Why is GTA 5 Called Los Santos? An In-Depth Look at the Fictional LA
Los Santos is the massive, thriving fictional city where Grand Theft Auto V takes place. This iconic gaming hub is modeled after Los Angeles, California with its own distinct satirical twist. So why is this expansive GTA city named Los Santos instead of Los Angeles? The name itself provides insight into Rockstar‘s creative vision.
Los Santos – A Fictional LA for Open World Mayhem
Rockstar Games spent years crafting Los Santos as their largest open world city ever at the time of GTA 5‘s launch. According to Rockstar, Los Santos spans an astounding 50 square miles with 210 arterial roads crisscrossing its diverse neighborhoods. This makes Los Santos larger in total area than the worlds of GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption combined.
Los Santos provides players with a fictional analog of Los Angeles packed with satirical details. Popular Southern California landmarks like the Capital Records Building, Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica Pier, and Rodeo Drive are all parodied. The massive freeway system includes grimy inner city overpasses along with sweeping highways leading through the lush Santa Monica Mountains out to the coast.
Neighborhood Breakdown: Real LA vs Los Santos
Los Santos contains distinct neighborhoods modelled after many different areas of LA. Here‘s a breakdown of how some prominent real world LA neighborhoods compare to their Los Santos versions:
| Real LA Neighborhood | Los Santos Version | Inspiration/Details |
|---|---|---|
| South Central | South Los Santos | Gang culture, rap music aesthetic |
| Venice Beach | Vespucci Beach | Eccentric boardwalk culture with bodybuilders and street performers |
| Hollywood | Vinewood | Glitzy mansions, seedy underside of fame, parody of Hollywood Sign |
| Beverly Hills | Rockford Hills | Opulent mansions, luxury shopping, wealth disparities |
| Santa Monica | Del Perro | Luxury beachside community, famous amusement park pier |
Rockstar translated the eclectic energy of Los Angeles into the world of Los Santos with their own signature twist. As can be seen above, Los Santos takes the most caricature-worthy elements of each area and amplifies them to extremes for maximum satire.
Bringing the LA Basin to Life
Beyond just neighborhoods, Los Santos mimics the LA basin‘s diverse geography. The Alamo Sea stands in for the Salton Sea region in Southern California. Sweeping wilderness with scrub brush, rock formations, and Joshua trees surrounds the outskirts of the city. And the looming Mount Chiliad volcano punctuates the landscape, inspired by the San Gabriel Mountains.
Los Santos manages to capture both the sprawling urban expanse and varied natural environments of Southern California. This provides an immersive and kinetic playground for GTA mayhem.
"Los Santos" – Satire Through Fictionalization
GTA has always used fictional locations modeled after real cities. Liberty City takes on New York, Vice City mimics Miami, and Los Santos recreates Los Angeles. This practice of fictionalizing city names has been vital to the series‘ satirical edge.
Creative Freedom in Worldbuilding
Using cities like Los Santos liberates Rockstar from the pressures of accurately representing Los Angeles. Instead they can focus on crafting places tailored for open world hijinks and dark humor. Rockstar designer Leslie Benzies called this fictionalization process "…condensing and exaggerating the most vibrant characteristics from all around the country."
Some advantages of this fictional approach:
- Weaving signature GTA exaggeration into the city‘s design without geographic limitations
- Including roads and infrastructure optimized for driving gameplay without realism constraints
- Adding ridiculous parody locations like the ULSA space center
- Building on themes and vibes from previous iterations of Los Santos rather than starting totally from scratch
With Los Santos, Rockstar took the most wild, weird, pretentious, and eccentric elements of LA culture to shape their satirical metropolis.
The Power of Parody
Using a fictional name also means GTA can parody brands and logos within their world. Real companies might take legal action against unflattering portrayals. But satirizing their fictional counterparts causes no issues.
A few examples:
- fast food chain Up-An-Atom = real life In-N-Out
- Bean Machine coffee = Starbucks
- Los Santos Police Department = Los Angeles Police Department
This parody naming gives GTA room for scathing and ridiculous social commentary through brands and organizations.
Los Santos in the GTA Legacy
Looking at other GTA cities shows how vital fictional names have been in establishing tone. Some examples:
- Liberty City – Based on New York, its name evokes crime-ridden urban chaos
- Vice City – Miami analogue where "vice" drives the hedonistic, neon-lit vibe
- San Fierro – San Francisco inspiration with "fierro" meaning "iron" in Spanish, fitting the hilly terrain
Los Santos joins this tradition. Its name reinforces its role as a hub of over-the-top satire and lawless fun in GTA‘s legacy.
The Meaning in the Name
So why specifically "Los Santos"? This name is crucial in highlighting the city‘s fictional nature. But it also contains deeper connotations that contribute to the GTA experience.
Etymology – Saints and Angels
"Santos" translates from Spanish as "saints", while "angeles" means "angels". Los Santos is therefore a tongue-in-cheek translation of "The Saints" instead of "The Angels".
This immediately signals that Los Santos aims to subvert the upstanding image of Los Angeles. The name suggests deviance and moral ambiguity rather than angelic purity.
Duality of Saints and Sinners
As Leslie Benzies discussed, Los Santos represents the "…contrast between the high-speed, affluent downtown, beachside glamour and gangland grittiness."
The name Los Santos encapsulates this core dichotomy. It alludes to the hidden darkness and sins beneath LA‘s shiny surface.
From the ritzy CEOs of Rockford Hills to the gangbangers of South Los Santos, characters across the socioeconomic spectrum exhibit corruption in Los Santos. The name "Saints" takes this motif of superficial virtue versus inner evil to the next level.
Caricaturing the LA Lifestyle
Ultimately "Los Santos" signals that the city exists in service of zany GTA gameplay rather than factual representative. The name aligns with the exaggerated, irreverent tone that makes GTA a captivating parody.
Los Santos gives us a Los Angeles beyond the polished glamour and into the absurdity. For all these reasons, "Los Santos" is the perfect title for GTA‘s subversive, rambunctious take on the City of Angels.
