What order should you play the GTA games in?

Start with what interests you

You do not have to begin with the oldest GTA game. Choose a city or period that interests you. For a historical journey, release order is particularly useful: it reveals changes in perspective, controls and the scale of the worlds.

The main release milestones

The series begins with Grand Theft Auto (1997) and GTA 2 (1999), followed by GTA III (2001), Vice City (2002), San Andreas (2004), GTA IV (2008) and GTA V (2013). GTA VI is announced for 2026. Expansions, handheld entries and GTA Online add further chapters; our archive includes a wider selection.

Story order is different

Vice City takes place in 1986, San Andreas in 1992 and GTA III in 2001. A release year therefore does not establish when the story is set. The series also uses different narrative universes, so presenting every entry as one continuous timeline would be misleading.

Three ways to explore

Choose a route that matches your curiosity.

• The retro tour: GTA III → Vice City → San Andreas. Follow the development of the classic 3D era.
• The city tour: choose the atmosphere that appeals to you first — Liberty City, Vice City or Los Santos.
• The archive tour: follow the release years, then explore expansions and handheld entries.

Check the edition before buying

A title alone is not always enough to compare products. Check the platform, edition and actual availability. Our archive lists original releases or clearly labelled years; it is not a catalogue of every product currently on sale.