Despite what its title and reputation may suggest, the Grand Theft Auto series isn't all violence and depravity. While most of the series' missions contain violence and crime to some degree, there are a few standout missions that serve as more "day in the life"-type excursions.
Funnily enough, these missions are often the most memorable owing to their originality (and for not containing any violence or action to speak of). Sometimes it's a blast to take a character around and perform some mundane activities without getting into a massive shootout with the police. These are the absolute best types of those missions.
Luigi's Girls
Grand Theft Auto III may seem quite tame and primitive by today's standards, but it was all the rage back in 2001. The game earned widespread acclaim for its intricate, detailed, and then-massive open world, and "Luigi's Girls" served as the perfect entry point into said world.
The mission is really quite simple - drive to Sweeney General in Portland View, pick up Misty, and drive her back to Luigi's. That's it. It's easy, but cruising through the streets of Liberty City proved incredibly exciting and unique. The future of gaming was here.
Payday For Ray
"Payday for Ray" can be very frustrating, but it proves a satisfying adventure nonetheless. This mission introduces the player to Ray Machowski, a corrupt police officer voiced by Robert Loggia. As Ray is extremely paranoid, he causes Claude to jump through some incredible hoops.
The player must race around the city and visit four different payphones in a set amount of time before being instructed to the toilets in Belleville Park. It's here that Ray finally makes himself known, and the player gives him some money.
The Party
Serving as one of the first missions in Vice City, "The Party" is a wonderful introduction to the wicked and depraved world of its titular city. Being ordered to attend a party thrown by Colonel Cortez, Tommy visits Rafael's and gets himself a fancy new suit.
He then makes his way to Cortez's yacht and meets the Colonel's stripper daughter, Mercedes. He also meets a slew of Vice City notables, including the lead singer of Love Fist, an adult film director, and a drug magnate. After that, he drives Mercedes to the local strip club.
Alloy Wheels Of Steel
Tommy gets acquainted with rock band Love Fist and helps them out by organizing a concert. One of his tasks is finding security for the gig, and he is directed to a local biker gang run by Big Mitch Baker.
He meets Baker in a local dive called The Greasy Chopper, and Mitch wants to know if Tommy can handle himself. As a test, Mitch orders Tommy to race some gang members through the streets of Vice City on an Angel bike. Race missions can be polarizing, but this one is quite fun.
Publicity Tour
"Publicity Tour" is a unique GTA mission, as it's both one of the most memorable and one of the most frustrating. While driving Love Fist to their gig, Tommy and the band make the horrifying realization that their limo has been rigged with a bomb.
The bomb will go off if the limo drops below 50 mph, and Tommy is forced to speed around Vice City as the drunken band members attempt to disarm the bomb. It's the video game version of Speed, and it is every bit as fun (and frustrating) as it sounds.
Ryder
Ryder isn't a very exciting mission by Grand Theft Auto standards, but it's a unique one that introduces players to a host of elements unique to San Andreas. In this one, Ryder takes CJ to visit a local pizza shop. Along the way, CJ decides to get a haircut from his old barber.
CJ then visits the pizza shop and orders some pizza, effectively introducing the player to the barber and eating mechanics. The mission ends with a failed robbery on Ryder's part, and CJ is forced to make the pair's getaway.
Cesar Vialpando
Yet another mechanic unique to San Andreas are the lowrider minigames. Said minigames are introduced in the mission Cesar Vialpando (named after Kendl's boyfriend). Sweet is upset at Kendl for getting with Cesar, as he is a member of a rival gang.
Feeling paranoid, Sweet orders CJ to watch over Kendl as she goes to meet Cesar. CJ modifies a Savanna and goes to Unity Station, where he takes part in a lowrider competition.
First Date
While San Andreas toyed with the concept of romantic relationships, the mechanic wouldn't be perfected until Grand Theft Auto IV. "First Date" serves as an introduction and tutorial of sorts. Niko gets a call from Michelle, and they decide to go to the local fair.
Finding the fair closed, Michelle decides to go bowling instead. The player then engages in a game of bowling with Michelle before the date concludes and Niko drives her home. The mission is simple, but it's both fun and quite adorable.
Surveying The Score
Grand Theft Auto V follows three professional thieves and "Surveying the Score" serves as the primary lead-up to their third and final robbery. In this one, the characters case the Union Depository, which is implied to be the country's primary bank.
While the mission serves as a precursor to one of the biggest crimes in the game, the mission itself does not actually contain any crime. A great, well-thought-out plan always provides a sensational sense of excitement, and "Surveying the Score" is very exciting, indeed.
Did Somebody Say Yoga?
"Did Somebody Say Yoga?" is one of the funniest missions in the GTA canon. It begins with Michael joining Fabien and Amanda in a yoga session, and the player is forced to play a quick yoga minigame. However, this is just a precursor to bigger, better things.
Michael then takes his son Jimmy to Burger Shot, and Jimmy spikes Michael's drink with drugs. Michael then suffers some severe hallucinations, which includes falling from the multicolored sky. The visuals, unpredictable adventure, and unabashed sense of fun all combine to craft one of the game's most memorable missions.