For the mission with similar name in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, see Monster (mission).
The Monster Truck (or simply Monster) is a vehicle featured in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto Advance.
Design
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the Monster is depicted as a generic two-door pickup truck that appear to be a "Stage Three" monster truck, with a tubular chassis, four-link suspension and nitrogen gas shocks. However, it also appears to have a real metal body, whereas "Stage Three" monster trucks use fiberglass replica bodies. The vehicle always has a black cover on the bed, single red tail lights and a red chassis with the tubular frames exposed.
The vehicle resembles a 1992-1997 Ford F-series, with the headlight design of a 1994-1997 Chevrolet S-10. It has painted bumpers and a rectangular grille in the front with two horizontal and two vertical elements, followed by single headlights with amber indicators beside them. It is also the only version of the Monster which can be visually damaged – at the doors. The vehicle spawns in a white/light gray primary body color with a variety of secondary colors applied to the bumpers, lower portions and wheel arches (sometimes the same color as the primary, resulting in a single body color scheme).
The vehicle uses large-profile tires with wide track and a detailed tread pattern.
Grand Theft Auto Advance
In Grand Theft Auto Advance, the Monster Truck's design is vague due to the top-down viewpoint, but it seems to take influence from Grand Theft Auto III's Bobcat (although bigger), which is based on a fifth generation Toyota Hilux. The vehicle lacks a bed cover and only spawns in a variety of single colors.
Version History Gallery
(Side view)
Performance
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The overall performance of any variant of the Monster depends on where the vehicle is driven. Overall, the Monster is more suited for off-road driving, and performance stats between all variants of the Monster are identical.
Generally, its acceleration and top speed are only average, making the vehicle unsuitable for high-speed driving. However, the vehicle compensates with good handling and off-road capabilities, being able to drive up steep terrain and traverse bumpy obstacles. In place of a handbrake turn, the Monster features a four-wheel steering "mode", where the rear tires will also turn alongside the front ones, reducing its turning radius. In addition, the Monster, much like the Dumper, is capable of running over smaller vehicles and subjecting them to a moderate rate of damage; this ability can, however, risk flipping the Monster.
Whilst the vehicle is very stable while upright, the vehicle can rest sideways or upside down if it flips from a crash or has tumbled down very rough terrain, due to its evenly heavy design. With usage on urban roads, the vehicle's larger size increases the susceptibility of the player hitting vehicles and street furniture.
The vehicle uses a petrol engine with a 5-speed gearbox and an all-wheel-drive layout, and it uses a distinctively loud engine sound, likely to denote its immense power delivered to the large wheels.
GTA San Andreas Overview
| Acceleration (0-60 mph in Seconds) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh) |
Gears | Engine | Drivetrain (FWD / RWD / AWD) |
Mass (kg / lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 68 / 110 | 5 | Petrol | AWD | 5000 / 11023 |
| N/A | N/A | 5 | N/A | AWD | Cannot be observed |
Grand Theft Auto Advance
The Monster Truck in Grand Theft Auto Advance is actually similar in performance to the Monster, which an average if not mediocre top speed. It does, however, possesses the advantage of maintaining its acceleration and speed while off-road, as well as being capable of ramming smaller vehicles out of the way.
Gallery
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Monster – The first variant of the Monster is given to Carl to drive it through Tierra Robada hills to show Toreno his capabilities.
Grand Theft Auto Advance
- Happy Hour – Jonnie asks Mike to pick up ingredients to make his "special" brew before an happy hour in his bar.
- Taking Revenge – Used by the Colombian Cartel Lieutenant.
Notable Owners
- Colombian Cartel lieutenant owns a red Monster Truck.
- Mike Toreno (possibly)
- Jonnie
Locations
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Sometimes found parked in the trailer park near the Flint Intersection, Flint County.
- Used in the mission Monster. The player can keep it after completion or failure of the mission.
- Can be purchased for $32,000 after completing the first five deliveries of the first board during Exports and Imports. Thursdays only.
Grand Theft Auto Advance
- Uncommonly spawns all around Liberty City.
Rewards
Grand Theft Auto Advance
- The scrap value of the Monster Truck at a crusher is also fairly good, at $3,266, but still lower than the game's vans (the Hoods and Rumpo).
Radio Stations
- In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the Monster Truck plays Radio X.
Trivia
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- The Monster's tires cannot be shot off like real monster trucks. They probably have air in them to provide normal tire function, but the tires are likely constructed of thick rubber, enough to be drivable without air in them.
- The First variant of the Monster is the only monster truck that the player can damage the doors, while the the second and third variants cannot.
- If the player places the monster's front wheel on a car's engine, the car might go flying up or flip over, sometimes the car might even get stuck in the ground and grow extremely large, doing this may result in the monster flipping over from the car though.
- Due to the front end being non-damageable, there is nothing modeled under the hood. Even despite the clear seams for the hood, they cannot be opened nor damaged in any way.
- Like the Dumper, the Monster has the ability to drive over cars rather than into them. They are the only two vehicles in the game capable of doing so.
- On a related note, the Monster is the third largest drivable land vehicle in the game.
- If hydraulics were to be installed on the Monster Truck, then the wheels would be stuck up in the air. And if the Monster was to drive like this at a high speed then enter the water, the truck would drive over the water.
- Along with the Rhino, the Monster is one of the few vehicles in the game that uses a steering mode, which replaces the usual handbrake.
- Although the Monster has a complete texture for its black cover on the bed, a noticeable fraction (~30%) of this goes unused, and the right side of the cover simply mirrors the left one.
See Also
- Monster Bug - Grand Theft Auto equivalent.
- Big Bug - Grand Theft Auto 2 equivalent.
- The Liberator and Marshall - Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online equivalents.
- Apocalypse, Future Shock, and Nightmare Sasquatch - Grand Theft Auto Online equivalents added in the Arena War Update.