Grand Theft Auto V, or GTA V, is one of the highest-grossing video games of all time— breaking seven Guinness World Records for game sales. Taking place in a fictional city called Los Santos, the game follows three intersecting storylines of Michael, Franklin and Trevor as they commit heists while evading both other criminals and corrupt law enforcement officials. Players can choose between the main storyline or exploring the city on their own in this open-world style game.
After almost ten long years of anticipation since the release of GTA V, creator Rockstar Games recently announced that Grand Theft Auto 6 is in the works. Fans have been bouncing around a few details about the new game, including rumors that it may feature a female protagonist for the first time in the series. In the wake of this announcement, KCPR will revisit the expansive, diverse and well-curated soundtrack from GTA V.
The game is infamous for its offensive, violent and immoral activities — an aspect that has sparked controversy. However, suspending opinions about the plot of the game, it is clear that one thing stands out amidst the gameplay: the soundtrack. Who cares about the toils of protagonists Michael, Franklin and Trevor when players can cruise around in stolen cars, groovin’ to over 240 licensed songs?
This thoughtful soundtrack helps to build an immersive experience since the majority of gameplay occurs in a car. Players can control what music is playing by switching between 17 of the fictional radio stations, evoking the feeling that the player is actually driving. Despite the range of genres in the soundtrack, one uniting factor is that all the songs are perfect to drive to.
The original GTA V soundtrack is rap and hip-hop heavy, featuring artists like Tyler, the Creator, A$AP Rocky and Flying Lotus. All of the songs on the original soundtrack were written for the game.
Tyler, the Creator and Flying Lotus even voice some of the supporting characters in the game — Tyler as a non-player character and Flying Lotus as a radio DJ, “FlyLo.” Ranging from synth-pop to punk to surf rock, the original soundtrack includes “Nowhere to Go” by Nite Jewel, “Nine is God” by Wavves and “Stonecutters” by Flying Lotus.
A next-generation update of the game added 150 more songs to the mix, while the online version of the game is continually licensing new music. Players can choose to listen to a wide range of genres, including country on the fictional “Rebel Radio,” jazz on “Worldwide FM” or Latin music on “East Los FM.” With gameplay as open-ended as GTA V, it makes sense that players have the freedom to decide the soundtrack, too.
