Wanted level

Updated 29 October 2026 · Fan site. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.

The wanted level is the Grand Theft Auto meter that shows how hard the police are chasing you. Committing crimes raises it, and each step brings a tougher response, from a single officer up to the army. GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas and GTA IV use up to six stars, while GTA V uses five. You can lose it by escaping, by using a Pay 'n' Spray or by picking up a police bribe.

What is the wanted level in GTA?

The wanted level is the series' way of turning police pressure into a simple meter on screen. Wikipedia describes it as a set of stars, up to five or six depending on the game. Small offences, such as knocking down a pedestrian, may give a single star. Shooting at officers pushes it higher. The more stars you have, the more units join the chase and the more dangerous they become.

Some story missions hand the player a wanted level on purpose, and it has to be shaken off before the mission can end. If the player dies, Wikipedia notes, they wake up at a hospital and may lose money and weapons. Getting busted is costly too. In GTA III, the GTA Wiki says, an arrest fails the current mission and takes away your weapons and $1,000.

Wanted level in the 2D games

In the first Grand Theft Auto (1997), Wikipedia says crimes raise the player's notoriety with the police, and higher notoriety means a stronger response. GTA 2 (1999) showed the level as up to six police head icons. According to the GTA Wiki, the lower levels bring patrol cars and roadblocks, level four adds SWAT vans, level five brings Special Agents in armoured cars and level six replaces the police with soldiers and tanks. A respray at a Max Paynt shop, a cop bribe pickup or a finished mission clears the heads.

How many stars are there in GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas?

Six. In GTA III (2001), the GTA Wiki lists the steps as follows. One star sends an officer on foot. At two the police shoot even at an unarmed player. Three adds roadblocks and a helicopter. Four brings SWAT teams. At five the FBI takes over. Six sends soldiers with Barracks OL trucks and Rhino tanks. The cap rises as Liberty City's islands unlock, so the full six stars are only possible once Shoreside Vale opens.

San Andreas (2004) works the same way, with a cap that starts at four stars. It rises to five after the mission "Are You Going to San Fierro?" and to six after "Learning to Fly". Entering a part of the state that is still locked gives Carl Johnson an instant four stars. The game also offers more ways out. A change of clothes, a trip to a mod garage or a plane ticket out of town all clear the stars, according to the GTA Wiki.

How does the wanted level work in GTA IV?

GTA IV (2008) keeps six stars but adds a search area. Wikipedia says the area widens as the level climbs, and the police give up once the player leaves it and stays out of sight. The GTA Wiki adds detail. The zone is a flashing circle on the radar. It follows Niko Bellic while officers can see him and stays at his last known spot when they cannot. At one star it covers a couple of blocks. At six it is roughly the size of two boroughs. The army never appears. The top levels bring the FIB and NOOSE tactical teams instead.

Why does GTA V only have five stars?

GTA V (2013) cut the maximum to five stars and rebuilt how escape works. Wikipedia notes that at five stars helicopters and SWAT teams flood the area, and that players escape by staying out of the officers' line of sight. The GTA Wiki explains that there is no fixed circle any more. Each officer has a field of view, shown as a cone on the radar once the stars start flashing. Avoiding every cone until the timer runs out ends the chase. Hiding in alleys or bushes helps, and the police will not drive along railway tracks. Putting on or taking off a mask or sunglasses during a search drops the level by one star.

How do you lose a wanted level in GTA?

Methods differ by game, but a few come up again and again.

A respray is not always cheap. The GTA Wiki lists $1,000 per visit in GTA III and $100 in Vice City, San Andreas and GTA IV. In several of those games the job is free if the car is undamaged. The new colour is picked by the game, not the player. In GTA IV each visit also moves the clock forward three hours, and emergency vehicles cannot be resprayed.

More detail on the respray shops is on our Pay 'n' Spray page.