There has been plenty of discussion as of late about the development of the next installment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. While players are likely years away from experiencing GTA 6, it is worth noting that the latest iteration is still alive and well.

And while the online mode in Grand Theft Auto 5 has kept many players busy, the game's main story mode still stands out as one of the best the series has ever seen. One aspect of the main story that stood out was how incredible the story missions were, no matter how simple at times. Here is a look at a few of the best missions in GTA 5's single-player mode.

Updated on June 9, 2022, by Chris Birsner: The more years that pass since the release of Grand Theft Auto 5, the more money the game continues to make with it now being one of the highest-selling video games of all time. A big reason for this is the ever-evolving online mode that continues to add expansions and new experiences for players to try. However, the game's stand-out single-player mode should not be looked over either as a reason why people want to keep getting this game. This has a lot to do with the game's missions and how much they evolved the series from past iterations of the franchise. There are not too many duds, which makes it hard to narrow down what really were the best story missions of GTA 5.

20/20 Michael And Franklin Meet For The First Time In "Complications"

GTA Complications Mission

Most of the early missions of the game revolve around Franklin repoing cars for his boss Simeon Yetarian. This mission asks the player to sneak into a fancy house and drive a yellow SUV out of the garage and back to the dealership.

Part of the way through, however, Michael awakes from the back seat and points a gun at Franklin, telling him to drive the car into the dealership. It's a fun stealth mission, which leads to cutting ties with an annoying boss. The player even gets to beat up Simeon as Michael.

19/20 Michael Gets A Job At Lifeinvader In "Friend Request"

Lester artwork for GTA Online

Sometimes, the best missions are the ones where most of the activities are small and mundane but lead to a funny series of events. That is the premise of "Friend Request," which is the player's introduction to Lester in the main story. Here, Michael will be asking for Lester's help with a heist, but Lester wants a favor in return.

Michael then is tasked with going to the Lifeinvader office to bug a phone prototype that will explode if a certain number is called. The mission involves Michael getting dressed up in casual work clothes and hanging out in an office of weird tech dudes as he is asked to clear viruses off a desktop and pretending that he's just one of them.

18/20 "Marriage Counseling" Saw Michael And Franklin Literally Pull Down A House

GTA Marriage Counseling Mission

This mission starts out with Michael finding his wife cheating on him with a tennis coach. The mission involves him and Franklin chasing the tennis coach to a house on the side of the cliff. The insane aspect of this mission is that Michael literally destroys the house by hooking the foundation and pulling it down.

This leads to a chase where Franklin needs to avoid gangs that are shooting at them. Michael and Franklin learn later that they destroyed the house of Cartel leader Martin Madrazo's mistress, which sets off a whole new chain of events.

17/20 You Can Land A Plane Inside Another Plane In "Minor Turbulence"

GRAND THEFT AUTO V MISSIONS - Minor Turbulence

There are quite a few flying missions available in GTA 5, especially if players buy the McKenzie Field Hangar to run smuggling missions. These are all possible due to Trevor Philip's experience as a pilot, though he was discharged from the army before receiving his license.

"Minor Turbulence" sees Trevor flying a small jet to intercept a large Merryweather cargo plane while also avoiding radar. Not only do you get to land a plane inside of another plane, but you can also ride a jeep out of the crashing plane Fast And Furious-style, further elevating the solo mission.

16/20 Trevor Goes To War With The O'Neil Brothers In "Crystal Maze"

GTA Crystal Maze Mission

Through the first few missions with Trevor, it's easy to see how he's a lot more impulsive, and has a lot more people after him, than Franklin and Michael. This is seen in Crystal Maze as he goes after the O'Neil brothers. After the family steals Trevor's business, he decides that he's going to take out every last one of them.

This is a typical shootout mission where players must kill all the targets after them. The cherry on top, though, is being able to blow up their house at the very end in a dramatic fashion.

15/20 Going On The Wrong Type Of Trip In "Did Somebody Say Yoga?"

Michael doing Yoga with Amanda and Fabien in GTA 5

Michael has a lot of family drama throughout the game as it is a consistent theme, but it all boils over in "Did Somebody Say Yoga?" The mission starts with Michael being invited to do Yoga with Amanda by the yoga instructor Fabien. After the players do a few poses, things go haywire when Michael gets jealous of Fabien's touching of Amanda.

After Amanda and Fabien storm away, Michael convinces Jimmy to spend time with him. They stop at a Burger Shot for Jimmy to pick up a drink, but when Michael goes to sip that drink after driving away, he realizes he has been drugged by Jimmy. This leads to a series of hallucinations that end with Michael being truly alone.

14/20 "I Fought The Law..." Features High-Speed Races And Hilarious Fake Cops

GRAND THEFT AUTO V MISSIONS - I Fought The Law

Franklin's special driving ability comes in handy during the "I Fought The Law..." mission as players are forced to race a couple of supercars that have been targeted by Devin Weston, one of GTA 5's main antagonists.

However, players also get the chance to play as Michael and Trevor, who are hilariously posing as fake motorcycle cops in order to pull over the speeding supercars. Both angles to the mission offer different ways to enjoy the three main characters while taking part in a high-speed chase on the freeway that is instantly memorable.

13/20 Michael And Trevor Team Up To Take Down A Plane In "Caida Libre"

Grand Theft Auto 5 Mission Caida Libre

The "Caida Libre" mission is one of the many jobs to come from Mexican Cartel leader Martin Madrazo. He enlists Michael and Trevor to help him take out his cousin Javier, who is flying into Los Santos to testify against Madrazo.

Players get the chance to first shoot Javier's incoming plane out of the sky using a high-powered mounted sniper rifle. The mission only gets better when it switches to Trevor, who hastily follows the crashing jet on a dirtbike to finish the job, which includes an amazing in-mission jump.

12/20 "Three's Company" Is The First Mission That Unites All Three Protagonists

GTA Three's Company Mission

This is the first mission that involves all three playable characters in the main storyline. The mission is to help the FIB steal Ferdinand Kerimov, an individual the FIB presumed was dead but turns out is alive and is being interrogated by the IAA.

This mission is a blast because each character serves a different role in the mission and the player gets to experience each of them. Trevor flies the helicopter while Michael rappels down to kidnap Kerimov. Meanwhile, Franklin is on standby for backup with a sniper rifle.

11/20 Trevor and Ron Take On The Lost MC's Airplane Deliveries In "Nervous Ron"

Trevor shooting a Lost MC member while laying on a plane wing in GTA 5

The player first meets Trevor as he killed Johnny Klebitz, ticking off The Lost MC. This leads to a series of missions of taking them out, but one mission, in particular, goes from zero to 100 in a way not many missions do in GTA 5. In Nervous Ron, after finding out that the gang went through his trailer, he decides to intervene in a weapon shipment the gang was going to receive.

At the Sandy Shores airfield, Trevor uses a sniper to take out gang members and lights that would catch Ron planting a bomb on a gas tank. This leads to an epic shootout on the airstrip, Trevor and Ron hijacking the two planes, and killing numerous gang members including one hanging on a wing. The rest of the mission gets players used to flying around the map.

10/20 Michael And Trevor Fight In A War Between The FIB, IAA, And Merryweather In "The Wrap-Up"

Grand Theft Auto 5 Mission The Wrap-Up

There are a number of different organizations at play in GTA 5 that get involved in the affairs of Michael, Trevor, and Franklin. "The Wrap-Up" sees these various factions ignite in a violent, action-packed war that finds Michael caught in the middle.

As players are forced to escape the Kortz Center museum, they get the chance to play as both Michael and Trevor at a unique point in their relationship. The dual-perspective mission gives both sniper and duck-and-cover shooters ample opportunities amidst the chaos that includes an air-to-ground battle with a helicopter.

9/20 The Crew Is Involved In A Shootout Of Major Proportions In "Blitz Play"

Grand Theft Auto 5 Blitz Play Mission

In another FIB mission, the three protagonists are tasked to rob an armored truck filled with funds for the IAA. Michael decides to go with a blitz play approach, where they block the path for the armored vehicle with a garbage truck right before it pulls up.

Then, while it's parked, they ram the car with a tow truck to destroy the vehicle and collect the money. If the player is successful with this, they then will need to deal with a shoot-out of major proportions. The joy of it is being able to choose which character to use during the fight, occasionally switching to a character in need of help.

8/20 Franklin Helps Michael Rescue Jimmy Off A Boat In "Father/Son"

Jimmy hanging off the side of the boat in GTA 5

After losing his job at the dealership, Franklin goes to Michael to get tips on how to get in a better position in life. This is interrupted when Jimmy calls to say Michael's boat has been stolen with Jimmy on it. The two jump into Amanda's car and go speeding after it.

Players will chase the truck that has the boat down but will never be able to pass it, which is the point. Players will need to get close enough to get Franklin on, then be able to drive alongside it, so Jimmy can fall into the car and for Franklin to get off as well. The car will eventually break down, which leads to lots of frustration and a bitter back-and-forth conversation.

7/20 "Lamar Down" Highlights The Benefits Of Strategically Working With A Team

GRAND THEFT AUTO 5 MISSIONS - Lamar Down

Lamar Davis is one of the best characters in GTA 5 who first appears as a long-time friend of Franklin's before he also befriends Trevor. However, after Lamar was betrayed and taken captive by the Ballas gang, all three crew members teamed up to assault the gang's sawmill hideout in the "Lamar Down" mission.

Michael, Trevor, and Franklin launch a three-way attack on the sawmill that gives players the opportunity to strategically take out the Ballas and rescue Lamar. "Lamar Down" is fun to play repeatedly because it is one of the best-developed non-heist missions in the game.

6/20 "The Jewel Score" Is One Of The Most Authentic Feeling Heists In GTA 5

GTA Jewelry Heist Mission

This heist gives players the first taste of what heists are like in the game, including preparing for the heists in mini-missions and choosing their crew. This is one of the many heists in the game that give players multiple options on how to approach it.

Michael and Franklin can rob the jewelry store by either posing as a fumigation company after they knock everyone out with sleeping gas ("Smart" approach) or by approaching it head-on as an old-fashion stick-up robbery ("Loud" approach). Regardless, be prepared to drive away quickly from the cops.

5/20 Michael And Franklin Assualt The FIB Building In "The Bureau Raid"

GTA Mission Bureau Raid

Steve Haines, the arrogant FIB agent Michael has been doing jobs for, asks the main characters to steal any record of Haines' crimes from the FIB building. This is one of the later heists in the game, but one that also only includes Michael and Franklin (Trevor isn't present as he is angry at Michael). This one also has two options.

For "Covert," Michael poses as a janitor and rigs the FIB with bombs. After they explode, they infiltrate as firemen to get the files. "Roof" has all of them take a helicopter to the top of the FIB building, parachute down, and steal the files from the top.

4/20 Trevor Rides On Top Of And Destroys A Train In "Derailed"

Trevor flying off crashing trains in GTA 5

While Michael and Trevor are hiding from Martin Madrazo, Trevor finds out that Merryweather Security is currently using a train to transport something that is valuable. The two work together to reach and collect this potential treasure, with Trevor taking a motorcycle to try to reach the train.

Not only does he do that, but players will also be able to land on and drive along the top of the moving train. Once near the front, Trevor will hijack the train and take control long enough to pass its station and crash into another oncoming train at the exact location they need. The mission ends with a gunfight with Merryweather and a river rapid chase in a Dinghy.

3/20 "The Paleto Score" Is One Of The Most Insane Missions In The Game

GTA 5 Mission Paleto Score

It is likely that this is the most insane mission in the entire game. It seems small, as Michael, Franklin, and Trevor are looking to just rob a bank in Paleto Bay. However, this bank has over $8 million in its vaults and there are plenty of cops that are willing to take anyone out who tries to steal it.

This is why they are tasked with getting heavy military-grade armor and weapons. In order to escape with the cash, players will need to hold off the cops and the local army, needing to deal with tanks coming right at them. It is high-action the entire time, so don't expect to stop and breathe from the moment the robbery starts.

2/20 "The Big Score" Features Both Stealthy And High-Action Options

GTA 5 Mission Big Score

Michael and Trevor have always dreamed of pulling off the big one: robbing the Union Depository. Along with Franklin, they get to execute the job. There are two drastically different approaches. One involves being subtle, posing as individuals who are in charge of driving around the gold bars and pretending to just be doing another load.

Then there's the obvious, which involves a fake hold-up in the front of the Union Depository while a drill underground breaks through the walls and grabs the gold. The heist is stealthy at first but becomes high-action as the police find out what's happening. If players are successful, they are set for life.

1/20 "The Third Way" Is The Best Way To Finish Off The Campaign

GTA 5 Mission Third Way

Players have a choice on how they want the game to end, with Franklin being asked to kill either Michael or Trevor. But the best and most canonical choice is picking the third way. The three of them team up to take out many of the adversaries that have tortured them throughout the game.

It starts with a shoot-out with the FIB and Merryweather and ends with each character taking out one person at a time individually. When it's all said and done, they all work together to end the life of one more individual who has been a pain in the butt since he came into their lives. All in all, it's a satisfying way for one of the best games of the last decade to end.

Grand Theft Auto 5 is out now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

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