Grand Theft Auto has been running since 1997, and Rockstar has never made the ordering easy: the titles jump between numbered entries, city names and handheld spin-offs across three separate continuities. With Grand Theft Auto VI on the way, plenty of players want to catch up first. Here is every GTA game in release order, the in-universe chronology, and where a newcomer should actually begin.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Gta Games in Order of Release
The release sequence runs: Grand Theft Auto (1997), GTA: London 1969 (1999), Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999), Grand Theft Auto III (2001), Vice City (2002), San Andreas (2004), GTA Advance (2004), Liberty City Stories (2005), Vice City Stories (2006), Grand Theft Auto IV (2008) with its episodes The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009), Chinatown Wars (2009), Grand Theft Auto V (2013) alongside GTA Online, and the remastered Definitive Edition trilogy (2021). Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled for release in November 2026.
| Game | Platform | Genre | Why It’s Great | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto III | PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC | Open-world action | The 3D leap that created the modern open-world template | 9.2/10 |
| GTA: Vice City | PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC | Open-world action | Unmatched 1980s atmosphere and one of gaming’s best soundtracks | 9.5/10 |
| GTA: San Andreas | PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC | Open-world action | Three cities, RPG stats and the most content of the 3D era | 9.6/10 |
| Liberty City Stories | PSP, PlayStation 2 | Open-world action | A full-fat GTA squeezed onto a handheld without gutting the formula | 8.4/10 |
| GTA: Chinatown Wars | Nintendo DS, PSP | Top-down action | Cel-shaded top-down design that is far smarter than it looks | 9.0/10 |
| Grand Theft Auto IV | PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 | Open-world action | Best-in-series physics, driving weight and a genuinely serious story | 9.3/10 |
| The Ballad of Gay Tony | PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 | Open-world action | The most purely fun expansion Rockstar has ever released | 9.1/10 |
| Grand Theft Auto V | PC, PlayStation, Xbox | Open-world action | Three playable protagonists and heists that reshaped mission design | 9.7/10 |
The 2D Universe (1997-1999)
The original Grand Theft Auto was a top-down game with a fixed camera, built by DMA Design in Scotland. It featured three cities, Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas, all rendered as flat sprite maps. Two expansions, London 1969 and the smaller London 1961, moved the action to Britain with left-hand drive traffic. Grand Theft Auto 2 followed in 1999 with a near-future setting and rival gangs that could be played off against each other. These entries are curiosities today, though Rockstar has periodically given them away free.
The 3D Universe (2001-2006)
Grand Theft Auto III changed the industry. Moving to full 3D on the PlayStation 2, it gave players a fully explorable city with radio stations, pedestrians and freeform chaos. Vice City followed in 2002 with a Miami-inspired 1986 setting and Ray Liotta voicing Tommy Vercetti. San Andreas in 2004 was enormously more ambitious, spanning three cities and adding stamina, muscle and respect systems. The PSP titles Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories filled in the backstory of those maps, and the largely forgotten Game Boy Advance entry GTA Advance rounded out the era. Modded PC versions of these games can be surprisingly demanding, so a budget graphics card buying guide is worth consulting before installing large texture packs.
The HD Universe (2008-Present)
Grand Theft Auto IV rebooted the continuity in 2008 with Niko Bellic, a more grounded tone and the Euphoria physics engine that still makes its ragdolls feel better than anything since. Its two episodic expansions, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, are effectively full games. Chinatown Wars returned to a top-down perspective on Nintendo DS in 2009 while keeping the HD universe canon. Grand Theft Auto V arrived in 2013 with three protagonists and has since been re-released across three console generations, sustained by GTA Online. Anyone playing GTA Online seriously will want a gaming headset buying guide for heist coordination.
Gta Games in Chronological Order
Within the 3D universe the timeline runs Vice City Stories (1984), Vice City (1986), San Andreas (1992), Liberty City Stories (1998), then Grand Theft Auto III (2001) and GTA Advance shortly after. In the HD universe, Grand Theft Auto IV, Chinatown Wars, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony all take place across 2008 and overlap significantly, with several scenes shown from multiple perspectives. Grand Theft Auto V then jumps forward to 2013, with a prologue set in 2004. The 2D universe games stand entirely apart and share only city names.
Which GTA Games Are Worth Playing Today
San Andreas and Vice City hold up best from the older era, largely because of their soundtracks and their density. Grand Theft Auto IV is the connoisseur’s pick: its driving model and physics remain unmatched, though the PC version needs community patches to run cleanly on modern systems. Grand Theft Auto V is the obvious entry point, with a current-generation version offering ray tracing and high frame rate modes. Anyone chasing those higher frame rates should check a high refresh rate monitor buying guide, and the enhanced versions install large enough that a NVMe SSD buying guide is genuinely relevant.
The Definitive Edition Remasters
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition bundled III, Vice City and San Andreas in 2021 with Unreal Engine-assisted rebuilds. Launch reception was poor due to rain effects, distorted character models and missing licensed music, though a long series of patches improved the situation substantially and mobile versions later shipped through Netflix Games. Purists still prefer the original PC releases with community mods, which restore the original soundtracks and fix widescreen support. Long modding sessions are easier with a proper desk setup, and a mechanical keyboard buying guide covers what matters for config editing.
What to Expect From Grand Theft Auto VI
Rockstar confirmed Grand Theft Auto VI in December 2023, returning to Vice City and the fictional state of Leonida with dual protagonists Lucia and Jason, the first playable female lead in the series. The release date shifted from an initial 2025 window to May 2026 and then to November 2026. It is launching on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S first, with a PC version expected later, which is Rockstar’s usual pattern. Console players anticipating the launch should read a console gaming controller buying guide since the original hardware controllers wear out fast under open-world use.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many GTA games are there in order?
There are fifteen distinct Grand Theft Auto releases if you count the two London expansions and the two GTA IV episodes separately, spanning from 1997 to 2013. Adding remasters, mobile ports and the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI brings the practical total closer to twenty entries.
Do the GTA games in order share a story?
Only within each continuity. The 3D universe games cross-reference each other heavily through shared characters like Salvatore Leone and Catalina, and the HD universe games overlap in 2008. However, no GTA game requires knowledge of another, and each protagonist’s story concludes independently.
Which GTA game should I play first?
Start with Grand Theft Auto V. It is available on every current platform, it is the most polished entry, and its three-protagonist structure introduces the series’ tone efficiently. If you prefer older design, San Andreas offers the richest 3D-era experience and remains widely available.
Is GTA VI going to connect to GTA V?
Rockstar has confirmed Grand Theft Auto VI takes place in the same HD universe as IV and V, so returning references and possibly returning characters are plausible. However, the studio has consistently designed each entry as a standalone story, so playing GTA V beforehand will not be required.
