Gangstar: Vegas

Gangstar: Vegas is the fifth main game in the Gangstar open world action and driving series and this time it is set in the city of Las Vegas. The protagonist is Jason Malone, an MMA fighter. He is pressured by the mafia boss Frank Veliano to throw a fight, but knocks out his opponent too soon and has to flee. He is saved by Karon Olsen, the accountant and bodyguard of Vera Montello, the wife of the rival and late mafia boss Johnny Montello. This is the start of a series of story missions where Jason works for Vera and needs to escape Veliano and the police who are bribed by the mafia boss.

Jason can move around on foot, sprint and jump over obstacles. He can also fight with his fists or guns. Aiming is done automatically, the player only needs to tap targets to make a blue cross-hair appear over them to lock on and shoot. The game incorporates a cover system used most often to reload weapons and pop out quickly. It is possible to hijack any vehicle and drive it, using gyroscope controls or virtual buttons on the screen. It is possible to shoot while driving as well. By completing missions he earns money and skill points. Skill points permanently upgrade abilities up to three times such as the top speed, handling and acceleration of cars, motorcycles, boats and planes, different ratings for each weapon such as clip size, damage, reduced reload time, resistance to bullets, fire and explosions, and more room for armour kits and health packs. There are sometimes item drops after missions, offering a large amount of customization of the character through general appearance and clothes. These can also be bought at shops, along with weapons (melee, handguns, SMGs, shotguns, assault rifles and sniper rifles), ammo, health and armour. There are many unique items that cannot be bought right away. These are available at pawn shops, with a selection that is updated regularly. Those items can be purchased after collecting different pieces, gathered through missions, or by spending real money.

Performing criminal acts builds up a notoriety system of up to five stars, which causes an increasingly stronger police force to pursue Jason. When dead, he turns up at a hospital and loses some of his cash. Tattoos are earned by completing certain objectives. Next to the main missions, progress gradually unlocks racing events with the many vehicles in the game, including checkpoint races while flying, motorcross tracks in a stadium, boat races, street races etc. There are also survival modes to fight large waves of enemies, bank heists, fighting tournaments, carnage missions with destruction and a time limit, and various venues to visit such as gambling at casinos, stores, nightclubs and restaurants. Money can also be earned by stealing cars and selling them at a garage. Eventually it becomes possible to buy twenty pieces of property, divided over the city's five districts. These generate a steady income when owned. There are 180 items hidden in the world (clothing, weapons, vehicles) that can be discovered and sold for a high price.

The game was first released as a commercial title. It uses three types of currency that can also be bought as in-app purchases. There is the regular cash, skill points, and keys. Keys provide access to packs of rare and powerful items. Friends can be invited to help out with missions and share the rewards. AI-controlled help is available as well through E-Man, but for a price. In December 2014 the game was turned into a free-to-play title with diamonds as an additional currency (also earned in-game) to unlock game content, weapons and packages. Later updates also introduced gang battles based on recruiting members and cooperative games.