Grand Theft Auto V is a game about wanting things. It wants you to want the house, the car, the boat, the business, the girl, the revenge, the respect. It is a game about the hunger of modern life, and it understands that hunger better than almost any other piece of entertainment ever made.
Rockstar’s 2013 open-world epic is back on PC, PS3, PS4 and Xbox Series X|S, and it remains a staggering achievement. It is a crime story, a satire, a technical marvel and a sandbox of near-infinite possibility. It is also, at its core, a game about three broken men who cannot stop wanting.
Michael, Franklin and Trevor
The game opens with a robbery. That is fitting, because Grand Theft Auto V is built on the back of one. Michael Townley is a middle-aged career criminal who fakes his own death to escape the life. Franklin Clinton is a young repo man from the wrong side of Los Santos who wants out. Trevor Philips is a psychopath, a drug dealer and a former friend of Michael’s who does not take betrayal well.
The trio structure is the game’s great innovation. You switch between them at almost any time, and each has his own skills. Michael’s special ability slows time during gunfights. Franklin’s slows time while driving. Trevor’s makes him take less damage while dealing more. The switching is seamless, and it lets the game cut between three stories at once.
The writing is sharp. Michael is a man who got everything he wanted and found it hollow. He sits by his pool, watches his family ignore him, and dreams of the old days. Franklin is the only one with a real arc, moving from the streets to the high life and finding that the view from the top is worse. Trevor is the wild card, a walking id who does whatever he wants whenever he wants it.
These are not good men. The game does not pretend they are. They rob, they kill, they betray. But they are compelling, and their interactions drive the story forward. The heists that structure the game’s second half are the best missions Rockstar has ever built.
The Jewelry Store Job
The heist missions are the reason to play. Each one requires planning. You choose the approach, the crew, the equipment. You can go in loud or quiet, and the game rewards preparation. The first big heist, a jewelry store job, is a masterclass in tension. You watch the security cameras, you time the vault, you make the escape.
The heists are where the three-character system shines. One man drives the getaway car while another holds off the police. You switch between them as the situation changes. It is chaotic, thrilling and deeply satisfying.
The game does not always stick the landing. Some missions are frustrating, and the driving physics can be loose. But the heists are the peak, and they are worth the climb.
The Streets of Los Santos
The city is the thing you will remember. Los Santos is a fictional Los Angeles, and it is enormous. You have the downtown skyscrapers, the beachfront of Vespucci, the hills of Vinewood, the desert of Blaine County beyond. It is a place you can lose yourself in for hours.
The detail is absurd. NPCs have lives. They argue, they take photos, they go to work. The radio stations are full of original music and talk shows. The world reacts to you, and it does not forget. Commit a crime and the police will remember your face. Drive badly and pedestrians will insult you.
The game rewards exploration. There are hidden packages, stunt jumps, random encounters. You can buy property, invest in the stock market, play tennis, golf, darts. You can watch a movie, visit a strip club, or just drive around listening to the radio. The sheer volume of things to do is almost overwhelming.
The newer versions add some touches. The draw distance is better. The load times are shorter. But the core is the same. This is the same Los Santos that launched in 2013, and it still holds up.
Satire Aimed at Everything
Grand Theft Auto V is a satire, and it aims at everything. The media, the government, the police, the rich, the poor, the entertainment industry. It is a game about the absurdity of American life, and it is often very funny.
The satire is also the game’s weakness. It is so broad that it sometimes loses its edge. The jokes about social media, about reality TV, about the 1% — they are all true, but they are not subtle. The game is not saying anything you have not heard before. It is just saying it with more explosions.
The game is also deeply cynical. Everyone is corrupt. Every institution is broken. The characters are all chasing something, and none of them find it. There is no hope in Los Santos, only appetite. It is a bleak vision, and it is not for everyone.
But the bleakness is part of the point. The game is about the emptiness of wanting. Michael has everything and is miserable. Trevor wants everything and is insane. Franklin wants a way out and finds that there is no way out. The game is a tragedy dressed as a comedy.
Sixty Frames in Los Santos
Grand Theft Auto V was a technical marvel in 2013. It remains impressive today. The newer versions run at a smooth 60 frames per second, and they look sharp. The city is dense, the lighting is good, and the animations are fluid.
The game is not perfect. The frame rate can dip in busy moments. The pop-in is still there, though less than before. The physics can be janky. But these are minor complaints. The game is a showcase for Rockstar’s craft.
The sound design is excellent. The voice acting is top-notch. Steven Ogg as Trevor is a standout, but all three leads are good. The music is a mix of licensed tracks and original scores, and it fits the mood.
The online mode, Grand Theft Auto Online, is a separate beast. It is a persistent world where you can build a criminal empire with friends. It has been running for 13 years, and it is still going. It is not the focus of this review, but it is worth noting that the game is still being supported.
The Torture Scene and Other Stumbles
The main story is not perfect. The pacing is uneven. The middle section drags, and some missions feel like filler. The ending, which offers a choice, is a letdown. The game builds to a climax and then pulls its punch.
There are also moments where the satire overreaches. The torture scene, where Trevor interrogates a man, is uncomfortable. The game wants to criticize American torture, but it plays the scene for laughs. It does not land. It is a moment that feels mean rather than pointed.
The characters are also limited by the game’s structure. Because you can switch between them, none of them gets a full arc. Michael comes closest, but Franklin is underdeveloped. Trevor is a cartoon. The game is best when it is about the three of them together, and weaker when it is about them apart.
Thirteen Years of Los Santos
Grand Theft Auto V has been out for 13 years. It is one of the best-selling games of all time. It is still being played, still being updated, still being talked about.
That legacy is earned. The game is a landmark. It showed what open-world games could be. It set a standard for detail, for ambition, for scale. It is not the best game Rockstar has made — that would be Red Dead Redemption 2 — but it is the most influential.
The game is also a product of its time. It was made in 2013, and it shows. The jokes about social media feel dated. The politics are pre-Trump. The game is a snapshot of a moment, and that moment has passed.
But the core holds. The city is still alive. The heists are still thrilling. The characters are still compelling. Grand Theft Auto V is a game that rewards patience, that rewards exploration, that rewards the player who is willing to lose themselves in Los Santos.
A Masterpiece With Flaws
Grand Theft Auto V is not a perfect game. It is too long, too cynical, too uneven. But it is a great game. It is a game that you can play for a hundred hours and still find something new. It is a game that you will remember long after you put it down.
“The game is a tragedy dressed as a comedy.”
That is the best way to describe it. It is a game about wanting, and it knows that wanting is a trap. It is a game about America, and it knows that America is a trap. It is a game about crime, and it knows that crime is a trap. But it is also a game about fun, and it is very, very fun.
The newer versions are the best way to play it. They look better, they run better, they load faster. But the game is the same. It is the same Los Santos, the same three men, the same hunger. That is not a complaint. It is a compliment.
Grand Theft Auto V is a game that has aged well because it was always about something timeless. It is about greed, about loneliness, about the distance between what we want and what we have. It is about the American dream, and it knows that the dream is a lie.
It is also about driving a stolen car down a highway at 180 miles an hour while the police chase you and the radio plays. That part is still the best part.
Grand Theft Auto V is a masterpiece with flaws. It is a game that will be played for another 13 years, and it will still be relevant. It is a game that deserves its reputation. It is a game that is worth your time.
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