The Molotov Cocktail, or Molotov, is a thrown weapon that has appeared in every game since Grand Theft Auto 2. It is the most basic throwable weapon throughout the series.
Description[]
The Molotov cocktail is an incendiary weapon that is used to set a small area on fire. As in real life, molotovs are home made; they are prepared by inserting a rag into a partially filled glass bottle, allowing the rag to ignite the flammable liquid within. This causes the soaked rag to become flammable itself, allowing it to be lit on fire. Because the fumes from the flammable liquid (which are actually what catches fire, not the liquid itself) are contained within the bottle, full ignition does not occur until the glass container is broken, allowing the fumes to escape. This normally happens upon impact of the Molotov against a hard surface, after being thrown.
Design[]
Grand Theft Auto 2[]
Unlike most weapons, the Molotov Cocktail in Grand Theft Auto 2 is one of the most basic weapons, as well as having a generic design of a bottle with the rag set on fire.
3D Universe[]
In the 3D Universe, the Molotov Cocktail adopts a different design throughout the games. The rendition used in Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is depicted as a generic green bottle with a beige label; the rendition in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a brown bottle with a small label on it; and the rendition in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is depicted as a greenish bottle. The Grand Theft Auto Advance rendition is not very visible, but it is seen as a blue bottle with the rag set on fire.
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
The Molotov Cocktail returns in Grand Theft Auto IV with a more detailed design, even featuring a Cherenkov Vodka label on it. It is the only fire-based weapon the player can use.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]
The Molotov Cocktail in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars can be assumed to be the same from GTA IV, except that it features a blank label.
In the DS, iOS and Android versions, the player can use the touch screen to throw Molotov Cocktails at a distance in any direction. Huang Lee can go to gas stations marked in the radar to fill up bottles of gasoline to use as Molotov Cocktails. A minigame is associated to this with the player using the touch screen to aim the gas nozzle to the bottle and shoving a cloth into the bottle. In the PSP version, however, the molotovs can be thrown with the same button used for most weapons, and the molotov making minigame uses a button combination.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
The Molotov Cocktail is again featured in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, but this time as a brown bottle with Logger Beer label on it and a much shorter rag.
Performance[]
Grand Theft Auto 2[]
Molotov Cocktails do not set fires, but work similar to Grenades, with a few differences. Molotovs explode only upon colliding with something and they cannot be overcooked. They are also incredibly effective against vehicles.
3D Universe[]
The Molotov Cocktail can set vehicles and groups of pedestrians on fire. Victims on foot will catch fire and die if close enough to the flames. Use of the Molotov will normally result in at a 1-star to 3-star wanted level. It proves to be one of the deadliest weapons for the player when used at close range. It is one of only two weapons which can destroy a Rhino, the other being a Flamethrower
In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories the Molotov is more effective and can destroy a vehicle rapidly fast after one bottle being thrown at the vehicle (providing the vehicle is in the inner circle of the blast) and merely looks like a mini atomic bomb when exploding that deals enough damage to annihilate up to 10 people and 7 vehicles at close range (the latter occurs in a chain reaction). Also, in all 3D Universe games, one or two Molotovs is capable of taking down an airborne NPC helicopter, making it suitable to fend off pursuing Police Mavericks above during a 3-star police chases on foot (except Grand Theft Auto III).
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, when thrown at something like a wall, the Molotov will set alight anyone standing behind it, making it a very effective weapon against enemies behind cover without exposing the player to enemy fire. The Molotov is a very effective and advisable weapon to use in gang warfare since it has the power to take down a large number of enemies or even an entire wave in a single throw. They are not as hard to use as Grenades, as their flames spread in all directions.
In GTA Vice City, GTA San Andreas, GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories, the protagonists gain immunity to fire after completing the Firefighter missions. This reward makes Molotovs a lot safer to use and handy at short range.
3D Universe Overview[]
| Damage | Fire Rate [?] | Range (m / ft) |
Ammo Specifications/ Capacity |
Reload Mechanism | Reload Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75 (GTA Vice City) |
100 (GTA Vice City) |
25 / 82 (GTA Vice City) |
1 (GTA Vice City) |
N/A | 1 (GTA Vice City) |
| N/A | 60 RPM (GTA Vice City)
64 RPM (GTA San Andreas) |
Cannot be determined | Single unit | N/A | N/A |
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
The Molotov Cocktail appears to be less powerful than other renditions, but is still able to take out targets efficiently. A single bottle can set an enemy on fire and causing them to fall to the ground for a limited time, although a second bottle can be enough to burn them to death (unless the player decides to take them out with another weapon while they are vulnerable). Armored targets like NOOSE/FIB agents may take a third one, as the Body Armor will suppress the fire. Its immediate action will bring the target less time to react and they are likely to be burned with a direct impact from the bottle.
Being hit by one on multiplayer is not a death sentence, because one can pause and will not take fire damage while the flames begin to extinguish. However, one can still be killed, stabbed, shot, or otherwise hurt. They can be used from cars, but it is difficult to do so as the Molotov would have to hit the target directly. A couple Molotovs will flame up a car also, while four will set it ablaze, and six will completely destroy it or render it inoperable.
GTA IV Overview[]
| Damage (per shot) |
Fire Rate [?] | Range (m / ft) |
Ammo Specifications/ Capacity |
Reload Mechanism | Reload Speed [?] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incendiary (x2) | N/A | N/A | 1 | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 1/8 (per second) | N/A | Cannot be determined | Single unit | N/A | N/A |
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]
The Molotov Cocktail is more intended for enemies on foot rather than burning vehicles, although an unarmored one may take a few bottles to destroy it.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
Again, the Molotov Cocktail proves to be efficient against unarmored NPCs on foot, as a single bottle will likely burn them to death, as the fire is somewhat less prone to extinguish. Using it against vehicles may work as well, as the vehicles will be rather sensitive if any of their parts are set on fire.
Molotovs can ignite targets up to a radius of four meters, and they create a two-meter area of fire that lasts for 20 seconds. Those who are set on fire will take 28 damage points per second, and NPCs will fall on the ground and burn for ten seconds, unable to attack or get up during that time. When used against players, the victims are set alight for only 1.83 seconds and do not flinch when on fire (except in Story Mode, where the main protagonists can fall over when ignited), requiring about seven bottles to kill a Rank 100 player.
GTA V and Online Overview[]
| Damage (per shot) [?] |
Fire Rate [?] | Range (m / ft) [?] |
Ammo Specifications/ Capacity |
Reload Mechanism | Reload Speed [?] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 (Base damage) 30 (direct) 4 (edge) |
0 | 30 / 98 | 1 (25) | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Single unit | N/A | N/A |
 |
Damage | 50% 50% | |||
| Fire Rate/Speed | 20% 20% | ||||
| Accuracy | 20% 20% | ||||
| Range | 8% 8% | ||||
| Clip Size | 10% 10% | ||||
Image Gallery[]
In-game model[]
HUD icon[]
First Person View[]
Other[]
Locations[]
Grand Theft Auto 2[]
- Appears as a Crusher reward for the following vehicles in specific districts:
- Shark in Downtown.
- Spritzer in Residential.
- Romero in Industrial.
Downtown District[]
- Avalon, Downtown District - Roof of the cathedral, accessible from a passage on the west side.
- Avalon, Downtown District - Building north of the church east of the Shiroto car shop.
- Altamount, Downtown District - Southeast of the cathedral, accessible through some metal platforms.
- Flotsam, Downtown District - North of the police warehouses in Flotsam.
- Flotsam, Downtown District - Tiny courtyard southeast of the Flotsam Police Station.
- Sunnyside, Downtown District - Stairs at the east side of the asylum main building.
- Funabashi, Downtown District - Courtyard on the east side of the zone, near the border with Altamount.
- Ukita, Downtown District - Small courtyard near a garden in the middle of Ukita.
Residential District[]
- Belmont, Residential District - Roof of the Belmont motel located some blocks west of the central police station.
- Morton, Residential District - Alley three blocks west of the church.
- Morton, Residential District - From the southern train tracks (accessible from some stairs at the east side of the free access section of the Scientist Research Center, then a long platform towards west, then dropping down to the train tracks), using a ramp to perform a stunt jump.
- Mobile RV Park, Residential District - Hut at the northwest corner of the map, near the red phone.
- Xenoton, Residential District - Alley south of Plaza de Panique.
- Used by Rednecks gang members with five negative respect bars.
Industrial District[]
- Tedium, Industrial District - Tower near Mad Island, accessible from some stairs on the west side of the road just before entering Mad Island.
- Tedium, Industrial District - Tower near Mad Island, accessible from a set of warehouses on the east side of the road just before entering Mad Island, a wooden platform on its east side to reach a second set of warehouses, then a metal platform.
- Krishna Krushers, Tabernacle, Industrial District - Area with two conveyor belts next to the Tabernacle car shop, near the yellow phones.
- Maharishi, Industrial District - Houses southwest of the Tabernacle car shop.
- Lattero, Industrial District - West section of the building with a central tower located north of the construction site.
- Escobar, Industrial District - Tower north of the construction site, accessible by performing a stunt jump on a ramp southeast of the Zaibatsu information phone, then safely dropping down to ground level.
- Sennora, Industrial District - Parking lot in Sennora located west of the Sennora parking lot.
- Bayano, Industrial District - Roof of the building east of Bayano hospital (accessible from some stairs on its east side), jump to the west.
- Used by Hare Krishna gang members with three or four negative respect bars.
Grand Theft Auto III[]
- Saint Mark's, Portland - Inside the abandoned rail tunnel (that runs underneath Saint Mark's) just southeast of 8-Ball's Bombshop in Harwood. To obtain them, simply kill the four tramps inside. A Hidden Package will be in the center of their 'circle'.
- Liberty Campus, Staunton Island - On the upper level on the north part of the Campus Courtyard next to the east set of stairs. This pickup will give you 10 molotovs.
- Pike Creek, Shoreside Vale - Available to buy in the unnumbered garage at the Pike Creek LCPD Compound after the completion of A Drop in the Ocean ($2,000).
- Spawns at every safehouse after collecting 60 Hidden Packages.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City[]
- Downtown - At the Tacopalypse restaurant across the street east of the Hyman Condo.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
Molotov Cocktail's locations map
- Vinewood - To the right of the Hobos diner in the northeast portion (directly west of the 24/7).
- Ocean Docks - To the right of a short street that connects to Los Santos International Airport, underneath a building.
- East Los Santos - In an alleyway beside the Recycling Center, north of Cluckin' Bell.
- Ganton - On a table inside the kitchen of the Johnson House after spraying all 100 tags.
- Palomino Creek - At the southwest corner of the rooftop of the red brick building at the southwest edge of town (above Drive-Thru Confessions).
- Flint Range - If CJ dates Helena Wankstein, he will gain access to her tool shed in Flint Range. A Molotov Cocktail is one of the weapons found inside the shed.
- Creek - At the shopping center, on the roof at the very southern edge.
- Come-A-Lot - At the north end of the casino, on the roof of the tan brick building at the southwest corner of the intersection one block east of The Camel's Toe pyramid.
- Redsands West - Between some bushes and palm trees beside Las Venturas Fire Station.
- Fort Carson - Next to the dumpster behind the P Hat Liquor store at the south end of town.
Grand Theft Auto Advance[]
- Available in Ammu-Nation, for $2,000.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories[]
- Red Light District, Portland - In the ruins of The Dolls House after the mission Blow Up 'Dolls'.
- Belleville Park, Staunton Island - Down the set of stairs leading to the toilet block.
- Belleville Park, Staunton Island - Behind the fire station, after beating the side mission Karmageddon.
- At the picnic area in Cochrane Dam, Shoreside Vale
- Used by the Liberty City Trade Union workers during The Offer.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories[]
- Viceport - Inside a container located inside the Civil Asset Forfeiture Impound yard. In order to get it, the player can use one of the two ramps or an aircraft.
- Ocean Beach - Near to a sitting bench by the beach on the long grassy area.
- Behind all safehouses after popping 40 Red Balloons.
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
General
- Molotov Cocktails can be purchased at the Underground Gun Shops for $500.
- They can also be purchased from Little Jacob/Terry Thorpe/Armando Torres for $350.
- Firefly Island - Can be found in the rest area near the Memory Lanes bowling alley.
- Firefly Projects - Can be found on the west side of the projects off Cokanuk Avenue.
- BOABO - Can be found in an underground dock on the water's edge off Chicory Street. This pickup is relatively difficult to obtain due to its location.
- Little Bay - Can be found on a boat launch to the right of the Dukes Bay Bridge.
- East Borough Bridge - Can be found on top of the steel superstructure before the Bohan off-ramp.
- Northwood - Can be found in a loading dock near the water's edge off Ivy Drive North.
- Westminster - Can be found on the catwalk overlooking the helipad on the water. This helipad is where Niko Bellic steals the helicopter during the mission Dust Off.
- Acter - Can be found in a grassy area next to a tree behind some houses north of Moog Street.
- Tudor - Can be found in a grassy area near some rocks on the north-western edge of Hardtack Avenue.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]
- Can be made at any Filling Station.
- Purchasable from Ammu-Nation after the mission Trail Blazer.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
Weapon pickups map including the construction site Molotov pickup in Grand Theft Auto V.
- Can be found on the back deck of the Boathouse in Sandy Shores just a block northwest of the Ammu-Nation
- Can be found under the Great Ocean Highway at the beach south of Hookies. It is 0.13mi south of from the Hookies carpark under the Great Ocean Highway. Take the dirt road to the beach and as soon as the trail ends on the map turn left.
- On the top floor of the construction site in Little Seoul. It is by the north end of the southernmost blue Jetsam container on the north building.
- At the rear of the Chumash Plaza.
- In the alley behind the Mirror Park barber shop.
- At the end of the "Zancudo Grain Growers" field right next to the bushes and the ladder of the small water tower, located in the "Mount Chiliad" area.
- At the smaller Stoner Cement Works plant on Baytree Canyon Road, under one of the little carport-like roofs on the west side of the property.
- At a small scrapyard on Greenwich Parkway, behind the Los Santos Customs LSIA branch. Is just located between two wrecks.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- Could be found in Crate Drops.
- Can be given in as part of the "Torched" biker contract from the player's MC Club House as part of the Bikers update.
- Can be dropped by a Sergeant-at-Arms for $200 for 3 units.
- Can also be found in ammo drops from Merryweather.
- Can be made available in player-created deathmatches.
- Can be found from the following locations. Note that the player can only obtain 2 units at a time, and there will be a cooldown period[vague] after obtaining them.
- Available in the Bunker Shooting Range alcove as part of the Gunrunning update.
- Available in the Kosatka's mess as part of The Cayo Perico Heist update.
- Dropped by the enemies marked with a flame icon
during Security Contract: Asset Protection, as part of The Contract update. Each enemy drops five units. - May be found in stock in the Gun Van for $200 less the player's applicable discount.
during Trivia[]
General[]
- The name Molotov Cocktail was coined by Finnish soldiers during the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. The weapon was named after Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov who claimed the Soviets were dropping bread baskets - instead of bombs - upon Finland. The Finns then claimed they were serving a drink to go with the food - and named their petrol bombs Molotov Cocktails.
3D Universe[]
- In the 3D Universe, attempting to take down a helicopter with a Molotov will make it simply catch fire and explode in mid-air, rather than spinning out of control. The helicopter explodes almost instantly upon impact and crash down afterwards.
- In the game files, the Molotov in Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories uses the same textures as the Baseball Bat.
- In Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, any victim caught within the blast of a Molotov will bleed out after they are killed with the flames.
- In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, if the player throws a Molotov or any other thrown weapon, they will get a 1-star wanted level even when they are out of sight of the police. Interestingly, throwing a molotov close to your target would cause the victim to knock down with your arm and instantly killed upon setting on fire.
- In some games, blowing up any law enforcement vehicles occupied by two or more officers inside with a Molotov will result in an instant 3-star wanted level.
- In Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, when a Molotov's flames come into contact with a glass window (like the ones found in Capital Autos or Phil Cassidy's gun store), the windows will shatter like they are hit by a vehicle or another weapon. Only happens on rare occasions.
HD Universe[]
- In Grand Theft Auto IV, Molotov Cocktails are made from bottles of Cherenkov Vodka. In Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, they are made with Logger Beer bottles.
- In Grand Theft Auto IV and its episodes, the "reloading" animation will differ depending on the player' stance after throwing a previous bottle. When being standing, the character will take a bottle and ignites the rag with a lighter, while when being crouched, they simply take the bottle with the rag already ignited, omiting said animation.
- In Grand Theft Auto IV and its episodes, it's possible to set an enemy wielding a Molotov on fire: if he's shot when ready to throw the bottle, he'll drop it and set himself and the nearby area on fire.
- In Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Molotov Cocktails limit up to 99 units.
Oversights[]
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- If the player enters Grand Theft Auto Online and then go back to Story Mode, molotovs will disappear from the weapon wheel of all three protagonists. The same thing happens with the Baseball Bat and the Golf Club.