A brief look at sports activities in the GTA series

The GTA franchise has a series of interactive sports activities for players to take part in. Most of these activities are entirely optional, but they serve as an enjoyable distraction from main game storylines.

Most of these mini-games require simple button inputs, which means anybody can pick up and play them.

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GTA and in-game sports activities

Throughout the years, there has been a progressive evolution of sports games in GTA. Once GTA made the transition from 2D to 3D, Rockstar Games finally had the freedom to develop interactive mini-games.

Here are some of the best sports mini-games and activities in the GTA series:

Racing

Since driving is a core gameplay mechanic in GTA, high-speed races are a given in the franchise.

GTA 3 has a few repeatable driving missions like Turismo Bling-bling Scramble. The player has to touch several checkpoints in order to complete these missions.

Vice City expanded the concept further with Sunshine Autos, which offers multiple sets of races across a specific area. Since then, street races have been commonplace within the GTA series.

Basketball

Basketball is a sport unique to San Andreas. The minigame is fairly simple, as the player is only required to score points from a distance. No other players are involved.

Players have to score as many points as possible within a time limit. The only reward is a high score which they can seek to improve.

Pool

Pool tables were introduced in San Andreas and can be found in local bars and casinos. The player can challenge the person holding the cue to a friendly game. They can wager up to $1,000, where the winner takes all. After the game is over, the player can take the pool cue and use it as a melee weapon.

GTA 4 also allows players to play a game of pool. This is quite useful for Friendship Activities since it raises the like value of any given friend.

Pool tables are yet to return to the series as a playable minigame.

Triathlon events

According to the main GTA 5 website, triathlons are the American tradition of exercise. Exclusive in Los Santos, triathlons are only available in San Andreas and GTA 5. The player must test their endurance through the physical trials of running, swimming, and biking in these events.

Bowling

After the GTA 4 mission First Date, Niko Bellic can invite friends and romantic partners to a game of bowling. It only costs $10 for a full game and $5 for half.

Bowling is slightly more advanced than other minigames, as it involves precise accuracy and specific timing.

Darts

Darts is another minigame introduced in GTA 4. Unlike bowling, however, darts returned in GTA 5.

Mainly found in bars, darts are a good way to pass the time without getting drunk. The player has to place the cursor where they want the dart to land. Players start at 301 points and must decrease that amount to zero.

Golf

Vice City Stories is the first game in the GTA series to let players try golf firsthand. Originally set in Leaf Links, players must accurately swing their shots with a power bar. The Ballad of Gay Tony considerably improves golf mechanics as it gives players more visual cues on where the ball will land.

In GTA 5, Michael can also purchase the Los Santos Golf Club for a whopping $150,000,000. Although it takes 568 weeks to return a profit, weekly revenue amounts to $264,500.

Tennis

Tennis is a GTA 5 minigame that improves on the strength stat. The higher the strength, the better a player's tennis skills are.

Tennis becomes available to play after the mission Complications. Michael has a court set-up right outside his mansion for instant access.

There are over eight tennis courts throughout Los Santos. Monetary rewards are based on difficulty levels and not the length of time played in the game.

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