Every Grand Theft Auto Game, Ranked from Best to Worst | Wealth of Geeks

Grand Theft Auto games have a reputation – controversial, popular, and lauded by fans across the globe. And yet, despite notoriety among adult groups for their abundant violence, language, and other adult themes, the GTA series continues to endure as one of the most celebrated video games of the modern age.

The flagship franchise for Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto, began as a conventional action-adventure series, transforming itself into a critically acclaimed franchise filled with colorful characters, gripping crime stories, and sprawling settings available for players to explore.

From the series’ earliest installments to its various DLC storylines, check out the main games in the Grand Theft Auto universe, ranked from best to worst.

Grand Theft Auto V (2013)

The latest entry in the GTA saga, Grand Theft Auto V remains the highest-selling video game in history, breaking various records with its financial achievements. Economic accolades aside, GTA V also featured the most detailed and up-to-date interpretation of the GTA universe yet.

As with every GTA game, GTA V features an expansive setting for players to venture across, spreading the fictional Los Angeles stand-in of San Andreas out to maximum capacity. With its unique three-protagonist storyline and the ability to swap from one character to another, the startling innovations Rockstar brought to the table with GTA V elevated the series to a whole new level of immersive gaming.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)

If Vice City brought a degree of sophistication to the GTA series in 2002, San Andreas outfitted the series with a much-needed sense of personality. Building off the gameplay mechanics and features of its predecessor, San Andreas proved that the GTA games could have a feasible narrative that caught players’ attention rather than a simple game about stealing cars, fighting gangs, or looting random homes.

Through the eyes of fan-favorite character C.J. Johnson, players witness the bond that forms between the members of a close-knit street gang in the impoverished suburbs of San Andreas. A brutal satirization of ‘90s Los Angeles – complete with references to corrupt police officers, rampant drug abuse, and widespread gang wars – a captivating entry in the series that still holds up to this day.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)

In many ways, Rockstar pushed ahead of the curve with the release of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Utilizing the technical innovations of GTA III, Vice City came equipped with the best storyline in GTA’s history up to that point, starring a protagonist made all the more memorable by the character’s voice actor, Ray Liotta.

Taking a liberal dose of inspiration from Scarface, Vice City follows aspiring mobster Tommy Vercetti as he climbs through the criminal underworld of 1980s Vice City (Rockstar’s fictional stand-in for Miami). Using a far more immersive open-world setting, heavier customization options, and a generally stronger story, Vice Story established itself as the first truly memorable installment in the GTA universe.

Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)

As with each title highlighted on this list thus far, Grand Theft Auto IV carried on Rockstar’s tradition of taking everything that worked in the entry before it and stretching it out to its full capacity. In the case of GTA IV, Rockstar retained the same open-world design of its predecessors, presenting an even larger map for players to wander around in between their various storyline missions.

Like all the best GTA games, GTA IV also took the time to construct an engrossing main narrative to capture and hold players’ attention. More so than other games in the series, GTA IV also favored a more realistic approach to its gameplay mechanics, as seen from its grounded approach to driving and more detailed explorable locations.

Grand Theft Auto III (2001)

As with most games of its era, the rapid technological advancements in the gaming industry have significantly dated a game like Grand Theft Auto III. In 2001, however, few players had seen a game as intricate as GTA III, the first standout GTA game Rockstar ever released.

Stabbed in the back by his scheming girlfriend, Catalina, players step into the role of silent protagonist Claude as he travels across Liberty City (a caricature of New York City), fighting his way through the city’s underworld in an avid search for his former lover. While the silent Claude doesn’t have the same personality as other, more outlandish protagonists like C.J., Trevor, or Tommy, GTA III’s larger open-world environments, 3D graphics, and approachable gameplay won most players over at the time.

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned (2009)

The first of two DLC spin-offs from GTA IV, The Lost and Damned, also feels the least like a GTA title. Sure, the gameplay and open-world settings are all there, but The Lost and Damned’s grittier atmosphere owes more to Sons of Anarchy than it does the light-hearted zaniness of every other GTA game before or since.

Occurring side-by-side to the narrative events of GTA IV and The Ballad of Gay Tony, The Lost and Damned follows GTA IV side character Johnny Klebitz and the estranged members of his biker gang, The Lost M.C. Perhaps the bleakest GTA game yet, The Lost and Damned’s tonal departure from GTA’s continuity makes it one of the most creative additions to the series’ universe (not to mention some of the best DLCs ever released).

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009)

The second DLC storyline spin-off from GTA IV, The Ballad of Gay Tony returned the GTA series to its more cartoonish roots. Compared to the self-serious nature of The Lost and Damned, The Ballad of Gay Tony’s irreverent humor allowed for another unique installment in the GTA canon – one that fans instantly adored.

Concluding the stolen diamond storyline established in GTA IV and carried over by The Lost and Damned, The Ballad of Gay Tony also does a great job constructing a central storyline that appeases every player. Though it lacks the hard-boiled edge of The Lost and Damned, it features some of the best DLC in the series.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (2009)

Liberty City Stories might have Chinatown Wars beat in terms of pure sales numbers. Still, the drastic change in gameplay in GTA’s second PlayStation Portable title blows Liberty City Stories out of the water. A creative return to the overhead format of the initial two GTA games, Chinatown Wars marks a massive improvement over its earliest predecessors.

Adhering itself more closely to handheld devices like the PSP or Nintendo DS, Chinatown Wars boasts a far more intricate gameplay structure than any of its sister titles, ensuring a game of vivid originality and sheer replayability. The resulting product turned the traditional GTA game on its head, up-ending the foremost components of GTA and twisting them around (like players destroying additional police cars to lower their “wanted level”).

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005)

Taking advantage of the novelty behind the brand-new PlayStation Portable, Rockstar green-lit a prequel to GTA III for release on the new hand-held gaming device. The decision led to Liberty City Stories, a spin-off story following GTA III’s supporting character, the ambitious gangster Toni Cipriani.

The best-selling PSP game of all time, Liberty City Stories’ limited format prevents it from rising to the same heights as other widely-released GTA games. As it is, however, Rockstar still went above and beyond to create a spin-off game that can stand on its own, providing a thorough backstory to an otherwise minor GTA character.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006)

Just as Liberty City Stories provided a feasible prologue for the events of GTA III, Vice City Stories laid out a fascinating prequel story for 2002’s Vice City. As had been the case with Liberty City Stories, Vice City Stories took a page out of its predecessor’s book, revolving its narrative around Vice Story supporting character, Vic Vance.

The Breaking Bad of the GTA universe, Vice City Stories’ overall gameplay owes much to Liberty City Stories, but its main narrative makes it an enjoyable game. Initially motivated to help his ailing brother, Vic’s criminal journey leads him into a tumultuous spiral, forcing him to deal with rival gang leaders and corrupt government agents. This nuanced narrative provides Vice City Stories an emotional edge lacking in most other GTA games of its era, predating the poignant undertones of GTA IV and GTA V.

Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)

When held up to its later entries in the GTA series, the first and second Grand Theft Auto games routinely fail to capture the same level of attention as its sequels. In point of fact, Grand Theft Auto 2 feels like a generic high-speed arcade game, doing little to evolve the tired gameplay of the original GTA.

While it’s worth pointing out GTA 2 did introduce several more minor improvements from the basic formula of Grand Theft Auto, the limited changes didn’t appease most casual gamers. A dissatisfying follow-up to an already underwhelming game, a more recent generation of gamers have forgotten it – and with good reason.

Grand Theft Auto (1997)

It’s not often a franchise’s original installment bottoms out as the worst the series has to offer, but it’s hard to describe 1997’s Grand Theft Auto as anything except mediocre. A far cry from the opulence of its later sequels, Grand Theft Auto offers little to no standout features in terms of its gameplay, environment, or characters – all trademarks fans associate with the GTA series today.

Though unremarkable, one shouldn’t overlook the emphasis Rockstar placed on players’ individual choices, GTA’s loose-knit narrative progression allowing gamers to play however they like. Such a small detail became the backbone of GTA moving forward, leading to bigger and better projects as the years went on.