Grand Theft Auto Games in Order: Every Major GTA, Platforms, Trailers & How to Play Today

This Grand Theft Auto games in order guide tracks the major GTA releases from the original 1997 top-down game through Grand Theft Auto VI, with platform history, working video references and the most practical legal ways to play each entry in 2026. The franchise spans three distinct eras — the 2D universe, the 3D universe and the HD universe — so release order is the cleanest way to see how Rockstar’s open-world technology, controls, scale and platform strategy evolved.

Research status — September 17, 2026: PCFix411 is verifying current playability against Rockstar Games and current platform support. Grand Theft Auto VI is currently scheduled for November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Older games that do not have a current first-party purchase path are identified as legacy rather than being linked to untracked downloads or storefronts.

Grand Theft Auto Games in Order — Quick Reference

Before You Start: GTA Has Three Different Universes

Grand Theft Auto does not use one uninterrupted canon from 1997 through GTA VI. The early top-down games form the 2D universe; GTA III through Vice City Stories form the 3D universe; and GTA IV, Chinatown Wars, GTA V, GTA Online and GTA VI belong to the HD universe. Locations such as Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas reappear, but their geography, characters and continuity can be reimagined between universes.

2D Universe: The Top-Down Foundation (1997–1999)

1. Grand Theft Auto (1997)

The original Grand Theft Auto established the series around open city maps, vehicle theft, police pursuit and mission-based crime from a top-down perspective. Its Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City were dramatically simpler than their later 3D counterparts, but the basic design idea — use a city as a systems-driven playground — was already in place.

Technology note: the first GTA was designed for late-1990s PC and PlayStation hardware. Rockstar’s current launcher support list does not include the original Grand Theft Auto, so this is now a legacy-hardware/legacy-media game rather than a straightforward modern digital purchase.

2. Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (1999)

London 1969 was the first GTA mission pack and transplanted the original top-down engine to a stylized 1960s London. It is historically important because Rockstar proved very early that the GTA formula could be reused with a completely different city, period and cultural identity.

How to play today: treat London 1969 as a preservation-era title. PCFix411 is not routing readers to unofficial downloads; the practical legal route is original compatible media/hardware or another legitimately owned copy.

3. Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 (1999)

London 1961 followed as a smaller PC expansion built on London 1969. It is one of the most obscure official GTA releases and is useful mainly for franchise historians because it shows how quickly the early series experimented with expansion-pack content.

Technology note: this is a legacy PC expansion rather than a modern standalone product. It should be approached as part of the original GTA preservation story, not as a title with a current native console port.

4. Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)

Grand Theft Auto 2 refined the top-down formula with denser city design, gang reputation systems and a more stylized near-future setting. It is the last major entry before GTA III transformed the franchise into a fully 3D open-world series.

How to play today: Rockstar’s current PC launcher list explicitly identifies Grand Theft Auto 2 as unsupported, so players should expect legacy hardware/media rather than a current Rockstar Launcher purchase.

3D Universe: GTA Becomes a Modern Open World (2001–2006)

5. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)

Grand Theft Auto III is the turning point that made GTA a modern open-world franchise. Liberty City moved into full 3D, missions became cinematic third-person scenarios, and driving, shooting and exploration finally occupied the same continuous world. The basic template influenced open-world design for decades.

How to play today: Rockstar currently supports GTA III through Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. Rockstar’s launcher support list also still recognizes the classic PC version.

Technology note: the Definitive Edition adds higher-resolution assets, longer draw distances and GTA V-style controls. On PS5 and Xbox Series X, Rockstar advertises 4K support with performance modes up to 60 FPS.

6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)

Vice City took GTA III’s technology and used it to build a much stronger sense of place: neon streets, motorcycles, a voiced protagonist and a soundtrack-driven 1980s identity. It also demonstrated how quickly Rockstar could expand the open-world formula without simply repeating Liberty City.

How to play today: the simplest current route is Vice City in Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition across modern PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC. The classic PC version also remains recognized by Rockstar’s launcher support system.

Why it matters in 2026: Vice City has extra relevance because GTA VI returns the franchise to a modern reimagining of Vice City in the state of Leonida.

7. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)

San Andreas dramatically expanded the scope of the 3D-era games. Instead of one city, Rockstar built an entire state around Los Santos, San Fierro, Las Venturas, countryside and desert regions. Character customization, vehicle variety, RPG-style statistics and the sheer size of the map made it the technical peak of the PS2-era GTA formula.

How to play today: San Andreas is part of the current Definitive Edition collection on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC, while Rockstar also lists the classic PC version among supported launcher titles.

Technology note: the Definitive Edition brings modern control conventions, increased draw distance and higher-resolution assets. Players choosing between classic and remastered versions should treat them as different presentations of the same game rather than assuming the remaster perfectly preserves every original visual choice.

8. Grand Theft Auto Advance (2004)

Grand Theft Auto Advance brought the series back to a top-down camera because of the Game Boy Advance’s hardware limits, but it still belongs to the 3D-universe continuity and takes place before GTA III. It translated familiar GTA systems — weapons, safe houses, vehicle missions and a Liberty City crime story — into a handheld format.

How to play today: GTA Advance remains a legacy Game Boy Advance title. There is no current native Rockstar PC or modern-console version, so legitimate access centers on original hardware and cartridges.

Technology note: this entry is a useful example of design adaptation: Rockstar Leeds preserved GTA’s mission structure and open-world feel while working around the GBA’s memory, screen and rendering limits.

9. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005)

Liberty City Stories returned to GTA III’s city but acted as a prequel starring Toni Cipriani. Its biggest technical achievement was putting a recognizable 3D Liberty City on the PSP, then later expanding to PlayStation 2 and mobile devices.

How to play today: Rockstar still maintains support information for Liberty City Stories on Android and iOS, making mobile the most straightforward current supported route. PSP and PS2 versions remain important for original-hardware collectors.

Technology note: the later mobile release added real-time lighting and shadows, upgraded textures, greater draw distance, revised touch controls and controller support compared with the original PSP-era presentation.

10. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006)

Vice City Stories is a prequel to Vice City centered on Victor Vance. It pushed the PSP-era GTA engine further with a larger business-management layer, improved lighting and another ambitious recreation of a PS2-scale city on portable hardware.

How to play today: Vice City Stories is primarily a legacy PSP/PS2 title. Rockstar still maintains a support category for it, but there is no broad current native PC or modern-console re-release comparable with The Definitive Edition.

Technology note: this is the last major 3D-universe release before GTA IV reset the franchise around a new HD engine, new physics and a substantially denser version of Liberty City.

HD Universe: GTA IV Through GTA VI (2008–2026)

11. Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)

Grand Theft Auto IV launched the HD universe and rebuilt Liberty City around Rockstar Advanced Game Engine technology, Euphoria-assisted character physics and a more grounded driving model. Niko Bellic’s story also marked a major shift toward denser environmental detail, heavier animation and a more cinematic presentation.

How to play today: on PC, Rockstar currently sells Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition, which bundles GTA IV with both major Episodes from Liberty City expansions. Older console editions remain part of the franchise’s legacy platform history.

Technology note: GTA IV’s physics-heavy simulation and dense urban design feel substantially different from GTA V. PC players should still check compatibility and performance expectations because the game comes from an older Windows-era technical stack.

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

The Lost and Damned follows biker Johnny Klebitz and uses the same Liberty City technology as GTA IV while shifting the vehicle emphasis toward motorcycles, gang activity and heavier combat. It was one of Rockstar’s earliest examples of a major story expansion sharing the same open world.

How to play today: the simplest current PC route is GTA IV: Complete Edition, where The Lost and Damned is included alongside the base game and The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Technology note: because it shares GTA IV’s engine and map, the expansion is less about new rendering technology and more about how Rockstar reused a mature city simulation for a new protagonist, vehicle focus and mission structure.

13. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (2009)

Chinatown Wars brought the HD-universe version of Liberty City to Nintendo DS using a stylized overhead presentation, then expanded to PSP and mobile. It blended touch-screen minigames, a fast mission structure and a compact open world with systems that were surprisingly deep for handheld hardware.

How to play today: Rockstar still maintains active Android and iOS support for Chinatown Wars. Mobile therefore remains the cleanest modern route, while Nintendo DS and PSP versions remain important for the original experience.

Technology note: Rockstar’s current mobile build supports modern touch controls, physical controllers and higher-resolution displays, making this one of the older GTA handheld games that still has a practical supported path in 2026.

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

The Ballad of Gay Tony closes the GTA IV trilogy through Luis Lopez and nightclub owner Tony Prince. Compared with GTA IV’s darker base campaign, it leans into higher-end nightlife, parachuting, larger explosions and more exaggerated mission design while keeping the same Liberty City foundation.

How to play today: like The Lost and Damned, The Ballad of Gay Tony is included with GTA IV: Complete Edition on PC.

Technology note: this episode shows how Rockstar stretched the same engine toward faster vehicles, air travel, larger set pieces and more spectacle without rebuilding Liberty City from scratch.

15. Grand Theft Auto V (2013)

Grand Theft Auto V moved the HD universe to Los Santos and Blaine County, introduced three switchable protagonists and created the foundation that later supported more than a decade of GTA Online development. Its huge lifespan also makes GTA V unusual: the game has moved across three console generations and multiple PC technology tiers.

How to play today: Rockstar’s current PC purchase includes both GTAV Enhanced and GTAV Legacy. Enhanced adds features previously associated with PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, while Legacy remains available for systems that do not meet the newer minimum requirements.

Technology note: Rockstar currently lists an SSD as required for GTA V Enhanced on PC, with 105GB of storage and newer GPU requirements than the Legacy edition. That makes this a title where storage and graphics hardware directly affect which version you should install.

16. Grand Theft Auto Online (2013)

Grand Theft Auto Online turned GTA V’s world into an evolving multiplayer platform. What began as shared free-roam, races and missions expanded into businesses, heists, properties, vehicles and long-running live-service systems that changed dramatically across hardware generations.

How to play today: GTA Online remains active on current platforms through the GTA V ecosystem. PC players should distinguish Enhanced from Legacy because Rockstar separated the two PC technology tracks, and progression/features can depend on version and platform.

Technology note: network quality, storage speed and current platform support matter more here than in the single-player games because GTA Online is a continuously updated service rather than a fixed 2013 release.

17. Grand Theft Auto VI (2026)

Grand Theft Auto VI returns the HD universe to Vice City and expands the setting across the state of Leonida, following Jason and Lucia. Rockstar’s current official release date is November 19, 2026.

How to play at launch: Rockstar currently lists PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar does not currently list a PC release date on the official GTA VI page, so PCFix411 is not presenting an unannounced PC launch window as fact.

Technology note: Rockstar states that Trailer 2 was captured entirely in-game from a PlayStation 5. Until final performance modes and platform specifications are fully documented, buyers should avoid assuming identical resolution, frame-rate or feature targets across PS5 and Xbox Series hardware.

Which GTA Games Are Hardest to Play Legally on Modern Hardware?

The biggest access gaps are the original Grand Theft Auto, London expansions, GTA 2, GTA Advance and Vice City Stories. Rockstar’s current launcher does not support the first GTA or GTA 2, GTA Advance remains tied to Game Boy Advance hardware, and Vice City Stories lacks the broad modern re-release enjoyed by the Definitive Edition trilogy. By contrast, GTA IV: Complete Edition, GTA V, GTA Online, Chinatown Wars mobile and Liberty City Stories mobile all have clearer supported modern routes.

Best GTA Games to Start With in 2026

GTA Hardware & Game Shopping Shortcuts

Grand Theft Auto Games in Order FAQ

Should I play GTA in release order or story order?

Release order is the better default because GTA is divided into separate universes rather than one continuous timeline. Release order also makes the technology changes much easier to understand.

Are the GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas Definitive Editions the same as the originals?

No. They preserve the underlying games but change graphics, controls and presentation. Players interested in preservation should treat the classic PC versions and Definitive Edition releases as related but distinct experiences.

Can I play GTA IV and both expansions on a current PC?

Yes. Rockstar currently sells GTA IV: Complete Edition for PC, which includes GTA IV, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Is GTA VI coming to PC on November 19, 2026?

Rockstar’s current official GTA VI page lists PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S for November 19, 2026. It does not currently list a PC release date, so any PC timing beyond that would be speculation.

Sources & Freshness

Primary current checks for this draft include Rockstar Games’ GTA VI site and store listing, Rockstar’s current Grand Theft Auto collection, the Rockstar Games Launcher supported-title list, Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition support, Grand Theft Auto V/Online current product information, GTA+ library information and Rockstar’s current Definitive Edition materials. Historical release-order details are being cross-checked before final publication.