{"id":609868,"date":"2026-03-22T14:20:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T14:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/the-most-immersive-part-of-gta-vs-open-world-is-its-radio\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T14:20:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T14:20:01","slug":"the-most-immersive-part-of-gta-vs-open-world-is-its-radio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-most-immersive-part-of-gta-vs-open-world-is-its-radio\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Immersive Part Of GTA V\u2019s Open World Is Its Radio"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Grand<\/p>\n

Back in March, I began playing Grand Theft Auto V for the first time ever. I somehow missed it in 2013, and as the years went by, I realized maybe I just wasn\u2019t that interested in it. However, I couldn\u2019t shake the idea that I had a GTA-sized gap in my gaming knowledge, especially\u00a0as I write news stories seemingly every month about its massive sales numbers, which somehow keep increasing<\/a>, the continuous flow of GTAV Online content, and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

GTA V is as prevalent today as it was in 2013, so when the new-gen editions on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X\/S were released in March, I decided to finally give it a go. And, unsurprisingly to most reading this probably, it lived up to the hype<\/a>. So much so that I\u2019m still playing it today, more than two months later. I love playing through the game\u2019s main campaign and the Strangers and Freaks missions, but I\u2019ve found that my absolute favorite thing to do is just drive around while listening to music.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

After hopping on to do just that the other night, I realized something: the radio in GTA V makes it more immersive than most open-world games for me. I\u00a0think that\u2019s why I spend so much of my time in-game driving around, listening to Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, and Chakra Attack\u2019s Dr. Ray De Angelo Harris, voiced by J.B. Smoove.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When I hop into a vehicle in GTA V, the first thing I do is pull up the radio. I scroll through my usual favorites \u2013 blonded Los Santos, Channel X, Vinewood Boulevard Radio, and of course, Non-Stop-Pop FM. Is a favorite tune on like Ocean\u2019s “Chanel” or Koffee\u2019s “W”? Have I heard this segment of Chakra Attack? Searching usually takes me about a minute, and I refuse to get on the road until I find exactly what I\u2019m in the mood for, which is exactly what I do when I get in my car in real life.<\/p>\n

And then I drive.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I\u2019m heading toward my next mission, but often, I\u2019m just driving long enough to reach the end of a song and see what pops up next. I\u2019m obsessed with this, and I\u2019m pretty surprised by how much more immersive listening to real-world music makes GTA V\u2019s open world. Of course, I don’t\u00a0feel<\/em>\u00a0like Franklin or Michael or Trevor (not sure I’d even want to, given the events of the game), but the radio does a lot of heavy lifting to make it seem like I’m living somebody’s life in GTA V.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

I\u2019m obviously very aware I\u2019m playing a video game, but there\u2019s something special about hearing a song I listen to while driving in real life come on the radio in GTA V. It influences how I drive \u2013 when Ace Hood\u2019s “Bugatti” comes on, yeah, I\u2019m probably going to be speeding, launching off of ramps, and drifting through intersections because it\u2019s hype as hell. When “Glamorous” by Fergie starts, maybe I trade in the truck for a sleeker two-door and cruise through downtown Los Santos. And when Chakra Attack begins, I\u2019m probably just laughing to myself, a lot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Much like how I try to match music to my mood in real life, or sometimes even set my attitude\u00a0based on whatever I end up listening to, the same happens in GTA V, and I wish more games would cater to that because I don\u2019t think I\u2019m alone. Sure, some games use real-world artists in their soundtrack \u2013 Cyberpunk 2077 did it in 2020 \u2013 but I\u2019m not sure any focus as much on music as Rockstar Games does, going so far as to actually update soundtracks with new songs and radio stations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s undoubtedly a litany of copyright hurdles to jump over to do this, and many companies don\u2019t have Rockstar Games money to do that, so I understand why most soundtracks aren\u2019t living. But imagine if they were \u2013\u00a0I know my immersion in open-world games would increase, and that\u2019s important because it keeps me playing. And that\u2019s something I think every developer wants for its game.<\/p>\n

In this medium,\u00a0hundreds of employees spend thousands of hours perfecting in-game brush, the way a knife stabs into an enemy, or how glass breaks when a brick is thrown into it \u2013 all to ensure the experience is as life-like as possible (which, mind you, is awesome and something I appreciate assuming that\u2019s done under healthy conditions).\u00a0I\u2019d just like that kind of energy put into music more often.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favorite use of real-world music in a video game? Let me know in the comments below!<\/em><\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back in March, I began playing Grand Theft Auto V for the first time ever. I somehow missed it in 2013, and as the years went by, I realized maybe I just wasn\u2019t that interested in it. However, I couldn\u2019t shake the idea that I had a GTA-sized gap in my gaming knowledge, especially\u00a0as I write news stories seemingly every month about its massive sales numbers, which somehow keep increasing, the continuous flow of GTAV Online content, and more.\u00a0 GTA V is as prevalent today as it was in 2013, so when the new-gen editions on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X\/S were released in March, I decided to finally give it a go. And, unsurprisingly to most reading this probably, it lived up to…<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":609869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-609868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-informer"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Most Immersive Part Of GTA V\u2019s Open World Is Its Radio | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Back in March, I began playing Grand Theft Auto V for the first time ever. 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