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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. 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...
  2. Manucovic
    Sep 17, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. all in all is another GTA with some improvements in gameplay. But what really annoyed me were the graphics, lame lame lame... more for "the most expensive game". huge turn off in that field. besides that it´s another GTA, I hope someday the game series can change a bit the success formula (drugs, stealth and sex), maybe a new idea would have been a female character in the group of main players.. but hey... can't blame me for dreaming a better game… Expand
  3. 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
  4. InformedGamer
    Oct 9, 2013
    7
    The Good: Typical GTA in every respect. Some things are better than GTA 4 such as map size. Gameplay mechanics are good. Graphics are decent.

    The Bad: The character development processes like tennis and exercising are boring. Degrading to Blacks and Americans in general especially considering it was created by the British. The game really trashes America with terrible stereotypes and is    The Good: Typical GTA in every respect. Some things are better than GTA 4 such as map size. Gameplay mechanics are good. Graphics are decent.

    The Bad: The character development processes like tennis and exercising are boring. Degrading to Blacks and Americans in general especially considering it was created by the British. The game really trashes America with terrible stereotypes and is very politically polarizing in every aspect.

    What is a hot mess is the Multiplayer. If you can get on you faced data loss that might include your cash, cars, purchases such as weapons and property and even your character itself. Really bad character creation process. Hopefully this will continue to improve as a recent update was released.

    Summary: If you bought this for the single player campaign and are a thick skinned GTA fan you may be pleased. There are deftly better games out there such as Saints Row 4, Metro Last Light, Bioshock Infinite and The Walking Dead Telltale Series.

    If you buy this for the multiplayer you will need to be patient.

    The super positive user reviews are obviously written by GTA fans and employees. I'm sure some real money was invested in the "professional" reviews. This game does not warrant 8 or above especially in light of the multiplayer.    … Expand
  5. StllBreathnButY
    Oct 6, 2013
    7
    A seriously ambitious and awe inspiring game that, due to unfun design choices and a horrible online debut, fail to come close to its astronomicle potential. There are hundreds of things about this game that bother me, but I'll just get into the ones that I really can't stand. SINGLE PLAYER: there's really only one way to earn decent money, and thats to do heists, but there are only aA seriously ambitious and awe inspiring game that, due to unfun design choices and a horrible online debut, fail to come close to its astronomicle potential. There are hundreds of things about this game that bother me, but I'll just get into the ones that I really can't stand. SINGLE PLAYER: there's really only one way to earn decent money, and thats to do heists, but there are only a handful of them throughout the story. The game boasts so many things to do in Los santos, but there's no real incentive do do any of these things aside from the initial fun they provide. They don't give you much money at all, or any permanent rewards to make your time more fun, or your ability to wreak havock any easier. The only nice bonus you get is a small discount at ammunation for doing the shooting range. Once the story is all finished, there is basically nothing to do besides random homicide. Why did they include such a great dimension to this game with the heists, only to not let you plan them whenever you want after the game is over? They let you recruit all these people for your crew and build their stats by using them more and more, but really, who cares? There's only a handful of heists, it's pointless, and it didn't have to be. They also give you a fun ability to use 3 diffent people, but can they be freely controlled when they're all together? No, that would be too fun. The game is left just feeling really empty and joyless after its all over. For the record though, I had a blast playing through the story. It's well written, funny, and entertaining. It's just too bad rockstar didn't seem to realize how important post-game fun is. They probably skimped on it for multiplayer...MULTIPLAYER: this disaster of an online mode is absolutely unacceptable! The online mode was delayed 2 weeks after the release of the game! That's annoying, but ultimately ok, if all works out well....it didn't. Several days after online launch and the game is still having issues loading properly, sticking at loading screens, and not saving players progress properly. That's pretty aweful when they attemp to charge people REAL money for in game currency. Rockstar, you don't deserve another dime. I bought this game full price. I expect you to allow me to enjoy the game I bought, free of arbitrary speed bumps. Earning money is a huge chore. Players can easily swamp you and kill you over and over, quickly draining your cash, whether you deposit it in the bank or not. You can play passively, but you won't be able to use weapons or fight any pedestrians, which means many features of the game are disabled. Also, players can still kill you by running you over, and shoot you if your in a car.. Meaning, passive mode is boring and stupid. It leaves you to only do missions to make money and still vulnerable, yet totally defenseless. So youre stuck between EXTREME danger and risk, or BORING "safety", no middleground. Playing missions is also tedious if you aren't in a free roam with a ton of friends. In lobbies, the only people that can join you are the other 15 people in your free roam. There IS an option to bring in other people worldwide, but I've NEVER gotten anyone to join from that. Must be broken. So there are millions of people with this game, and I'm usually stuck doing missions ALONE in multiplayer. Pointless. Also, if your connection cuts out at any time, you lose your progress, too bad. Online mode CAN be a tremendous blast with lots of friends, but at this time, almost three weeks after the game was released, the game is seriously broken.… Expand
  6. Frijole
    Sep 17, 2013
    7
    This game got so much hype before it was released GOTY, Perfect 10, etc... Yes it's better than GTA 4 but with all the features taken away from San Andreas was there anywhere to go but up?
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. claudionmc
    Sep 17, 2013
    7
    First of all, I really liked the game, and I'm not a hater... but I think that getting a 10 is too much for the game overall. The amount of things that you can do is tremendous, but also the amount of bugs. Regarding graphics, they are "good" (for a 256mb console), but I cannot give them a 10 remembering graphics of metro:last light, uncharted 2/3, gears of war: judgement or the last ofFirst of all, I really liked the game, and I'm not a hater... but I think that getting a 10 is too much for the game overall. The amount of things that you can do is tremendous, but also the amount of bugs. Regarding graphics, they are "good" (for a 256mb console), but I cannot give them a 10 remembering graphics of metro:last light, uncharted 2/3, gears of war: judgement or the last of us.

    Finally, the IA is not very good, and there is a lot of scripted issues along the game. So that's why I think that a 7/10 is appropriate.    … Expand
  11. 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
  12. violentvito
    Sep 21, 2013
    7
    Will give it a better score when they un gimp Chop for any non apple users. Btw it doesnt work on my ipod touch. Hugh spit in the face from Rockstar to all their non apple user fans.
  13. pkrippermachine
    Oct 19, 2013
    7
    This game was amazing when I first played it. Everything about it was fun, and the scenery was amazing. The story was well thought out and I absolutely loved the heists. But after I beat the game, I felt very limited. I now always think of places to go instead of finding places as I go around on my journey. This game was fun until I beat the story. You probably do not know what I amThis game was amazing when I first played it. Everything about it was fun, and the scenery was amazing. The story was well thought out and I absolutely loved the heists. But after I beat the game, I felt very limited. I now always think of places to go instead of finding places as I go around on my journey. This game was fun until I beat the story. You probably do not know what I am talking about, but do everything you can before beating the story.… Expand
  14. TheScientist77
    Sep 17, 2013
    7
    Despite the banning of many many accounts for the low marks (not the high ones I notice) this game deserves a solid 7. Not the best graphics you will ever see, not the best strory ever. Frame rate issues and lots of clipping and pop-in!! Woeful voice acting. With all this, a good game, solid and enhances the series. But can anyone contest the issues I have said? If it has theDespite the banning of many many accounts for the low marks (not the high ones I notice) this game deserves a solid 7. Not the best graphics you will ever see, not the best strory ever. Frame rate issues and lots of clipping and pop-in!! Woeful voice acting. With all this, a good game, solid and enhances the series. But can anyone contest the issues I have said? If it has the aforementioned issues how can it possibly be a 10? Make your own minds up as to the honesty of this industry.… Expand
  15. newmeta
    Sep 18, 2013
    7
    This game makes you feel miniscule. There is so much to do and even though you have the option to do it or not...you are left with a feeling of missing out. It's depressing. A game should be enjoyable.

    I do appreciate the incredible detail and technology that went into this game to make it possible...but its really just too much. Its more like a Life Simulation than a game and while its    This game makes you feel miniscule. There is so much to do and even though you have the option to do it or not...you are left with a feeling of missing out. It's depressing. A game should be enjoyable.

    I do appreciate the incredible detail and technology that went into this game to make it possible...but its really just too much. Its more like a Life Simulation than a game and while its enjoyable for the most part: In the long run, it will be depressing to even say you play it.

    GTA Online will be interesting to see, but if the single player makes you feel this way... I don't think Online will be any sort of redeeming quality. Sure it will be fun with friends to joke around and maybe role play...but really, its too much and just sad. There is no real pride in saying you play GTAV.

    Don't get me wrong! It's fantastically made. There is so much of everything and it's really pushing the limits of what you can do...but really its TOO MUCH. Makes you really miss games that actually were games.    … Expand
  16. Theokoles
    Sep 19, 2013
    7
    It's a little unfair to rate this game considering the most exciting feature, the multiplayer, is yet to be released. That said, the base game is a treat to play, with the character swap being the trump card.
    If it seems that it is more of the same it is. And that's a GOOD thing. We have a brand new city to play in, new ways to create mischief and more activities and things to do than    It's a little unfair to rate this game considering the most exciting feature, the multiplayer, is yet to be released. That said, the base game is a treat to play, with the character swap being the trump card.
    If it seems that it is more of the same it is. And that's a GOOD thing. We have a brand new city to play in, new ways to create mischief and more activities and things to do than you can shake a submarine at.
    Sure the iffy controls are still there, personally I'll never understand why they persist in forcing that pov, or why the gun mechanics are the way they are. Or why driving sometimes feels like you're driving with slick tyres.... on an oil slick. Mastering them, remembering all the controls all takes time and is not intuitive as I could wish.
    The game is pretty, it has to be said, but like GTA IV it would look much better on next gen hardware. Pop-ups, glitches and field distance can take you out of the game-world that Rockstar have made, while frame-rate slowdowns can break it.
    The story is what made it for me. The character switch and how they integrate it (not a gimmick) is genius. My only problem was at times the dialogue. I don't mind swearing, in fact I rather enjoy swearing, but holy crepe, can we tone down the expletives? Sometimes they sound like mindless baboons screeching at one another. And it has to be said that much of the dialogue is GTA cliche.
    None of that gets in the way though. The story itself, the heists.... oh man. Cinematic. Just, SO much fun.
    If you like playing gta, you will like this one. You will play for hours. Doing just random stuff. I spent an hour with tennis, just to see how difficult it was to play against the AI.
    The only serious flaw I had with this game is the dis-jointed feel between the story and just messing around. Feels like two different games, where in one it's a tight, tense story driven bonanza, and the other gives you so much freedom you're not sure what to do.
    Anyways, I'll be waiting for multiplayer with baited breath, but for now, I'm off skydiving.

    TOR's Score: 7.5    … Expand
  17. Khaliszt
    Sep 19, 2013
    7
    At the end of the day it's just the same as always (poor plot and funny open-world freedom) but with plenty plenty new cool features and improved graphics. The thing is that it will happen as with most of GTA games: people won't really end the game or enjoy the story itself. Anyway it is a great game with lots of cool features and possibilities. The best GTA until the date, probably. ButAt the end of the day it's just the same as always (poor plot and funny open-world freedom) but with plenty plenty new cool features and improved graphics. The thing is that it will happen as with most of GTA games: people won't really end the game or enjoy the story itself. Anyway it is a great game with lots of cool features and possibilities. The best GTA until the date, probably. But that doesn't make it a perfect game.… Expand
  18. 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
  19. Yeffeyshmeff
    Sep 20, 2013
    7
    *IMO* Rockstar focused too much on World design and not enough on game play. The weapons have no feel to them, The next unlocked tier of weapons is clearly better than the last, this coupled with the same mods copy and pasted to each weapon leaves a complete lack of tactical choice. There is a clear lack of diversity in the radio stations with pretty mediocre songs. You are also forced*IMO* Rockstar focused too much on World design and not enough on game play. The weapons have no feel to them, The next unlocked tier of weapons is clearly better than the last, this coupled with the same mods copy and pasted to each weapon leaves a complete lack of tactical choice. There is a clear lack of diversity in the radio stations with pretty mediocre songs. You are also forced into missions without any prep time, possibly leaving you at a disadvantage. I lost a highly customized banshee due to this lack of thought in mission design. However, overall the Classic GTA fun is till there.… Expand
  20. picklechips
    Sep 20, 2013
    7
    Its a good game, but why the hell would rockstar thing i would want to spend a mission doing yoga? Some of its pretty glitchy too (some ladders for example) and the switching between characters can get annoying. The popups in the corner telling me to download the app to teach the dog new tricks are ridiculous.
  21. dazza
    Oct 27, 2013
    7
    This game is good and bad in some ways. The map is very well made and has many areas to explore. The characters are also amazing and are different in millions of ways. I really enjoy the guns, as well as the neat explosions. The graphics are okay, but they should be better. What sucks about it is the missions, and especially online. Most of the missions on single player have no shooting orThis game is good and bad in some ways. The map is very well made and has many areas to explore. The characters are also amazing and are different in millions of ways. I really enjoy the guns, as well as the neat explosions. The graphics are okay, but they should be better. What sucks about it is the missions, and especially online. Most of the missions on single player have no shooting or action and are just plain boring. All you do on gta online is steal cars and deliver them which is a The game is sooo repetitive. It also really doesn't feel like gta. It feels like I'm playing an entirely different game. This game doesn't deserve all around 10's, it's actually not so much of a good game. This game is just as overhyped as heck and it sucks but at the same time its kind of fun.… Expand
  22. 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.
  23. 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
  24. 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
  25. StickyFingersAJ
    Oct 18, 2013
    7
    I wish they had tested the game before release and fixed everything that they raped GTA IV for, Physics (crash off of a bike going 200 and land two feet in front of it), Health (trip over a curb and break you neck) Somethings gotta give with the cops either have us be tougher or have them not have flawless accuracy and redeculously sensative wanted system I help them catch a guy they areI wish they had tested the game before release and fixed everything that they raped GTA IV for, Physics (crash off of a bike going 200 and land two feet in front of it), Health (trip over a curb and break you neck) Somethings gotta give with the cops either have us be tougher or have them not have flawless accuracy and redeculously sensative wanted system I help them catch a guy they are already chasing and they don't even want him anymore they kill me. So often I'm just trying to get somewhere and suddenly i have stars and im dead and I don't even realize what happened one star and they act like I shot the president GTA cops are supposed to be incompetent fools that are crazy and ruthless but these are super cops crash into any other whip and destroy it and kill the driver instantly crash into a cop and they take no damage they and their whips are damn near indestructible yet if you even bump into a guard rail your one tire will cripple you. Cars explode easier than unstable nitro if you get em more than ten feet off the ground and yet in simple crashes your fender doesn't even dent. You can't rob stores properly, can't customize vehicle properly, purchasing anything in the game is pointless because of glitches and bugs and I feel like they aren't even bugs it's how they intended the game to be... lame as which is soo unfortunate because they did progress a lot from IV but they digressed in some of the most detrimental areas took away the heart of what makes GTA games... replay value what do I do when I'm sick of GTA V's immaturity but go back to IV and have some real fun… Expand
  26. 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.
  27. 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
  28. DarkMandalore
    Nov 18, 2013
    7
    After 209 hours of playing this game I've had time to look at the good and the bad. Lets start with the good.

    Awesome graphics. So far I've not been stopped in my tracks by more than a couple things that stood out as messed up or odd. Gun work is pretty fun. I've been enjoying the combat quite a bit. It's fast and effective. The cars are awesome. Flight in the game feels really well    After 209 hours of playing this game I've had time to look at the good and the bad. Lets start with the good.

    Awesome graphics. So far I've not been stopped in my tracks by more than a couple things that stood out as messed up or odd.
    Gun work is pretty fun. I've been enjoying the combat quite a bit. It's fast and effective.
    The cars are awesome.
    Flight in the game feels really well done for planes, they did it right for the most part. Planes respond well and can do a great many things including some crazy aerobatics if you know what you're doing.
    Helicopters are still a bit jerky making the combat choppers impractical for many situations but they are generally fast and GREAT for rapid escapes.
    A good (if short) story. I've really enjoyed playing through story mode, missions feel fun and crazy meaning. I love how certain characters develop over time even though for other parts it does happen too fast.
    The game definitely has a sense of humor again.
    The city is full of life and feels like it's the sunny summer city it is. It's nice to not have that dark and bland environment with a dark and bland story and a dark and bland populace like Liberty City had.
    Insurance in GTAO. It's so freakin nice to not have to worry about my car exploding and being gone forever. I can always get it back no matter what happens to it.
    There are some seriously fun missions in GTAO. Many are simply kill X and steal Y but they're set up in such a way as to give you near total freedom to do as you please for execution of the mission.
    Lots of easter eggs and references to past games.
    CHEATS! Today not many games come with cheats anymore, even though the selection was notably small compared to past games at least they are there.

    Now lets hit the negatives.

    The "Bad Sport" system in GTAO. This has got to be the worst implemented punishment system I've seen in a while. It punishes you for destroying people's cars in a game where you are pretty much told to go destroy everything and then throws you into a punishment lobby for days (or weeks) when you blow up other player's cars enough. Worst part is you cannot play with anyone who is not a "bad sport" for however long that time is (1 day, 4 days, 16 days, etc etc etc). This badly breaks bounty hunting and makes it nearly impossible to assist your friends against other players from the air or with anything explosive. It has no place in Freeplay mode when the games insurance system makes it trivial to have your car explode.
    Low detail buildings for long distance are REALLY low detail. If the textures were better for them this wouldn't be all that bad.
    Rockstar seems to be bent on making GTAO a tedious grindfest. They've reduced the payouts on many missions and halved them for repeats (some missions can actually cost more to run than they give), they've cut the replay button from many of them making you call X to get a random mission instead of just letting you replay the ones you like, and EVERYTHING costs an arm and a leg.
    Scuba gear has been cut from GTAO completely as far as I've seen.
    Cops are WAAAY too reactive and effective. You can kill two people ANYWHERE on the map even using suppressed weapons or beating them up and suddenly the police are called and have cruisers withing the minimap range when there were no witnesses. They can ever spawn on top of mountains to find you. Suppressors are nearly worthless because they immediately know exactly where you are. If you escape them they also tend to walk right to you even if they'd have no clue where you went. I've had cops walk single file directly to my hiding place before when I was easily a few hundred feet in the opposite direction of where the last dispatcher report said I was or was going. I've also had them chase me up buildings when they didn't see me go up them several times.
    NPCs will actually call the cops on you for walking in the same direction they are or standing next to them for too long. They will also call the cops on you in places where "Snitches get stitches" would still be a rule.
    The selection of cheats is somewhat small, they're a pain to enter, and all the most fun ones are severely limited. Invincibility only gives 5 minutes of it, spawning helicopters or planes pretty much requires you to be in a big open field, no more sudden planes in traffic.
    No LOCK wanted level cheat. So many things become impossible when the police show up at the drop of a hat.
    No wildlife in GTAO. If you can include peds and cars you should be able to include deer and mountain lions.
    Not enough weapons. I know this is being changed via DLC but still, variety is a great thing.
    Not enough costume type outfits in GTAO. Personally I'd LOVE for such things as a combat uniform and Michael's tactical setup to be added.
    Uniform and notably short max range for all weapons but the snipers, rocket/GL and stun gun.

    If they can fix the biggest I'd easily give GTA V a 9-10/10 depending on how well they fixed it.    … Expand
  29. chrisy545
    Nov 20, 2013
    7
    A brilliantly designed map, visually stunning, for the scale of it, but the same problem, for me, as all other GTAs: the world is far too empty. Not enough shops, buy-able properties so on so forth everything with this game is outside. The characters are amazing, in the three protagonists at least, and the story is actually pretty good. A good, solid, fun, exciting, serious storyA brilliantly designed map, visually stunning, for the scale of it, but the same problem, for me, as all other GTAs: the world is far too empty. Not enough shops, buy-able properties so on so forth everything with this game is outside. The characters are amazing, in the three protagonists at least, and the story is actually pretty good. A good, solid, fun, exciting, serious story containing missions bringing out all of these aspects. However, not much has really changed. It's kind of like GTA IV.2, brighter, better looking, but so similar in all other aspects.… Expand
  30. YourChubbyBuddy
    Nov 27, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Okay, so people will disagree vocally, but I feel they will partly do so because they can't accept it is mostly true.

    I can't sit and name all good and bad points, because this game is so diverse and has so many different features it. However I'm going to write this review as my points come, so it may well be very unorganized.

    First part being, this game was over-hyped. Please don't confuse that with over-rated (which ironically I feel it was a little of that too, but that isn't relevant). This game received so much hype before it even came out that I knew before I got it, it would not lead up to that. So it was off on a bad foot from the off.

    Considering I didn't enjoy GTA IV and never got round to finishing it, I found it that boring. However, coming from RDR to GTA V, I had high expectations for the storyline. And to say I was disappointed was an understatement. The campaign really didn't have much of a story. I mean, two of the three characters had an underlying secret which you find out the answer to near the very beginning of the game, yet this is being dragged throughout the entire game as one of the key turning points. The ending was absolutely abysmal, and I am referring to it being multiple choice. If you were to go by Franklin's personality, who comes across as loyal and hard working, always earning his keep. There is no way that the first two choices would exist and they were two of the laziest endings I've ever seen. As for the "true" ending. Honestly, for the "story" of the game, the missions and all things related to the Story itself, I'd rate it about 5.5/10. I honestly enjoyed the Call of Duty ghosts campaign more. And I haven't like that since the first Modern Warfare.

    Now to move onto the gameplay aspect. Well, this is where the game is totally redeemed. The first GTA game to finally utilize the weapon wheel as out-dated as that feature is, was an incredible edition adding to the seamless flowing gameplay this one seems to have. No more shuffling through all my weapons to find the right one.

    The control scheme is exactly as I wanted it to be. However it is incredibly infuriating that there was no "crouch" feature. Something key in this game I felt. Especially since there was a new "stealth mode" that replaced crouching to a more, "hunching" stance but leaves you just as open to enemy fire as possible.

    Cover system worked great, not much else to say on it other than it works well.

    Now for the biggest issue of the game. The map size. Yes, the map is massive, as big as GTA IV and RDR put together and more. BUT that was redundant by the fact that nearly 66% of the map was. well, nothing. Grass, mountains, hills, sand. Now I wouldn't find that a problem if there were entertaining enough activities sprawled across the vast nothing. But there wasn't. However like I said, the big map was impressive and does provide some nice scenery, but I'm not sight seeing. I want to blow stuff up.
    Rating of Map content wise 6/10
    Rating of Map for visual appeal 8/10

    GTA Online, well, Online was a part that many didn't get to experience for the first week AFTER the release of Online due to a high amount of bugs, crashes and glitches such as resetting of character, failing to complete the first tutorial mission due to a repeating crash issue. However it is now nearly December and most of these bugs have been fixed. But there has been no major addition to Multiplayer, which was supposed to be the best part of the game. And it has really disappointed. The activities are forgettable, play them once for the sake of trying to play it. And GTA Online has the worst community in existence. Overall Rating of Content Online 6/10.

    To be honest, overall GTA is a good game, not great, and omst certainly worth purchasing for the minority who haven't already. But don't expect anything mind blowing.

    GTA Overall 7/10    … Expand
prev
Page:

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

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  2. Gamers' Temple
    Nov 6, 2013
    96
    GTA V continues the game series' tradition of raising the bar for open world action games.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »