You've probably seen that weird, glowing wreckage out in the middle of the Senora Desert. Or maybe you stumbled across Omega, that paranoid hippie near Sandy Shores who starts rambling about extraterrestrials. It sounds like a joke. In a game about stealing cars and shooting up banks, hunting for 50 tiny glowing scraps of "alien technology" feels like a massive distraction. But if you actually want that 100% completion stat, or if you just want to drive the weirdest vehicle in the game, you're going to need a reliable GTA 5 map of spaceship parts.
Most people start this mission with high hopes. They find three parts near Los Santos Customs and think, "Hey, this isn't so bad." Then they hit part 20. Then part 35. Suddenly, you're squinting at a grainy screenshot on your phone while flying a Buzzard under a bridge in the middle of a thunderstorm, wondering why you're doing this. It's tedious. It's frustrating. Honestly, it’s one of the biggest grinds Rockstar ever put in the game. But there’s a logic to where these things are hidden, and if you understand the geography, you won't spend six hours doing something that should take two.
Why the GTA 5 Map of Spaceship Parts is a Total Nightmare
Rockstar didn't just scatter these things randomly. They tucked them into the most obnoxious crevices possible. We're talking about the tops of massive cranes in the Port of South Los Santos and the murky depths of the Pacific Ocean. If you aren't using a dedicated GTA 5 map of spaceship parts, you have zero chance of finding them all by accident. You could play for a decade and never see the one tucked inside a drainage pipe in the Los Santos River.
The scale of the map is the real enemy here. San Andreas is huge. When you're looking for an object that's roughly the size of a briefcase and emits a low-frequency hum, the sheer square mileage of the state becomes overwhelming. You've got to cover everything from the high-end balconies of Rockford Hills to the literal peak of Mount Chiliad.
The Verticality Problem
A lot of players forget that this isn't a 2D search. A huge chunk of these parts are hidden vertically. You'll be standing right on the blip on your GPS, looking at a flat patch of grass, and realize the part is actually 200 feet above you on a bridge pillar or 50 feet below you in a subway tunnel.
Take the part at the Los Santos International Airport. It’s not just "at the airport." It’s tucked behind a dumpster near a hangar that requires you to trigger a three-star wanted level just to get close. Or the one at the Land Act Dam. You have to swim down to the very bottom of the structure, near the intake pipes. If you don't have high lung capacity or a scuba suit, you're basically flirting with a "Wasted" screen every time you dive.
Navigating the Chaos of the City
South Los Santos is a cluster. It’s dense, it’s packed with alleys, and it’s where a lot of players lose their momentum.
👉 See also: Finding the Right Words That Start With Oc 5 Letters for Your Next Wordle Win
One of the sneakiest parts is in Rancho, sitting on top of a modern art installation that looks like a bunch of towers made of scrap metal. You can’t just climb it easily. You usually have to parachute in or carefully maneuver a helicopter. Then there’s the one under the Olympic Freeway. It’s sitting on a ledge of a bridge support. If you’re driving on the freeway, you’ll never see it. If you’re walking on the ground, it’s blocked by the concrete.
Actually, the city parts are mostly about platforming. You'll spend a lot of time looking for ladders. Pro tip: if you see a ladder on the side of a generic brick building in Textile City, climb it. There’s almost certainly a part at the top. The game rewards you for being nosy.
The Hidden Water Traps
Don't get me started on the water. There are several parts located in the ocean or interior lakes. The one near Paleto Cove is particularly annoying because it's underneath a wooden walkway, but you have to approach it from the water.
If you're using a GTA 5 map of spaceship parts, pay close attention to the icons that look like they're in the middle of the sea. You’re going to need a Dinghy or a Nagasaki Blazer Aqua if you want to keep your sanity. Better yet, finish the "Submarine Pieces" mission first so you have access to the Kraken or the Submersible. It makes the underwater search significantly less stressful than just mashing the swim button and hoping your oxygen bar doesn't run out.
Rural San Andreas: Where Things Get Weird
Once you leave the city limits, the hunt changes. It’s no longer about climbing buildings; it’s about navigating terrain.
The Grand Senora Desert is home to some of the most famous locations on the GTA 5 map of spaceship parts. There's a part sitting right in the middle of the satellite dish array. It’s iconic. But then there’s another one hidden in a literal "alien" themed backyard in Grapeseed. Rockstar was leaning hard into the UFO lore here.
✨ Don't miss: Jigsaw Would Like Play Game: Why We’re Still Obsessed With Digital Puzzles
The Zancudo River and the Canyon
The area around Raton Canyon is beautiful, but it’s a death trap for your vehicle. You’ll find a part tucked under the Great Ocean Highway bridge, and another one perched on a rock outcrop that overlooks the valley. The problem? If you slip, your car is going into the drink, and you're hiking three miles back to the nearest road.
I remember spending forty minutes trying to get a Maverick helicopter to land on a tiny ledge in the Calafia Way area. The wind was buffeting the chopper, and I kept clipping the rotors on the rock face. Eventually, I just bailed out and used the parachute. It’s that kind of mission. It forces you to use the mechanics of the game—flying, swimming, hiking—in ways the main story rarely does.
Breaking Down the Big Locations
If you're looking for a mental checklist, think of the map in zones. It’s way less intimidating if you break it down into chunks rather than looking at 50 dots at once.
- The Port and Airport: Usually 4-5 parts. Heavy security and lots of verticality.
- Downtown and Vinewood: Around 10-12 parts. Lots of rooftops and "under-the-bridge" locations.
- The Northeast Coast: This is the most boring part. It's just long drives and occasionally diving into the water near some rocks.
- The Desert: High concentration of parts, but they're spaced out. You'll need an off-road vehicle like the Sanchez or the Trophy Truck.
- The Deep North: Mount Chiliad and Paleto Bay. These are the "endgame" parts that require serious travel time.
What Happens When You Get All 50?
This is the part most people care about. Why do all this work?
Once you’ve used your GTA 5 map of spaceship parts to collect every last scrap, you have to head back to Omega. He’s still in the desert, still weird, still obsessed with "the beyond." He’ll take the parts and show you his "greatest creation."
It’s a tiny, vibrating UFO. It’s honestly kind of a letdown until he opens the garage.
🔗 Read more: Siegfried Persona 3 Reload: Why This Strength Persona Still Trivializes the Game
Inside, you get the Space Docker.
The Space Docker is a unique off-road buggy that looks like it was built in a junkyard by someone who watched Back to the Future too many times. It has green LED lights, two large fans on the back, and it makes these bizarre, otherworldly sounds when you drive it. Is it the fastest car in the game? No. Does it fly? Sadly, no. But it’s one of the rarest vehicles in the game, and it’s the ultimate status symbol for completionists.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The biggest mistake is not keeping track of which parts you've already found. Rockstar’s in-game map doesn’t mark them off. If you find 49 parts and realize you missed one, you’re basically screwed. You’ll have to revisit all 50 locations again to find the one you skipped.
- Use a Checklist: Seriously. Print one out or use a digital one. Check it off the second the "Part Collected" notification pops up.
- Night Hunting: The spaceship parts emit a soft, pulsating green glow. They are much, much easier to see at night. If you’re struggling to find a part in the middle of a forest, wait until 10:00 PM in-game.
- Listen for the Sound: The parts make a rhythmic, humming noise. If you have a good headset, you can actually "ear-ball" the location. The closer you get, the louder the hum.
- The Chop Trick: If you're playing as Franklin, you can actually use Chop to help find collectibles. It's not perfect, but he can sniff them out if you't get close enough.
The Reality of the Reward
Let’s be honest: the Space Docker is kind of a gimmick. It’s a fun toy for twenty minutes, and then it usually ends up sitting in Franklin’s garage for the rest of eternity. But the journey—the actual process of exploring every nook and cranny of the GTA 5 map of spaceship parts—is where the real value is.
You’ll see parts of the map you would never visit otherwise. You’ll find weird Easter eggs, strange NPCs, and stunning vistas that the main missions completely bypass. It’s Rockstar’s way of forcing you to appreciate the world they built.
If you're going for that 100% trophy, there's no way around it. Grab a fast helicopter—the Frogger or the Buzzard are your best bets—and start from the south. Don't rush it. Do ten parts a day. If you try to do all 50 in one sitting, you will start to hate this game.
Actionable Steps for the Hunt
- Unlock Franklin’s Mission: You must start the "Far Out" mission by meeting Omega in the desert before any parts will appear.
- Get a Helicopter: Go to the Los Santos hospital or the airport. Having a chopper is non-negotiable for about 30 of these parts.
- Start at South Los Santos: Clear the city first. It's the most dense and frustrating part. Once you're in the open desert, it's smooth sailing.
- Save Constantly: If you accidentally blow up your helicopter in the middle of nowhere, you don't want to have to trek back. Quick-save on your phone after every 5 parts.
- Check the "100% Checklist" on Social Club: Rockstar’s Social Club website can actually tell you how many you’ve collected, even if it doesn’t show you where they are. It’s a good way to verify your progress if you lose count.
The search for alien tech in San Andreas is a rite of passage. It’s long, it’s often boring, but finally driving that glowing buggy across the dunes makes the hours of squinting at bridge supports feel worth it. Or, at the very least, it finally lets you put that GTA 5 map of spaceship parts away for good.