5 features fans miss from the GTA series

Not every feature can be around forever within the GTA series. Unfortunately, some features aren't present in GTA Online.

These features were fondly remembered in the games they were in. Some games will always have their exclusive features and that's fine, but it's still interesting to see which features are absent in GTA Online.

Note: All of these features are either drastically different or completely absent from GTA Online. For nearly eight years, GTA Online has been treated as the de facto game in the series, meaning that its features are the ones being compared to. These features could return in GTA 6, but that's a strong maybe. It's possible that these features won't ever return, but only time will tell.

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Five features that are gone from the GTA series

5) Pay 'n' Spray & Police Bribes

A Pay 'n' Spray in GTA Chinatown Wars (Image via GTA Wiki)

Pay 'n' Spray has largely been replaced by Los Santos Customs in recent games of the series. However, there are some notable differences between the two features. First, Pay 'n' Spray was instant, meaning that players didn't have to go through a few menu options to change color (as some players don't care about choosing their colors).

Second, you could enter Pay 'n' Spray right in front of cops, and they would still be none the wiser. Unfortunately, players have to not be seen by cops in order to enter Los Santos Customs.

Likewise, Police Bribes are also gone. There are alternative ways to lose one's Wanted Level in modern games, but there was an old-school charm to doing it the old way with Pay 'n' Spray and Police Bribes.

4) Vehicle-based side missions

The series' recent titles have started to move away from vehicle-based side missions. Players in GTA Online have a wide assortment of alternate ways to earn money in that game instead.

In GTA 5, only Taxi Driver and Towing are around, both of which are absent in Online.

Modern titles add in a lot of features, but that does mean some old ones like vehicle missions are bound to be cut at some point.

3) Recruiting gang members

Some GSF members (Image via GTA Wiki)

GTA San Andreas was a game ahead of its time. One exciting feature in it was the ability to recruit other GSF gang members to tag along with CJ. It was simple, but it's strangely absent in modern GTA titles.

This feature applied to all Grove Street Families NPCs around Los Santos, so a player with a lot of gang territory could easily recruit many NPCs whenever they needed them.

Sometimes, these NPCs would be helpful to have in missions or in gang wars, as they're armed and provide another target for the enemies to shoot at. Unfortunately, players can't just recruit random friendly gang members anymore in modern GTA games.

2) Eating at restaurants

Players can't eat here anymore in GTA 5 & Online (Image via GTA Wiki)

Eating snacks in GTA 5 and GTA Online doesn't even compare to eating at a restaurant or food vendor whenever possible. The former is incredibly basic (not to mention it lacks some other features like increasing body fat), whereas the latter is a lot more interesting.

Eating at a restaurant can be done with friends in the past GTA titles. Unfortunately, that's not possible in the two most recent GTA games. Having snacks to eat whilst in a gunfight is convenient, but it also streamlines the series in a very simplistic way.

Fans of more enterable interiors might miss going to several enterable restaurants found throughout the older GTA titles.

1) GTA 4 Online's game design

Most players associate GTA Online as the definitive choice for an online experience. However, before GTA Online was a thing, there was a similar online mode in GTA 4. However, the differences between the two online modes are quite staggering.

In GTA 4's online mode, there is no real direction regarding its story. It was a completely different feature compared to modern GTA Online. For some players, it felt like a genuine Grand Theft Auto experience. There were no wacky shenanigans and the game's more realistic approach is notable here.

GTA 4's online mode is still around, but there are notable issues in trying to connect to it. Given how different the two online games are, some players would consider it to be a feature that's practically gone from modern GTA design philosophy.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.