Highlights

  • GTA 5 has a lot of hidden and optional missions that many players may have missed during their playthrough.
  • Some of these missions, like "Parenting 101" and "Cut You In," offer fun and unique experiences outside of the main story.
  • From rescuing a kidnapped family member to helping a celebrity escape paparazzi, these hidden missions add depth and humor to the game.

One of the biggest companies when it comes to video games is Rockstar, which put a lot of work into its games - especially its biggest franchise: Grand Theft Auto. It has been a while since GTA 5 hit the shelves, but people would still be surprised by the amount of stuff that they missed or left behind, even by those that played it religiously once it finally came out!

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The thing about creating a world as big as the one in GTA 5 is that it's inevitable that people are going to miss some things about it, as they won't always run into some of the scripted sequences placed in there by the video game developers. The following collection contains some of the more difficult-to-find missions - the ones that most people probably didn't play through originally as they're optional and a lot more hidden than the story-focused ones!

Updated on August 31, 2023 By Ben Jessey: Grand Theft Auto 5's main story has many wonderful missions, whether you're working for yourselves or the FIB. Yet, not every good mission in the game comes with a large marker on the map.

There are a bunch of optional missions that you can easily miss out on. And some of these missions are really fun. So, we created this list to highlight some that you may want to seek out. Now, we've updated the collection to add a few more.

18 Parenting 101

GTA 5 Screenshot Of Jimmy Trapped In Car

There are several optional missions in the game revolving around Michael's family. Each one begins with a call from a member of the De Santa clan in need of help. You get to accept or reject these missions. In Parenting 101, you're tasked with helping Jimmy, who has been kidnapped by a comedy writer. The writer's issue is that Jimmy has been aggressively trolling him on social media.

The gameplay of the mission is rather simple, as you chase down the kidnappers and rescue the youngest De Santa. Yet, it's still a fun escapade because of the hilarious dialog throughout, which mostly pokes fun at internet culture and the concept of trolling.

17 Cut You In

Grand Theft Auto 5 Screenshot Of Taxi

If you purchase the Downtown Cab Co. as Franklin, you occasionally get to provide private fares. Driving someone from one place to another doesn't sound like the most riveting GTA mission. However, many of them are more creative than that, such as Cut You In.

In this one, you pick up a guy from an airport, and he convinces you to be his getaway driver for the jewelry store job he's attempting to pull off. It's very different from the meticulously planned heists you do with the main gang, but it's exciting and humorous nonetheless.

16 Return To Simeon

Grand Theft Auto 5 Screenshot Of Franklin Shaking Hands With Simeon

Simeon is a well-known figure to Grand Theft Auto 5 fans, as he's Franklin's boss at the start of the game and gives you most of your early missions. Frank ends up losing his job when he drives through Simeon's dealership under the orders of Michael.

If you return to the establishment shortly after the incident, you will trigger a small mission where Simeon sticks his employees on you and flees. You're encouraged to chase him down and take him out. It serves as a nice end to the Simeon story.

15 Stag Do Running Man

Grand Theft Auto 5 Screenshot Of Groom and Groomsmen Arriving Late To The Wedding During Stag Do Running Man

While driving down a highway, you can come across a man in his underwear tied to a post. If you set him free, you trigger the Stag Do Running Man mission. In it, you have to get this underwear-clad man to his wedding in time.

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He ended up in his predicament during a wild bachelor party that may be a reference to the movie Hangover. Yet, this night out seems even crazier. You hear all about it while rushing to get the groom to the wedding.

14 Bail Bond

GTAV a stillshot of Maude

Trevor has a unique set of allies. One of them is named Maude Eccles. She has a passion for justice, so she runs a bounty-hunting business. Her targets are fugitives who have skipped bail.

In the Bail Bond missions, she has you find and bring these criminals to justice by whatever means necessary. As most of the communication happens by text and there isn't a marker on the map - besides the first meeting with Maude - these enjoyable missions are easy to miss.

13 Escape Paparazzi

Grand Theft Auto 5 Screenshot Of Michael In Car With Lacey Jonas During Escape Paparazzi Random Event

As Los Santos is a parody of Los Angeles, there are plenty of celebrities around. There are a series of missions where you hound these celebs as intrusive paparazzi. However, the tables are turned in Escape Paparazzi.

In this mission, you help famous actress Lacey Jonas escape desperate photographers and take her home. This is harder than it sounds, as the paparazzi are determined to get their pictures. It's triggered when you find Miss Jonas hiding in Downtown Vinewood.

12 Become A Cult Member

GAT5 - epsilon program

If you go to the Epsilon website while in control of Michael, they'll find a questionnaire they can fill in. Once you've done that, you'll be offered a chance to take on some rather odd side missions from the Epsilon group. They will start by showing up on the map as a question mark.

These missions include stealing a car for them and donating your own money to the group, before finally being tasked with delivering a car filled with money to someone (although players can choose to steal it if they want to...). Beware of the consequences of betraying the cult, though.

11 Steal People For Food

GTA5 - altruist cult

Throughout the game, you will find people who are lost without a way of getting where they need to be, so they can be picked up and taken to their required destination. However, if these people are picked up by Trevor, the player can take them to a different place: the altruist cult, where a group of sinister people with despicable nourishment are waiting for people to fill their bad desires.

It's not long before they end up turning on the person who is supplying them with all of these people, though...

10 The Last One

GTA5 - bigfoot

It's no wonder that most people didn't end up experiencing this hidden mission, as it actually requires you to reach 100 percent completion. Once you've done that, you will be able to start a mission called The Last One as Franklin by meeting up with a hunter who claims to be on the trail of a Sasquatch.

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Seeing as it takes so long to get finally get to this hidden mission, there won't be any spoilers here. But you should know that it's worth the effort.

9 Hunting

GTA5 - hunting with Cletus

While it's not made immediately obvious, players are offered up a side activity to take on as Trevor by his friend Cletus, who gives him a deer call and teaches him how to get the best shot when hunting.

Every time Trevor takes down an animal, he can send a snap of it from his phone to Cletus, who will rate and rank him. Just a nice little side activity for anyone who wants to take a break from shooting people instead!

8 Stop Thelma And Louise!

GTA5 - Thelma and Louise car

GTA 5 is a huge game, so it's no surprise that Rockstar was able to fill it with easter eggs, one of which is two women in an open-top car that are recreating the final scene from Thelma & Louise.

The iconic duo is stuck with nowhere to go, so they drive off the cliff, escaping the police but ending their lives. Players can stop them from doing this, either by taking them out themselves or pulling them out of the car!

7 Grass Roots

GTA 5 - killing aliens

People who play Rockstar games know that side missions have been given out by "Strangers and Freaks" in all of their games for a while now. These are random NPCs that players can travel to on the map and experience something outside the main narrative path that has already been laid out for them.

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One of these strangers offers Trevor and Michael the chance to smoke something that freaks them out, leading them to believe they're being attacked by strange enemies, such as aliens and clowns. They have to defend themselves to take them out! Franklin's experience with the stranger is a lot different.

6 Minute Men Missions (The Civil Border Patrol, An American Welcome, And Minute Man Blues)

GTA 5 - Border Patrol

This is a chance for players to take part in a bit of border patrol work with Trevor, who helps out two men who believe that they're taking down some immigrants. It quickly becomes clear that they're merely harassing people from different countries, but obviously, this doesn't stop Trevor from taking part.

By the final mission, you learn a lot about the Border Patrol and Trevor. To make up for his part in the racist activities, he takes out his anger on a few CBP officers who are threatening a Mexican family.

5 Recruit Patrick McCreary

GTA V - Patrick McCreary

Anyone who has played GTA 4 will remember Patrick McCreary, as he quickly became friends with Niko, the main character from that installment. The two of them made money through crimes together.

Well, some will be surprised to find out that this guy is in GTA 5 as well! Players can come across him and a friend without a getaway driver. If the player chooses to help Patrick, he can then be recruited to help on heists later on in the game.

4 Recruit Taliana Martinez

GTA5 - Taliana Martinez

Just like Patrick, you can recruit a woman named Taliana Martinez. She can be found in a flaming wreck off the highway, where you can stop and help her out.

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She was the getaway driver for a robbery gone wrong, with her partner betraying her by pulling a knife on her and causing the crash. If you save her by getting her to her safe house in Sandy Shores, she becomes a recruitable driver for any future heists later on in the game.

3 Wildlife Photography Challenge

GTA5 - Wildlife Photography

One of the strangers and freaks that Franklin meets throughout his journey is a man named Beverly, and once he has finished that mission, he can take part in wildlife photography competitions (only in the enhanced edition of the game).

Players are tasked with attempting to photograph the right animal in the right conditions. Once Franklin has managed to get a photograph of every animal on the list, the player will be given the Kraken submersible to play around with.

2 Therapy Sessions

GTA V - Michael in therapy

While a lot of people didn't enjoy going to visit Michael's therapist in GTA 5, they clearly weren't aware that Rockstar had included a hidden mission that only triggers by going to see him enough times throughout the game.

He rings Michael to let him know that he is leaving town to star in his own TV show, and the player will be given the option to hunt him down to make sure that none of the secrets he had told him will be able to get out into the wider world!

1 Parachuting Missions

GTA V - Parachuting

While running around as Franklin, a dog will lead you to a man who is struggling to get down from a tree. This is Dom, and he had been parachuting before getting stuck.

Once Franklin helps him down, Dom asks him to join in on a dangerous stunt. After that, you unlock parachuting missions for Franklin. They test your ability to control a parachute and land as the designated location.

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