The minigun, also known as chain gun or Gatling gun, is a recurring machine gun in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, based on various US minigun models, appearing in various forms in since its introduction.
Also, despite the player being unable to obtain one, Grand Theft Auto IV and its Episodes included a vehicle mounted version on the Annihilator and Buzzard attack helicopters. It was meant to appear in the game, but was cut during development.
Description
3D Universe
The Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas renditions are based on a man portable version of the M134 Minigun, while the Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories version is based off the M197 tri-barreled Gatling. It has an incredible rate of fire and can annihilate most vehicles in almost less than a second around a certain radius. In Vice City, the minigun was perfect for mowing down targets level with the player, however, it could not be aimed manually. Instead, it shoots upwards automatically to E.G. helicopters, similar to the Rhino. In GTA San Andreas, thanks to the new aiming system, the minigun could be pointed in any direction, making shooting higher targets much easier, but also dangerous if the helicopter would crash into the ground and explode dangerously close to the player. It is almost 100% accurate as there is no recoil, but it can't lock on to a target which isn't much of a problem due to the very high power of each individual round and the amount of ammo it carries. Once equipped with a minigun, it's possible to complete some mission objectives that usually require other weaponry, such as the gun emplacement in Up, Up and Away!. In San Andreas the gun can only be found at spawn points (or provided during missions) and cannot be purchased at Ammu-Nation. In San Andreas a mounted Minigun is used in several missions with unlimited ammunition. These missions include Air Raid, The Da Nang Thang, and Up, Up and Away!.
In Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, the player can both lock onto a target and shoot manually with the minigun.
Grand Theft Auto Advance and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars also features the minigun as an available weapon. In GTA Chinatown Wars, it is the most expensive weapon in the game, costing $10,000 from Ammu-Nation.
GTA IV
For Grand Theft Auto IV, the minigun was planned to be the second heavy weapon, the first one being the rocket launcher, but it was dropped in the end, due to unknown reasons. By using the remaining data in-game, it appears to carry 750 rounds and to be able to kill any person (armored or not) with one shot, making it the most powerful weapon in the game. However, the minigun is mounted on Annihilator and Buzzard helicopters. Both fire normal 7.62Ć51 millimeter cartridges, but the Annihilator fires 800 rounds per minute, which is unrealistically slow, by about 3,000 rounds per minute. This is probably to prevent helicopter pilots from being able to literally shred players and vehicles. In The Lost and Damned, the helicopters' top speed is increased and the minigun ammunition is replaced by highly explosive cartridges that tear pedestrians, cars, motorcycles, and even other helicopters and boats apart. On the Buzzard, which only appears on The Ballad of Gay Tony, there are 2 miniguns mounted, which do not overheat or need to reload and fire about 4-6,000 rounds per minute.
Grand Theft Auto V
The minigun returns in GTA V. The minigun is coloured military green and appears to be of a smaller model compared to previous games. It is similar in size to the model found in LCS and VCS. Unlike in the previous games, the minigun does not reload, but instead the belt size depends on the "maximum ammunition" of the weapon, which can be increased to up to 9,999 rounds when the shooting skill of the playable character is at its maximum. Furthermore, its rate of fire is increased to 3,000 rounds per minute (twice as the one in the GTA III era games). The minigun is also featured in the heist mission, The Paleto Score. It is used by Trevor.
Grand Theft Auto Online
The minigun is available in GTA Online. It is unlocked at level 120.
It also spawns during survivals at waves 7+ and are common among enemies at this point. Taking a spawned minigun at wave 7 grants 15,000 bullets (30,000 if the minigun is already unlocked), this amount of ammo being instantly lowered
Lacking automatic aiming and cover, the minigun is not suited for fighting enemies on foot, but has great results against helicopters, planes, motor vehicles and multiple enemies.
Customizations (GTA V)
Capacity
- Rounds (100 rounds) - $50(GTA V) 150 rounds - $100(GTA Online)
Colors
- Black (default) - Equipped by default
- Army Tint (Desert sand) - $100
- LSPD Tint (Metallic Blue) - $600
- Pink Tint - $7,500
- Gold Tint - $10,000
- Platinum Tint - $12,500
Gallery
In-Game Model
HUD Icons
Locations
GTA Vice City
- Little Haiti - On the top floor of the remains of the drug processing plant west of the Little Haiti Well Stacked Pizza Co. after completion of Trojan Voodoo.
- Little Haiti - Available to buy from Phil's Place after completion of Boomshine Saigon ($10,000).
- Ocean Beach - Spawns inside the Ocean View Hotel after collecting 60 hidden packages.
- Downtown - Spawns on the roof of the Hyman Condo after collecting 60 hidden packages.
- Starfish Island - Spawns outside the Vercetti Estate after collecting 60 hidden packages.
Minigun's locations map
GTA San Andreas
- Kincaid Bridge, San Fierro - On top of the southern arch of the bridge. It's not accessible until the desert and Las Venturas are unlocked, because a ghost wall is blocking the player to get the weapon. A jetpack, parachute or helicopter is also needed to get to the location.
- Roca Escalante, Las Venturas - On the bottom-most level of an underground parking lot, in front of an elevator. Caution must be exercised when approaching the parkade as the previously empty structure will usually suddenly spawn a large number of vehicles when entered.
- Rockshore East, Las Venturas - On top of some scaffolding in the building site, requires climbing and jumping skills or jetpack.
- Area 69, Bone County - Inside the base in a control room. The room is accessible during the mission, "Black Project", if entered outside the mission using blue hell glitches, the player gains 5 star wanted level.
- Tierra Robada, Las Venturas - Inside Mike Toreno's ranch after completing Vertical Bird.
- In addition, Carl uses mounted miniguns in the missions Air Raid, Da Nang Thang, and Up, Up and Away!, though only briefly in Da Nang Thang. If Carl is equipped with his own minigun he can use it in lieu of the mounted one in Up, Up and Away!
Note: the minigun uses the same weapon slot as the rocket launchers and flamethrower, and will therefore be replaced should any of those other weapons be equipped, such as during a mission.
GTA Liberty City Stories
- Bedford Point, Staunton Island - Can be bought at Phil Cassidy's Fully Cocked Gun Shop upon completing the mission More Deadly Than the Male. ($10,000)
GTA Vice City Stories
- Vice Point - Can be bought from the Ammu-Nation shop after completing the storyline mission, Farewell to Arms for $15,000 but the price decreases to $11,500 if the player completes Phil's Shooting Range challenge.
GTA V
- Can be purchased at Ammu-Nation, for $15000
- Can be found in one of the buildings at the Fort Zancudo military base.
- Trevor will automatically be given one for the mission The Paleto Score, and it will remain in his inventory afterwards.
Trivia
- In GTA San Andreas game files, there is a minigun named "minigun2", possibly a second minigun was supposed to be in the game, however it's removed. Is probably the mounted variant, only available in missions.
- There are various mods for GTA IV to include the minigun in the game.
- In GTA San Andreas, there is a glitch in Up, Up and Away! that allow CJ to obtain a Minigun with unlimited ammo. If CJ is dating Katie Zhan, start the mission, mount the Minigun then get killed, he will respawn with a normal Minigun with unlimited ammo. Redoing the mission and mount the Minigun again will cause it to disappear. so players must avoid doing so.
- The reason is when mounting the Minigun, it becomes CJ's weapon, thus when he is wasted and respawned at the hospital, he gets to keep the Minigun with its unlimited ammo. For this to happen, CJ must be dating Katie Zhan before starting the mission.
- There is a glitch in GTA San Andreas (confirmed on PS2). That if a person on a bike is killed with the minigun and the triangle is quickly and rapidly pressed, it can be used on bikes, although this is only possible with the drive by cheat, letting you shoot in all directions while driving, like in the HD Universe. This also works with several other guns, but not all of them. Those several guns can also all be used in cars, as well as bikes, unlike the minigun.
- The minigun is the most powerful weapon in GTA San Andreas and GTA V, blowing up cars within just a few seconds.