A data-driven model that estimates how vehicle spawns, population density and mission placement shape driving difficulty across GTA V’s map, by day and by night.
Get the excel sheet here:
Microsoft Excel, GTA 5 Data
What I Built
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Designed a spawn-weight model with priority-area boosts and normalization to estimate the vehicle mix in six map regions.
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Assigned each vehicle class a maneuver-difficulty score and combined it with the regional mix into a per-area Difficulty Index.
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Layered in mission distribution (58 Strangers & Freaks missions), population density and day/night factors to produce a Challenge Index for each area and time of day.
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Built a sensitivity test that shows how much the day-vs-night result depends on the assumed night-time population drop, including a break-even point.
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Centralized every input on one Assumptions sheet, so designers can change values and see all downstream results update.
Key Findings
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Base spawn weights dominated regional boosts. Sedans/SUVs stayed the majority in every area (47–75%), which showed that a 2.25× priority boost isn’t enough to reshape traffic.
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Vehicle mix barely separates the areas, since difficulty only ranges from 1.18 to 1.37. Mission placement drives the difficulty instead: the Country region carries the most weight because it hosts 41% of missions.
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Night scores about 15% easier overall. The night vehicle mix is harder, but the lower population more than offsets it.
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That result breaks if night population stays above about 96% of daytime levels. This showed that the conclusion depends heavily on one assumption.
Skills Demonstrated
Design takeaway
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Systems modeling and weighted-index design
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Balancing analysis and sensitivity testing
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Turning player intuition (“night play feels easier”) into testable, tunable numbers
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Data visualization and clear communication of design findings
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The model suggests that GTA V places most side missions in easier-to-drive areas, so traffic supports the missions instead of overwhelming them. That’s the same kind of tuning decision I’d make when balancing spawn tables or economy systems.
