Grand Theft Auto 5 is set in Los Santos and Blaine County, fictional areas heavily inspired by real Southern California. Many in-game locations are modeled closely after their real-world counterparts, creating a rich and immersive world filled with recognizable landmarks.
In this article, we’ll compare some of these iconic game locations with their real-life versions to see just how accurate Rockstar’s recreation really is.
Maze Bank Arena
Maze Bank Arena is located in south Los Santos, just north of LS International Airport, and is visited during the story mode mission Fame or Shame. It also serves as the central hub for Arena War, a GTA Online update released in 2018 that focuses on vehicular combat. – View on GTA 5 Map
Real Location: Los Angeles Forum / Kia Forum
As you can see, the in-game Maze Bank Arena closely resembles the Los Angeles Forum in both architecture and shape. The circular design, distinctive roof structure, and overall silhouette share key features that make the building instantly recognizable. – View on Google Maps
Los Santos International Airport
Los Santos International Airport (LSIA) is located on the southern tip of the map, just west of the LS Port, and is the only commercial-sized airport in San Andreas.
While there are smaller airports such as Zancudo Army Base, Sandy Shores Airfield, and McKenzie Field, LSIA is the largest and most detailed, featuring multiple hangars, runways, and large aircraft. – View on GTA 5 Map
Real Location: Los Angeles International Airport
Heavily inspired by Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Los Santos International Airport (LSIA) features several buildings modeled after real-life LAX structures, most notably the Theme Building—a saucer-shaped landmark opened in 1961 with an observation deck open on select weekends—and the LAX Air Traffic Control Tower. – View on Google Maps
Muscle Sands Gym
Muscle Sands Gym is located on Vespucci Beach in south Los Santos. In the mission The Multi Target Assassination, one of the targets, Baby D, can be found here.
While you cannot use the equipment in the standard game, you can explore the area, and on occasion—after switching to Franklin—you may witness him using the gym before you gain control of him. On FiveM or similar servers, the equipment may be usable. – View on GTA 5 Map
Real Location: Muscle Beach Venice
The in-game version looks almost identical to the real-life location. The blue building with sliding doors is almost exactly the same, though the sculpture has been slightly modified to resemble male genitalia—classic Rockstar humor. In reality, the fences are silver, whereas in the game they are blue. – View on Google Maps
Vespucci Beach
Vespucci Beach is one of Los Santos’ most vibrant and colorful areas, clearly inspired by Venice Beach in Los Angeles. Along the beachfront and nearby streets you’ll find surf shops, tattoo parlors, beachwear stores, souvenir stands, and small cafés, all adding to the area’s unique character. – View on GTA 5 Map
Real Location: Venice Beach, Los Angeles
Venice Beach is world-famous for its bustling boardwalk and laid-back California vibe. Visitors can browse surf and skate shops, unique clothing boutiques, and souvenir stalls, or grab a bite from the many food stands selling everything from tacos to fresh smoothies.
Street performers, artists, and musicians keep the area lively, while the nearby Muscle Beach Gym remains an iconic attraction. The scenery is almost identical to its in-game counterpart. – View on Google Maps
Galileo Observatory
The Galileo Observatory is a large white-domed facility located in Vinewood Hills, offering sweeping views over Los Santos. Closely inspired by the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, it features Art Deco architecture. The winding road leading up makes it a popular in-game spot for sightseeing, stunt jumps, and photography.
While players can’t enter the building, the exterior is richly detailed with walking paths, parked cars, and visitors. At night, it offers one of the most striking panoramic city views in the game. – View on GTA 5 Map
Real Location: Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles
The Galileo Observatory’s real-world counterpart, the Griffith Observatory, sits in the Hollywood Hills overlooking Los Angeles. Opened in 1935, it is a cultural landmark famous for its Art Deco design, iconic domes, and role in films and TV shows.
Like its in-game recreation, it features a central dome with two smaller domes on either side, a grand staircase, and spacious viewing terraces. The real observatory is open to the public, housing telescopes, space exhibits, and an impressive planetarium. From its hilltop location, visitors enjoy sweeping views of Los Angeles, especially stunning at night when the city lights stretch to the horizon. – View on Google Maps
Legion Square
Legion Square is a bustling urban plaza located in Downtown Los Santos. It serves as a small but distinctive landmark, surrounded by office towers, shops, and busy streets.
The square features a central paved area with patterned brickwork, benches, trees, and a circular pool of water. NPC’s often gather here and it is a commonly used location in GTA online and many role play servers. – View on GTA 5 Map
Real Location: Pershing Square, Los Angeles
Legion Square is based on Pershing Square, a public park in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. Pershing Square has a long history dating back to the 19th century, but its modern design features open paved areas, scattered greenery, public seating, and striking art installations, including a large purple bell tower and metal sculptures.
Like its in-game counterpart, it’s surrounded by tall buildings and busy streets, making it a lively but sometimes chaotic space in the middle of the city. – View on Google Maps
Los Santos Port
The Port of Los Santos is a massive industrial shipping hub located in the southern part of the city, stretching across Elysian Island and Terminal. It’s one of the largest and most detailed industrial areas in the game, filled with stacked shipping containers, towering cranes, freight trains, warehouses, and busy docks.
The port plays a key role in the mission Scouting the Port a setup mission for the Merryweather Heist. Its sheer size and level of detail make it a standout example of Rockstar’s world-building, with moving cargo, working machinery, and constant traffic adding to its realism. – View on GTA 5 Map
Real Location: Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Santos is closely modeled after the Port of Los Angeles, one of the busiest seaports in the United States, located in San Pedro and Wilmington, California. Covering over 7,500 acres, the real port features miles of shipping terminals, container yards, massive cranes, and a complex network of roads, railways, and docks.
Like its in-game recreation, it’s a center of international trade, handling millions of containers each year. Its layout, skyline of cranes, and surrounding industrial infrastructure are faithfully captured in GTA 5, making it instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the real location. – View on Google Maps
Miriam Turner Overpass
The Miriam Turner Overpass is a large elevated bridge connecting the Port of Los Santos with Elysian Island. It features wide lanes for vehicle traffic, a steel framework, and sweeping views of the docks and industrial areas below.
The overpass appears in several missions, most notably in “Minisub” and “The Merryweather Heist,” where it serves as a key location for moving equipment and planning heists. Its long, curving roadway and industrial surroundings make it a striking piece of infrastructure in the city’s southern skyline. – View in GTA 5 Map
Real Location: Vincent Thomas Bridge
The Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, Los Angeles. Completed in 1963, spans 1,500 meters and connects San Pedro to Terminal Island, carrying thousands of vehicles daily. Its iconic green-painted steel truss design and tall suspension towers make it a recognizable LA landmark, especially to commuters and port workers.
Like in GTA 5, the bridge offers expansive views of the surrounding port, cranes, and shipping lanes, and it plays a vital role in linking key industrial areas. – View in Google Maps
Vinewood Bowl
The Vinewood Bowl is a large open-air amphitheater located in Vinewood Hills, just north of the city. It features a wide, curved stage shell, tiered seating carved into the hillside, and surrounding greenery, making it a standout entertainment venue in Los Santos.
While not a central story location, it appears in the game’s world as a fully accessible landmark, and is the base of the in game reality TV show Fame or Shame. – View on GTA 5 Map
Real Location: Hollywood Bowl
The Vinewood Bowl is based on the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, a world-famous outdoor venue that’s hosted performances from The Beatles to orchestras. Its band shell, hillside seating, and scenic hilltop location are faithfully recreated in the game. – View on Google Maps
Vinewood Sign
The Vinewood Sign is a giant white-letter landmark perched on the hills above Los Santos. Visible from miles away, it’s a popular photo spot and a key part of the city’s skyline, echoing the glamour of the in-game film industry. – View on GTA 5 Map
Real Location: Hollywood Sign
This may be obvious to some the Vinewood Sign mirrors the iconic Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles, built in 1923 as a real estate advertisement and now a global symbol of the entertainment industry. Both signs share the same hillside location and bold white lettering overlooking the city. – View on Google Maps
More GTA 5 vs Real-Life Locations
Los Santos is packed with landmarks that mirror real-life Los Angeles, and this guide is far from complete. We’ll continue adding more in-game locations and their real-world counterparts, complete with images, descriptions, and map links, so you can explore the connections for yourself.
Want to get the most out of Los Santos? Check out our GTA 5 cheats guide for hidden items, shortcuts, and tips to make your gameplay even more fun.
Check back regularly to see the latest updates and discover more places where GTA 5 meets reality.
