Los Santos is big. Really big. You’ve probably spent hundreds of hours tearing down Great Ocean Highway or trying to land a Titan on top of Maze Bank, but there’s a whole other game hidden underneath the chaos. It’s the grind. The "where the hell is that last scrap of paper?" kind of grind. If you’re looking for a GTA 5 collectables map, you aren't just looking for icons on a screen. You’re looking for a way to actually hit that 100% completion mark without losing your mind.
Most people think they can just wing it. They can't. Rockstar Games tucked things away in places you would never look in a million years—inside sea caves, under rusted-out piers, and on the literal peaks of mountains that take five minutes to climb. It’s a massive scavenger hunt that spans the entire state of San Andreas. Honestly, it’s a bit overwhelming if you don’t have a plan.
Why the GTA 5 Collectables Map is Still a Nightmare
Let’s be real. Tracking 50 Letter Scraps, 50 Spaceship Parts, 50 Stunt Jumps, 50 Under the Bridges, and 15 Knife Flights is a lot. And that’s just the base game. If you're playing the enhanced versions on PS5 or Xbox Series X, you’ve got Peyote Plants and Monkey Mosaics to deal with too. The map is a mess of icons.
One of the biggest issues is verticality. A 2D GTA 5 collectables map tells you where the item is on a flat plane, but it doesn't tell you it’s actually fifty feet underground in a subway tunnel or perched on a tiny ledge of a skyscraper. You end up circling the same block for twenty minutes, getting more frustrated by the second.
It’s about the journey, sure, but mostly it’s about the rewards. You want that "A Mystery, Solved" trophy. You want the Space Docker. You want the satisfaction of seeing that "100%" in the stats menu. But to get there, you need to know exactly what you’re looking for and, more importantly, what you can skip. Not everything counts toward the formal 100% checklist, which is a detail that trips up a lot of players.
The Letter Scraps and the Leonora Johnson Mystery
If you’re into the darker side of Los Santos lore, the Letter Scraps are where it’s at. These are tiny, glowing pieces of paper scattered across the map. They tell the story of the murder of Leonora Johnson, a clear nod to the real-life Black Dahlia case. Finding all 50 isn't just a chore; it unlocks a specific mission called "A Starlet in Vinewood."
You’ll find these everywhere. One is at the very top of Mount Chiliad. Another is tucked inside a dumpster in Little Seoul. There’s even one at the Los Santos International Airport, right behind a sign. Pro tip: use a helicopter. Trying to do this in a car is a recipe for a headache. The Buzzard is your best friend here because it’s small enough to land in tight spots but fast enough to cross the map in a few minutes.
Once you have all 50, Franklin gets a map marker to confront the killer. It’s one of the few collectable strands that actually feels like it has a narrative payoff. Most of the other stuff just gives you a "congrats, here's a t-shirt" vibe, but this one feels like actual detective work.
Spaceship Parts and the Quest for the Omega
Omega is a weird guy. You meet him in the desert, and he’s convinced aliens are real and their ship crashed. He needs you to find 50 Spaceship Parts. This is arguably the hardest part of the GTA 5 collectables map to complete because the parts are tiny and they emit a faint rhythmic humming sound that you can barely hear over the game's ambient noise.
- Many parts are underwater. You’ll need the Scuba Gear or a Submersible.
- Some are on top of high-rise buildings in Downtown LS.
- One is hidden inside the liquor hole sign in Grand Senora Desert.
When you finally finish this, you get the Space Docker. It’s a modified dune buggy that looks like something out of a low-budget 80s sci-fi flick. It’s not the fastest car in the game, and it doesn't fly, but it has green lights and makes weird noises. It’s a badge of honor. People see you driving that and they know you’ve put in the work.
Stunt Jumps: The Most Frustrating 50 Points
Nothing ruins a day like landing a perfect jump and seeing "Stunt Jump Failed" on the screen. Why did it fail? Maybe you didn't land on all four wheels. Maybe you touched a wall. Maybe the game just felt like being difficult.
The GTA 5 collectables map for stunt jumps is scattered across the city and the countryside. Some are easy, like jumping over a highway gap. Others are terrifying, like the one at the Port of Los Santos where you have to land on a very specific roof. You need a fast bike for most of these. The Bati 801 or the Pegassi Ruffian are solid choices because you can pull back on the stick to get more air or adjust your pitch mid-flight.
Always save your game before attempting a jump. Use the quick-save feature on your phone. If you wreck your car or die, just reload. It saves so much time and money on hospital bills and Mors Mutual claims.
Under the Bridge and Knife Flights
These are for the pilots. You have to fly under 50 specific bridges and perform 15 "Knife Flights" (flying sideways between buildings). The bridges are mostly straightforward, though the ones in South Los Santos are clustered together and require some nimble flying. The Knife Flights are the real killers.
You need a stunt plane or a fighter jet. The Mallard is okay, but the P-996 Lazer is actually surprisingly good for Knife Flights because of its responsive rudders. If you’re struggling with these, try increasing your Flying skill first. It reduces the amount of turbulence the plane experiences, making it much easier to keep the nose straight.
The Stuff That Doesn't Count (But You Might Want Anyway)
Rockstar added a bunch of extras that aren't strictly necessary for the 100% trophy but are still fun to track down.
Peyote Plants
These were added in the later versions of the game. There are 27 of them. When you eat one, your character hallucinates and turns into an animal. You can be a dog, a bird, or even a shark. It’s completely useless for progress, but it’s hilarious. Finding them all unlocks Bigfoot in Director Mode, which is a pretty cool easter egg.
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Monkey Mosaics
Exclusive to returning players on certain versions, these are small pieces of street art left by a mysterious artist. You just have to take a photo of them. If you find all 50, you unlock some monkey-themed clothing and the Go Go Monkey Blista. It’s a niche collectable, but for the completionists out there, it’s a must.
Hidden Caches and Nuclear Waste
If you enjoy the underwater segments—which, let's be honest, most people don't—you can collect 30 barrels of Nuclear Waste. You need to buy the Sonar Collections Dock to start this. It pays out some cash, but it’s mostly a slow crawl across the ocean floor. The Hidden Caches are similar; they give you money, but they aren't required for the big completion goals.
Navigating the Map Without Going Crazy
If you’re staring at a GTA 5 collectables map on your phone while trying to play, you’re doing it the hard way. The best way to handle this is to break the map into quadrants. Spend one session focusing only on the city. Spend the next in the desert. If you try to jump from one side of the map to the other for a single scrap of paper, you’ll burn out in an hour.
Use a checklist. There are plenty of interactive maps online that let you mark off what you’ve found. There is nothing—and I mean nothing—more soul-crushing than having 49 out of 50 items and having no idea which one you missed. You end up having to visit all 50 locations again. Don't be that guy. Mark them off as you go.
Actionable Steps for Completion
- Start with the Letter Scraps and Spaceship Parts simultaneously. They often overlap in certain areas, so you can grab both while you’re in the neighborhood.
- Get a Buzzard. If you don't want to buy one, steal one from the government facility or the airport. It makes the vertical collectables trivial.
- Max out your characters' skills. Higher stamina means you can climb mountains faster. Higher flying skill means less wobble in the air.
- Use the Rockstar Games Social Club. It actually syncs with your save file and shows you exactly which collectables you are missing on a digital map. It’s the only "official" way to see your progress in real-time.
- Tackle the Stunt Jumps last. They are the most likely to result in your character dying or your vehicle being destroyed, so do them when you don't have other goals distracting you.
The hunt for everything in Los Santos is a marathon. It’s a way to see parts of the world the developers spent years building—details you’d never notice during a high-speed chase. Take your time, use the right tools, and keep a checklist. You'll get that 100% eventually. Just don't expect it to happen overnight.