🔫 STICKY BOMB

Overview

The Sticky Bomb is GTA 6's player-controlled explosive — a C4-style plastic explosive charge with an adhesive backing that sticks to any surface, vehicle, or object and detonates only when the player triggers it via phone or dedicated button. This remote-detonation capability fundamentally separates the Sticky Bomb from every other explosive in GTA 6: where grenades detonate on a fixed timer and rockets explode on impact, the Sticky Bomb detonates exactly when you choose — thirty seconds later, five minutes later, or the precise instant a pursuing vehicle enters the kill zone. This control transforms the Sticky Bomb from a weapon into a trap system: plant charges on a bridge before luring enemies across it, attach a bomb to a vehicle before parking it outside a target building, or place charges along an escape route and detonate them behind you to destroy pursuit. The Sticky Bomb has been GTA Online's most creative weapon since 2013, enabling player-designed ambushes, vehicle bombs, and tactical demolitions that no other weapon permits. GTA 6 expands the concept with multiple charge placement (up to 5 simultaneous active charges), improved adhesive physics, and a proximity-trigger option that converts the Sticky Bomb into an improvised mine.

Damage & Stats

Blast damage is 200 at epicenter — the highest single-charge explosive damage in the throwable category, exceeding the Hand Grenade's 150 and matching the RPG's warhead. The larger blast radius (10 meters versus the grenade's 8) means the lethal zone extends further: 200 damage at 0-3 meters (lethal to everything), 130 at 5 meters, 80 at 7 meters, and 30 at 10 meters. Vehicle destruction is guaranteed within 4 meters for standard cars, and even armored vehicles take critical damage from a direct-attach detonation. The adhesive backing allows attachment to any surface — walls, ceilings, floors, vehicles, boats, aircraft, and even NPCs (attaching a Sticky Bomb to a person is possible but requires close proximity and the target not being in combat alert). Maximum carry is 5 charges — the lowest capacity of any throwable, reflecting the weapon's power. All 5 charges can be active simultaneously and detonated independently (first planted = first detonated) or all at once. Throw range is approximately 15 meters — the shortest of any throwable due to the heavy C4 block, requiring closer approach than grenades. The adhesive activates on contact — there is no bounce or roll; the charge sticks wherever it first touches.

Tactical Analysis

The Sticky Bomb rewards preparation and punishes improvisation. The weapon's greatest strength — remote detonation — requires advance planning: you must place charges before the engagement begins, predict where enemies will be, and detonate at the precise moment that maximizes damage. A Sticky Bomb thrown during an active firefight functions as an inferior grenade — same blast but shorter throw range, no cooking mechanic, and a detonation delay while you switch to the detonator. The weapon excels in three scenarios: Vehicle traps — attach a charge to a parked car near a target location and detonate when the target approaches, creating an improvised car bomb with plausible deniability. Pursuit denial — while being chased, throw Sticky Bombs out your vehicle's window onto the road behind you and detonate when pursuing vehicles drive over them. This technique has been a core GTA Online strategy since 2013 and returns in GTA 6 with improved throwing physics from vehicles. Structural demolition — place charges on structural weak points (support columns, fuel tanks, electrical panels) to create scripted-feeling destruction events that are actually player-engineered. The proximity-trigger option (new in GTA 6) converts a placed Sticky Bomb into a motion-activated mine that detonates when any vehicle or person passes within 2 meters — enabling true set-and-forget traps.

Attachments & Mods

Sticky Bombs have no physical attachments but feature two detonation modes selectable when planting. Remote Manual (default) — detonates only when the player triggers via phone or button. Multiple charges detonate in sequence (first placed, first detonated) with 0.5-second intervals, or all simultaneously with a double-press. The detonation range is unlimited — charges placed anywhere in the game world can be triggered from any distance. Proximity Trigger — converts the charge into a motion-activated mine. Any vehicle or NPC passing within 2 meters triggers detonation after a 0.3-second delay (enough for the target to reach the epicenter). The proximity mode has a 30-minute active timer — after 30 minutes without triggering, the charge deactivates and is lost. Proximity mode is selected by holding the plant button for 2 seconds after placement (a green LED on the charge blinks to indicate proximity mode versus the red LED for manual mode). The proximity trigger does not discriminate between friend and foe — your own vehicle or character can trigger it, requiring careful placement and memory of where charges are planted.

Best Situations

The Sticky Bomb is the best throwable for: vehicle ambushes and car-bomb setups, pursuit denial during car chases (drop-and-detonate behind your vehicle), demolition of specific targets during heist prep (destroying security infrastructure, blowing open vault doors), mine-laying for defensive positions, and creative problem-solving where no standard weapon approach works. The Sticky Bomb is the weapon of GTA's most creative players — its open-ended detonation control enables tactics that the developers may not have anticipated. The weapon excels during heist finales where multiple charges planted during the infiltration phase can be detonated during the escape to destroy pursuit vehicles, collapse escape routes behind you, or create diversionary explosions that redirect law enforcement attention. The Sticky Bomb is the wrong choice for: immediate combat response (the throw range and detonation delay make it slower than grenades), anti-personnel use in open areas (grenades cover more ground), situations requiring stealth (the explosion is massive), and environments where collateral damage is unacceptable. The weapon's 5-charge limit also means each placement is a strategic investment — wasting a Sticky Bomb on a low-value target depletes a limited resource.

How to Obtain

Sticky Bombs unlock at Ammu-Nation during the mid-game after completing a heist prep mission that introduces demolition mechanics. Base price is approximately $600 per charge — the most expensive throwable in GTA 6, reflecting its power and versatility. The weapon cannot be crafted or found as random drops — it's exclusively an Ammu-Nation purchase, reinforcing its status as a professional-grade tool rather than an improvised weapon. In GTA 6 Online, Sticky Bombs unlock at rank 20 for $800 each, with the proximity trigger mode available from rank 35. The Sticky Bomb has no named variants — C4 is C4. However, the weapon's appearance changes slightly based on quantity: carrying 1-2 charges shows a single block on the character model, while 3-5 shows a bandolier of charges across the chest.

GTA Series History

The Sticky Bomb first appeared in GTA IV as the Pipe Bomb variant before being formalized in GTA V as the Sticky Bomb — one of the most iconic weapons in GTA Online history. The weapon's remote-detonation capability created an entirely new category of player-generated content: vehicle bombing, improvised demolition, and the legendary "sticky bomb car chase" technique where players throw charges behind their vehicle during pursuits. GTA Online's competitive community developed dozens of Sticky Bomb tactics that Rockstar never designed — using them as makeshift proximity mines (pre-dating GTA 6's official proximity mode), attaching them to NPCs as walking bombs, and planting them in expected player-traffic areas for ambushes. GTA 6 formalizes many of these community-discovered techniques: the proximity trigger mode legitimizes the mine tactic, the multi-charge detonation system enables chain explosions, and the improved adhesive physics allow attachment to surfaces that rejected charges in GTA V. The Sticky Bomb remains GTA's weapon of creative expression.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated April 25, 2026. For the full database, visit our Weapons Wiki Database.