GTA 5 Military Base: Fort Zancudo Location and Entry
GTA 5’s military base is Fort Zancudo, a joint Army, Marine Corps and Air Force installation on the west coast of Blaine County, and it is the only military base on the map. Get spotted inside the fence in story mode and you pick up a four-star wanted level. In exchange, it is the one place where P-996 Lazer jets and Rhino tanks sit waiting to be taken. Open Fort Zancudo on our 3D map of GTA 5 to see where it sits.
Where Fort Zancudo is
The base fills the flat ground between the Lago Zancudo swamps and the foot of Mount Josiah, in the west of Blaine County. The Zancudo River runs along its southern edge, and the Great Ocean Highway, the coast road out of Los Santos, passes underneath the main runway through a tunnel. In the game’s own coordinates the base is centred around x -2047, y 3132.
From the city, the quickest route is north along the Great Ocean Highway past Chumash. From Sandy Shores or Harmony, follow Route 68 west across Blaine County until you reach the swamps. GTA Wiki traces the real-world inspiration to Naval Base Ventura County and Mugu Lagoon, on the California coast above Malibu, which matches Chumash, the game’s Malibu, sitting just to the south.
What is inside the fence
Fort Zancudo has a main runway and a shorter one at the ocean end, three large hangars and several smaller ones, an air traffic control tower, rows of barracks, a fire station and a munitions depot. The ground is patrolled by Rhino tanks, Barracks trucks and Crusader jeeps. P-996 Lazer jets guard the airspace, and Cargobob, Buzzard and Titan aircraft round out the fleet.
The wanted level rules
The base reacts differently depending on how you approach it.
| What you do | What happens in story mode |
|---|---|
| Fly over, get warned by air traffic control, then leave | Two-star wanted level |
| Keep flying over the base after the warnings | Four stars, and Lazers engage with missiles and cannon |
| Hang around a checkpoint gate | The guard warns you twice, then opens fire |
| Get onto the ground inside and get spotted | Four stars, the alarm sounds and the whole base mobilises |
| Fly very low or very high | The warnings are sometimes skipped, but anyone on the ground who sees you still counts |
Turning up in a military vehicle does not help: the soldiers treat a Rhino driven by you as stolen property and open fire anyway.
How to get in
Through a checkpoint. The fastest option, and the loudest. You will have four stars within seconds.
Over the fence. The dirt road coming down Mount Josiah on the north side is gentler than the rest of the slope and works as a natural ramp over the fence. With enough speed you usually land near the bleachers of the training ground. Too little speed and you end up in the trench or on the road outside.
By air. Parachuting in or landing low is possible, but expect Lazers once you are spotted.
Once inside, head for the runway area immediately. Rhinos driven by soldiers use their main gun, and GTA Wiki notes they are more accurate in free roam than in missions.
Stealing a Lazer or a Rhino
Lazers are parked in the large hangar, in two smaller hangars and in the open next to the runway, and some taxi or fly around the base. Get into one, take off along the runway and leave the airspace as fast as you can.
A Rhino is harder to keep. You can hijack one from a patrol, but the only garage big enough to store it is an aircraft hangar, and driving a tank out of an alerted base is slow work. Story mode offers an easier route: Warstock Cache & Carry sells the Rhino in single player for $3,000,000 and delivers it to the character’s aircraft hangar.
In GTA Online, Warstock sells the P-996 Lazer for $6,500,000 and the Rhino Tank for $1,500,000. A Lazer stolen from the base cannot be stored in your own hangar, so buy one if you want to keep it.
Fort Zancudo in the story
The base is mostly a hazard in GTA 5’s story, but several missions go through it.
- Cargobob: if you pick the offshore approach for The Merryweather Heist, Trevor has to steal a Cargobob from Fort Zancudo. The full list of approaches is in our GTA 5 heists guide.
- Minor Turbulence: after Trevor hijacks a Merryweather cargo plane, two Lazers from the base order him to land at Fort Zancudo, then shoot the plane down. Trevor bails out and the plane ends up in the Alamo Sea.
- The Paleto Score: soldiers, Cargobobs and tanks are sent from the base to stop the crew robbing the Blaine County Savings Bank.
- Rampage: Military: one of Trevor’s rampages starts outside the base’s southern approach, after two soldiers mock him for being Canadian.
In GTA Online: buy your way in
The Smuggler’s Run update of August 29, 2017 put three hangars inside Fort Zancudo up for sale on Maze Bank Foreclosures. Owning any of them gives you low-level clearance: the gates open and air traffic control waves you through instead of scrambling jets. Members of your Organization or Motorcycle Club get the same clearance when their CEO or President owns a Zancudo hangar.
| Hangar | Price |
|---|---|
| Fort Zancudo Hangar 3497 | $2,085,000 |
| Fort Zancudo Hangar 3499 | $2,650,000 |
| Fort Zancudo Hangar A2 | $3,250,000 |
Without a hangar, you get four stars in GTA Online too, even if you drive in through a checkpoint.
The UFO over the base
Reach 100% completion in story mode and a UFO appears above Fort Zancudo, alongside the ones over Mount Chiliad and Sandy Shores. It is one of the rewards covered in our GTA 5 100% checklist, and you can find it on the 3D map. For the rest of Blaine County and Los Santos, start with our GTA 5 map guide.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the military base in GTA 5?
The military base is Fort Zancudo, on the west coast of Blaine County. It sits between the Lago Zancudo swamps and the foot of Mount Josiah, and the Great Ocean Highway runs through a tunnel under its runway.
How do you get into Fort Zancudo without a wanted level?
In story mode you cannot count on it: being spotted inside the fence gives you four stars. In GTA Online, buying one of the three Fort Zancudo hangars gives you low-level clearance, so you can drive or fly in without a wanted level.
Can you get a jet in GTA 5 story mode?
Yes. P-996 Lazer fighter jets are parked in and around the hangars at Fort Zancudo, and you can steal one if you reach it before the base's defences stop you.
What wanted level do you get at Fort Zancudo?
Four stars if you are spotted inside the base, or if you keep flying over it after air traffic control warns you. Leaving the airspace after the warning, or firing without hitting anyone, gets you two stars.