Side Activities Worth Your Time

Some of the best moments in Grand Theft Auto V have nothing to do with the story. San Andreas is packed with sports, races, strange characters, collectibles and random encounters that reward exploring. The game counts 61 hobbies and pastimes alone, and dozens of Strangers and Freaks missions add odd, often hilarious stories on the side. This guide picks out the activities that are most worth your time.

Sports and Leisure

Golf and tennis are full sports games inside a crime game, and both are surprisingly well made. Golf at the Los Santos Golf Club has proper club selection and wind, while tennis has a satisfying rally system. Darts can be played in bars, triathlons test stamina across swimming, cycling and running, and yoga is a meditative minigame mostly for Michael. Besides being fun, these sports raise the strength and stamina skills.

Races

Races are a great way to earn money early and improve driving skills. The required ones for 100% are the street, off-road and sea races, where you need third place or better.

Flight School and Parachuting

Flight School is one of the most useful activities in the game. Its lessons teach takeoffs, landings, formation flying and other maneuvers, and they raise your flying skill quickly. If you plan to fly aircraft as Michael or Franklin, a few lessons make a huge difference. Parachute jumps take you to high points around the map and challenge you to land on target. All parachute jumps are required for 100%, and they also unlock one of the Strangers and Freaks missions.

Shooting Range and Hunting

The shooting range at Ammu-Nation lets you practice with different weapon classes and earn medals. It is the fastest way to raise the shooting skill. Hunting challenges in Blaine County offer a different kind of marksmanship, tracking animals across the countryside. The range is required for 100%; hunting is optional.

Strangers and Freaks

Strangers and Freaks are side missions given by unusual characters around the map, marked with a question mark. There are dozens of them, split between the three protagonists, and they include some of the funniest writing in the game.

• Michael: the Epsilon Program, a satirical cult with escalating demands
• Franklin: Beverly’s paparazzo jobs, Omega’s spaceship hunt, Tonya’s tow truck favors
• Trevor: Maude’s bail bond captures, Josh’s real estate scheme, Nigel and Mrs. Thornhill’s celebrity obsession
• All three: Barry’s “Grass Roots” and Mary-Ann’s “Exercising Demons”

Some of these chains unlock more content. Omega’s final mission requires all 50 Spaceship Parts, and the Epsilon Program asks Michael for donations and devotion before it pays off. They are optional, but several are required for 100%.

Random Events

As you travel, blue markers sometimes appear on the minimap. These are random events: a stolen purse, a couple stranded on the road, a robbery in progress. You can help, ignore them or take advantage. They add life to the world, sometimes reward you with money or new crew members for heists, and 14 of them count toward 100%.

Properties and Collectibles

Each character can buy properties around the map, from bars and cinemas to a taxi company and an airfield. Many generate income and come with small management missions. Collectibles include Spaceship Parts, Letter Scraps, hidden packages under the sea and more. The 100% checklist asks for five properties, all Spaceship Parts and all Letter Scraps.

Which Activities to Try First

The skills these activities build are explained in Character Switching and Special Abilities. To explore San Andreas beyond the mission markers, start from the game on our main page and follow wherever the map takes you.