The Best Strangers & Freaks Missions In GTA V

When Grand Theft Auto 5 launched, it was a vast improvement over Rockstar’s previous game, Red Dead Redemption, in one specific area. That would be the side quests or the Strangers & Freaks missions, as they are called in GTA5. Many of them are a series of quests, and all have a conclusion, satisfying or not.

In the first Red Dead, many quests just stopped without any proper conclusion. They can also be a ton of fun and offer interesting or funny characters to interact with. Some of these characters have quests for all three protagonists, highlighting how different each one’s personality is.

A mission must be replayable using the mission replay feature, as those without them are typically too short to be worth mentioning. Spoilers ahead, too!

Updated on January 6, 2024, by Dominic Allen: With the recent announcement of GTA6, many are coming back to Los Santos and the vast wilderness of Blaine County. We’ve given this list a new lick of paint in case you’re revisiting and completing the Strangers & Freaks, too. These missions are typically easier to get gold medals on, so achievement/trophy hunters should do them.

10 Grass Roots – Michael And Trevor

A Wild Trip

While Franklin’s interactions with Barry differ, Michael and Trevor entail the same scenario. Both smoke a joint given by Barry, leading to a bizarre but fun-filled shootout. You blast either aliens or clowns. They’re not your average thug, as aliens typically blast from ranged distances, and clowns teleport quite a bit.

You also use two awesome weapons you shouldn’t normally have yet at this point in the game. It’s great blowing these enemies away with a Minigun and Assault Shotgun, respectively. It’s too bad Franklin gets the short end of the stick here, as his missions with Barry are quite uneventful.

9 Paparazzo – Reality Check

A Sudden Realization

Paparazzo – Reality Check is a mission you’ll never forget your first time playing. It’s the final Beverly mission, and it goes out with a bang. Like many other questlines, you end up getting screwed over, but when the cutscene ends, you’ll be at a loss for what to do next.

Normally, there are objectives at the bottom of the screen, but not here. After a while, you’ll realize you’re meant to take out Beverly, and it’s a sudden and effective moment. You are totally in control of what to do by not having those directions there. If the directions were there, the moment wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying.

8 Exercising Demons

Hope You’re Good With Stamina

All three characters have an Exercising Demons mission with Mary-Ann. While the missions themselves are fun races, Mary-Ann makes them so good. She’s the kind of person who would trigger a Lunk Alarm at Planet Fitness, and her brash personality is so entertaining.

Since all three characters meet her, it’s nice to see how each one reacts. Michael and Franklin are pushed back from her presence, while Trevor is the complete opposite. These are also some of the easiest missions to get a gold medal on, so make sure to do them if you want 70 for the achievement/trophy.

7 Risk Assessment

The Ultimate Thrill Ride

Your first mission with Dom Beasley is Risk Assessment. After an introduction portion, the meat of the mission entails you jumping out of a helicopter high above Mount Chiliad and parachuting your way to safety. It’s a total thrill to be skydiving into the tallest point of the game.

You’re so high in the air, and it’s impressive first time playing. Once on the mountaintop, you do a fun and thrilling bike race against Dom downhill. Mount Chiliad, being the literal highest point on the map, is what makes this mission so fun to play. The only issue is that it’s too good, and the following Dom quests are nowhere near the same level.

6 Rampages

What GTA Is All About

For many, Trevor’s Rampage missions will be the most fun of the lot. There are five in total, and each one involves you mowing down tons of people in Trevor’s rage. The gameplay here does differentiate itself from the normal GTA carnage.

If you want to cause chaos for as long as possible with a five-star wanted rating, you’re constantly moving about. That isn’t the case here, as everyone is clumped into one small area. This makes the action fresh compared to the GTA norm, and it really tests your shooting skills.

5 Vinewood Souvenirs – Al Di Napoli

A Shocking Ending

Trevor’s questline with Nigel and Mrs. Thornhill is the wildest for him. You’ll do several odd errands before you attempt the second to last mission, Al Di Napoli. As the name suggests, this is the character of attention as you chase him throughout Los Santos. The chase here is great, lasting for quite a while, and probably the best of all the side missions.

The ending is truly something else. You end up chasing Di Napoli through the Pillbox Hill Medical Center. This is the only time you actually see the inside of a hospital you respawn from, and it heightens the impact of the chase. You can’t help but think about how awesome that was when the mission’s over.

4 Vinewood Souvenirs – The Last Act

An Explosive Finale

The final Vinewood Souvenirs quest is The Last Act. Faced with what to do about Al Di Napoli, you can let him go or lead him to his death. Since you’re playing as Trevor, you know the right choice. Letting the train smash over the car is an amazing way to kill off the character.

Plus, the banter between Trevor and Di Napoli beforehand is great, too. This mission is another easy gold medal, but a really fun one, as one of the tasks forces you to bail from your car right before the train hits. That leads to an even more epic slow-mo shot of the car blowing up.

3 The Last One

The Myth Becomes Reality

After you gain 100 percent completion, you get a couple of rewards, one of them being this mission. Considering you must have beaten all other Franklin side missions, seeing another Strangers & Freaks marker come up is a bit alarming. You’ll wonder what it could be.

Well, it’s Bigfoot. An ancient myth from GTA San Andreas has finally come alive in GTA5, and it’s a great callback. The mission itself isn’t too eventual, as you simply hunt down the beast, which shouldn’t take too long. There’s a satisfying ending, however, and it’s just a great reward for fully completing the title.

2 Unknowing The Truth

Another Satisfying Conclusion

GTA5’s Epsilon Program is one of the most annoying parts of the entire game, including online. You’ll have to do so much tedious stuff here, but the ending is nice with a capital N. The mission’s short as you travel from the Epsilon Center to the drop-off point, where the group will extract a large sum of money.

You could go along with the group, but you’ll end up receiving a dirty tractor as a reward. Instead, kill every one of them as revenge. There’s quite a few guards here, but when everyone is dispatched, you’ll receive a pretty 2.1 million dollars. It feels so good to finally get retribution here.

1 Paparazzo – The Sex Tape

It’s Exactly What You Think It Is

The most infamous GTA5 side mission and the one that’s probably most remembered is Paparazzo – The Sex Tape. Living up to the name, it’s explicit and doesn’t shy away from its subject matter.

This scenario could have been very poorly handled, but Rockstar made the scene quite funny with its satirical dialogue. After you’re caught, a chase sequence begins. You must focus your camera on Poppy throughout the duration of the chase, and it’s solid fun, feeling very arcade-like. Right here is a mission truly deserving of its infamous reputation.