10. The Game Is Fully Accessible From The Start
If you're going to create a game as large and as expansive as GTA V (more on the
size later), as a developer, it makes sense for you to want players to be able to experience all of it, right? Long-term fans of GTA will testify that Rockstar have always employed a map-unlocking feature whereby certain areas of the game only become accessible upon completion of a certain mission. Bridges to other cities were either on lock-down because of an imminent tornado warning or actually destroyed by a bomb until certain objectives were met. For people like me, who got stuck on that one, crucial mission that decided if I could explore a new part of the map or not, the following is great news - GTA V's map is fully accessible from the second you slip in the disc. No tornado warnings, no closed bridges, no 6-star wanted levels for flying into an unlocked location, just freedom, freedom to explore the game in full. One of the best things about Bethesda's
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was that you had the entire map open to you from the beginning, free for you to explore any way you wished. Considering the sheer scope of Skyrim, it remains today one of my favourite games. I soon expect GTA V to bump it off the top of my list though.