Is GTA 5 really the best game in the series

Well its coming to PC so i'm obviously going to buy it but i'm still skeptical about all the praise its getting does GTA 5 really deserve that?

The only thing i've confirmed about GTA 5 is that its the biggest GTA yet but is its story as good as GTA 4's? is its missions as crazy and whacky as the older GTA's? is the euphoria physics better in GTA 5?

and does it bring anything new to the series? i really wanted something like destructible&interactive buildings but it doesn't seem to have that.

The story is much more self-aware than 4's, as well as being in-synch with the overall atmosphere of the series in general, something I hated about 4 big time (felt like too serious a story for such a hyper-parodic satire of society). Other than that, it's bigger, has a lot more content and activities for you to do, lots of side missions for all 3 of the characters, the missions are done better with actual checkpoints, and the characters are insanely memorable, especially Trevor. It feels very much like a GTA game, and it's my personal favorite. And this is coming from a guy who's hyper-critical of the series in general.

I thought the story in GTA5 was just ok, but it was told in a more interesting way by allowing you to see the story unfold from 3 different perspectives. The graphics and detail are much better this time around and there's definitely much more to do than GTA4. There's quite a few of whacky missions to take part in, so there's no worries there. Is there anything new? Like I said earlier, you play the game from 3 different perspectives; meaning that you can switch between 3 characters. Shooting and cover system is much better this time. And there's much more to explore this time around.

I don't think GTA 4 or 5 are as good as San Andreas or Vice City... Just like 4, I found 5's story to be quite bland, and towards the end the missions became quite mundane to me.

However it's definitely still worth playing, even if just to explore... the detail in GTA 5 is quite amazing! Looking forward to seeing it on next-gen.

@hrt_rulz01: I disagree. I thought GTA 4 had the single best story out of all the games. It was just too bad that it didn't fit at all with the tone of the series in general. Niko Bellic was a great character with a great story to tell...in the entirely wrong game, in my opinion. At least in GTA 5 we got a story that fits the insanity of the series, and the general tone of hypocrisy and cringe-worthy (in the good way) satire that GTA became famous for.

I see your points, but for me I just didn't feel that same desire to finish 4 or 5 like I did with SA & VC.

Maybe I'll see it differently when I try it again on Xbone.

I personally think that GTA 5 has the best game mechanics of the series, although I will have to say that GTA IV had a much more in depth story with better cheats. San Andreas was just more fun. The multiplayer in GTA 5 is mediocre at best with long mach making and too many trolls, and I would much rather play GTA 4 free mode because I didn't have to worry about money and bad sport and all of that nonsense.

@a55a55inx:Well that's nothing new.. GTA 4's DLC's gave us 2 different perspectives.

@mastermetal777: Actually i think GTA 4 had the best atmosphere IMO older GTA games were just cartoony but GTA 4 had a dark and kinda realistic world and i really enjoyed the story in GTA 4 it had the most well written characters and had a cohesive storyline.

GTA 5 just seems to be riding the coattails of GTA 4 it just doesn't seem to bring anything new to the table it shouldn't be a numbered GTA game.

all GTA since Vice City to GTA.V is a tie for me, i enjoyed every moment of them all

I second that.

But not like how GTA 5 does it: it allows you to switch between 3 different people whenever you want to. (as long as you're not in the middle of a mission specifically designed for that character)

No GTA 5 is not the best in the series and story wise its not even in the top 5 of GTA games. The story is shitty and lacks under the weight of being about 3 protagonists. But where have you heard praise about GTA5´s story? most reviews and critics i have heard all agree that the story lacks a lot to be really good.

With that said it doesn't mean GTA 5 is a bad game, its still a GTA game.

@torenojohn7: The problem with GTA 4 is that the story clashes with the gameplay style of the series, which is to do whatever the hell you want in a giant city. The story is one of redemption for a career criminal, and it makes it known that Niko doesn't really wanna live that life anymore, and is constantly being pulled back in. It kinda doesn't make sense that he would go around causing random havoc in between story missions if that's the case. It doesn't even give you incentive to be a good person other than making that goal up yourself. There's no reward in trying to be a good person, unlike the similarly set up and vastly superior Red Dead Redemption.

At least in GTA 5, everyone knows they're an asshole criminal and makes no honest attempt to hide it. That's why its story actually fits the tone of the series, which is a hyper parody of everything in society. It's criminals going after one big score in a world filled with criminals large and small. Plus, having 3 different characters to follow brings a unique perspective to every mission depending on who you use to start and/or finish them, allowing for a greater freedom of choice, which is honestly the entire point of GTA in the first place. It's never felt realistic to me, and thus the enhanced realism of GTA 4 felt a little forced and unnecessary in a series that embraces its wild child consistently.

One thing is for sure. The game has the biggest map in the series history, and what a map it is. And there's so much variety too.

GTA V its the best on series for me

The GTAV map may have felt the biggest, but it don't feel like the most expansive. It's huge there was almost no indoor areas to make it feel alive. And the places you could walk inside were usually for a single mission and then it closed off. This felt so wrong for the franchise.

GTA:VC had arguably the best story and atmosphere, while SA had the most varied map and was no slouch in the atmosphere and story category. GTA4, IMHO, had the most rewarding car driving physics and the absolute best expansions.

My favorite thing about GTAV is it's attention to detail. It was nonstop wows such as the engine cooling sound cars make when you turn it off, or how shooting at a gas tank will leave a trail off gasoline that can be ignited, etc. I also liked the wanted system in both 4 and 5.

havent played gta 5 but gta 4 is a huge flop for me

If GTAV is best in the series, the series must not be very good. I wasn't impressed by GTAV at all.

Hell Freaking yeah its the best.... In the same way Breaking Dawn is the Best in the Twilight series.

A technically true but pointless Achievement.

i too wanted interactive and destructible buildings but making a game like that, would take a lot of time

on topic: no, gta 5 is not the best in the series, the obvious answer would be San Andreas.

@mastermetal777: To me GTA 4 is a lot like GTA 3 both have a very gloomy&depressing setting with protagonists just doing stuff reluctantly getting sucked into stuff they don't want to do its kinda like every GTA game sure the seriousness and realism kinda clashes with the gameplay structure of GTA but it doesn't mean it doesn't deliver a great story.

GTA is not about morality its about social commentary and i just find comparisons with RDR and GTA ridiculous.. its like comparing south park with breaking bad.

@torenojohn7: Regarding the comparisons of RDR and GTA, one thing you said:

"...protagonists just doing stuff reluctantly getting sucked into stuff they don't wanna do..."

That's the entire plot focus of Red Dead Redemption. John Marston was trying to quit his outlaw ways when the government turned him into a bounty hunter to track down and kill his old gang in order to save his family. Parallels with the GTA series can be drawn immediately from that point. As for the social commentary part, I don't think the GTA series is so much commentary as it is parody, which is an overblown representation of stereotypes meant to shock people and get them thinking. Red Dead Redemption is more a satirical deconstruction on the Western genre and its various tropes. So while they're trying to do different things, you can still make comparisons, as they both play similarly and have similar narrative setups.

GTA SA was the best for me,even tho GTA 5 had better driving and shooting