Best GTA games, ranked from worst to best
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(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
The GTA series has been blessed with some of the greatest titles of the last two decades, but the question always remains as to what the best GTA game is. From the Californian sprawl of GTA 5 to the neon lights of Vice City, we’ve driven down memory lane – knocking over pedestrians in the process – to come up with this list: the best GTA games, ranked worst to best.
We’re interested in the main GTA series, so we’re not ranking handheld games or expansions. We’re also excluding GTA 1 and 2: both are amazing in their own right, but they’re both top-down, PS1-era games that stand apart from later entries. GTA 3 was the one that established the 3D open-world formula we know and love, so we’re starting there. Essentially, we’re talking about the five main games, comprising GTA 3, GTA 4, GTA 5, San Andreas, and Vice City.
It’s also worth saying that the “worst” game on this list is still a masterpiece. It’s just that the others are even better. With those qualifications out the way, let’s crack on: here are the best GTA games, ranked from worst to best. Let us know your own ranking in the comments.
5. GTA 3
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
GTA 3 did more than show Rockstar the way forward: it changed the way the industry thought about open-world games. Sure, there had been sandboxes before, but none as detailed or well-realised as Liberty City, a place where you could spend hours on end just driving around doing side quests, and forgetting the main story entirety. Steal a taxi and you could pick up passengers for fares, or you could grab an ambulance and deliver patients to the hospital within a time limit. Or — and this is how we spent our time more often than not — just roam around lobbing grenades at police cars, or starting fires and hijacking the fire engines when they arrived.
The shooting was wonky, cars exploded if you so much as looked at them, and the missions were occasionally confusing. But these were just teething problems for an addictive open-world structure that still endures today.
4. GTA: San Andreas
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
A timeless masterpiece. San Andreas built on the brilliance of Vice City in every way: it was more than three times the size, and each of its cities — Rockstar’s versions of LA, San Francisco and Vegas — felt unique. Protagonist and gangster Carl «CJ» Johnson managed to keep the story on track despite the absurdity of everything you could do, from robbing a casino to stealing a jetpack from a top-secret government bunker and blasting away from the scene. The ambitious plot wasn’t afraid to change pace, and at one point plucked you from the streets of Los Santos and dumped you in the hilly countryside between the three cities. You went from pinching sports cars to stealing combine harvesters.
The bit we remember fondest is the roleplaying.
At times, San Andreas felt almost like a life sim: you could build muscle at the gym provided you ate enough to maintain your bulk, but if you stuffed yourself too often you’d put on weight. You could visit the barber, show off your new trim on an evening date, play pool with your crew, or hit the basketball court, and an RPG-like stats system for every vehicle and weapon type in the game added extra customisation.
It was, and remains, the best GTA game of all time.
3. GTA 4
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
GTA 4 was ridiculed for its self-seriousness story, but Niko’s journey from nothing to hotshot is what we loved most about it. Yes, the tone shifts wildly from poignant to absurd, and supposedly emotional cutscenes are interspersed with open-world chaos. And yes, your cousin Roman constantly bothers you to join him at the bowling alley. But by focusing more on its characters, Rockstar made us genuinely care about Niko’s tale. From the moment he arrived on a boat from Eastern Europe his pursuit of the elusive American Dream had us hooked, and we couldn’t help but root for him.
You could still do all the silly open-world stuff too, with a massive list of side quests to complete, cars to drive, and weapons to master. GTA 4’s combat and physics were a huge step up from Vice City and, in some ways, better than what we got in GTA 5, which made causing mayhem as fun as ever. That’s not to mention its two chunky expansions, The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned, which gave us some of our best GTA memories.
2. GTA: Vice City
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
One word sums up Vice City: style. It nails a time and era better than any other GTA game, and its 1980s recreation of Miami buzzes with colour and life — where GTA 3 built the foundation for the series going forward, Vice City smeared a layer of personality on top. Hot-tempered Tommy Vercetti, fully voiced by Ray Liotta, felt like a believable character — intelligent and loyal — which got you invested in his attempts to conquer the city’s criminal underworld
The city had a pulse of its own.
Rival gangs scrapped in the streets and cars slammed into one another at junctions, and you could dip inside buildings such as shopping malls, which made it feel like a real place. If you had the bank roll, you could even buy factories, clubs or hotels. More ambitious missions and a wider variety of both weapons and vehicles put it a step above GTA 3, plus the soundtrack is still one of the best in any video game. We could spend hours idly cruising in our Phoenix muscle car, listening to Emotion 98.3 and Fever 105.
1. GTA 5
(Image credit: Rockstar)
GTA 5 is an indulgent take on the excesses of modern life, set in a huge city filled with not very nice people doing not very nice things. Rob a bank, mow down police with a mini-gun, steal a helicopter, blow up a social media network’s HQ, shoot down a plane with a sniper rifle: it feels like the gloriously over-the-top GTA that Rockstar always wanted to make, turning every single dial from previous games all the way up.
You can do it all in either third or first person, too: going close up as you lump a stranger with a right hook makes the thump of bone on bone sound even sweeter.
It’s hard to love its protagonists, but at least there are three of them, all with their own unique special ability. If you’re tired of racing supercars through the streets as Franklin, just switch to Trevor and roam the hills to the north of Los Santos, bashing some skulls in, or go play a round of golf with Michael. This rich, ridiculous world will never get old, and if you need a change of pace you’ve got the ever-evolving GTA Online waiting for you, where you can embody any character imaginable.
Want to know more about the future of Grand Theft Auto? Check out our roundup of everything we know so far about GTA 6.
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The 15 Best GTA Games of All Time Ranked (2023)
Which are the best GTA games created by Rockstar?
The Grand Theft Auto game series is known and loved by millions of fans around the world, there’s no doubt about that.
However, not all GTA games have been a success, with some of the earliest versions receiving negative criticism. But, like all video game franchises, not all games are created equal and it’s therefore expected that there will be a few bad apples in the bag.
With that said, there’s absolutely no denying that GTA games are of the highest quality now, and Rockstar Games have certainly managed to create one of the best games on the planet!
So, without further ado, here’s a list of the 15 best GTA games of all time ranked.
“Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain our own.”
The 15 Best GTA Games of All Time Ranked
The list of best GTA games and figures mentioned below have been compiled from various sources around the web, such as The Gamer, The Things & Game Byte.
These are the 15 best GTA games of all time ranked:
15. Grand Theft Auto: London 1961
GTA London 1961 was the second expansion pack, released by Rockstar Games in 1999, which required players to own an original copy of GTA, and the first expansion pack GTA:1969.
The reason GTA London 1961 falls into the last spot on our list is that it brought little to the table, in terms of new features, gameplay, storyline, mechanics and content. It’s thought that 1961 was created just to tied gamers over until the real GTA sequel came out.
GTA: 1961 was only available for download upon release, and it was pretty obvious that even Rockstar Games themselves, understood the negative press this got from fans, as they rarely mentioned the game at all, since.
14. Grand Theft Auto: London 1969
Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 was the first expansion pack to be released for Grand Theft Auto.
Developed by Rockstar Games Canada and released worldwide by Rockstar Games, London 1969 won a BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Award for “Sound” in 1999.
It was released as a freeware mission pack in order to try and gain some more online publicity, and, like 1961, wasn’t really a major upgrade in terms of gameplay, storyline and content.
London 1969 received mixed reviews from critics upon release, with most choosing to focus on the sound improvements as its best feature.
13. Grand Theft Auto: Advance
Next up, we have Grand Theft Auto for the Game Boy Advance.
This action-adventure video game was created by Digital Eclipse and published by Rockstar Games on the Game Boy Advance in October 2004.
The game is played in the typical GTA top-down perspective and is set in Liberty City, in the year 2000. It was released as a prequel to Grand Theft Auto III and it’s events take place approximately one year prior.
GTA Advance received mixed reviews from critics, with the majority complimenting the game’s graphics and how similar it was to the some of the old GTA games.
12. Grand Theft Auto (GTA)
Grand Theft Auto is an action-adventure video game that was created by David Jones and Mike Dailly and published by Rockstar Games.
The game’s name comes from the term, Grand-Theft-Auto, which, in the U.S, means motor-vehicle-theft.
The game is based on an open-world setting where players are free to roam around as they please, as well as choosing missions to complete and side activities to keep them busy, like carjacking, theft, driving and third-person shooting.
Grand Theft Auto was a massive success upon release and received critical acclaim. It was considered a commercial success, as it’s shipped over 280 million units worldwide, and became the fourth highest-selling video franchise of all time, spawning tons of sequels.
11. Grand Theft Auto: II
Grand Theft Auto II is an action-adventure game released in 1999. It was developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games.
It’s the sequel to Grand Theft Auto and the second instalment in the GTA series. It was released for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows in 1999, with the Game Boy Color and Dreamcast versions following suit a year later.
GTA II is played from a top-down perspective and players are able to wander around its open world on foot or in a vehicle of their choice. It can be played in both Single and Multi-player.
GTA II received mixed reviews upon release. The PlayStation version won a “Platinum” sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), as it sold more than 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom when it was released!
10.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is an action-adventure game collaboration between Rockstar Leeds and Rockstar North.
It was published by Rockstar Games and is the ninth game in the video game series. It was released for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in October 2005.
Playstation 2 fans were happy in 2006 as a port was released which allowed them to play the game on the game console.
Liberty City Stories is played from a third-person perspective in an open world, allowing players the freedom of movement and choice in the mission. In this version, players have a lot more flexibility in moving the camera around for new viewing opportunities.
In less than a year after it was released on the PlayStation 2, Liberty City Stories sold more than one million copies worldwide!
9. Grand Theft Auto: China Town Wars
The ninth-best GTA game of all time is GTA: China Town Wars.
The game was developed by Rockstar North and Rockstar Leeds and was published by Rockstar Games.
It was initially released for the Nintendo DS early 2009, and then later that year, it was released on the PlayStation Portable (PSP). In 2010, China Town Wars was released on iOS and Android devices.
China Town Wars is the thirteenth game in the GTA series and received critical acclaim upon release from a number of critics.
It’s the highest-rated Nintendo DS game ever and picked up the Best Handheld Game Award at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards.
8. Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned
GTA: The Lost And Damned is the third expansion pack in the Grand Theft Auto Series.
It’s the first of two expansion packs developed for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It was released first for the Xbox 360 in 2009, shortly followed by the PlayStation 3 and Windows in 2010.
The main storyline follows the protagonist, Johnny Klebitz, efforts to continue on with the storyline whilst keeping himself out of trouble with gang warfare, drug running and other conflicts.
It also shows Johnny’s perspective on the Diamond deal of Grand Theft Auto IV.
The Lost and Damned received positive reviews overall for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version and received a score of 90 from 73 fan reviews on Metacritic.
7. Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony
The second episodic expansion pack for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows, was released on the Xbox 360 in 2009 and the PS3 and Windows in 2010.
It’s the fourth expansion pack in the series and follows the life of Luis Fernando Lopez, the personal bodyguard for Anthony “Gay Tony” Prince.
The main plot of the game follows Luis as he tries to help Tony with a number of pressing issues, including debt, drugs, the mafia and frequent attempts on both their lives.
GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony was developed by Rockstar North and playable in single or multi-payer.
Upon release, The Ballad of Gay Tony received generally positive reviews from critics and won the Best DLC Award at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards!
6.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Coming in at number six on our list of the best GTA games of all time is GTA: Vice City Stories.
The game was a collaboration between Rockstar North and Rockstar Leeds and was published by Rockstar Games. It was first released on the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in 2006 and then the PlayStation 2 in 2007, and is the prequel to GTA: Vice City.
The gameplay is as to be expected, players are able to move around the open world from a third-person perspective and drive a number of interesting vehicles. For example, cars, motorcycles, planes, boats, helicopters and jet-skis.
Vice City Stories won Best Handheld Game at the 2007 Golden Joystick Awards and received an IGN award for the best-licensed soundtrack!
5. Grand Theft Auto: III
The fifth best GTA game of all time is GTA: III.
Released in 2001, GTA: III is the fifth title in the GTA series and follows Claude, a criminal that was left for dead and thereafter becomes trapped in a world of crime, corruption and gang warfare.
It’s played from a third-person perspective and set in an open world. Players are able to navigate through the game on foot or using one of the many cool vehicles.
Critical acclaim was directed at its Gameplay and overall concept, and it quickly became the best-selling video game in 2001.
If that wasn’t enough, it sold over 14.5 million copies worldwide since, and, is considered by many critics, one of the best video-games of all time!
4. Grand Theft Auto: IV
Next up, is GTA IV, a 2008 action-adventure game that’s the eleventh title in the GTA game series.
GTA IV was released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows throughout 2008 and is played from a third-person perspective like GTA III.
The game is set in Liberty City, a fictional city based on New York City, and players follow Niko Bellic, as he tries to run away from his past but finds himself being threatened by mob bosses and under constant pressure from loan sharks.
It can be played in single-player or an online multiplayer mode, which comes included with the game, and allows up to 32 players to participate in co-op and competitive games.
Praise was given for the games open-world design and narrative, and GTA IV went on to become the fastest-selling entertainment product in history at the time!
It’s also considered one of the greatest video games of all time by many critics.
3. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
The 2002 version of Grand Theft Auto, Vice City, is the third-best GTA game of all time.
It was the first main entry since GTA III, which was released the previous year, and is set within fictional Vice City, which is based on Miami, Florida.
The game follows Tommy Vercetti, a recently released felon that’s on a personal revenge mission to track down the people responsible for robbing him during a drug deal, whilst simultaneously building his criminal empire in Vice City.
It’s played from a third-person perspective and features real-world people and events from Miami, like biker-gangs, the 1980s crack epidemic, glam metal and the mafioso drug lords of Miami.
GTA: Vice City received critical acclaim upon release and won countless year-end awards, including Game of the Year from numerous gaming magazines.
It’s one of the best-selling PlayStation games of all time as it sold more than 500,000 copies in its first 24 hours!
2. Grand Theft Auto: V
Grand Theft Auto V is the second-best GTA game of all time, selling over $800 million in its first day.
Released in 2013, GTA V was developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games.
It’s the successor to Grand Theft Auto IV, which was released back in 2008, and was one of the most highly anticipated games in 2013.
The game is played in third-person or first-person perspective and players have the option to switch between three protagonists, both in and outside of missions.
The story is mainly centered around heist sequences and players are able to roam around the open world as freely as they like, on foot or by vehicle.
GTA V broke industry sales records, earning $800 million on its first day and over $1 billion within three days of release.
GTA V is one of the best-selling PS4 games of all time; It won countless industry awards, and is recognized as the third most popular video game of all time!
1. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas takes the crown as the best GTA game of all time.
Developed by Rockstar North, published by Rockstar Games and released in 2004, San Andreas quickly became the best-selling video game in its year of release and the best-selling PlayStation 2 game of all time.
Played in an open world environment in a third-person perspective, San Andreas follows Carl “CJ” Johnson, after he returns home from Liberty City due to his mother’s murder.
He finds himself on the wrong side of the law and quickly tries to re-establish his own gang, however, he keeps clashing with corrupt cops as he starts to find out the truth about his mother’s murder!
GTA: San Andreas received critical acclaim for its gameplay, music and storyline, and was awarded a prestigious “Diamond” sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA).
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the best GTA game of all time.
Summary
We hope you enjoyed our list of the 15 best GTA games of all time ranked.
Out of all fifteen, San Andreas, GTA: V and Vice City are our favorites, although we have been known to play the original Grand Theft Auto (GTA) from time to time!
Here’s a quick recap of the 15 best GTA games of all time ranked:
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Grand Theft Auto: V
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Grand Theft Auto: IV
- Grand Theft Auto: III
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
- Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony
- Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned
- Grand Theft Auto: China Town Wars
- Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
- Grand Theft Auto: II
- Grand Theft Auto (GTA)
- Grand Theft Auto: Advance
- Grand Theft Auto: 1969
- Grand Theft Auto: 1961
What’s your favorite GTA game of all time? Leave a comment below.
Top 5 | Best games of the GTA
series Top 5 | The best games in the GTA series
5 GTA IV
- Year: 2008
- Location: Liberty City
- Protagonist: Niko Bellic
Fans of the Grand Theft Auto series have been waiting for the release of the 4th part for a very long time. And, as it turned out, not in vain. Of course, it was significantly different from all the previous ones. The color scheme has become darker, tasks on the map have become quite monotonous. But at the same time, the physics of the characters and the surrounding world, the mechanics of shooting and driving cars have become, perhaps, a real breakthrough in relation to the previous parts of the series. It was in GTA IV that some of the cartoonishness that had previously attracted gamers disappeared.
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4 GTA V
- Year: 2013
- Location: Los Santos
- Protagonists: Franklin Clinton, Michael Townley, Trevor Philips
The fifth part broke sales records absolutely deservedly.
The developers did their best, giving the players three main characters at once with their own stories. All quests are connected by one common story. Every character around you is ready for dialogue and interaction. At the same time, the number of chases, fights, erotic and cruel scenes just rolls over. Therefore, the age limit of the game is justified. But even this did not prevent the number of enthusiastic fans from becoming simply huge.
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3 GTA: San Andreas
- Year: 2004
- Location: Los Santos, San Fierro, Las Venturas
- Protagonist: CJ
The plot of this part takes you to the most unexpected places. Sometimes you have to explore the top of a huge mountain, sometimes you have to look for those who are hiding in underground casinos. It is even rarer to reveal the location of drug laboratories at all. At the same time, the atmosphere of a real gangster action movie, unfolding in the vastness of an entire state, is constantly preserved around you.
That is why this particular GTA has become one of the most beloved.
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2 GTA III
- Year: 2001
- Location: Liberty City
- Protagonist: Claude
A real classic, according to connoisseurs of the series of these games. After the release of the first two parts, it was eagerly awaited. And the expectation was justified. The first 3D game captivated fans with an open world, many hidden details and a huge variety of quest chains. The third-person view and the ability to interact with almost any object around makes gamers even today quite often download the third part in order to get a little nostalgic.
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1 GTA: Vice City
- Year: 2002
- Location: Vice City
- Protagonist: Tommy Vercetti
Not all US residents can get to Miami. What can we say about the inhabitants of other countries and continents.
But Vice City allows you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the resort by wearing a bright, Hawaiian shirt. All landscapes are taken from real views of Miami, and the plot is closely intertwined with the movie «Scarface». The catchy soundtrack and humorous aspects of the game make it truly unique. All this together makes it a leader among games in the GTA series.
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Best Grand Theft Auto games. Top 5 by PiterPlay
One
of the most famous series on the gaming
horizon even among those who know little
about video games, GTA is more than
virtual entertainment. For more than
two decades of history the series has become
a great cultural phenomenon and brought
developers from Rockstar huge profits.
Millions of players around the world with
enjoy playing different games
series. But which one is still the best?
In this article, we list the best games
GTA series (top 5).
5.
Episodes from Liberty City
This
add-on for GTA IV often passes by
attention of fans of the series, and absolutely
in vain. The Lost & Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony — Two
memorable vivid adventures in
world of Liberty City with charismatic
characters and captivating stories.
If
the original story focused on
melancholic vendetta of Niko Belic, then
first expansion, The Lost & Damned,
is a cool biker
history. Protagonist Johnny Klebitz —
hardened in brawls and battles biker
with a heart of pure gold. Along the way
he will show both sides of his story
character — cruelty and kindness.
Ballad of Gay Tony, in turn, borrows
tone and style from the last part of the series
— Vice city. In fact, it could look like this
modern «Vice City» on the GTA engine
IV. New radio stations, crazy stunts
(e.g. skydiving) and hangouts
in nightclubs — that’s just a little that
can offer you this supplement. IN
Overall, both additional stories contributed
in GTA IV, what the main
game — charisma and a sense of complete
lawlessness.
4.
GTA IV
GTA
4 was an attempt by Rockstar to make
more «adult» series. Not all this
the attempt was successful — freedom
actions and the ability to create chaos
in the open world were sacrificed
dark realism.
Liberty City
in GTA IV appeared as a gray and dirty place,
in which an Eastern European immigrant
Niko Belic — our protagonist — faced
with the unflattering underside of the «American
dreams.» The plot of the game is replete with dramatic
turns and reveals the sad
hero’s past. However, between suffering
hero and player actions always
there is discord. For example, in the plot
screensaver Niko regrets the killings,
who committed in the past, but after
this roller the player can safely
shoot half the city.
But
despite this, the game takes not
last place on our list of «Top 5
games in the GTA series. It was the studio’s first game
on the Rage engine, and at the time of the release of GTA 4
amazed by the realistic physical
model (especially benefited from this
chase from the cops).
3.
GTA: San Andreas
After
breakthrough GTA III and access to the third dimension,
Rockstar made a huge step forward in San
Andreas. The game has not only grown in size
(virtual Los Santos was for real
huge for its time), but also
got role-playing mechanics.
The protagonist C-Jay could
modify as you wish: make
pump him, pump his stamina,
put on different outfits and much more.
We are not talking about cars and weapons:
Rockstar added to GTA: San Andreas
an incredible amount of content.
Also
Developers are not limited to
city scale. As the game progresses you
will bring into dense forests and desert
open spaces, you will rob the casino and
commit theft from super secret
laboratories. Perhaps no other
a game in the GTA series does not contain as many
content and is not as diverse,
like GTA: San Andreas.
2.
GTA: Vice City
By
compared to other games on the list, «GTA
Vice City doesn’t have much to offer
peace or variety of gameplay,
but she takes others — unique
atmosphere and color of the main
character.
Game
faithfully recreates the carefree spirit of the 80s,
with a synth-pop soundtrack, bright
sunny colors and azure sea
coast. The plot of the game, in turn,
largely repeated the cult film
«Scarface» starring Al Pacino
roles. Final battle in the mansion
is undoubtedly a reference to this
film classics.
Thanks
carefree and cheerful tone,
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City loved by many
players, and gamers still continue
play this classic series. sometimes so
I just want to run out into the flooded
sunlit beach open wide
shirt and just run along the sea. Few
what game compares to the feel of
Vice City.
1.
GTA V
Our
List of «Best Grand Theft Auto Games»
closes the most recent iteration
franchise.
