How to Play the Grand Theft Auto Games in Order

It’s hard to speech astir modern video games without mentioning the power of Grand Theft Auto. Rockstar’s iconic transgression franchise has grown from a arguable PlayStation 1 classical to a universally recognised taste behemoth, with its astir caller entry, Grand Theft Auto 5, becoming the 3rd best-selling crippled of each time.

However, the bid didn’t turn into a landmark occurrence overnight. Rockstar has been dilatory gathering its iconic transgression bid for implicit 2 decades, creating hyper-immersive unfastened worlds that players research for years aft their release. With implicit sixteen Grand Theft Auto games dropping since the franchise began successful 1997, caller players are astir apt wondering wherever to start. To assistance you get stuck in, we’ve listed each GTA crippled successful chronological bid truthful you tin crippled the champion way done the timeline of this crime-riddled world. You volition person to hold different twelvemonth for GTA 6, though.

Jump to:

• How to Play successful Chronological Order
  • The 2D Timeline
  • The 3D Timeline
  • The HD Timeline
• GTA Release Dates

The Grand Theft Auto Games successful Order

There are a total of 16 games successful the Grand Theft Auto series – eleven connected location consoles, 1 connected PC and 4 connected handheld devices. The adjacent Grand Theft Auto game, GTA 6, is acceptable to merchandise successful 2026.

Before we dive into the list, it’s archetypal worthy noting an important item astir the wide continuity of Grand Theft Auto. As confirmed by Rockstar backmost successful 2011, the GTA bid is divided into 3 unsocial timelines: the 2D timeline, the 3D timeline and the HD timeline. Although events successful these timelines mightiness beryllium akin oregon adjacent identical, Rockstar doesn’t see each of them canon to each other. As such, we’ll abstracted the games into their respective universes.

Which GTA Game Should You Play First?

If you're wanting to get into the Grand Theft Auto games earlier GTA 6 arrives, you volition apt privation to commencement with the latest successful the series: GTA 5. You tin surely spell backmost to erstwhile games, but GTA 5 is simply a masterpiece successful it's ain close and is playable beauteous overmuch everywhere. You tin besides instrumentality vantage of GTA Online for multiplayer.

The Grand Theft Auto 2D Timeline

Below, we’ll database the Grand Theft Auto games from the 2D universe. These blurbs incorporate mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and communicative beats.

1. Grand Theft Auto: London 1961

The 2nd enlargement released for the archetypal Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 is 1 of lone 2 GTA releases to not deed a PlayStation console, with the DLC lone disposable to PC players.

The ngo battalion acts arsenic a prequel to Grand Theft Auto’s archetypal expansion, Grand Theft Auto: London 1969. It follows a nameless transgression rising done the ranks of the London transgression families by completing jobs for a mobster called Harold Cartwright.

2. Grand Theft Auto: London 1969

The archetypal enlargement for the archetypal Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 marked the series’ archetypal sojourn to London.

The communicative follows a nameless British transgression who fights against assorted transgression syndicates portion gathering their fable connected the city’s streets. These see Harold Cartwright’s gang, which the subordinate joins forces with successful Grand Theft Auto: London 1961, arsenic good arsenic a brace of sinister transgression lords known arsenic the Crisp Twins.

3. Grand Theft Auto

The archetypal introduction successful the mainline series, Grand Theft Auto follows the adventures of a nameless protagonist arsenic they marque their people connected the transgression underworlds of 3 locations: Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City.

Set successful 1997, the criminal’s adventures spot them implicit slope heists, assassinations and getaways, gathering their estimation portion aiding assorted sinister gangs. Along the way, they conscionable a big of high-ranking criminals, including Robert Seragliano, El Burro and Uncle Fu.

4. Grand Theft Auto 2

The 2nd mainline introduction successful the series, Grand Theft Auto 2 is arguably the biggest departure for the bid to date. Shifting distant from the mounting of the archetypal GTA, it takes players to a nigh-on futuristic metropolis known arsenic Anywhere City, which bears nary striking resemblance to immoderate different determination successful the series.

The escapade follows a transgression named Claude Speed, who works with assorted transgression syndicates astir Anywhere City to marque wealth and gain respect. The game’s presumption connected the timeline is tricky, chiefly arsenic in-game references allude to it taking spot successful some 1999 and 2013. Regardless, it’s the last crippled successful the 2D timeline.

The Grand Theft Auto 3D Timeline

Below, we’ll database the Grand Theft Auto games from the 3D universe. These blurbs incorporate mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and communicative beats.

1. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

A prequel to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the PSP’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories takes spot successful 1984 and follows US subject worker Victor Vance who, aft being framed by his sergeant, is dishonorably discharged.

Fresh retired of a job, helium decides to participate Vice City’s underworld, rapidly becoming the caput of a transgression household with the assistance of his brother, Lance. The brace embark connected an escapade to disrupt Vice City’s transgression scene, gathering and recruiting a assortment of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City’s supporting characters on the way. By the clip the crippled wraps up, Vic’s communicative catches up with the opening of Vice City.

2. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

The 4th mainline iteration of the series, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City takes spot successful 1986; 2 years aft Vice City Stories. It follows Tommy Verceti, a notorious gangster from Liberty City who is sent to Vice City to oversee the enlargement of his boss’ cause commercialized aft being released from jail.

Tommy lands successful blistery h2o aft a supposedly elemental cause woody goes horribly wrong. Losing the drugs and wealth exchanged successful the deal, Tommy is fixed 1 past accidental to marque things right.

To redeem himself, helium dives into the seedy underbelly of Vice City, allying with Lance Vance to instrumentality connected its assorted transgression families and find the drugs and wealth stolen from him. As helium becomes a bigger sanction astir Vice City, helium dilatory creates a increasing transgression empire, which doesn’t spell unnoticed by his erstwhile employers.

3. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

The 5th mainline iteration of the series, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas tells the communicative of Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson and the Grove Street Families.

Set successful 1992, San Andreas follows CJ arsenic helium returns to Los Santos aft his parent is killed successful a drive-by meant to assassinate his brother. Reuniting with his friends, household and section gang, The Grove Street Families, it doesn’t instrumentality agelong for CJ to get stuck backmost into the transgression underworld, vowing to get revenge connected the pack that murdered his mother.

While CJ attempts to rebuild the Grove Street gang’s erstwhile glory, it becomes wide that thing shady is happening down the scenes. Pursued by a crooked bull named Officer Tenpenny, CJ deals with betrayal, corrupt instrumentality enforcement and the assorted factions vying for power of Los Santos and the neighboring cities of San Fierro and Las Venturas.

4. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

Set successful 1998, Liberty City Stories acts arsenic a prequel to Grand Theft Auto 3 and follows a gangster moving for Salvatore Leone named Toni Cipriani. Returning to Liberty City aft fleeing to Italy to flight the repercussions of assassinating a subordinate of the mafia, Toni gets stuck backmost successful moving for his erstwhile boss.

Along the way, helium meets respective high-level mafia contacts and climbs done the ranks of Sal’s gang, murdering rival transgression lords and assisting Leone’s attempts to summation governmental sway with the mayor. The communicative concludes with Salvatore Leone’s household lasting arsenic 1 the astir almighty transgression syndicates successful Liberty City, mounting up the events of Grand Theft Auto 3.

5. Grand Theft Auto Advance

Taking spot successful 2000, Grand Theft Auto Advance was a Grand Theft Auto 3 prequel released connected the Gameboy Advance. It follows a transgression named Mike arsenic helium attempts to get revenge for the decease of his partner, Vinnie.

Deciding to permission Liberty City and find caller opportunities elsewhere, the communicative begins with Mike and Vinnie completing jobs for the mafia successful an effort to necktie up escaped ends and money their escape. However, the program falls isolated erstwhile Vinnie is killed with a car bomb, driving Mike to find and termination his murderers. In pursuit of vengeance, Mike teams with assorted Grand Theft Auto 3 characters, including 8-Ball and Asuka Kasen.

6. Grand Theft Auto 3

The last introduction successful the timeline but the archetypal crippled of the 3D epoch by merchandise date, Grand Theft Auto 3 takes spot successful 2001 and follows a caller Claude, a slope robber that’s changeable and near for dormant by his girlfriend, Catalina, during a heist.

Claude survives but is arrested and sentenced to beingness successful jail. However, portion en way to prison, Claude manages to flight aft the Columbian Cartel raided his convoy successful hunt of different prisoner. Fleeing the scene, Claude is soon inducted into the transgression underworld of Liberty City, moving with the mafia, the yakuza and assorted different syndicates.

Although helium rises to go 1 of the city’s astir notorious gangsters, Claude’s extremity rapidly becomes 1 of vengeance, arsenic his way yet crosses with Catalina, mounting up an inevitable confrontation betwixt the erstwhile couple.

The Grand Theft Auto HD Timeline

Below, we’ll database the Grand Theft Auto games from the HD universe. These blurbs incorporate mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and communicative beats.

1. Grand Theft Auto 4

The archetypal crippled of the HD era, Grand Theft Auto 4 takes spot successful 2008 and follows an Eastern European ex-soldier named Niko Bellic arsenic helium makes his mode to Liberty City. Coming to America to reunite with his cousin, Roman Bellic, who has allegedly recovered luck aft moving to Liberty City, Niko is shocked to find Roman is really broke, surviving successful a cockroach-infested flat and moving a failing business.

It doesn’t instrumentality agelong for Niko to find enactment and amass currency done less-than-legal means, gathering and befriending an arms trader named Little Jacob and moving disconnected Roman’s debts with a Russian indebtedness shark named Vlad Glebov. However, aft discovering that Vlad has been sleeping with Roman’s girlfriend, Niko kills him, sparking a concatenation of events which puts him and Roman successful the sights of the Russian mafia.

To survive, Niko allies with the transgression families of Liberty City, wherever helium becomes tangled successful their authorities and becomes 1 of the city’s astir feared criminals. All the while, Niko has an ulterior motive, wanting to way down and execution a erstwhile comrade from his days successful the subject that double-crossed him and his squad.

2. Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and The Damned

Set during the events of Grand Theft Auto 4, The Lost and the Damned was GTA 4’s archetypal expansion. It follows Johnny Klebitz, the Vice President of a revered motorcycle pack called The Lost MC.

Released from a agelong stint successful rehab, the communicative opens with The Lost MC’s President, Billy Grey, returning to the pack and reassuming his presumption arsenic its leader. During his clip away, Johnny led The Lost MC, forming a truce with the gang’s main rivals, The Angels of Death. Once reinstated, Billy and Johnny statesman to clash aft Billy orders The Lost to interruption the truce with the Angels of Death, starting a ruthless pack war.

As the 2 gangs conflict it out, Billy begins to pb The Lost down a self-destructive path, guiding his brothers into progressively unsafe situations. With civilian warfare brewing successful the group, Johnny is forced to see wherever his loyalty lies.

3. Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony

The 2nd of GTA 4’s expansions, The Ballad of Gay Tony besides takes spot alongside the halfway Grand Theft Auto campaign. The communicative follows bodyguard Luis Lopez arsenic helium tries to prevention the beingness of his brag and legendary nightclub owner, Tony Prince.

Although Tony is simply a fixture of Liberty City’s nightlife scene, his businesses are failing. To marque matters worse, he’s besides successful indebtedness to the Ancelotti transgression family, who are acceptable to cod what they’re owed. Swearing to assistance his boss, Luis tries to quadrate Tony’s debts, helping retired his assorted transgression acquaintances.

It each crescendos with a risky program from Tony, who decides to get millions of dollars worthy of smuggled diamonds and speech them successful a deal. However, the program falls apart, starring Luis connected a chaotic goose pursuit astir Liberty City successful an effort to retrieve the diamonds and support Tony’s debts from catching up with him.

4. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Taking spot successful 2009, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars tells the communicative of Huang Lee, the lad of a murdered Triad person who is tasked with flying to Liberty City to present an past sword to his uncle.

After arriving successful Liberty City, Huang is ambushed, with his attackers stealing the sword and shooting Huang. Believing him dead, they dump his body, allowing Huang to flight alive. Reuniting with his uncle, Huang embarks connected an escapade to way down the sword and present it backmost to the Triads. Along the way, helium works with assorted gangs and the FIB, learning that the sword’s theft whitethorn person been an wrong job.

5. Grand Theft Auto Online

Although it’s hard to justice wherever precisely it falls connected the timeline, Grand Theft Auto Online begins soon earlier Grand Theft Auto 5 and has, implicit the people of 10 years of updates, shifted to a play of clip agelong aft the game’s main campaign.

The halfway communicative follows a player-created transgression that heads to Los Santos to find fortune, estimation and fame, creating factions, buying spot and taking portion successful transgression ventures. The communicative has evolved implicit the years, with 1 of the latest updates revisiting the quality of Franklin years aft the events of Grand Theft Auto V, arsenic helium tasks the subordinate with helping him successful his concern ventures.

6. Grand Theft Auto 5

Set successful 2013, Grand Theft Auto 5 follows the communicative of 3 criminals: Franklin, Michael and Trevor. After staging his decease during a slope robbery successful the tiny municipality of North Yankton, Michael Townley enters a witnesser extortion programme, moving to the sunny metropolis of Los Santos to unrecorded a beingness of luxury successful a elephantine mansion with his family.

However, he’s lured retired of status erstwhile helium meets Franklin Clinton, an ambitious small-time transgression sent to repossess Michael’s son’s car. Forming a friendship, Michael begins to mentor Franklin, yet starring the brace to rob a jewelry store to wage disconnected a section transgression lord. However, the enactment doesn’t spell unnoticed.

On the outskirts of Los Santos, Michael’s erstwhile person and transgression associate, Trevor Phillips, watches a clip of the heist connected the news. Realizing that his seemingly dormant spouse is inactive live successful Los Santos, Trevor heads to the city, joining Michael and Franklin to signifier assorted elaborate heists. However, Trevor’s animosity towards Michael’s betrayal begins to thrust a wedge betwixt the group, arsenic tensions emergence and the information down the pair’s past comes to light.

Every GTA Game successful Release Order

• Grand Theft Auto (1997)
• Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (1999)
• Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 (1999)
• Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)
• Grand Theft Auto 3 (2000)
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
• Grand Theft Auto Advance (2004)
• Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005)
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006)
• Grand Theft Auto 4 (2008)
• Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and The Damned (2009)
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (2009)
• Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009)
• Grand Theft Auto 5 (2013)
• Grand Theft Auto Online (2013)
• Grand Theft Auto 6 (2026)

When Are We Getting GTA 6?

While Take-Two Interactive initially announced a autumn 2025 merchandise window, the astir caller hold quality shifted GTA 6's merchandise day to May 26, 2026. According to the game's uncover trailer, the caller Grand Theft Auto volition beryllium acceptable successful fictionalized Florida (including Vice City) with 2 transgression protagonists, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos.

A 2nd trailer (which Rockstar called the "biggest video motorboat of each time") features a premix of cinematics and gameplay. We've breached down tons of details successful the caller trailer, including each noteworthy quality and what the merchandise could mean for the aboriginal of crippled graphics. This whitethorn beryllium 1 of the biggest crippled releases to date, and we're each hoping it's worthy the wait.