Ranking taxi missions in GTA series

Almost every single GTA title has some form of taxi missions. These are mainly side missions, in which players need to drive taxis, pick up passengers, and drop them off at certain locations. This is one of the very first role-playing missions that was introduced in the Grand Theft Auto series.

Despite it being comparatively less exciting than the high-adrenaline missions and heists, taxi missions have become quite popular in the GTA series. Here are some of the best taxi missions in GTA titles.

Note: This ranking is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion.

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Taxi missions in the GTA series, ranked

5) GTA 3 taxi missions

GTA 3 taxi missions (Image via Rockstar Games || GTA Wiki)

The taxi missions were first introduced in GTA 3. A player was able to earn money by driving pedestrians to their predetermined destination within a time limit. To start the mission, players need to be in a taxi. Starting the mission lights up the taxi's roof-mounted sign, encouraging nearby pedestrians to flag the player's taxi down.

Once a pedestrian enters the vehicle, the destination is displayed on screen and is marked by a blip on the radar and a colored marker at the destination itself. If the player runs out of time, exits the vehicle, or damages their vehicle too badly, the passenger will flee, ending the mission.

Though this was the beginning of taxi missions in the GTA series, it is not the best one. Rockstar kept most of the mechanics similar, but future game worlds drastically improved.

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4) GTA Online taxi work

GTA Online taxi missions (Image via Rockstar Games || GTA Wiki)

Next comes the taxi work in GTA Online, the latest iteration of taxi missions in the game series. It is a freemode side mission that players can start by going to the Downtown Taxi Co. garage or by entering any taxi as a driver. Once the mission starts, it follows a similar pattern of picking up a particular passenger within 100m or 1km and dropping them at a location.

Players can earn a few thousand dollars by doing these missions, although they are one of the most boring missions, especially if players are using stock taxis.

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3) GTA 4 taxi missions

GTA 4 taxi missions (Image via Rockstar Games || GTA Wiki)

In GTA 4, taxi missions were a lot more connected to the game's storyline, since Roman, Niko's cousin, works at a taxi depot and owns two taxis. If players wanted to do taxi missions, they needed to call Roman, after which they could pick up a taxi from the depot and start the mission.

Though the mechanics are the same, the bustling traffic in Liberty City and the realistic driving physics of the game make taxi missions a lot more challenging and fun in GTA 4.

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2) GTA Vice City taxi missions

Vice City taxi missions (Image via Rockstar Games || GTA Wiki)

GTA Vice City was the second Grand Theft Auto to feature taxi missions, and they were one of the best, particularly because of how fast-paced it felt. The taxis in the game were decently quick, and the map was small and tight enough for a fun commute from one point to another. Hence, GTA Vice City taxi missions were great.

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1) GTA San Andreas taxi missions

San Andreas taxi missions (Image via Rockstar Games || GTA Wiki)

GTA San Andreas taxi missions were some of the best in the game series. Though the mechanics of the side mission were exactly the same as Vice City or GTA 3, it was a lot better because of the map. San Andreas' map has three cities, vast forest sections, and even desert sections, making longer commutes a lot more interesting. Additionally, the shorter, high-traffic commutes within a city were also fun.

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Edited by Akshat Kabra