5 Worst GTA Missions Of All Time, Ranked

Surely no other gaming franchise has brought as much joy to gamers as the "Grand Theft Auto" series. Rockstar has provided generations of players with multiple open worlds in which to wreak untold chaos in whichever way they see fit, resulting in decades of unbridled fun. But that doesn't mean the "GTA" games have always made it easy on us. In fact, sometimes "GTA" games can downright miserable to play.

Some infamous "GTA" missions are practically impossible, others are just boring, and some seem specifically designed to induce apoplexy, prompting cross-town rampages just to alleviate the rage. Every fan of the series will have their own personal memories of having struggled in "GTA," but there are some missions that have managed to exasperate the collective fandom. From having to pilot the most unresponsive remote-controlled vehicles ever designed to being forced to carry out menial tasks for extended periods, the "GTA" developers have made some questionable choices which have resulted in some of the most infuriating moments in "GTA" history.

With "GTA 6" set to debut soon, there's no better time to look back on the worst missions in the franchise. Let's hope Rockstar has done the same, if only to spare us from yet more misery when the new game finally drops.

No. Nobody said "yoga." One of the worst decisions Rockstar made for "GTA V" was requiring players to partake in a yoga session at Michael De Santa's home that mostly consists of pressing buttons to maneuver the character into the downward dog position. It's hardly the most difficult mission in "GTA" history, but it earns a spot on this list for being one of the dullest.

It's hard to imagine the thought process that went into bringing this mission to reality. "GTA" players love the series for providing a sandbox in which they can unleash all manner of hell. Who decided to make those same players sit through a Quicktime event that requires them to rotate the thumbsticks to realign their chakras? It's baffling, really. It would be acceptable if there was some classic "GTA" satire sprinkled in, but "Did Somebody Say Yoga?" doesn't feel like much more than a parody of the "rich guy's wife is sleeping with her tennis instructor" trope. Er, cool?

This isn't the only example of "GTA V" requiring players to carry out some mundane task as a mission. "Scouting the Port," in which Trevor performs manual labor at the docks, is another egregious example. But "Did Somebody Say Yoga?" feels particularly tedious, especially since it doesn't give us a chance to take revenge on that insufferable yoga instructor.

This might prove controversial. "Bomb Da Base: Act II" has been hailed as a major turning point for the "GTA" saga — a watershed moment for the franchise that hinted at all the incredible things to come. It wasn't half difficult, though.

Every "Grand Theft Auto" game has had tough missions, but there's something about having to compensate for the dodgy AI of a digital co-conspirator that's particularly frustrating. Enter: 8-Ball. The firearms fanatic and explosives expert, voiced by the late, great Keith "Guru" Elam of Gang Starr, was your criminal cohort for "Bomb Da Base: Act II," and dear Lord, was that character a dim bulb. This bone-headed bomb enthusiast makes you pay $100,000 for the privilege of accompanying him to a freighter docked in the Liberty City harbor and covering him as he plants an explosive device on board. Turns out the ship in question is owned by the Colombian cartel, who use it to manufacture the drug Spank, and it's your job to provide sniper cover as 8-Ball sneaks aboard. When I say "sneak," I mean run directly into the line of fire just as you're lining up your marks.

Just take a brief glance at Reddit and you'll find no shortage of users decrying 8-Ball's proclivity for "MOV[ING] WHEN I'M TRYING TO F****** SAVE HIM!" So infamous for this dim-witted approach was 8-Ball that players devised a now well-known fix that involves running over your accomplice and pinning him under the car just so you can take out the Colombians without him scuppering the entire mission. Throw in some dodgy sniper rifle controls and you've got one of the most frustrating missions Rockstar has yet thrust upon us.

You knew it was coming, and here it is. Over the years, Rockstar has given us some of the greatest moments in gaming history, but many gamers will never forgive the developer for seemingly forging the "GTA" RC missions in the depths of hell. (Rockstar North was based in Edinburgh at the time, so not far off.)

How dare Rockstar appropriate the title of a severely underrated Wesley Snipes/Sylvester Stallone '90s actioner for one of the most needlessly frustrating missions in "GTA" history? "Demolition Man" tasks you with piloting a remote-controlled helicopter through a construction site and planting four bombs. Sounds reasonable — until that RC bird takes to the skies and flies as if it was programmed by a team of drunk developers.

Making matters worse are the construction workers who don't take too kindly to the chopper's intrusion and do all they can to bring it down. That would be fine if there were some sort of checkpoint, but nope! Rockstar didn't see such a thing as necessary, thereby creating the kind of "GTA" mission I'd imagine they use to torture prisoners of war. No wonder this thing has gone down in infamy since its 2002 debut. We replayed "GTA: Vice City" 24 years after its release, and it was completely different ... except for this mission. This mission still blows.

Once "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" became a hit, Rockstar developers apparently sat down and asked themselves how they could induce even more neuroses in gamers than they did with "Demolition Man." Well, they managed to outdo themselves with "Supply Lines," which asks the question, "What if gaming sucked?"

This mission sees Zero (voiced by David Cross) task protagonist Carl Johnson (CJ) with taking out several couriers traveling across San Fierro. But it turns out Zero is nothing more than a minion of the devil himself — which we should have known given he has one of the most annoying voices in video game history.

First of all, Zero supplies you with an RC plane that loses fuel even when idling. Not a problem, we like a challenge. Unfortunately that same plane, the Red Baron, handles even worse than the RC chopper from "GTA: Vice City," jittering its way through the skies of San Fierro en route to carry out precise hits on multiple moving vehicles. Those vehicles also carry armed thugs who are more than capable of taking you out of the sky. So, if the timer doesn't run out and you somehow manage to conserve enough fuel, you can still easily fail the mission.

Even Cross himself had to admit "Supply Lines" is impossible. During his 2016 "Hot Ones" interview, the comedian recalled trying to play his own mission. "I couldn't do it," he said. "The RC car thing, or the plane. It's ridiculous." As such, "Supply Lines" remains the one "GTA" mission we still hate above (almost) all others. All others, except...

"Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" changed gaming forever, representing the pinnacle of the "GTA" series' 3D era and solidifying "GTA" as the biggest brand in gaming. It also featured the single worst mission in "GTA" history.

"Wrong Side of the Tracks" saw Carl Johnson (CJ) and Melvin "Big Smoke" Harris intervene in a deal between the rival Vagos and San Fierro Rifa gangs. When the duo show up, however, the Vagos attempt to flee via train. After CJ commandeers a nearby Sanchez dirt bike, he and Big Smoke give chase, and this is when things get downright infuriating.

Players simply have to keep up with the train while Big Smoke tries to shoot down the four gang members. If Smoke doesn't kill them before the train reaches the Frederick Bridge, the mission is over. Unfortunately, Smoke is essentially the reincarnation of 8-Ball from "Bomb Da Base: Act II," which is to say he is a complete and utter dimwit. Not only does he have the aim of a geriatric taking an afternoon nap, he constantly chides you for not getting close enough and boasts about how he's going to "ice these fools" while wildly firing into the ether.

Granted, the RC missions might be even more frustrating than "Wrong Side of the Tracks." But those missions didn't become a meme in their own right. Big Smoke and his condescending line, "All we had to do was follow the damn train, CJ!" have been forever immortalized in countless memes ever since the debut of "San Andreas," making "Wrong Side of the Tracks" an enduring symbol of intolerable "GTA" missions and earning it the number one spot on our list.