Grand Theft Auto V: Carcer City's gameplay features some new changes and improvements. The RAGE engine has been updated to allow more realistic physics. The Cover System that was introduce in GTA IV returns and benifits greatly from the new improved physics. GTAV:CC uses the same level of graphics as Red Dead Redemption.
The world of Grand Theft Auto V: Carcer City builds up from what Rockstar introduced in both Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption. Pedestirans, to start off with, act like real people and do realistic things such as reading newspapers, getting into arguments with one another, commiting crimes, protesting, and occasinonally attempting to commit suicide, and more. Not only that, they also have their own lives and have places to go. There is also more interaction between pedestrians and the police. Not only do Random Characters return, but GTAV:CC also includes Random Encounters like in RDR. For example, a Street Criminal may attempt to mug or carjack Ricky. Riots can also happen at any time. Ingame Friends/Girlfriends are now optional and are not required for 100% completion, they do not call the player and instead required the player to call them in order to arrange an activity. Each Friend/Girlfriend has their own rewards and benefits when the player has a positive relationship with them.
There are also many little, yet highly realistic details that make the environment of GTA V: Carcer City extra real. For example, there might be trash and litter on the ground. As stated in the location description the skies of Carcer City are mostly cloudy, and so the lighting the game is similar to that of the Undead Nightmare DLC for Red Dead Remption with the sun trying to poke it's way through the clouds that never seem to clear up.
There are also multiple new gameplay elements.
Taking Hostages[]
A new addition to the gameplay is the ability to take NPCs and hold them hostage. Taking a hostage, involves grabbing an NPC by pressing a certain button, and choosing a weapon to threaten them with. The player must then hold onto the same button that is used to grab the NPCs in order to keep their hold on them. Taking hostages will cause pedestrians and police officers to halt and not make any moves.
Drugs[]
Similar to the Drug Dealing minigame of Chinatown Wars, the player can sell drugs to different NPC's and gang member as well. There is no side missions and instead is used as an another to make money when not doing missions. These are Drugs that the player can sell:
Marijuana
Ecstasy
Crack
Cocaine
Acid
Crystal Meth
Heroin
OTCs/Prescription Drugs (Pain Killers, Anti-Psychotics, Anti-Depressants, etc.)
In addition to being able to deal drugs, the player can also use them. Using drugs causes certain effects which depends on the drugs the player is using, for example Marijuana will cause the screen to become blurry and will the slow the game speed down a bit while Crystal Meth will lower down the player's health while at the same time increasing the game speed.
Gambling[]
Players can now gamble. There are two types of gambling, Illegal and Legal. Legal gambling is done at Chips Casino while Illegal gambling is done in back alley gambling rooms.
Rampages[]
Rampages return from the GTA III Era games, but this time, they are much different. Rampages are given to the player via payphone (much like Assassinations), the player will receive a call from Lionel Starkweather, the infamous snuff film director who also appears in Manhunt, who is hiring "talent" for his very first snuff film entitled Killfest.
Starkweather will send the player and a camera crew to a certain location, there the player is given the task to kill groups of armed individuals while the camera crew records the player doing so. After the player completes all the Rampages, Starkweather will release Killfest and will send a VHS copy of it to the player to the player's safehouse, there the player can have the option to watch it on their safehouse's TV.
Chop Shops[]
The player can take stolen cars and being them to chop shops were they are dissembled and have their parts sold. The amount of money the player makes from selling their vehicles to a chop shop depends on what car it is and it's condition, for example, more rare and high quality cars will get the player more money well more common and low quality cars generate less money.
Bribery[]
Another returning gameplay element from the GTA III era games. When the player is given the option to surrender or to run away when being held at gun point at a 1 star wanted level they also have the option to bribe the police officer. This causes the player to lose at least one wanted star. Bribes can only be done if the player has at least one wanted star or if the player is pulled over and arrested. When the player is arrested, they are given the option to bribe the police officers to keep their weapons even after being arrested. This will only work on police officers and not SWAT team members and FIB agents.
Robberies[]
Players can now rob from places. There are at least 2 different types places that can be robbed:
Houses
There are 30 different in-game houses the player can rob. The player must sneak and quietly steal stuff from the house they are stealing from. Robbing houses creates a 1 star wanted rating.
Convenience Stores, Gas Stations and Fast Food Restaurants
Robbing these places is different from robbing houses. To rob these places, the player must walk to a cashier and point a gun at them. Then the player, while aiming a gun at the cashier, can say one of three things to the cashier, first, the player can threaten the cashier and say "Give the me the cash or I'll blow your f*cking head off" or something along the lines of that. The second thing can say is a more positive comment, something along the lines of "Please give the cash and nobody will get hurt". The third is a more neutral saying like "I need money, so give me all you got". After the player gets their cash, the player will receive a two star wanted level.
Using Stealth to Lose Wanted Level[]
The player can now use stealth to lose their wanted level. When the player has any wanted level, they can find a hiding spot from law enforcement. If they stay there for long, the player's wanted level will slowly go down. Unfortunatly, this can be a bit hard as sometimes the CCPD will bring in canine units to hunt down the player.