The Grand Theft Auto series is arguably one of the greatest and most recognized video game series in gaming history. The franchise has sold over 220 million units all over the world, making it one of the premier best-selling franchises of all time. The series is pretty much one of the most mainstream titles ever, garnering a ton of attention from the media for a number of reasons (none of them particularly flattering). However, when it comes to the gaming community, there's almost a unanimous level of praise that's directed towards the franchise for a ton of reasons. People praise everything the series does, including its graphics, gameplay, characters, open-world, and a ton of other elements that would — quite frankly — fill up this entire list if we tried to list all of them.
However, fans have put this series on a pedestal so high that the series has attained some leeway to try out — and outright repeat — certain things that boggle the mind when someone decides to take a closer look. It's unbelievable what stupid things occur in the series time and time again. It's unbelievable that gamers simply choose to ignore, or refuse to point out these mistakes since they will inevitably be chastised by the majority of the gaming community who'd rather berate someone trying to make a point rather than have a constructive discussion about it. Here are 15 of the most ridiculously stupid things that Grand Theft Auto has done time and time again, with no indication that Rockstar will stop doing it anytime soon.
15 The 'Wanted Level' Is Annoying AF
The wanted level used to be quite a novel concept. Getting 6 stars in the games (which has been reduced to 5 now for some inexplicable reason) used to be a challenge that players strived to accomplish, but after a while seeing a star on the top-right of your HUD elicits nothing more than a sigh of annoyance from players over time.
Escaping the cops time and time again — especially when you only have one star — becomes a tiresome and monotonous process that can really get on a player's nerves. Rockstar needs to amend this system, because it's getting old fast, and it won't be long before players start calling this dated system out.
14 Ambulances That Save People... But Kill More In The Process
Grand Theft Auto has tried to create a world that feels organic and realistic (especially in the latest iterations), and the inclusion of firetrucks and ambulances are a great example of this. These vehicles appear at the scene of a fire or accident as quickly as they possibly can, communicating a sense of urgency to the player that feels quite detailed and refreshing... up to a point, that is.
The ambulances and their drivers are truly one of the biggest anomalies in Grand Theft Auto. In their urgency, these madmen drive over anything and anyone in order to reach their victim — ironically causing more casualties in the process. Make sure that you're not in their way when they arrive, since there's a good chance that they'll run you over as well.
13 Pedestrians Call The Cops On You If You Follow Them
The pedestrians have evolved over time as new Grand Theft Auto titles have come out. The series as a whole has been lauded time and time again for making its world feels fleshed out and populated. In fact, these pedestrians might have evolved a bit too much, since they end up being rather irritating in the latest Grand Theft Auto game.
There's no doubt that Grand Theft Auto V is a masterpiece of gaming design, but some additions to the series haven't received the warmest of receptions from fans. One such addition is that pedestrians will call the cops if you follow them (not for the longest time either), which can get quite annoying if that wasn't your intention to begin with.
The worst part about all this is that...
12 Pedestrians Don't Call Cops When You Commit Crimes
While pedestrians are certainly quite wary of stalkers that might potentially harm or kill them, they certainly couldn't give a damn about anyone else around them. Hell, killing someone in Grand Theft Auto will lead to other pedestrians running away in panic or coming up to fight you (if you don't have a gun, that is), but not one of them has the common sense to call the freaking cops.
Even a game like Mafia III that was criticized for having a somewhat lifeless open world still had NPCs who had the common sense to call the cops when you committed a crime in front of them... and this game was set in a period way back before anyone even had a cellphone! In the modern setting of Grand Theft Auto, it's surprising how literally no one thinks about calling the cops when you straight up murder someone in front of them.
11 Imitating Real-Life Figures Isn't The Greatest Idea
Grand Theft Auto had a ton of controversies regarding the various similarities (regarding both looks and real-life stories) in the game with various celebrities, mob boss daughters, and whatnot. Trying to pull something like this off without the consent of these real-life people isn't smart, both from a legal and ethical standpoint.
It doesn't take a lot of thinking and intelligence to satirize or rip-off an actual person's look and/or stories. If the Grand Theft Auto series really wishes to be a smart and cynical look at modern society, all it needs to do is start satirizing themes, personalities, and general things occurring around the world that need to be laughed at. Trying to make real-life people the brunt of their jokes barely takes any skill or thought.
10 The Freaking Insta-Kills
Getting insta-killed in any game sucks, and it's no different for the Grand Theft Auto series. Most of the times insta-kills are just plain BS — there are no two ways about it. The fact that your all-powerful character can somehow be taken out in one shot — no matter how powerful it might be — is impossibly frustrating.
Most Grand Theft Auto games have cars going at high speeds that can take your character out in one shot and are downright impossible to avoid. The latest game also added cougars in the wildlife that can kill your character instantaneously, which can be unbelievably annoying.
9 Officers Don't Bat An Eye When You Carry Weapons In Front Of Them
In Grand Theft Auto, there's one thing that pretty much every gamer will agree on — the cops are the dumbest people on the planet. They're absolutely ineffective at lowering crime whatsoever (the fact that you can walk around in the city after all the things you've done is a testament to that), and can't identify potential threats if they're staring them in their stupid face.
Hell, you can walk around fully armed in the game, and the cops won't even bat an eye... until you inevitably start shooting people left and right as you go on a murderous rampage. This massacre would've been avoided in the first place if the cops were smart enough to identify just how dangerous the character you control was and subdued him there and then — which should be an easy task considering that you're holding a freaking RPG in your hand.
8 Heal Yourself With Food After Being Shot A Billion Times
This is an immersion breaker that a ton of games use, so it might be a bit unfair to single this particular series out for following this practice. At the same time, since most people have put Grand Theft Auto on such an impossibly high pedestal, it's only fair that we knock it down by a few pegs at the very least.
The Grand Theft Auto universe contains a ton of fast food chains and other places that serve food which can miraculously cure you of all your injuries, no matter how severe they might be. So, if you've been run over, shot, punched, kicked, burnt, blasted, or even fallen from a huge height and potentially broken both your legs... don't worry, because one visit to Cluckin' Bell will fix all your injuries!
7 Cops Stop Chasing You When You Go To Sleep
The cops in Grand Theft Auto have to be both the nicest and the dumbest group of people to have ever existed. These people might risk life and limb in order to apprehend who might just be the biggest psychopath to have ever existed, but if this potential danger to human society wished to take a nap... then no way will they try and destroy his beauty sleep.
This seems to be the norm in almost every Grand Theft Auto game, and it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Criminals should never get any form of leeway whatsoever, but for some reason, the character you control will get his 6 hours of beauty sleep, no matter how many SWAT agents might be coming to get his ass.
6 Getting Busted Is A Pain
Getting wasted is a normal part of most Grand Theft Auto games, and more often than not it's the player's fault for getting stuck in such predicaments. Health management is a critical part of all the games in this franchise, and failing to do so means that you pretty much deserve to see those big red letters appear on your screen when you fail.
However, getting busted is another ordeal entirely. Getting caught by the cops is something no player wants to experience, and most of the time players get busted for stupid reasons through no fault of their own. Most gamers who play Grand Theft Auto rarely (if ever) get busted, since the games don't explain what the conditions to be arrested are properly to begin with.
5 Using Real Music Artists In A Satirical World
The worlds of Grand Theft Auto are meant to satirize various aspects of American culture, showing the weird elements of this lifestyle and exaggerating for comedic effect. However, a closer look at this setting will beget a serious question that no one thinks about asking — where in the hell are these music artists and why doesn't no one talk about them?
This might sound a little nitpicky, but it's still a legitimate question — just why is it that no one in the world seems to mention these music artists in the game? After all, their songs blast on the radio frequently, and the general populace certainly listens to these radio stations as well. Are music artists simply not as popular in GTA's world like they are in the real one? Is there an unspoken rule forbidding the mention of these artists in the world? I guess we'll simply never know.
4 Women Of The "Night"
Time to ask the integral question that no one seems to ask — why does this need to be such an integral part of Grand Theft Auto? The mechanics certainly make absolutely no sense at all. You get a woman in your car, and as you start to... 'avail her s3ervices' your health magically gets restored or even exceeds the limit.
Then there's the unspeakable action that most players commit by killing one after they're done with her in order to get all of their money back, which is on a whole another level of disturbing. In the latest Grand Theft Auto, these characters have such a low price that there's really no drawback to get their services, which makes the whole mechanic just so unnecessary to begin with.
3 Shifting From An Arcade-Style Gameplay To A More Realistic Approach
No one wants to play golf or tennis in a freaking Grand Theft Auto game (although to be honest both mini-games are so fleshed out it's downright impressive), and yet these mundane actions are just a few of the many that are shoved down your throats in the latest Grand Theft Auto game. This unhealthy focus on realism has started ever since Grand Theft Auto IV, which is quite a confusing development, to say the least.
The previous Grand Theft Auto games had more of an arcade style gameplay which honestly suited the over-the-top nature of the franchise. Trying to shift to a realistic approach is certainly a by-product of the game developing and keeping up with modern times, but one can argue that it's also deviating from the roots of the franchise and turning into something else entirely.
2 Showing Grotesque Imagery For No Reason
There are certainly a ton of moments in any Grand Theft Auto title that make a player feel quite uncomfortable. Rockstar have a well-known tendency of showing shocking imagery for no other reason other than for the sake of displaying something to get a reaction. The fact of the matter is that with the quality of the games that Rockstar releases time and time again, there's really no reason for them to do something like this.
And yet, like a rebellious teenager Rockstar will simply not stop when it comes to this grotesque imagery. The full-frontal nudity scene from GTA IV: The Lost & Damned and the torture scene from GTA V are great examples of unnecessary scenes that wouldn't have affected the game in the slightest had they been removed.
All this boils down to one thing...
1 Stirring Controversy Just For The Sake Of It
The Hot Coffee controversy was one of the most widespread and scandalous things to have ever happened in gaming history... and all of this could've simply been avoided if Rockstar had gone through their game and removed this unnecessary element. But by not doing so, they basically invited this trouble upon themselves.
The torture scene is a similar example from Grand Theft Auto V — a controversy that could've been easily avoided had it not been for Rockstar's stubborn insistence to place this scene in the game no matter what. Rockstar might be the dumbest company from a PR standpoint... or the smartest, seeing that this constant stream of controversy regarding their most popular franchise is one of the reasons why their games get so much mainstream recognition, to begin with.