A GTA fan took apart the series' airports and concluded they're a mess

In anticipation of the release of Grand Theft Auto VI, fans of the franchise are looking for new ways to pass the time—some theorizing, others conducting actual investigations. Blogger and gaming enthusiast Any Austin conducted a detailed analysis of airports in three games in the series—GTA III, GTA IV, and GTA V—and concluded that their implementation is far from ideal.

In GTA III, the airports were practically logically dysfunctional: runways are unnumbered, runway markings are inaccurate, taxiways are absent, and planes are literally forced to navigate on grass. The centerlines change width along the runway, creating a chaotic appearance. The only successful element was the landing lights—the developers made them red, which is technically justified given the short length of the runways.

In GTA IV, the situation has improved significantly: the runways are labeled, letters and numbers correspond to the course, and taxiways and navigational aids have been added. The lighting system has become more realistic, and runway entrance signs now feature correct markings. However, there are some oddities: all the planes' engines rotate in the same direction, while in reality they should be mirrored.

At first glance, GTA V's airports appear larger and more detailed: hangars, radars, rescue services, and even lights extending into the water have been added. However, a closer analysis revealed that, while the markings are accurate, the sign placement is completely haphazard—they warn of runway entrances that don't exist in the game, and the text on the signs often makes no sense.

The blogger's research sparked heated debate in the community: fans acknowledged that, even with the visual progress, the GTA series has yet to take off in terms of the realism of its aviation infrastructure.