5 GTA 5 features that greatly enhance the gameplay

GTA 5's gameplay has solidified it as arguably the definitive GTA game.

Rockstar Games made many improvements over the past GTA titles when they designed GTA 5. This article will cover five features GTA 5 either heavily revamped or introduced.

GTA 5 is the best-selling GTA game of all time. Logically, these minor features had to have played some role in ensuring that players would enjoy and love the game.

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Five notable GTA 5 features that improve the gameplay

5) Various physical activities

Golf, tennis, and yoga are some notable features that players could do in GTA 5. Golf existed in previous GTA games, but this game significantly revamped it. Plus, one could challenge other NPC golfers to a match.

Tennis and yoga are new to the GTA series. Yoga is used in one mission, and it doesn't have any conventional uses in-game. However, it can be relaxing for some players.

Tennis resembles its real-life counterpart and is far more active than yoga.

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4) Stock market

Gambling has been a key part of many GTA games. Rather than using a casino, players could earn some money by using the in-game stock market. A few of Lester's Assassinations even allowed the player to maximize profits in the single-player campaign.

BAWSAQ and the Liberty City National Exchange were the two options players could use. Unlike the real-life stock market, there were limits to how high or low a particular stock could go.

Still, it was an alternative for some GTA 5 players to earn some extra cash on the side.

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3) Weapon wheel

The weapon wheel (Image via Rockstar Games)

GTA 5 is the first GTA game to have a weapon wheel in all versions of the game. It's a highly convenient way for players to choose a weapon amid a battle. In previous GTA games, one had to manually cycle to the weapon they wanted.

This simple feature makes GTA 5 gunfights feel more exciting to play. It's accessible and slows down time, so players won't feel pressured to find the right weapon.

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2) GTA Online

GTA Online's latest update was Los Santos Tuners (Image via Rockstar Games)

Although GTA Online is technically a separate game, GTA 5 players can still access it. GTA Online will be considered a standalone title only after GTA 5 launches on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Hence, there is a strong connection between the two games.

It's worth mentioning that GTA Online has a plethora of unique features absent from GTA 5. However, the opposite is also true. In the case of GTA Online, it allows one to enjoy a multiplayer experience with other real-life players.

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1) Three protagonists

GTA 5's iconic protagonists (Image via Rockstar Games)

The 2D universe of GTA games allowed players to choose one protagonist out of a batch of them. It didn't fundamentally change anything except the color of the pixels that appeared on the screen. Also, players could only play as one protagonist throughout the whole game.

Later GTA games only had a singular protagonist; there were no options to play as somebody else. GTA 5 changed all of that. Now, players could play as either Franklin, Michael, or Trevor at any point in the story (once they unlock the latter two).

Some missions require the player to play as multiple protagonists, adding extra depth to the otherwise formulaic GTA style.

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These features and nuances defined the success of GTA 5. Rockstar's ingenuity and creativity behind these features are quite evident. Incorporating these ideas truly paid dividends as GTA 5 accrued tremendous success.

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