GTA 5 Taxi Missions Ignore Grand Theft Auto’s Reason For Existing

Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V does a lot of things right, but the game’s taxi missions are a poor shell of what used to be the GTA series’ most memorable optional jobs. Grand Theft Auto has always allowed players to engage not only in criminal activity but also everyday life, and it was in Grand Theft Auto 3 where these immersive and real-world aspects were first truly realized – thanks in large part to the franchise’s shift to 3D. Grand Theft Auto’s ambulance, police, and firefighter missions also saw their proper birth in this GTA game, but it was the taxi missions where players truly began to learn the ins and outs of Grand Theft Auto 3’s open world.

Taking place throughout the “fictional” cities of Portland, Staunton Island, and Shoreside Vale, Grand Theft Auto 3 introduced many elements which would come to define the GTA series moving forward while also being the last to utilize features of 2D Grand Theft Auto games like mission updates and story beats delivered via a pager. Grand Theft Auto 3, although it lacked any truly functional airplanes, motorcycles, or property buying, still gave players a blueprint of what they would see in the Grand Theft Auto franchise in the future, and the biggest thing many players latched onto – apart from the dramatic story, compelling characters, and engaging emergent gameplay – was the immersive, realistic aspect of the universe then-called DMA Design had created.

There are a lot of different reasons why the world of Grand Theft Auto works on a granular level. It has a lot to do with attention to detail in landscape, in sound design, and in gameplay, but that’s not all of it. The immersive quality of Grand Theft Auto’s open world is supported by variety and options, and nowhere is that better implemented than in GTA 3’s vehicle missions. For a player who has no idea what they are in store for, randomly entering an ambulance or a police car and suddenly gaining the ability to act out the life of someone who should theoretically be driving that vehicle must be shocking and enthralling – as it clearly was for many players, since Rockstar continues bringing these functions back in new GTA games. Unfortunately, these Grand Theft Auto optional side missions are a poor rendition of what they used to be.

Grand Theft Auto 3’s Taxi Missions Are Better Than GTA 5’s

Over the years it seems like Rockstar has forgotten how exactly Grand Theft Auto’s vehicle missions, in particular the taxi missions in GTA 3, were so well-implemented. In GTA 5, taxi mission objectives are vague and uninformed – tasking players with delivering their fare “to the destination” with no in-game description or dialog of what that place actually is. Sure, these days (which, in Grand Theft Auto 5, is a perpetual state of 2013) all vehicles are equipped with GPS, but that doesn’t mean taxi or Uber or Lyft drivers don’t look at their GPS address. Grand Theft Auto 3 did taxi missions so much better, and this difference is tangible when compared side-by-side to Grand Theft Auto 5.

In GTA 3, taxi destinations are clear and obvious. There may not be an easy-to-read GPS line on the mini-map telling players which roads to turn down, but there is an actual address for them to reach. Grand Theft Auto 3 taxi missions tell players to drive to “Saint Mark’s Bistro” or “Easy Credit Autos” – actual locations with their own specific titles. This may not seem like an important change, but when placed alongside Grand Theft Auto 5’s intangible and vague “the destination” descriptions, the difference is clear.

The best Grand Theft Auto games all offer a fantastic sense of immersion in the series’ trademark open worlds. By letting players know exactly where they are going, it allows them to more easily form their own understanding of GTA’s map, buildings, and landscape. Knowing that “Saint Mark’s Bistro” is “that building on the edge of the slope over in Mafia territory” immediately lets players form their own travel plans. Do they take the long way and try and avoid getting shot, or do they drive through a potentially dangerous road to save some time? These are decisions that don’t come up when blindly following a line on a mini-map to some unknown, unmentioned location. Grand Theft Auto 3 taught players what the buildings they drove past actually were, and Grand Theft Auto 5‘s taxi missions are disappointing in comparison.

About The Author

Christopher J. Teuton
(694 Articles Published)

Christopher J. Teuton is an author, game developer, film director, and producer based out of Savannah, GA, in the United States. Owner of Filthy & Free Publishing. When not working on his various projects, acting as Screen Rant’s gaming editor, or spending time with his family, Christopher J. Teuton mostly enjoys playing with dogs and climbing on trees.

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