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GTA V Codex · Weapon

Sticky Bombs

GTA V's iconic remote-detonated explosive — adheres to surfaces, vehicles, and players, then triggers via the player's phone. The most recognizable utility explosive in V's heist arsenal and one of the most-used Online weapons across V's lifecycle.

First seen · September 17, 2013•Confidence · confirmed•Status · skeleton

Skeleton entryQualitative description only — specific stats, locations, and customization paths are added when verifiable against community-measurement archives or Rockstar Newswire posts.

Sticky Bombs

Sticky Bombs are Grand Theft Auto V's remote-detonated explosive throwable — the player tosses or sticks the device to a target (vehicle, surface, NPC), then triggers detonation via the in-game phone. Of V's explosives, Sticky Bombs are the one with the most cinematic mission utility: they unlock the "rig the getaway car / blow the door / take down the chase vehicle" beats that recur across V's heists and most of GTA Online's mission catalog.

What's confirmed

  • Class: Throwable explosive (remote-detonated)
  • Detonation method: Player phone — the device adheres on contact, the player triggers it at will rather than on a fixed timer
  • Adhesion behavior: Sticks to surfaces, vehicles, and (in some configurations) NPCs — confirmed across V's mission catalog and Online
  • Game: Grand Theft Auto V (2013 original, 2014 PS4/Xbox One re-release, 2022 PS5/Xbox Series X|S "Expanded and Enhanced") and GTA Online
  • Acquisition path: Available at Ammu-Nation in V (price tier and unlock conditions vary by save / save-game version)
  • Mission usage pattern: Used as scripted utility in multiple V heists and side missions; also player-driven utility for vehicle ambushes and getaway-car rigging

What this entry doesn't yet include

Deferred until verifiable:

  • Exact damage radius / damage stat (community measurements vary by patch)
  • Maximum simultaneous active sticky bombs at once (V has a cap; specific number deferred)
  • Customization or paint variants (Online has cosmetic options; specific catalog deferred)
  • Specific Ammu-Nation price and unlock-progression beats
  • Specific mission appearances (Sticky Bombs appear across many V heists; specific mission-by-mission citation deferred to verifiable archive review)
  • Variants in GTA Online updates over V's lifecycle

Why it's catalog-worthy

Sticky Bombs are the V weapon most associated with the franchise's modern heist register. They're the Chekhov's-Gun setup for half of V's pre-heist preparation missions ("we need to plant explosives on the vehicle / the door / the convoy"), and they're one of the few weapons with a mechanical use pattern that's distinctive to GTA — most other explosives in modern AAA shooters are timer-based or throw-and-explode, while V's stick-then-detonate-on-cue gives the player a moment of dramatic timing the genre rarely offers.

For GTA VI's eventual weapon catalog, the question is whether the stick-and-trigger pattern returns or whether the studio iterates toward a denser weapon-utility model. Whichever way Rockstar goes, V's Sticky Bombs are the legacy benchmark.

What's connected

  • The Big Score — V's final heist; explosives play a structural role across V's heist catalog generally
  • Trevor Philips — Trevor's chaos register makes him V's most memorable Sticky Bomb operator in mission cinematics

Sources

Skeleton entry. Specific damage stats, simultaneous-bomb cap, and exact mission-by-mission appearances land when sourced.

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