Unleash Your Inner Animal: A Comprehensive Guide to Transforming into Animals in GTA 5

Grand Theft Auto V, a game renowned for its expansive open world and chaotic sandbox gameplay, holds a secret that many players might overlook: the ability to transform into animals. This isn’t a simple character skin swap; it’s a full-fledged experience that lets you roam Los Santos as a dog, a bird, or even a majestic deer. While this feature isn’t immediately apparent, it’s a fantastic way to explore the game from a fresh perspective and discover hidden areas. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the necessary steps, offering detailed instructions and tips to help you master the art of animal transformation in GTA 5.

The Peyote Plant: Your Key to Transformation

The magic behind becoming an animal in GTA 5 lies within the mystical Peyote plant. These small, unassuming cactus-like plants are scattered throughout the map, each one capable of triggering a psychedelic trip that turns your character into a random animal. The plants are often found in secluded areas, near nature, or sometimes in plain sight but easily missed if you’re not looking. When you consume a Peyote plant, your character will hallucinate and morph into a random animal, giving you control of the creature.

The key aspects of this transformation are:

• Randomness: The animal you transform into is determined randomly, though the plants are grouped by common animal types within certain areas. So you’re more likely to find birds near the coast, deer in the wilderness, and dogs in populated areas.
• Limited Time: The transformation isn’t permanent. After a set period, your character will return to human form.
• No Inventory or Weapons: As an animal, you lose access to your human inventory, weapons, and vehicles.
• Animal Abilities: Each animal has its unique movement and behaviours. Dogs can bite, birds can fly, and other animals possess their respective abilities within the game’s scope.
• Location-Specific Animals: Each region of the map usually has a particular type of animal more commonly associated with it, allowing you some degree of control over the general type of transformation you achieve, even if you can’t control the exact animal.

Finding Peyote Plants: Where to Look

Peyote plants are dispersed across the entire map, but certain locations are more reliable. Finding all the plants is part of a larger achievement within the game, but for the purpose of simply transforming, here are some areas you should prioritize:

North Chumash & Coastal Areas

The rocky areas and beach fronts near North Chumash and Paleto Bay are excellent hunting grounds for Peyote. Look for the plants nestled amongst rocks, near cliffs, and along the beach edges. These areas often spawn various types of birds, seagulls, and even small sharks if you try it near the water.

Specific spots in this area include:

• Around the base of Mount Gordo, specifically on the western and northern slopes
• Near the El Gordo Lighthouse
• Along the coast south of Paleto Bay
• On the small islands around the shore

The Sandy Shores & Desert Areas

The desert landscape of Sandy Shores and the surrounding areas is another good place to search for plants. The plants in this area might be harder to spot due to the sandy colours, so keep your eyes peeled. Expect to find animals such as coyotes, bobcats, and desert-dwelling birds here.

Specific spots in this area include:

• Near the abandoned airstrip
• Around the trailer park
• Near the Alamo Sea
• On the slopes of Mount Chiliad

Vinewood Hills & Forested Areas

The forested areas of Vinewood Hills and the surrounding mountains are great spots to find plants that transform you into larger land mammals. You can encounter deer, mountain lions, and other creatures that frequent these wilder areas.

Specific spots in this area include:

• Along the hiking trails
• Near the Observatory
• On the mountain tops near the cable car station
• Near the Vinewood Sign

Los Santos City

Even within the city, you’ll find some Peyote plants. These often lead to transformations into dogs, cats, and even pigeons. They are typically found in parks, back alleys, and near residential areas.

Specific spots in this area include:

• In parks, like Mirror Park and Vespucci Beach
• In alleyways throughout the city
• Near the canals of Vespucci
• On the roofs of some buildings (harder to reach)

Detailed Steps to Transform into an Animal

Now that you know where to find them, let’s break down the step-by-step process:

1. Locate a Peyote Plant: Use the location tips above to find Peyote plants. They are fairly small and appear as green or brownish-green plants with small pink flowers, usually in groups of 2-3.
2. Approach the Plant: Once you’ve found a plant, walk towards it. You don’t need to do anything special to interact with it, just get within close proximity.
3. Eat the Plant: When close enough, your character will automatically consume the plant. A brief cutscene will play where your character appears to be hallucinating, and their vision will begin to distort.
4. Transform into an Animal: Once the hallucination sequence is over, your character will morph into a random animal. You’ll instantly gain control of the creature.
5. Explore as the Animal: Now, you’re free to roam the world as your chosen animal. Experiment with its movement, abilities, and interact with the environment. Birds can fly, dogs can bark and bite, and so on.
6. Transformation Ends: Your animal transformation will eventually end after a few minutes. You will return to your human form at the exact spot you consumed the peyote plant. Be careful of being in dangerous areas when you revert back!

Tips for a Better Animal Transformation Experience

Transforming into an animal can be a lot of fun. Here are some tips to make the most of it:

• Experiment with Different Locations: Not all locations will give you the same animals. If you’re looking for a particular animal, try exploring different biomes, such as the mountains, forests, desert, or city.
• Be Observant: Plants can sometimes be obscured by vegetation or environmental details, so be sure to look carefully when you are in a Peyote plant area. Sometimes they’re not where you’d expect them to be.
• Explore as Different Animals: Each animal provides a different gameplay experience. Try flying as a bird, hunting as a mountain lion, or simply wandering the city as a dog. Each animal has its own unique movement and capabilities.
• Take Advantage of Animal Abilities: Birds can fly, dogs can attack, and deer can run very fast, which can be fun to experiment with. Consider this when you get transformed to make your temporary experience the most enjoyable.
• Complete the Achievement: There’s an achievement/trophy called ‘Cryptozoologist’ that requires you to find all of the peyote plants and transform into all different types of animals. Use online resources to find them all.
• Avoid Dangerous Areas: While transformed, you are still vulnerable to the environment. Reverting in the middle of a road or close to enemies can be fatal. Be cautious.
• Enjoy the Unique Experience: Transforming into an animal is a fun way to take a break from the usual GTA madness. Don’t overthink it and have fun exploring the world from a different perspective.

Animal Specific Abilities and Gameplay

Here’s a more in-depth look at what you can expect when transforming into different types of animals:

Birds

Transforming into a bird, such as a pigeon, seagull, or hawk, offers a unique perspective on the world. The major ability for all birds is, of course, flight. You can freely soar over the city, explore from above, and even dive bomb other NPCs for fun. Some birds, like hawks, may possess a greater capacity for higher altitude or faster flight.

Things to try as a bird:

• Fly over Los Santos and view familiar locations from a unique vantage point.
• Perform aerial maneuvers and dives.
• Try following other vehicles or players.

Land Mammals (Dogs, Cats, Coyotes, Deer, Mountain Lions)

Land mammals offer a more ground-level experience. Each one has slightly different abilities and movement styles. Dogs can bark, bite, and explore the city streets from a new perspective, often interacting with NPCs in interesting ways. Cats can be surprisingly agile and navigate through tight spaces. Coyotes and mountain lions offer a more primal experience, allowing you to explore the wilderness areas while even chasing other smaller animals. Deer have great speed and can cover ground quickly, perfect for traversing the wilderness.

Things to try as a land mammal:

• Bite and attack NPCs as a dog (or other attacking animal), see how they react.
• Explore the city as a cat, finding hidden alleys and routes.
• Run through the forests and hills as a deer.
• Hunt smaller animals as a coyote or mountain lion.

Aquatic Animals (Sharks, Fish)

Transforming into aquatic animals such as sharks and fish lets you explore the vast ocean and underwater areas. This is an experience quite unlike the land-based transformations. Sharks are, as expected, more aggressive and faster than the various smaller types of fish. Exploring the underwater environments is incredibly unique, especially after spending so much time above ground.

Things to try as an aquatic animal:

• Explore shipwrecks and other underwater locations.
• Chase other sea creatures (if a shark).
• Enjoy the change of pace by being beneath the waves.

A Word on the Special Edition Plants

For those who have access to the enhanced version of GTA V (usually on newer consoles), there are 27 new peyote plants which are available. These have all of the same standard effects, but often spawn in new or unique areas which are not present in the base game. These are usually associated with animals which are new to the list, such as a panther, or the seagull that can be found on the beach. If you want to experience all of the available animal forms, you will likely need to locate all of these plants to do so. These special plants are always worth finding to see which unique animals they allow you to inhabit, especially with the inclusion of some very strange types, including chickens and more domesticated animals.

Conclusion

Transforming into animals in GTA V offers a fantastic diversion from the usual gameplay, allowing you to explore the world in a new and engaging way. Whether you’re soaring through the skies as a bird, hunting through the hills as a mountain lion, or running with the pack as a dog, each animal offers a completely different experience. By following the tips and instructions outlined in this guide, you’ll be well on your way to unlocking the inner animal within GTA V. So go out there, find those Peyote plants, and explore the wild side of Los Santos! It’s a hidden feature that adds endless hours of fun to an already massive world, and shouldn’t be overlooked by anyone who plays.