Grand Theft Auto 5 hits close to home because of all the iconic cities featured in it. Walk down memory lane with me as we prepare for the upcoming video game GTA 6 by checking out the cities of Los Santos.
Hint, double hint: Celebrities love it here.
What cities are featured in GTA 5?
The main city featured in GTA 5 is Los Santos, based on modern-day Southern California, U.S., and focused on the bright lights of Los Angeles.
When I was playing GTA 5, I loved going through the giant map to discover all of the hidden gems that were added to the game. There’s the iconic boardwalk of Santa Monica where the main character Michael takes his son on a quest, a famous Vinewood sign influenced by the Hollywood sign, and much more.
There are a total of 15 real-life locations depicted in GTA 5 that are incredibly accurate to the point where players will go visit these scenic locations and reminisce on how they’ve broken into cars here or shopped here. My favorite location in GTA 5 is Morningwood because of the luxurious mansions and stores you can visit. Morningwood is a city in Los Santos that’s designed to look like West Wood.
If you want to experience what living in Southern California is like, try going to these locations and seeing how the residents of Los Santos live daily. There are plenty of NPCs going about their lives either playing golf, swimming at the beach, or shopping for clothes. If you walk around the ritzier parts of Los Santos, such as Rockford Hills, you’ll find residents of the inspired Beverly Hills location to be glamorous and stuck up.
What are the real-life locations in GTA 5?
GTA 5 has a massive map, and it comes as no surprise that players enjoy running and driving around it. The next time you’re opening up your game, try visiting all of these locations and see where they take inspiration from. Once you learn about its origins, you’ll be tempted to see if it’s an accurate portrayal.
Downtown Los Santos
Downtown Los Santos is downtown Los Angeles and is close to banks and businesses. Next to downtown are Vinewood, East Los Santos, Rockford Hills, and South Los Santos. Just like in real life, you can find tons of businesses, hotels, corporate buildings, and skyscrapers.
East Los Santos
East Los Santos will focus on the busy Californian highways that separate cities from parks and mountains. If you want to visit East Los Santos, you’ll be heading towards the Port of Los Santos from here. You’ll find neighborhoods of urban and rural residences that are heavily influenced by the Latino community.
South Los Santos
South Los Santos has 4 residential neighborhoods and is compared to East Los Santos as poor-looking. This is a city I enjoy the most because of how many relatives I have living in South Central Los Angeles. When you drive through Strawberry and Rancho, these cities are influenced by Crenshaw and Watts.
Vinewood
Anyone who has ever visited Hollywood will know about Vinewood in GTA 5. This district is based on Hollywood and West Hollywood which has iconic landmarks. Some of the landmarks you’ll notice are Grauman’s Chinese Temple and Capitole Records. If you want to see some crazy NPC reactions, go to Vinewood and maybe you’ll find the Vinewood zombie at Vinewood Boulevard and Alta Street.
Vinewood Hills
Vinewood Hills is a neighborhood similar to Hollywood Hills in real life. It’s situated right next to the Galileo Observatory (Griffith Observatory) and the famous Vinewood (Hollywood) sign. There will be times when you need to go here for missions and you can purchase a home around here if you play online, but other than that, this neighborhood is only important if you want to see all of Los Santos.
Rockford Hills
Beverly Hills, that’s where I want to be! Rockford Hills takes inspiration from Beverly Hills. So much so right down from the luxury cars you’ll spot and the Beverly Hills fountain tourists go to to take selfies. There are two sections of Rockford Hills, with the south end being Portola Drive to shop for expensive clothes. Rockford Hills has some elements of Century City as well because if you drive north, you’ll find corporate businesses.
Richman
Did you know the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ventured out to Richman? That’s because Richman is based off of Bel-Air and Sunset Boulevard. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at all of the luxurious mansions.
Little Seoul
Koreatown is a famous spot in Los Angeles and when you go through Little Seoul, you’ll start to notice all of the businesses and residents there are influenced by Asian culture. There’s even a beautiful church that represents the Wilshire Christian Church in Koreatown. Little Seoul is close to Rockford Hills and La Puerta.
Morning Wood
Morning Wood is another neighborhood located in Los Santos that’s based on Westwood in Los Angeles. Residents of Los Angeles will notice landmarks such as the Wilshire House, Medical Plaza, and UCLA Extension. You’ll find tons of businesses and beautiful mansions traveling through this neighborhood.
Del Perro
If you love the beach, then Del Perro is the place to be. It’s influenced by Santa Monica and comes with its version of the Santa Monica pier known as Pleasure Pier. You can access rides and play arcade games here and honestly, it’s my favorite location in Los Santos. If you don’t want to go on the pier you can always take a dip in the ocean to find easter eggs.
La Puerta
La Puerta is based on San Pedro, Long Beach, and has warehouses, businesses, and rowdy NPCs. There’s a lot of gang activity in this neighborhood, so make sure you bring your finest weapon. It’s also close to the international airport and Vespucci so if you don’t want to stay too long here, try heading to Vespucci.
Vespucci
Vespucci is a beach town with three districts known as Puerto Del Sol, Vespucci Canals, and Vespucci Beach. There are a few missions you’ll have to partake in here so you’ll have no problem getting around. It’s influenced by the real-life city of Venice in California and features shops designed for tourists.
Los Santos International Airport
The Los Santos International Airport comes as no surprise as it closely resembles Los Angeles International Airport, LAX. It is west of the Port of Los Santos and the only notable thing you can do here is perform stunt jumps. Other than that, it’s pretty cool to see an airport I have frequented often in a videogame.
Port of Los Santos
You may have remembered Trevor coming here for work during a quest and it’s a real port that’s based off of the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do here and it’s mostly for the quest focused on Trevor.
Pacific Bluffs
Pacific Palisades makes up Pacific Bluffs in Los Santos. It’s a suburban town that goes through the Great Ocean Highway. A notable landmark of Pacific Bluffs is the Kortz Center which is based on the Getty Center in Los Angeles. You’ll find lots of beach homes you can purchase if you play GTA 5 Online and a few quests focused on Franklin.
