There are two correct answers to this question, and mixing them up is why so many lists disagree. Read in release order, the series runs from the top-down original in 1997 to Grand Theft Auto V in 2013. Read in story chronology, it jumps around decades and splits across three separate fictional universes.
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All the Grand Theft Auto games in order of release
Here is the full main-line list, including handheld entries and expansions: Grand Theft Auto (1997), GTA: London 1969 (1999), GTA: London 1961 (1999), Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999), Grand Theft Auto III (2001), GTA: Vice City (2002), GTA Advance (2004), GTA: San Andreas (2004), GTA: Liberty City Stories (2005), GTA: Vice City Stories (2006), Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), GTA IV: The Lost and Damned (2009), GTA: Chinatown Wars (2009), GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009), and Grand Theft Auto V with GTA Online (2013). Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition arrived in 2021 as a remaster bundle of III, Vice City and San Andreas. Grand Theft Auto VI has been announced and is currently scheduled for late 2026, though Rockstar has adjusted that date more than once.
The essential Grand Theft Auto games ranked for newcomers
| Game | Platform | Genre | Why It’s Great | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto V | PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC | Open-world action | Three switchable protagonists and Rockstar’s most polished sandbox | 9.7/10 |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | PS2, PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile | Open-world action | Three cities, RPG stats, and enormous scope for 2004 | 9.5/10 |
| Grand Theft Auto IV | PS3, Xbox 360, PC | Open-world action | The series’ best driving physics and darkest story | 9.5/10 |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | PS2, PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile | Open-world action | A 1980s Miami pastiche with an unbeatable soundtrack | 9.5/10 |
| Grand Theft Auto III | PS2, PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile | Open-world action | The game that defined the modern 3D open world | 9.5/10 |
| GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony | PS3, Xbox 360, PC | Open-world action | The most fun expansion Rockstar has ever shipped | 9.0/10 |
| GTA: Chinatown Wars | Nintendo DS, PSP, mobile | Top-down action | A brilliant return to the overhead view on handhelds | 9.0/10 |
| GTA: Vice City Stories | PSP, PS2 | Open-world action | Adds empire-building to the Vice City formula | 8.5/10 |
The three universes that explain the order
Rockstar has publicly described the series as occupying separate continuities. The 2D universe covers the original GTA, both London expansions, GTA 2 and GTA Advance. The 3D universe covers GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, Liberty City Stories, Vice City Stories and Chinatown Wars — these share characters, radio hosts and a consistent version of Liberty City. The HD universe begins with GTA IV and includes both expansions and GTA V. Locations recur across universes but are rebuilt from scratch, which is why the Liberty City of GTA III and the Liberty City of GTA IV are geographically unrelated. This is the single most useful thing to understand when reading any GTA order list.
All the Grand Theft Auto games in order of internal chronology
Within the 3D universe, the story order is Vice City Stories (1984), Vice City (1986), San Andreas (1992), Liberty City Stories (1998), GTA III (2001) and Chinatown Wars (2009). Within the HD universe it is GTA IV, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony — all set in 2008 and deliberately overlapping, with the three narratives intersecting at specific moments — followed by GTA V in 2013. The 2D universe places the London expansions in 1961 and 1969, the original game in 1997, and GTA 2 in an unspecified near future. Playing chronologically within the 3D universe is genuinely rewarding, because San Andreas characters reappear in GTA III in ways that only land if you know the earlier story.
Where a newcomer should actually start
GTA V is the obvious entry point: it is on modern hardware, it controls like a contemporary game, and it needs no prior knowledge. From there, GTA IV is the best follow-up if you want story, and San Andreas if you want scope and systems. The original top-down games are historically fascinating but genuinely hard to enjoy cold. The Definitive Edition trilogy is the most convenient way to reach III, Vice City and San Andreas on current consoles and Switch, with modern controls and checkpointing, though its art direction remains divisive among long-time fans. Whichever entry point you choose, load times across these large maps benefit enormously from solid-state storage — the SSD buying guide for gaming covers the difference plainly.
The handheld and expansion entries people skip
Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories began as PSP exclusives and are far better than their handheld origins suggest; both were later ported to PS2 and mobile. Chinatown Wars on Nintendo DS is arguably the most inventive game in the series, returning to a top-down camera with cel-shaded visuals and touchscreen minigames. GTA Advance on Game Boy Advance is the weakest entry and the only one safe to skip entirely. The two GTA IV expansions, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, are essential — the latter is the funniest and most mechanically generous thing Rockstar has made. Playing older ports on modern displays raises real scaling questions, which the gaming monitor buying guide addresses, and handheld-era games play best on a modern pad rather than emulated touch controls, as the gaming controller buying guide explains.
What comes next in the series
Grand Theft Auto VI was formally announced in December 2023, with trailers confirming a return to Vice City and the state of Leonida, and a dual-protagonist structure featuring Lucia and Jason. Rockstar has shifted the launch window more than once, and the current target is late 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with a PC release expected later as has been Rockstar’s pattern for every recent title. Meanwhile GTA Online continues to receive updates on current-generation hardware, and GTA V itself has now been released across three console generations — an unusual longevity record. Anyone planning to play GTA VI on PC eventually should read the graphics card buying guide and the gaming PC build guide, and Online players will want the gaming router buying guide for lobby stability.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Grand Theft Auto games are there in total?
Counting main entries, handheld exclusives and the two GTA IV expansions, there are fifteen releases from 1997 to 2013, plus the 2021 Definitive Edition remaster bundle and GTA Online. Grand Theft Auto VI will be the sixteenth distinct game when it launches.
Should I play all the Grand Theft Auto games in order?
Not strictly. Every game tells a self-contained story, so no prior knowledge is required. However, playing the 3D universe chronologically — Vice City Stories, Vice City, San Andreas, Liberty City Stories, GTA III — rewards you with recurring characters and callbacks that are otherwise invisible.
Are the GTA games connected to each other?
Only within their own universe. Rockstar treats the 2D, 3D and HD universes as separate continuities, rebuilding shared locations like Liberty City and Vice City from scratch each time. Characters cross between games inside a universe but never between universes.
Which Grand Theft Auto game is the best starting point?
Grand Theft Auto V, because it runs on current hardware, has modern controls, and requires no series knowledge. If you prefer a tighter narrative afterwards, GTA IV is the strongest story in the series, while San Andreas offers the widest range of systems and locations.
