From Grand Theft Auto 2 onward, Rockstar Games has always included some form of collectible item in every GTA game. From Hidden Packages to Nuclear Waste, Grand Theft Auto titles always contain numerous obscurely-placed items throughout their open world for players to collect, usually resulting in a monetary or gameplay-centered reward. These rewards are important, because some of the items GTA asks players to collect are downright irritating.

Some of Grand Theft Auto's collectibles, like the 99 red balloons in GTA: Vice City Stories, are both funny and easy to spot. Others, like Grand Theft Auto 3's Hidden Packages, may be less interesting, but by collecting them players earn the ability to have free weapons spawn outside their hideout, so the trouble is worth it. However, there are some collectible items and tasks Rockstar asks players to do that, no matter what the rewards ultimately are, just don't feel worth the hassle.

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Collecting 50 tokens in Grand Theft Auto 2 may be one of the earliest iterations of GTA's item hunt fascination, but it definitely wouldn't be the last. Here are some of the worst collectibles the Grand Theft Auto franchise has come up with so far, as well as the games they appeared in.

GTA 4: Collect (Kill) 200 Pigeons

GTA 4 Pigeons

In Grand Theft Auto 4's version of Liberty City, players are tasked with collecting (well, killing) 200 pigeons which are scattered around the map. Finding all the pigeons in Grand Theft Auto 4 (as well as the seagulls which were added in later DLC) is made even harder because, unlike previous GTA collectibles in the series' HD era, they are much smaller and harder to find in the environment, especially during the daylight hours.

While it may be true that there are plenty of pigeons in New York City, people enjoying their time in its fictional equivalent will probably avoid trying to collect all 200 of them, because even though the animals have a faint red glow around their bodies they can still be incredibly difficult to spot. Collecting all 200 "Flying Rats" will net player an achievement trophy, work towards 100% completion, and allow them to access an Annihilator helicopter on top of Liberty City's meTV building. Since this helicopter can be accessed in the game fairly easily without having to search the streets and buildings for hours on end, collecting all 200 pigeons in GTA 4 just doesn't feel worth it.

GTA San Andreas: Collect 50 Horseshoes

GTA San Andreas Horseshoes

In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, players are tasked with completing all kinds of collectible item hunts. From taking pictures in San Fierro to spraying gang tags in Los Santos, San Andreas is absolutely packed with collectibles. Even the ocean is filled with Oysters for players to find! Unfortunately, the Horseshoes which make up San Andreas' Las Venturas-themed collectibles don't really have much of a point to them.

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Collecting each horseshoe in Las Venturas allegedly raises CJ's Luck stat, but Luck is used for so few things in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that it's practically non-existent. The pointless reward, maximum luck and some money, does little to incentivize players to find all of San Andreas' Horseshoes, and although searching the sea for Oysters may be more boring at least that collectible quest comes with some neat rewards like the ability to breathe underwater.

Every GTA Game From GTA3 Onward: Unique Stunt Jumps

GTA Stunt Jump

Driving in Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest draws, but being told exactly what to do isn't. Unique Stunt Jumps have always been a little wonky in the GTA series, with what does and what doesn't qualify as a successful attempt often feeling arbitrary and hard to pull off. Especially in the earlier games, which didn't allow the use of Rockstar Social Club stats and maps to track collectibles, just finding all of the areas which are designated as a "unique" stunt zone are hard enough, and having to constantly turn around and retry the jump after failing can easily grow tiresome. There are hardly ever any decent rewards for completing GTA's unique stunt jumps either, making it just another roadblock on the road to 100% completion.

What is and what isn't annoying can vary wildly from person to person, and there are likely some people out there who have fond memories of hunting down pigeons in Grand Theft Auto 4, but there are so many better collectibles in the GTA franchise players could spend their time trying to obtain, and even GTA Online is packed with things for players to find. With all of those other options available, it's hard to justify spending hours hunting down Horseshoes that may or may not increase CJ's skills at Grand Theft Auto's casino.

Next: Everything RDR2 Does Better Than GTA 5