Rocket Launcher

"Supposedly illegal. Banned for civillian use. Have been appearing on the streets of Vice City for several years. Present extreme danger to public order. I though we had sold all of these things to corrupt dictators and people fighting the Russians?"
-Vice City Bureau of Investigation file description.


Niko Bellic firing the Rocket Launcher in Grand Theft Auto IV
Aiming with a rocket launcher in Grand Theft Auto IV.

The Rocket Launcher or RPG is a weapon that has appeared in every Grand Theft Auto game.

Description

The Rocket Launcher is an extremely powerful weapon, capable of destroying almost anything capable of being damaged. The chief advantage of this weapon is its destructive power and area effect (with its blast being capable of inflicting heavy damage several meters away from the point of impact). Although its rockets self-destruct after traveling a certain distance, its range remains impressive. The weapon's disadvantages are its slow aiming, and its potential to seriously injure or kill the operator if a rocket detonates at close range.

GTA 1 — GTA 2

The first two games' rendition of the Rocket Launcher is relatively hard-to-find, with the ability to destroy most cars with one shot, a fairly long reload time, and perfect accuracy. Once fired, each rocket stays at a constant velocity until it reaches a solid surface (a person, a vehicle, or a wall). Strangely enough, rockets are faster than bullets, requiring some skill to dodge (as opposed to bullets).

GTA III — GTA Vice City Stories

In GTA III and GTA Vice City Stories, the rocket launcher resembles a US Army M72 LAW rocket launcher, with some aesthetic differences (the weapon is held by a handle on the bottom and fired through a scope, unlike the real life M72 LAW). In GTA Vice City, GTA San Andreas, and GTA Liberty City Stories, the rocket launcher resembles a Russian RPG-7 portable anti-tank rocket launcher. Its heavy weight will cause the protagonist to be slowed to a jogging pace and not be able to jump while the weapon is equipped except from Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and onwards.

GTA IV — GTA V

In Grand Theft Auto IV, the rocket launcher again resembles the Russian RPG-7 portable anti-tank grenade launcher; however, it is not fitted with the PGO-7 optical sight usually seen on the launchers. Unlike previous games where the player was forced into a stationary first-person perspective, the player now aims the rocket launcher from the over-the-shoulder perspective, allowing the player to strafe while aiming; the rocket launcher can also be fired while behind cover. The rocket can be deflected if the tip of the rocket does not hit a solid object. The rocket self-detonates when it reaches its maximum range. This is the most powerful weapon in the game, destroying any target with a direct hit and causing heavy causalities with splash damage. The player does not necessarily need a direct hit on the fuselage of a helicopter to destroy it as the force of a detonating rocket can cause the pilot to lose control and crash. Also, unlike the GTA III Era, the rocket can hit the rotors as they considered solid objects. The RPG in GTA IV & EFLC is the only weapon with moving models (the rocket and the empty launcher).

The Rocket Launcher can be purchased at the back-alley gun shops for $15,000 plus $5,000 for each additional rocket. The Rocket Launcher cannot be bought from Little Jacob in GTA IV; however, the player can buy a Rocket Launcher from Terry Thorpe in The Lost and Damned or from Armando Torres in The Ballad of Gay Tony for $10,000 plus $3,500 for each additional rocket. The player is limited to a carrying capacity of 8 rockets. This weapon is available in multiplayer via helicopters, which instantly give players a RPG and full RPG ammo upon entry. The rocket launcher's scarcity, late availability, low carrying capacity, and high price means that the player should use the weapon with discretion.

Gallery

In-game models

HUD icons

Real life models

Locations

(To show your coordinates you have to enter a cheat code.)

GTA 2
Residential District:
  • Southwest corner of the building with gardens placed west of the asylum (Sunnyside) (19,5 16,5 2)
  • Go the J-Lab. Use the stairs on the west side to get to the roof. Use the second set of stairs to get to the east side, then drop down and jump over the boxes (Laboratory) (51,5 201,5 3)
  • Go to the ledge near the northernmost street at Ukita. Take the elevated platform to the roof just north (Ukita) (82,5 235,5 3)
  • Pit between the hospital north of the Zaibatsu HQ and a bank (Omnitron) (203,5 70,5 2)
  • North of the cathedral, close to the cemetery (Avalon) (154,5 129,5 2)
  • Go to the building west of the hospital west of Avalon Station. Take the stairs on its west side and follow them to the roof (Avalon) (70,5 77,5 5)
  • Get a fast car and go to the Avalon police station. Enter it from its west side, then turn north and hit the ramp. Aim carefully towards the ledge north of it (Avalon) (156,5 78,5 5)
  • Go to the street west of the cathedral. Follow it on south direction. It will turn east, take the first street to south, and then the second to west. Follow the stairs on the north side. Follow the north hallway to a metal platform, then walk a bit more towards north (Altamount) (147,5 174,5 3)
  • Between the hospital and the bank near Flotsam docks (Flotsam) (234,5 198,5 2)
  • Awarded when a Miara is crushed
Downtown District:
  • Go to the area with the underground train tracks east of the entrance towards the elevated platform over the RV Park (Xenoton) (122,5 73,5 2)
  • Building north of the east section of the Scientist Research Center (Stromberg) (230,5 203,5 2)
  • Go to the Belmont motel located some blocks west of the central police station. Use the stairs to get to the roof (Belmont) (43,5 120,5 5)
  • Take the street west of the church. Take the first big street on south direction (the first one leads to a parking). Look for the alley on the west side next to the metal platform over the street (Morton) (75,5 146,5 2)
  • Get a car. Look for some stairs at the east side of the free access section of the Scientist Research Center. Follow them, use a platform above the train tracks until you reach a long platform. Take the west direction and drop down to the train tracks. Use the ramp to jump to the next roof (Morton) (112,5 237,5 6)
  • Awarded when a Hachura is crushed
Industrial District:
  • Head to the westernmost pier of Azeri Heights Docks (Azeri Heights Docks) (63,5 13,5 2)
  • Head to the third (from left) pier of Azeri Heights Docks (Azeri Heights Docks) (114,5 10 2)
  • Go to the processing plant. Use the stairs near the entrance to get to the roof and walk across the angled roof (Blind Eye processing plant) (235,5 9,5 4)
  • Go to the Chernobolt factory south of the power plant and look on the southeast corner (Pravda) (240,5 91,5 2)
  • Head to the area with water tanks east of the Russian Cross. Enter it from the east side and go around the structure until you reach the far west side (Krimea) (204,5 63,5 2)
  • Wooden bridge over a pond at the southeast corner of the Industrial District (Narayana) (241 242,5 4)
  • End of the tiny passage near the construction site entrance (Lattero) (68,5 253,5 2)
  • Small courtyard inside a building two blocks east of the Zaibatsu cranes, enter it from the northeast corner (Sennora) (45,5 143,5 2)
  • Building some blocks southwest of Bayano station. Check the north alcove (Bayano) (76,5 185 2)
  • South side of the power core (Power core) (27 247 4)
  • Building located north of the east side of Gonad hospital (Gonad) (140 107 2)
  • Go to the big road north of the construction site. Go to the zone where it turns north near the Vedic Temple. Check the building two blocks west of the corner (Petula) (148 205 2)
  • Dropped by The Zaibatsu Corporation with 5 negative respect bars
  • Awarded when a Shark is crushed
GTA III
GTA Vice City
GTA San Andreas
GTA Liberty City Stories
GTA Vice City Stories
GTA IV
The Ballad Of Gay Tony

Trivia

  • The Rocket Launcher received a new weapon icon in the iOS and Android versions of GTA Vice City. However, a blue-and-pink version of the Rocket Launcher's weapon icon from GTA III can still be found in the HUD data files, internally named "hud_rocket" (the new weapon icon is internally named "hud_rpg").

See also

Source