GTA V: What We Know So Far

So Grand Theft Auto V got announced the other week, and the first trailer for the game set the Internet aflame just a few days ago. Unfortunately said trailer didn’t provide us with a host of concrete details about Rockstar’s upcoming title.

However worry not, as we here at GodisaGeek have poured over the trailer countless times, fed it through complicated computational algorithms, and even consulted the Gods of Ancient Greece to bring you this trailer analysis. We think we may have found some in-game locations, possible player characters, and intriguing gameplay mechanics. Of course our findings might be completely wrong (I still have my suspicions this ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ is part of an elaborate ruse by Rockstar and we’ll in fact be seeing a sequel to Bully rather than a new GTA), and so we’d love to hear your thoughts on the trailer and what the following screens may entail.

If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, here it is in all it’s glory for you to devour.

And now onto our analysis!

This first screenshot is the opening shot of the trailer itself. Apart from the homage to the beaches of L.A. what’s interesting about this shot is the appearance of the dog alongside it’s human owners. Animals such as dogs have noticably been absent from the Grand Theft Auto series, but with the multitude of animals found in Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption could we finally see our four-legged friends in Los Santos?

This next shot reveals what could be our first in-game location. To the left of the joggers is a sign which reads ‘Pleasure Pier’ – Rockstar’s take on Santa Monica Pier perhaps? Also note the rolling hills in the background – one piece of information that has been released about Grand Theft Auto V is that we’ll be exploring the countryside of Los Santos. Could it be a case of “if you can see it, you can visit it”?

Next up we have a lovely shot of what seems to be an intersection in suburban Los Santos, with the skyscrapers of the city in the background. To the right of the skyscrapers you can just about make out a helicopter buzzing away, whether or not it’s flyable remains to be seen.

The next two screens show how the rich and affluent possibly spend their time in Los Santos; playing a few rounds of golf or speeding around the waters on a jet-ski. I particularly like how the brand of jet-ski is ‘Speedophile’. Could we be seeing full 18-hole golf as a mini-game in Grand Theft Auto V? The Ballad Of Gay Tony featured a driving range after all. Also note the blimp in the right-hand corner of the screen featuring the golfers. This blimp crops up a few times during the trailer – could Rockstar have their own version of the scene from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade in GTA V?

This for me here is the single most stunning shot in the trailer. The detail in the trees, mountains and sky is quite simply staggering, and it begs the question as to just how large the game-world is going to be. Red Dead Redemption featured some stunning scenery, so expect more of the same, if not better, from GTA V. With the possibility of canines in the game, could these mountainous regions feature more varied wildlife, or even perhaps Bigfoot?

On first glance this next shot doesn’t seem all that spectacular. Sure the detail present is quite something, and the rundown nature of the street leads credence to the idea that Grand Theft Auto V will be dealing with the recession. However, make a mental note of the gentleman in the red convertible.

Another shot of the countryside which we’ll be able to explore once Grand Theft Auto V is released. Could areas like this link various cities? So far only Los Santos has been confirmed, but that doesn’t mean Rockstar haven’t built their versions of other Californian cities.

The next screen highlights a couple of interesting tidbits. In the first we see an outdoor gym along the beach front – could this herald a return of the adjustable body types as seen in GTA: San Andreas? Also note the sign for the gym; underneath ‘Muscle Sands’ are the words ‘Vespucci Beach’. Another in-game location?

Here we have our first good look at a character from Grand Theft Auto V. Given the content of the monologue present in the trailer, and the age of this fellow, it’s possible this is the man who is speaking throughout the trailer. A few scenes later on in the trailer suggest he could be a playable character. There’s been talk on the internet how this could be an older Tommy Vercetti from GTA: Vice City, or an older Claude from GTA 3. However I don’t believe this to be the case. Rather I think this is a new character for the series.

Next up is this shot of a crop duster spraying it’s payload over a group of vineyard workers. The question of whether the plane will be controllable has yet to be answered, but it’s tantalising to think we may be able to pilot such craft.

Here we have some more characters from Grand Theft Auto V performing some undoubtedly criminal act. The gentleman in the first screen appears to be the same as the one seen above looking out over the city. As for the other two in the second screen? In my opinion the fella on the left bears resemblence to the man seen in the red convertible earlier on in the trailer.

This next shot appears to show our (possible) narrator, and Tommy Vercetti look-a-like, behind the wheel of a very fancy automobile. To me this suggests this character is indeed a playable character, but whether he is the sole controllable character remains to be seen. Also of interest is the fact that the license plate now reads like a proper number plate (instead of just ‘LIBERTY CITY’ as was seen on every car in GTA IV), and what appears to be the words ‘San Andreas’ written above the actual plate number. Could this be a subtle hint that we might be visiting more than just Los Santos during our time with Grand Theft Auto V?

The next four screens show that not everyone in Los Santos can afford to play golf and drive fancy motors. Some people are living rough (fourth screen), whilst some are being forced to sell their homes (second screen). The individual seen holding the sign in the third screen seems very similar to the character of Jerry Kapowitz, last seen at the end of The Ballad of Gay Tony having stumbled upon the diamonds that are such a focal point of GTA IV. If this is indeed Jerry, which other characters from GTA IV could we see make an appearance in GTA V? It should also be noted that the facial features of the characters in the trailer are much more detailed than those found in Grand Theft Auto IV, however it’s not clear if Rockstar have utilised the MotionScan technology that was used by Team Bondi in L.A. Noire.

Now this is an intriguing shot to say the least. It appears to show a fighter jet flying through the city of Los Santos. Could Grand Theft Auto V see a return of the military once you reach a level of six wanted stars? Or could it be that Rockstar is going Battlefield on us, and GTA V will see you engaging in dogfights with enemy fighter pilots over the skies of Los Santos?

This is a great shot, and it gives some indication as to the possible scale of Los Santos and its surrounding areas. In short, it looks like it could be quite large. Also note the blimp appearing again just off to the left of the screen.

Remember the gentlemen in the red convertible I told you to make a mental note of? To me at least this appears to be the same gentlemen in the same red convertible, but this time with the hood up. What’s interesting about this is that this shot forms part of a police chase, with the red convertible being chased by the long arm of the law. To me this suggests that we as players may be able to control the person behind the wheel of the red convertible. But seeing as we’ve already got one playable character in the shape of our middle-aged narrator, could this be a second playable character?

Now I’m not sure what to make of this next shot. Part of me wants to believe that the man running away from the cops is the same one seen in the red convertible, given they are both wearing white vests and have similar hairstyles. However, the tattoos on his arms suggest this may be a different individual. Could it be we might see a return of being able to tattoo our protagonists? However the other part of me thinks this is a different character, possibly a member of the same gang as our convertible driving individual?

And here we have the final two shots of our analysis. First up, the ‘Vinewood’ sign is an obvious parody of the famous ‘Hollywood’ sign found in L.A., which suggests that Vinewood could be another area of Los Santos for us to visit. The final screen again highlights the potential scale of Los Santos, and the presence of the jet leads me to the believe that we may indeed see more than one city in Grand Theft Auto V. At the very least I’m hoping we’ll be able to pilot the jet.

So there we have it! That’s it for our analysis of the Grand Theft Auto V trailer and what we currently know about the game.

However, we would love to hear your thoughts and theories on the trailer. Either leave us a comment below or join in on our discussion in the forums.