Dolphins

Dolphins are marine mammals modeled on the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) that have appeared as background wildlife in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online, and they are set to return once more in Grand Theft Auto VI. Historically they populate large bodies of water alongside other marine species such as sharks and sea turtles, functioning mostly as non-interactive scenery that took no damage from gunfire in the earlier 3D Universe titles. The enhanced version of GTA V and GTA Online later allowed players to briefly take control of a dolphin, a rare instance of direct interaction with the species.

A pod is visible in the opening moments of Grand Theft Auto VI’s first trailer. This is the only GTA VI-specific appearance described: no location, interaction, behaviour, or individual animal details are identified beyond the group being shown.

In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, dolphins occupied major waterways with sharks, turtles, and jellyfish. They served as environmental models rather than active wildlife. Players had no normal means of interacting with them, and gunfire did not harm them.

Vice City had an exception involving explosives: a grenade could kill a dolphin, as it could the other sea creatures present. The model had no swimming animation, so it remained motionless even while represented as moving through the water.

The enhanced edition of Grand Theft Auto V changed their role from entirely decorative wildlife. They remained non-hostile swimmers, unlike sharks, and did not attack people in the water. They could move toward a player using Scuba gear or operating a submersible.

GTA V also made the animal playable through a Peyote Plant transformation. Peyote Plants were subsequently introduced to Grand Theft Auto Online during the continued Diamond Casino & Resort update, allowing the same dolphin form there.