Wanted levels are an integral part of the Grand Theft Auto series, but GTA 5's wanted levels are a sad shadow of the mayhem that used to be possible. The most recent entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise (now over seven years old) clearly did a bunch of things right when it originally brought Rockstar's brand of open word crime games to last-gen consoles, and it has since proven to be so successful that a release on next-gen platforms like the PS5 and Xbox Series X has already been announced for early 2021.
However, depite doing many things right with the franchise, GTA 5 missed the mark when it comes to the game's wanted levels. The new police AI is smarter, more enjoyable to battle, and easier to avoid, especially in fast vehicles, then previous entries in the series, but players familiar with Grand Theft Auto-style emergent gameplay rampages from past titles may likely find that the combat never quite ramps all the way up. At least, it doesn't get as high as it used to.
Traditionally, Grand Theft Auto wanted levels went up to six stars, each accompanied with an increasing amount of vehicles and tactics being employed by law enforcement officers. Things didn't start to get too serious (usually) until three stars, which is when the police in GTA games would start bringing out their helicopters. At five stars the FBI (not yet renamed to FIB) would begin chasing the player, and at six stars the military got involved.
GTA 6 Needs A 6-Star Wanted Level
Wanted levels in GTA 5 aren't the first time the franchise has neglected to include the military. Grand Theft Auto 4, although it retained the six-star system from previous games, did not feature police with military assistance. Instead, FIB and NOOSE (National Office of Security Enforcement) vehicles are the main source of agitation for players who reach a six star level. However, when GTA 5 released, its wanted levels took things even further back.
Having five stars as a max instead of six means that all of the other Wanted levels must have their available windows widened. However, helicopters in GTA 5 still wait until the third star is reached to spawn, and NOOSE agents can begin showing up then as well. Unfortunately, as things ramp up, only more NOOSE agents and the FIB will come after the player. Even at GTA 5's max Wanted level of five stars, the military is never called into action. If the player's antics lead them to Fort Zancudo they very well could find themselves engaging with military forces, but GTA 5 rampages that take place far away from the base will never see military resistance.
This is something that could be seen as extremely disappointing to long-time fans of the series. Even surviving long enough to get to a six-star Wanted level in games like Grand Theft Auto 3 or Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was an impressive feat, and the additional ramp-up in challenge made the experience both satisfying and incredibly dangerous. Tanks in the Grand Theft Auto series have a habit of blowing up cars immediately upon contact with them, and having to flee from angry military personnel driving one of these machines (or, purposefully attracting them in order to steal one) was some of the most fun emergent gameplay these entries had.
It's unlikely that Grand Theft Auto 5 will make any changes to its Wanted level system when it makes the jump to next-gen consoles, but Rockstar should seriously consider bringing back six-star Wanted levels for Grand Theft Auto 6. Being able to fight off the military in the middle of the city streets, in a chaos of your own design, is one of the best parts about GTA, and many Grand Theft Auto 5 players likely spent a lot of fruitless energy trying to reach that elusive sixth star the first time they played.