The Parachute is an item that appears in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, The Ballad of Gay Tony, Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online. In The Ballad of Gay Tony, it is manufactured by ProLaps.
Description[]
The Parachute is designed for only one purpose in the games it appears in: to safely return the player to ground level after falling from a significant height.
Falling prior to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
In GTA games prior to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, death by falling occurs less frequently, resulting in the lack of need for parachutes. While considerable damage may occur as a result of falling in Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2, the top-down environment resulted in restricted height of buildings, lowering the possibility of such fatalities; with a full health, the player may fall roughly four times from a moderately high ramp before dying.
In most 3D Universe games including Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the player is allowed to access rooftops of multistory buildings and skyscrapers, but the player's resilience to damage by falling in both games is increased to a level where it is possible to unrealistically survive jumps off from a substantial height (i.e. a moderately tall skyscraper), although death may still be achieved by jumping off the rooftops of the tallest skyscrapers via extraordinary means (such as a third party teleporter). A lack of aircraft and ability to eject from moving vehicles or technical limitations in early GTA games are also factors for the late adoption of the parachute.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas introduced a more realistic range of damage incurred to the player when falling, where the severity of damage is amplified; jumps from moderate heights will deduct substantial amounts of the player's health, while jumps from extreme heights may result in certain death (unless the player's Health is full with the statistic at 100%, where falling from even the highest place will only result in approximately 95% of health loss). The parachute was introduced as a life-saving option, available in various high elevations throughout the State of San Andreas, including building rooftops, or after bailing out of any flying vehicles (an exception being the Andromada in the Stowaway mission) after obtaining a pilot's license by completing the Learning to Fly strand.
Utilizing the parachute is done by pressing the "fire" key, as with weapons. However, there are a few seconds of delay after leaping from an elevation before deployment is possible. Once the parachute is deployed, the player may control their descent by rotating left and right, and by pushing forward or pulling back on the main control to speed up and slow their rate of descent. Pulling back on the parachute also allows the player to land running, instead of falling prone, as occurs when not pulling back. Parachutes also introduce the concept of "freefalling" as the player is capable of entering a controlled diving position after jumping from a high altitude whenever he is wearing a parachute, rather than flailing whenever they fall from a height without one. The parachute can only be used once. After landing, the parachute is removed from the player's inventory.
While introduced in GTA San Andreas, GTA games released prior to The Ballad of Gay Tony have not resumed the adoption of the parachute and retain pre-GTA San Andreas fall damage, albeit being slightly more realistic.
The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
Parachutes are reintroduced in The Ballad of Gay Tony with a vastly improved design, flapping realistically with the wind when deployed. Parachutes are first used in the mission High Dive and then adopted for a number of missions in the game, and serves as an integral component for the game's interpretation of base jumps, which are available in single player mode as well as the multiplayer "Free Mode" (using the parachute in Team Deathmatch could allow for an entire team to paradrop into a combat zone). Base jumping in the game involves the player jumping off a number of skyscrapers in Liberty City onto moving trucks.
When parachuting, the player can use Cinematic Cameras to change the perspective and, in multiplayer modes, using a smoke trail whose color is determined by the player's ID color in the match.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
The Parachute reappears in Grand Theft Auto V. It first appeared in a screenshot released on August 22nd 2012, showing a person using a parachute near a mountain.
The player is now able to shoot single-handed weapons after the parachute has been deployed. The weapons are the same used in vehicles, being just Handguns and single-handed Submachine Guns. This has never been a feature in the GTA series, although the player was able to shoot similarly from the Jetpack in GTA San Andreas.
The player is also able to deploy the parachute while on a bike that is falling in the air. However, the bike cannot be carried with the parachute as the player will eject from the bike and let it fall once the parachute is deployed.
The player can buy different colored chutes as well as smoke trails. Smoke trails can be activated by holding 
/
/
after deploying the parachute.
Generally, when landing with the parachute, it is necessary to pull back the movement stick (or hold 
& 
/
and 
/
to land safely. Landing while pushing forward on the movement stick will cause the character to faceplant, and this may lead to injury or death, especially on surfaces where precise landing is vital (i.e. hills, skycrapers, moving vehicles and others).
Unlike previous renditions, Parachutes are rather vulnerable to gunfire, and the player may experience involuntary movement when the parachute is being hit, until it gets "ripped apart" and is automatically detached. Parachutes can also be set on fire by nearby explosions, and will eventually be destroyed as a result, sending the player falling towards the ground.
After the San Andreas Flight School Update, players are able to equip a reserve parachute. A number 2 is shown in the parachute icon to denote the second parachute, serving as a backup when the main one is lost or used.
Customizations[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Much like clothes, purchasing a parachute customization option will mark it as being owned, and allows the player to switch between any that have been bought for free.
Parachutes[]
| Options | GTA V | GTA Online | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Chute | $250 (default) | $18,500 (default) | |
| Red Chute | $500 | $19,250 | |
| Seaside Striped Chute | $1,000 | $18,750 | |
| Hornet Chute | $1,250 | $19,000 | |
| Patriot Chute | $1,500 | $12,500 | |
| Windowmaker Chute | $1,750 | $19,500 | |
| Rainbow Chute | $2,000 | $19,750 | |
| Black Chute | $2,500 | $20,000 | |
| Added in The San Andreas Flight School Update | |||
| Air Force Chute | $2,750 | $21,500 | |
| Desert Chute | $2,750 | $22,100 | |
| Shadow Chute | $2,750 | $23,900 | |
| High Altitude Chute | $2,750 | $24,800 | |
| Airborne Chute | $2,750 | $21,000 | |
| Sunrise Chute | $2,750 | $25,000 | |
| Added in The Criminal Enterprises update | |||
| Junk Energy Chute | N/A | FREE
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- * Prices are applied to main parachutes. Reserve chutes are half of these prices.
Parachute Smoke[]
| Options | GTA V | GTA Online | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Smoke Trail | Default | Default | |
| Red Smoke Trail | $14,300 | $14,300 | |
| Orange Smoke Trail | $14,475 | $14,475 | |
| Yellow Smoke Trail | $14,650 | $14,650 | |
| Blue Smoke Trail | $14,825 | $14,825 | |
| Black Smoke Trail | $15,000 | $15,000 | |
| Crew Smoke Trail | N/A | $25,000 | |
| Added in The Independence Day Special | |||
| Patriot Smoke Trail | N/A | FREE
|
|
Parachute Bags (Online only)[]
| Category | Options | Price | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Chute Bag | FREE (default) | ||
| Added in The San Andreas Flight School Update | |||
| Combat Chute Bags | Black | $9,000 | |
| Charcoal | |||
| Forest | |||
| Gray | |||
| Tan | |||
| High Flyer Chute Bag | FREE
|
||
| Country Chute Bags | Argentina | $15,000 | |
| Australia | |||
| Austria | |||
| Belgium | |||
| Brazil | |||
| Canada | |||
| China PR | |||
| Colombia | |||
| Croatia | |||
| Czech Republic | |||
| Denmark | |||
| England | |||
| Finland | |||
| France | |||
| Germany | |||
| Hungary | |||
| India | |||
| Ireland | |||
| Israel | |||
| Italy | |||
| Jamaica | |||
| Japan | |||
| Liechtenstein | |||
| Malta | |||
| Mexico | |||
| Netherlands | |||
| New Zealand | |||
| Nigeria | |||
| Norway | |||
| Pakistan | |||
| Palestine | |||
| Poland | |||
| Portugal | |||
| Puerto Rico | |||
| Russia | |||
| Scotland | |||
| Slovakia | |||
| Slovenia | |||
| South Africa | |||
| South Korea | |||
| Spain | |||
| Sweden | |||
| Switzerland | |||
| Turkey | |||
| United Kingdom | |||
| United States of America | |||
| Wales | |||
| Added in the Los Santos Tuners update | |||
| eCola Chute Bag | FREE
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| Halloween Chute Bag | FREE
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| Sprunk Chute Bag | FREE
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| Added in The Criminal Enterprises update | |||
| Junk Energy Chute Bag | FREE
|
||
Image Gallery[]
In-game model[]
HUD icon[]
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay[]
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
- High Dive
- ...Blog This!
- Caught With Your Pants Down
- This Ain't Checkers
- Dropping In
- Departure Time
- Base Jumps (side-mission)
- Triathlon (side-mission)
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- Minor Turbulence
- The Construction Assassination
- The Bureau Raid (if the roof entry approach is chosen)
Strangers and Freaks[]
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Heists[]
- Prison Break - Station (Can optionally be used by the Cargo Ship team)
- The Prison Break (Prison officer, prisoner and pilot only)
- The Humane Labs Raid (Ground team only)
The Diamond Casino Heist[]
- Casino Heist (If roof entry and/or exit is chosen)
The Cayo Perico Heist[]
- Heist Prep: Unmarked Weapons (Tail Helicopter only)
- The Cayo Perico Heist
- If Halo Jump entry is choosen; Alkonost required
- A parachute always spawns on top of the Communications Tower during the finale.
Locations[]
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
Parachute's locations map
- Atop the tallest building in Downtown.
- Atop the Big Pointy Building in the Financial district.
- Atop the western tower on the San Fierro side of Garver Bridge.
- Atop The Emerald Isle Casino.
- On top of Mount Chiliad, near the vista point, on the slope between the Camper and Journey near a stone hill.
- Atop the Tierra Robada-side tower of the Gant Bridge.
- Atop Arco del Oeste, inside one of the wooden structures.
- Atop the radio tower/control tower near The Big Ear.
The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
General
- Can be brought from Armando Torres for $100.
- Can also be spawned via cheat code, by dialing on the phone 359-555-7272 (FLY-555-PARA).
- Available to all online players in multiplayer.
- On the south end of the eastern legs of the Broker Bridge.
- At the top of the spire on Rotterdam Tower, right before the second ladder leading to the top of the aerial.
- On top of the Statue of Happiness' coffee cup.
- On the docks next to the helipad in Westminster which spawns a Buzzard after the storyline completion. A Base Jump is located here, too.
- On top of the building located at Emerald Street and Borlock Road in Fishmarket South. This building has a helipad on top.
- In Luis Fernando Lopez' apartment after the completion of 15 Base Jumps.
- On top of the dome-crowned building at the WTF Center.
- On top of the building with the glass overhangs on the roof located on Rand Avenue and Mahesh Avenue. It is on the northeast corner of the roof.
- Underneath the helipad above the Booth Tunnel on the Alderney City side.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- Mount Chiliad Cable Car - Upper boarding platform; parachute is resting against the rail between the the two docking slips. Also the location of a Leonora Johnson clue.
- Pillbox Hill - Top of crane, eastern tip.
- Available in Ammu-Nation, for $100.
- Automatically equipped when entering any aircraft (only after the mission Minor Turbulence).
- Can be spawned with the cheat code button combination:
- Xbox 360:
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- Xbox 360:
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, Trivia[]
General[]
- The back of GTA San Andreas' yellow-and-red parachute features a Rockstar North logo, while a ProLaps logo is present on The Ballad of Gay Tony rendition.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
The blue variant of the parachute in GTA San Andreas, as seen during a video demonstration at the Flying School.
- A second blue rectangular parachute backpack design exists in GTA San Andreas, although the player has no direct access to it; the parachute itself is otherwise similar. The backpack can be seen in at least two occasions in the game, one during the Flying School's video demonstration of the "Parachute Onto Target" trial, and another during "A Home in the Hills" where the backpacks are carried by the Triads to base jump into Madd Dogg's Crib.
- Like the Jetpack, the parachute is technically a weapon despite functioning as a vehicle.
- The HUD icon depicts the unused variant of the parachute, which features strings attached at the bottom.
- The parachute can sometimes be more lethal to the player than if they were without one. When the player enters the freefall mode, landing on the ground will instantly kill them, no matter what height they jumped from, so the player can die from even moderate heights that could be survived with normal health without a parachute.
- The parachute appears in CJ's right hand during replays.
The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
- If the parachute is activated when jumping off of a low structure (approximately three stories), the parachute will open and save the player from being wasted from the fall but the parachute will remain for the player to use for another time.
- It is possible to use two parachutes at once. This can be done by putting on the existing one then grabbing another. If the player lands properly, he can then wear the second one previously picked up after putting on the first. This is useful if the player ends up landing on a building with no safe way off.
- The beta version of the parachute in The Ballad of Gay Tony was all yellow, not yellow, blue, and white as it is now.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- In the screenshot above of Franklin Clinton parachuting off a mountain, the design of the parachute has the same design as the parachute in TBoGT. In the final game, it was completely redesigned to the current version.
- Although the Blue Chute is considered the default option in Ammu-Nation, those obtained by other means always have the Rainbow Chute instead.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- The Ruiner 2000 is known to carry a parachute system on it, using a unique black parachute with the SecuroServ logo on it.
Glitches[]
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
In GTA San Andreas, since the parachute is controlled by script, there could be times when the parachute will not function correctly. These glitches are rare but can happen, such as when the game is processing too many animations, or if the player is using many cheats.
- When deploying the parachute, CJ can become stuck in free fall mode. So once he hits the ground, he gets wasted instead of landing safely. Video.
- Hitting the water without deploying the parachute can rarely make CJ stuck in skydiving animation in the water. The player can escape this glitch by spawning a vehicle and entering it. Video.
- When CJ lands to the ground, the animation depicting CJ falling at great height will occur, and the parachute will 'sink' into the ground where he is standing. This is fixed in the remastered version and The Definitive Edition.
- In the original PS2 version of the game, while doing The Chiliad Challenge, the player can jump off the mountain and deploy the parachute. After a few seconds, the game will put CJ back on his bike, but the parachute will still be deployed and on CJ's back, and sticking upright, resulting in a rather humorous appearance. This glitch was fixed on the PC and mobile ports of the game. This glitch can still be seen in v1.00 (unpatched) DVD versions of the PC version.
- The parachute model in the PC version is unable to display correct animations while the player is controlling it. In the PS2 and Xbox versions, CJ holds on to the parachute's hanging control handles as he is descending, and any directional input made by the player will make CJ pull or push these handles in order to control the parachute's canopy. However, in the PC version, the parachute's directional handles never move, and stay hanging completely still, even if CJ's hands appear to be grasping and moving them.
- In GTA San Andreas, if CJ is still in the parachute opening animation and hits the ground, he will die. This will happen regardless of any health cheats that are used.
- In the original PS2 version, if the player presses and holds the R3 button to look back while CJ lands on the ground with the parachute deployed, his head may appear bent backwards at an impossible angle. This can be fixed by entering a vehicle.
- In GTA San Andreas, collision-proof vehicles are immune to melee attacks. However, the player can destroy collision-proof vehicle with fists when CJ has parachute on his back.
- There is a rare glitch in the PS2 and PC version where you will fall fast even after the parachute has been deployed, resulting in death.
- There is another glitch in the PS2 version where if you keep pressing Triangle while the parachute is deploying, CJ will be stuck in a parachute animation (will also get stuck in turning animations if you moved the stick while tapping Triangle) until he lands on the ground. If CJ lands in water, however, he will be stuck in the animation forever, requiring a save re-load.
The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
- There was a glitch which could allow the player to ascend, remaining in the air for an indefinite amount of time. The most common technique was holding down one of the controller's triggers (in console) and repeteadly pressing the opposite trigger. If the method works properly, the camera will slowly move below the character and the altimeter starts to raise, indicating the character is ascending. However, the parachute will automatically be detached after a prolonged time.
- This specific technique has been patched, but the glitch can still work using other techniques.
Grand Theft Auto V & Online[]
- In GTA V, sometimes when purchasing a parachute at Ammu-Nation, the in-game camera will appear under the ceiling, and the owner of the store will walk away and not come back, making the Protagonist not playable (even though the player cannot see him). The player can fix this glitch by reloading the game or replaying a mission.
- Since the 1.16 update for GTA Online, which allowed the player to change the livery of the parachute bag, when the parachute is ditched, after it has been deployed, the bag livery will change to that of the United States flag.
- The Parachute reduces damage taken by the player when falling into water. If the player cuts their Parachute (and their reserve Parachute if they have one) and begins free-falling, they will only take half damage when hitting the surface of the water, no matter the height fallen from, allowing them to potentially survive the fall if they do not have less than 50% health capacity.[2]