time you fail to finish it off. Buy a new horse and maybe with the experience you got from the old one you can kill this one quickly.… Expand
  23. mrBenTheBear
    Oct 3, 2013
    7
    The overall experience in the in-game economics, and also potential gun play missions attracted me to this game. For one, almost nowhere is off-limits if you don't get caught, and weapons can be customized. I enjoy the fact that you are able to switch between characters. The citizens is also not just walking aimlessly around, and seems to have a personality. These are all the good points,The overall experience in the in-game economics, and also potential gun play missions attracted me to this game. For one, almost nowhere is off-limits if you don't get caught, and weapons can be customized. I enjoy the fact that you are able to switch between characters. The citizens is also not just walking aimlessly around, and seems to have a personality. These are all the good points, and the parts that makes it enjoyable for me. A lot of work were put in with the world itself.

    Some people might call this blasphemy, but GTA V is not what I expected. As an adult, who used to mingle in circles with biker gangs and miners, I can honestly say the amount of using "f$%" in one minute is completely out of the acceptable level. Yes, as an adult you don't let kids play this, but, they can still hear. I play games with proper sound on to enjoy it. Also have a job and don't play much during the week, so on weekends I have to play this on near mute

    The sex scenes is also completely unnecessary. It felt to me the script and story were written by young virgins. There is a fine line between controversial and just plain trashy. A great game does not need this kind of content to make it sell. See my first paragraph. If it was left as side missions, where it's up to the player to discover, it's ok but making it part of the main plot is, well, losing the plot.

    Last complaint, the battle mechanics is really not up to scratch as with other 3rd player games. Yes, people use the term "But it's open world". Look at Infamous and Batman for comparison. Not to mention the upcoming Watchdogs. This part I felt was neglected.

    I won't comment on the driving. For me it's ok, since I don't really do driving games. If I can avoid it I use the taxi or aircraft. But this is a matter of taste, and I am sure most people play this game just for this part.

    Overall I think the hype sold it. It has a huge fanbase, but this is definitely not for everyone.    … Expand
  24. ChampionKharn
    Oct 8, 2013
    5
    The only reason why I'm giving GTA5 a neutral rating is because I'm unsure, it's way to hyped but that's to be expected, it's a R* game, ITS GTA., that being said the game it self is ok at best, beat it afue hours ago, the story was.... above average at best, it was obvious to see where it all was going before it went there and I for one don't like predictable games, game play was the sameThe only reason why I'm giving GTA5 a neutral rating is because I'm unsure, it's way to hyped but that's to be expected, it's a R* game, ITS GTA., that being said the game it self is ok at best, beat it afue hours ago, the story was.... above average at best, it was obvious to see where it all was going before it went there and I for one don't like predictable games, game play was the same as any GTA, default auto-aim unless changed and the free aiming sucks, melee combat is clunky and slow with poor hit detection and the driving is as unrealistic as always, music channels and the songs in them are very poor and almost seems rushed and the movement isn't much improved compared to the past games but I did like the idea of 3 character switching in the middle of doing a Heist, the abilities the characters have are useful but pointless because I rarely used them and the skills didn't seem to make a huge difference in the games play style so those didn't matter really either, the multiplayer of GTA Online I can't rate or talk about because my char is level 10 and by the looks of it I won't get any higher because I either have session problems with timing out or being kicked off or I get kicked from games for no reason that I can see. All in all its worth playing but not worth paying full price for. (thank god my friend bought me mine)… Expand
  25. RyanRJN
    Oct 10, 2013
    7
    Grand Theft Auto V is an amazingly beautiful game, but fails to capture me in the story and character development. If this game wasn't a sandbox, Id rate it even lower.
  26. Ogr
    Oct 14, 2013
    7
    GTA V is a huge open-world-game filled with tons of stuff to do. Everything about this game is already said, so to cut a long story short: GTA V makes fun, it makes fun to cruise around and switch from one character to another etc., but I must admit that I don't like the story oft GTA V and all in all it's "just" another Grand Theft Auto. There are some new things of course, but they don'tGTA V is a huge open-world-game filled with tons of stuff to do. Everything about this game is already said, so to cut a long story short: GTA V makes fun, it makes fun to cruise around and switch from one character to another etc., but I must admit that I don't like the story oft GTA V and all in all it's "just" another Grand Theft Auto. There are some new things of course, but they don't give me a feeling of playing a new game. After playing GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, GTA IV this game gives me not much except doing everything I already knew from the older games very well.
    So GTA V plays very well, but still I hope for more innovation for the next Rockstar game.    … Expand
  27. Dimebag
    Sep 22, 2013
    5
    Innovation? improved graphics? improved physics? clunky controls make it impossible to aim without overshooting nearly every enemy you aim at. Driving feels like L.A. Noire meets midnight club, its like all the cars are driving along invisible rails instead of feeling like they are actually driving along a road. Only the character animations have improved, car crashes look worse than inInnovation? improved graphics? improved physics? clunky controls make it impossible to aim without overshooting nearly every enemy you aim at. Driving feels like L.A. Noire meets midnight club, its like all the cars are driving along invisible rails instead of feeling like they are actually driving along a road. Only the character animations have improved, car crashes look worse than in GTA 4 with little to almost no body damage to the cars. The story feels way to over the top, most of the dialogue is cliche at best, no multiplayer on day 1 release. Oh and the heists... nothing innovative here just scripted action sequences, pay day 2 has better heist mechanics than this garbage. Also lets not forget the horrible frame rate stuttering and pop in.… Expand
  28. mj787878
    Sep 19, 2013
    7
    So to play the "full" version of this game you need: 1. To preorder so you can have the "bonus" content, 2. Have a "smartphone" 3. Have a facebook account 4. Pay for Xbox gold 5. Pay for "DLC" weapons etc that are already on the disc. 6.Have an internet subscription. And this is a single player game that I just paid full price for...
  29. JGreenwood07
    Sep 20, 2013
    7
    While GTA V may have raised the bar in several areas as compared to GTA IV, in one crucial area it has dropped the ball.

    The huge open world looks beautiful and is highly detailed, the shooting mechanics have been fine-tuned, and the story is great. All of these help to immerse you into the world. However, the immersion, in my opinion, ends the second you step foot into a vehicle.    While GTA V may have raised the bar in several areas as compared to GTA IV, in one crucial area it has dropped the ball.

    The huge open world looks beautiful and is highly detailed, the shooting mechanics have been fine-tuned, and the story is great.

    All of these help to immerse you into the world. However, the immersion, in my opinion, ends the second you step foot into a vehicle. This is where my biggest issue with the game begins.

    In short, it feels like Rockstar have stripped away any personality that the vehicles had in the previous game. Instead, the vehicle handling has been homogenized to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Rather than make a driving system that is rewarding and based more on skill and a small investment of time, it has been simplified to the most basic levels, making it a breeze for anyone to pick up and play instantly. As a result, it has become boring.

    The vehicles are now merely an appliance used to get from point A to point B, rather than an experience of getting from point A to point B. Gone are power slides around corners, and having to constantly be aware of the way your car was behaving. Instead, you can't break traction at all, cars self correct when drifting using the handbrake, turn on a dime, and come to a complete stop in 50 feet from any speed. An SUV handles like a supercar, and a supercar handles like a go-kart.

    What is even more perplexing are the vehicle upgrades. When the cars can perform like they do in their stock form, what is the point of the upgrade system?

    In a day when everyone wants instant gratification, it appears that GTA has finally succumbed in the driving arena. For a game with the word "Auto" in its' title, this aspect of the game is a huge disappointment.    … Expand
  30. chibistevo
    Sep 18, 2013
    7
    In some respects, Grand Theft Auto 5 is a victim of its own grand design. It's clearly the best Open World Game in existence, but even now, after playing it with enjoyment, it still pains me to see how far away we are from that ideal realization of an Open World Game.

    Of course this game has a lot going for it, most of which doesn't need to be said, but there are still a boat-load of    In some respects, Grand Theft Auto 5 is a victim of its own grand design. It's clearly the best Open World Game in existence, but even now, after playing it with enjoyment, it still pains me to see how far away we are from that ideal realization of an Open World Game.

    Of course this game has a lot going for it, most of which doesn't need to be said, but there are still a boat-load of things related to open world immersion that, even after five years, haven't been realized. The major cripple for me is the enormous amount of buildings that just cannot be interacted with. Now, I wouldn't expect every room in every skyscraper to be enterable, but at times, the game just feels like a giant shell for you to traverse.

    AI of enemies, pedestrians et al is still as wishy washy as ever. The amount of times I've seen scripted nonsense go back on itself is quite disheartening, e.g punch a guy out of his car, he agros on you, you take the car fifty yards down the road, reverse back, then the guy is yacking away on his cellphone without a care in the world. Shoot a guy dead, then pedestrians will run for as far as you can see, but come back a minute later, and they'll be stood beside his body without any interest. There's countless of scripted stuff that goes jerky in missions and cop chases. The wanted system has defied logic ever since the game existed, so it's a shame they didn't make it more realistic. I just don't see the sense in the cops being on your tail one minute, and the next completely forgetting you exist.

    In fact, it's a shame a lot more things weren't made realistic. The whole game plays too arcadey for its setting. Gunplay is the same old stuff. It feels fluid but hardly satisfying, and the auto-aim is the biggest gamebreaker I've ever seen.

    Perhaps the biggest disappointment of all is the only true moment of brilliance Rockstar came up with this time around wasn't even fully realized the heists. For the most part of the game, you have to make your own fun. The missions are pretty much the same old A to B affair, but heists could've been massive. The prep work, the management before hand, dozens of ways to execute... sadly, R* just didn't put enough behind it, which is a shame, considering all the timewasters they put in here.

    Looking back at all the things they highlighted in trailers, like hunting, real estate, tennis, golf, races... It's all pretty stocking filler. Something like hunting might sound good on paper, but when you realize how unrewarding and trivial it is, you roll your eyes a little. Same goes for real estate, it just has no depth whatsoever. For me, all of these things could have been sacrificed to make heists better.

    Also worthy of note is the map size. Definitely not small... can't deny that. But when you just take the city, it's small, when compared to the other games. The countryside in LS is borderline nothingness, just like RDR was. I'd be able to dig the immersion, if the game around it wasn't so fast and unresponsive.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2013
1
#1 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2013
2
#2 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
97

Universal acclaim - based on 58 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 58
  3. Negative: 0 out of 58
  1. Level7.nu
    Dec 12, 2013
    80
    Grand Theft Auto V offers one of the best sandbox experiences ever, filled to the brink with stuff to do. The vistas are magnificent and amazing stuff just seems to happen wherever you go. But at the same time the story is tired and the characters unoriginal. Your appreciation of Grand Theft Auto V will depend of what you want out of the series. The freedom and joy of discovery is hard to beat but the rest still has some ways left to go.
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  2. Gamers' Temple
    Nov 6, 2013
    96
    GTA V continues the game series' tradition of raising the bar for open world action games.
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  3. Armchair Empire
    Nov 5, 2013
    95
    Tons of gameplay hours, plenty of missions and activities with an awesome collection of vehicles of various modes of transportation and a large array of firearms put the grandeur once again into Grand Theft Auto.
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