There are a ton of game franchises that have been putting out a number of games for a long long time. Popular ones that would come to mind are the Final Fantasy series, Need for Speed series, and of course, the one and only Grand Theft Auto Series. The games in the Grand Theft Auto series are one of the most loved ones to date. These games have key elements that bring in so much enjoyment as well as entertainment to the person actually playing the game. Considering it’s been a long ride with the Grand Theft Auto Series, let’s take a look at all of the games in the series by order of their release date.
Even with GTA V still going on and on, one simply cannot hate on them. Sure, Rockstar Games have been milking out of GTA V and also GTA Online for so long, people are just interested in one thing – GTA 6. Nobody cares about the remastered versions of old games or anything of that kind. Sure they have announced that the team is working on a new GTA game but, when does it come out? Only Rockstar Games knows it all. In the meantime, let’s take a look at all the GTA games that have ever been released to date.
All GTA Games In Order of Release Date
There are a lot of GTA games that have been released and some of them have been specific to only the handheld consoles. These handheld specific ones were created so that people would end up purchasing these handheld consoles just to play the special editions of the game. Anyways here are the GTA Games in order of their release date.
Grand Theft Auto 1, 1997
The first game to the Grand Theft Auto series. This game was released in 1997 and was available for Windows DOS, PlayStation, and also on GameBoy Color. It had a top-down view perspective – just like the other games that were released during those years. Simple and in 2D. This game brought in things no other games really had. You had an open-world game and you the player could do almost anything. From stealing cars, using weapons, and also performing a number of crimes. Also, it did have a number of quests that the player could complete in order to earn some rewards.
This is also the only game that features three cities within one game ie Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City. The playable characters in the game are Bubba. Divine, Katy, Kivlo, Nikki, Travis, and Ulrika.
Grand Theft Auto, London, 1969
Apart from just being able to play in the three cities, you could for the first time ever and probably the only time be able to play in the fictional city of London. The city in-game was set in the year 1969 that lets you play as a big criminal of London. It should be noted that this is the first expansion pack for the game.
Grand Theft Auto, London, 1961
There also was a second expansion pack that was added to the game. Again, this was also set in London, but the time in the game was set to 1961 as a prequel to the first London expansion pack. Sadly though, this was the only game that features a city that wasn’t in the fictional version of the US. The rest of the games that followed were all set in fictional US cities.
Grand theft Auto II, 1999
This is the second game in the series that also had the top-down gameplay view. This time it was set in the city of anywhere with the time set to the future of the year 2013. You could do everything in the Grand Theft Auto Ii that was possible in the first game. However, we get to see a new playable character called Claude PSeed and we also see the introduction of the wanted level. The game let you increase your criminal gan and also let you go fight with other gangs out there to be the only one at the top.
This game was available to play on Windows, PlayStation. Dreamcast and also on the GameBoy Color. With that being said, this was the last game that had 2D graphics and also the top-down view. It is a kind of a bummer that these games can no longer be purchased and played.
Grand Theft Auto III, 2001
Grand Theft Auto III is the first game from Rockstart to enter into the 3D universe. This game had massive changes visually and also in terms of performance and visuals. Even the story had been improved upon. You still get to play as Claude from Grand Theft Auto II.
However, Claude doesn’t really talk much and is able to swim. Which is fine, but honestly, everyone wished he could actually do those things. Oh, and the game also introduced radio stations, i.e. music that was popular during the time the game was released. The game lets you explore around in the third person view It was released for Windows, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Android, iOS, and even on macOS.
Grand theft Auto Vice City, 2002
Vice City is everything about the 80s vibe. The neon-lit streets, vehicles, and even the music were at their best. The game lets you play as Tommy Vercetti – a very simple man that had only one thing on his mind- to get the money that was stolen while making a deal. Tommy Vercetti is able to swim, drive around, talk, and also make use of various new weapons. You can also own a number of businesses in and around Vice City, defeat various gangs like the biker gang, the Cubans, and the Haitians.
There are so many ways that you can follow to make and earn money. One my personal favorite GTA games ever. GTA Vice City was released for Windows, PS2, Android, iOS, Xbox, macOS, and also on FireOS.
Grand Theft Auto Advance, 2004
Now, for a while, the GameBoy Advance didn’t really get a treat of the fun GTA games that players on other platforms were enjoying. So, Rockstar Games released a version of the Grand Theft Auto game for the GameBoy Advance and boy does it work perfectly for the handheld console. It features a similar gameplay style to that of the GTA I and GTA II with the same top-down view. This version of the game has all the side missions that can be played to earn ample amounts of cash in-game. You get to play Mike, a criminal who will do anything and everything to take revenge on the gangs who killed his friend.
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, 2004
Grand theft Auto, San Andreas is one of the most popular and most loved games from the GTA series. It’s famous for many reasons. The characters. Plot, music, and even the missions themselves. The playable character CJ is a fan favorite because of all the dialogues in-game. SO much that there are countless memes made from the game itself. And also, who can forget big Smoke’s take-out order?! The game takes place in the year 1992 and CJ is tasked to bring back the members of Grove Street and be the best gang there ever was. The game was a huge hit and is still enjoyed by many people today. One could also say that the success of the PS2 having the highest number of sales ever is simply because of this particular GTA game.
The game is available on a number of platforms like Windows, PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, macOS, Android, iOS. It was recently available as a purchase on the Rockstar Games launcher and Steam. But, after the release of the remastered Trilogy, these games are no longer available.
Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories, 2005
Speaking of spin-offs like GTA Advance, here is another one. But, this one is a spin-off from the popular GTA III game. It’s got Tony Cipriani from the game who has only a simple goal- to be the biggest crime leader of the one family- the Leone family. The Liberty Cities Stories game was first released for the handheld consoles at that time, ie the PSP. If you were wondering how the game’s map is. It is similar to GTA III, but with more additional content and areas. The game was later released on the PS2, Android, iOS, and even on Amazon’s FireOS.
Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories, 2006
This new spin-off of the Vice City game no longer has your favorite Tommy Vercetti. Instead, you will now be playing as a former military officer known as Victor Vanced. You should also understand that this game takes place two years before the original Vice City. The game’s graphics might not be up to the mark as that of the original Vice City but, it surely is a good game to play nonetheless. The game was first made available to the Sony PSP and was later released on the PS2 and as well the PS3.
Grand Theft Auto IV, 2008
Now, comes one of the most interesting GTA titles ever. Set up in Liberty City The game’s graphics, handling and even story gets upgraded. You now have better and more interesting missions to play though as well as two expansion packs. You get to play Niko Belic who has come to the US to live the pure American dream. You could even go on to say that the physics in GTA IV are way better than what you can expect in GTA V. Overall an interesting game that performed badly on PC because of its poor optimization.
Grand theft Auto Chinatown Wars, 2009
Now, here’s another spinoff game that you might have heard but never played owing to the fact that it was designed only for handheld consoles like the PSP, Nintendo DS, Android, and iOS devices. The story takes place in liberty city and you are playing Huang Lee. Instead of having the regular top-down view as the other GTA games, in Chinatown Wars, you are given an ariel view camera that can be used to slide around using your fingers themselves. The best part about the game is the graphics. It makes you feel like you are in a comic book world, which gives you a very tasteful experience.
Grand Theft Auto V, 2013
Here is the longest-running GTA game ever. Released way back in 2013, GTA V is a pretty good game, to begin with. The biggest map of all GTA games. So many new cars, new places, and new things to do in the game. Not to forget the various weapons you can choose from. The game’s missions are what make GTA V an interesting play. Apart from just the stories, there are numerous side missions that you can play through. Oh, and you can choose to play between three characters – Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. The game is available to lay on PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and even on PC.
Grand Theft Auto Online, 2013
GTA Online is where the fun things are at. Of course, you can play with your friends online by joining public servers, creating your own ones, or for that matter even going ahead and playing solo. There is so much content and new stuff that keeps getting added to the game. Sure, it might seem like a stretch, but it is the best that Rockstar Games can actually do for now until a new GTA game gets released. The best expansions added online will have to be the Tuner Update and The Contract missions. Even though people still complain about where the new GTA game is at, there are a large number of people that still play GTA Online to this very day.
Grand Theft Auto – Trilogy Remastered, 2021
A remastered version of the three best GTA games in history? Oh for sure! The games were great when they were originally released. With the remastered versions, we did get to see a ton of new improvements such as handling, better graphics, and the rest. However, there have been hilarious bugs and glitches that killed the hype for this game. There are even a number of audio tracks that have been missing from the game. Things have however been fixed and are making good progress overall. Considering that it’s difficult to get the original games, this is the best way to enjoy the classics. You could still play the classics if you have purchased them to your account previously.
Conclusion
And there you have it. Every GTA game that has ever been released no matter what platform has been listed in his list. If you were to ask me about my favorite games, it would easily have to be Vice City and San Andreas without a doubt. What is your favorite GTA game of all time, and what do you think is going to happen with the upcoming GTA 6? Let us know your thoughts about it in the comments below.
Related Articles:
