For most new players, Grand Theft Auto V is the easiest starting point; choose Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas if you want the broadest single-player journey, Vice City for a compact 1980s crime story, or GTA IV for a darker, more realistic drama. The series has changed from top-down mission games into cinematic open worlds, but each entry has a distinct map structure, protagonist and rhythm. This guide compares the numbered games, major story spin-offs and the currently scheduled Grand Theft Auto VI so you can choose the right game in 2026.
Every major GTA game at a glance
| Game | Setting and map identity | Protagonist | Gameplay identity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto (1997) | Top-down versions of Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City | Player-defined criminal | Mission chains, driving and top-down shooting |
| GTA 2 (1999) | Retro-futurist Anywhere City | Claude Speed in promotional material; otherwise a player-controlled criminal | Top-down missions shaped by rival-gang reputation |
| GTA III (2001) | Three-island 3D Liberty City | Claude | Nonlinear missions, driving, shooting and radio satire in a landmark 3D open world |
| Vice City (2002) | 1986 tropical city of beaches, swamps, glitz and poorer districts | Tommy Vercetti | Crime-empire building, property ownership, vehicles and a strongly defined period soundtrack |
| San Andreas (2004) | 1992 state containing Los Santos, San Fierro, Las Venturas and countryside | Carl “CJ” Johnson | State-scale travel, gang warfare, character stats, swimming, flying and customization |
| Liberty City Stories (2005) | Liberty City before GTA III | Toni Cipriani | Portable-focused 3D missions and Leone-family mafia politics |
| Vice City Stories (2006) | Vice City in 1984 | Victor “Vic” Vance | Prequel missions, empire management and expanded combat and vehicle play |
| GTA IV (2008) | Dense HD-era Liberty City and Alderney | Niko Bellic | Physics-heavy driving, cover shooting, phone systems and a grounded crime drama |
| GTA IV: The Lost and Damned (2009) | GTA IV’s Liberty City and Alderney | Johnny Klebitz | Motorcycle-club story and a campaign designed to intersect GTA IV |
| GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009) | GTA IV’s Liberty City and Alderney | Luis Lopez | Nightlife, higher-impact set pieces and a more extravagant tone |
| Chinatown Wars (2009) | Stylized top-down Liberty City | Huang Lee | Compact missions, touch-oriented inventory systems and drug dealing |
| GTA V (2013) | Los Santos and Blaine County | Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton and Trevor Philips | Three switchable protagonists, heists, wilderness and urban contrast, first-person play and GTA Online |
| GTA VI (scheduled November 19, 2026) | Leonida, including Vice City, in current Rockstar materials | Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos | Planned dual-protagonist crime story; launch details remain subject to change |
Exact map-area figures are not consistently published by primary sources, so the useful comparison is structural: a compact city, several connected islands, or a whole state-sized region.
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The numbered games, in release order
Grand Theft Auto (1997): the top-down foundation
The original Grand Theft Auto presents three fictionalized locations—Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City—from a top-down viewpoint. You control a customizable criminal rather than a strongly authored hero. Missions are built around stealing vehicles, reaching locations, escaping police and completing shooting objectives, with driving and route planning doing as much work as combat.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesIts importance is less about modern convenience than design DNA. The open-ended city, radio-flavored satire and criminal mission structure established the framework later games expanded in 3D. Players who enjoy arcade-like challenge and historical context may find it rewarding; anyone expecting modern checkpoints, cinematic staging or detailed character progression should start later.
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- STUNNING VISUALS — Enhanced levels of fidelity and performance with new graphics modes featuring up to 4K resolution, up to 60 frames per second, HDR options, ray tracing, improved texture quality, and more
- FASTER LOADING — Quicker access to the action as the world of Los Santos and Blaine County load in faster than ever before.
- ADAPTIVE TRIGGERS AND HAPTIC FEEDBACK — Feel every moment through the DualSense controller, from directional damage to weather effects, rough road surfaces to explosions, and more.
- TEMPEST 3D AUDIO — Hear the sounds of the world with pinpoint precision: the throttle of a stolen supercar, the rattle of neighbouring gunfire, the roar of a helicopter overhead, and more.
- Please note that although this game is Region Free or Region Unlocked and will work on all systems, this is the European version and may differ from the local version in age rating, labeling or instructions.
GTA 2 (1999): reputation between rival gangs
GTA 2 moves to the retro-futurist Anywhere City. It remains top-down, but its defining system is faction reputation: helping one gang can make another hostile, changing which missions are available and how safely you move through neighborhoods. Promotional material used the name Claude Speed, while the game itself keeps the player character comparatively abstract.
This is the best choice for seeing the series experiment with systemic gang relationships before the fully 3D era. It is not a direct substitute for GTA III, because its camera, mission presentation and world-building remain distinctly arcade-oriented.
GTA III (2001): the 3D turning point
GTA III relocates the formula to a fully 3D Liberty City made of three islands. Claude is a silent protagonist, and the campaign opens into nonlinear mission strands as different criminal organizations recruit, betray or target him. Driving, shooting, vehicle theft and radio satire become parts of one explorable city rather than separate stages.
This is the series’ decisive transition: a living-feeling urban sandbox with cinematic storytelling and freedom to roam. Its map is smaller and more segmented than later state-scale worlds, but the three-island layout creates a clear sense of progression as bridges and districts open. Choose it when you want the historical starting point for modern 3D GTA rather than the smoothest controls.
Vice City (2002): a focused 1980s crime empire
Vice City is set in 1986 and divides its tropical metropolis into beaches, commercial districts, swamps and poorer neighborhoods. Tommy Vercetti arrives after a deal goes wrong and builds power through betrayal, revenge and property acquisition. The campaign’s defining change is ownership: buying businesses gives you new income streams and mission opportunities, turning the city into an empire-management puzzle as well as a shooting game.
Compared with San Andreas or GTA V, Vice City is more concentrated. Its compact geography, period soundtrack and neon visual identity make it easy to learn, while the property system gives progression a clear economic objective. Start here if you want the most self-contained setting and a protagonist with a direct rise-to-power arc.
San Andreas (2004): the state-scale expansion
San Andreas follows Carl “CJ” Johnson across an entire fictional state. Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas are separated by countryside, highways and smaller communities, so travel itself becomes a major activity. CJ’s mission is to save his family and reclaim influence, but the campaign continually changes location, allies and criminal scale.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIt adds role-playing-style statistics, swimming, flying, extensive vehicle variety and more character customization than its predecessors. Gang warfare, businesses and training systems make the world feel broader and more reactive. The trade-off is pacing: the game asks you to travel long distances and learn several cities instead of concentrating every mission in one urban core. Choose San Andreas for the most varied classic single-player sandbox.
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- STUNNING VISUALS — Enhanced levels of fidelity and performance with new graphics modes featuring up to 4K resolution, up to 60 frames per second, HDR options, ray tracing, improved texture quality, and more
- FASTER LOADING — Quicker access to the action as the world of Los Santos and Blaine County load in faster than ever before.
- ADAPTIVE TRIGGERS AND HAPTIC FEEDBACK — Feel every moment through the DualSense controller, from directional damage to weather effects, rough road surfaces to explosions, and more.
- TEMPEST 3D AUDIO — Hear the sounds of the world with pinpoint precision: the throttle of a stolen supercar, the rattle of neighbouring gunfire, the roar of a helicopter overhead, and more.
- Please note that although this game is Region Free or Region Unlocked and will work on all systems, this is the international version and may differ from the local version in age rating, labeling or instructions.
GTA IV (2008): dense realism and consequence
GTA IV moves to an HD-era Liberty City and neighboring Alderney, a denser and more vertically detailed urban environment than the earlier city. Niko Bellic is an immigrant seeking a new life while being pulled into organized crime, and the tone is more grounded than the bright excess of Vice City or the broad satire of San Andreas.
Driving has weight, collisions have pronounced physical reactions, and gunfights emphasize cover. Niko’s phone connects him to friends, contacts and optional social activities, making relationships part of the campaign’s structure. The city is geographically narrower than San Andreas, but its streets, traffic and interiors support a slower, more tactile style. Choose GTA IV for character drama, urban atmosphere and physics-driven driving rather than maximum map variety.
GTA V (2013): three protagonists and planned spectacle
GTA V combines Los Santos with Blaine County, placing a dense city beside mountains, desert, farmland and coastline. Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton and Trevor Philips have separate motivations and skill sets, and you can switch between them during free roam or at scripted points. Their stories converge around heists that let you choose crews and approaches, giving the campaign a planning layer absent from earlier entries.
The game broadens its audience with optional first-person play, a wide range of vehicles and a strong contrast between urban missions and wilderness exploration. GTA Online adds a separate persistent multiplayer component; it should not be confused with the structure of the single-player campaign. Start with GTA V if you want the most immediately accessible controls, the largest mix of activities in one release and a choice of three contrasting leads.
How the maps differ
Single city versus multiple islands
GTA III and GTA IV both use Liberty City, but they represent different design philosophies. GTA III’s three islands create a progression from locked districts to a fully connected metropolis. GTA IV’s Liberty City and Alderney are denser and more simulation-oriented, with traffic, physics and street-level detail taking priority over empty space.
A period city built for ownership
Vice City is geographically compact, yet its beaches, bridges, swamps and industrial areas feel distinct because the 1986 setting is central to every district. Property purchases make map knowledge practical: businesses are not just scenery but anchors for the campaign’s progression.
A whole-state travel model
San Andreas is the clearest geographic expansion in the classic series. Its three major cities and countryside require aircraft, boats, highways and long road trips. The result is the broadest variety of environments in one traditional single-player campaign, although missions can involve more travel between objectives.
Urban-rural contrast
GTA V combines a highly developed Los Santos with Blaine County’s mountains, desert and coastline. That contrast supports heists in dense neighborhoods, high-speed freeway chases, off-road driving and aerial exploration without changing games.
Rank #3
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- STUNNING VISUALS: Enhanced levels of fidelity and performance with new graphics modes featuring up to 4K resolution, up to 60 frames per second, HDR options, ray tracing, improved texture quality, and more
- FASTER LOADING: Quicker access to the action as the world of Los Santos and Blaine County load in faster than ever before
- ADAPTIVE TRIGGERS & HAPTIC FEEDBACK: Feel every moment through the DualSense controller, from directional damage to weather effects, rough road surfaces to explosions, and more
- TEMPEST 3D AUDIO: Hear the sounds of the world with pinpoint precision: the throttle of a stolen supercar, the rattle of neighboring gunfire, the roar of a helicopter overhead, and more
Leonida and the next scale question
Rockstar’s current GTA VI materials identify Leonida, including Vice City, as the setting. The planned return to Vice City does not mean it is the same map as the 1986 game: the period, technology and geographic scope are different, and the final launch content can still change before the scheduled November 19, 2026 release date.
Protagonists, tone and story structure
| Game or group | Lead structure | What that means for the player |
|---|---|---|
| GTA and GTA 2 | Player-defined or lightly defined criminals | Systems and mission choice matter more than character drama |
| GTA III | Claude, a silent criminal operator | The city’s factions and mission escalation provide the narrative momentum |
| Vice City | Tommy Vercetti | A direct rise-from-outsider-to-kingpin story with empire ownership |
| San Andreas | CJ, a family-driven protagonist | Personal loyalty, gang politics and travel across a state shape progression |
| GTA IV | Niko Bellic | A grounded, consequence-focused crime drama centered on relationships and survival |
| GTA V | Michael, Franklin and Trevor | Switching viewpoints supports heists, contrasting personalities and parallel storylines |
| GTA VI | Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos | A planned dual-protagonist structure; final details depend on the released game |
Gameplay systems: what changes from game to game
- Mission progression: the first two games emphasize repeatable top-down objectives; GTA III introduces nonlinear mission strands; Vice City adds property-led progression; San Andreas layers in stats and gang systems; GTA IV focuses on authored drama; GTA V builds its campaign around multi-character heists.
- Driving and shooting: early games are arcade-like; GTA III establishes the modern third-person combination; GTA IV makes vehicle mass and collisions conspicuous; GTA V delivers a more accessible, faster-feeling balance.
- Character development: San Andreas is the most RPG-like among the classic entries, with stats, training and customization. GTA V instead differentiates three fixed protagonists.
- Economic systems: Vice City’s property ownership and San Andreas’ businesses turn money into progression. GTA V uses heist planning and crew selection as its major strategic layer.
- Viewpoint: GTA, GTA 2 and Chinatown Wars use top-down or stylized overhead presentation. The main 3D games use third-person play; GTA V also offers a first-person option.
- Online play: GTA V is the only game in this comparison with the separately branded GTA Online component. The older campaigns are primarily single-player experiences.
Are GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas connected?
Yes. GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas belong to the same broad 3D-era continuity and reuse locations, criminal organizations and supporting characters. Their stories are not one uninterrupted campaign: Vice City is set in 1986, San Andreas in 1992 and GTA III in 2001, so each works as a standalone entry with its own protagonist and central conflict.
The strongest connection is thematic and institutional. The games revisit Liberty City, Vice City and Los Santos in different periods, showing how criminal networks and neighborhoods change. Playing them in release order makes the technological and design progression easiest to appreciate; playing them chronologically gives you Vice City, San Andreas, then GTA III.
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Where the major spin-offs fit
Liberty City Stories
Liberty City Stories is a prequel to GTA III centered on Toni Cipriani and the Leone family. Its Liberty City is familiar but earlier in the timeline, and its missions were designed around portable-focused 3D play. It is the clearest companion to GTA III if you want more of the Leone underworld before Claude arrives.
Vice City Stories
Vice City Stories takes place in 1984, before Vice City’s 1986 story, and follows Victor “Vic” Vance. Its empire-management structure expands on the business ownership idea while adding new combat and vehicle situations. Play it after Vice City to see the same city at an earlier stage, or before it for chronological order.
GTA Advance
GTA Advance is a portable-era prequel connected to Liberty City’s criminal world. Its presentation and mission scale are closer to the handheld side of the series than to the full 3D console entries, so it is best treated as a historical side chapter rather than a replacement for GTA III.
Chinatown Wars
Chinatown Wars returns to Liberty City in a stylized top-down view and follows Huang Lee. Its compact missions, touch-oriented inventory and drug-dealing economy make it mechanically distinct from GTA IV despite sharing the city. It is a good choice for players who prefer efficient missions and overhead strategy.
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The Lost and Damned
This GTA IV episode follows Johnny Klebitz and his motorcycle club. It uses the same Liberty City and Alderney but shifts the focus to club loyalty, biker combat and a story that intersects with events from GTA IV.
Rank #4
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The Ballad of Gay Tony
The Ballad of Gay Tony stars Luis Lopez, a nightclub manager and bodyguard. Its missions lean toward nightlife, high-impact set pieces and a more extravagant tone than GTA IV’s main campaign. Together, the two episodes show how one city can support different protagonists and genres without requiring a new map.
Which GTA game should you start with?
Choose GTA V for the easiest all-round entry
GTA V has the most approachable modern control scheme, three protagonists who demonstrate different kinds of missions, a varied Los Santos-and-Blaine-County map and heists that explain the series’ signature spectacle. It is the safest first purchase when you want one game that covers driving, shooting, exploration and story variety.
Choose San Andreas for maximum classic breadth
San Andreas is the better starting point if map variety, customization, gang systems and a long journey across multiple cities matter more than modern presentation. Expect more travel and older mission design than in GTA V.
Choose Vice City for a concise, strongly themed campaign
Vice City is ideal for players who want a focused 1980s setting, a clear rise-to-power narrative and business ownership without a state-sized map.
Choose GTA IV for grounded storytelling
GTA IV is the pick for players who value a serious urban crime drama, weighty driving and relationship systems. Its mood is deliberately less playful and its world is denser rather than geographically broader.
Choose GTA III to study the series’ turning point
Start with GTA III when you want to understand how the modern 3D formula began. Its age shows in mission design and controls, but its three-island structure and open-ended crime sandbox remain foundational.
What should you buy in 2026?
The clearest way to get the three classic 3D-era campaigns together is Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition. The bundle includes GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas with updated lighting, textures, draw distances and GTA V-style controls. Rockstar documents a physical Xbox edition; availability, edition and region should be checked on the live retailer or platform listing before purchase.
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A practical play order
- Modern-first order: GTA V, then GTA IV, then San Andreas, Vice City and GTA III. This starts with the most accessible controls and moves backward through the series’ design history.
- Release order: Grand Theft Auto, GTA 2, GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, GTA IV, GTA V, then the major spin-offs. Use this to see each mechanical leap as it happened.
- 3D-universe chronological order: Vice City Stories (1984), Vice City (1986), San Andreas (1992), Liberty City Stories (before GTA III), then GTA III (2001). Add GTA IV and its episodes afterward as the HD-era continuation.
There is no required order for understanding the individual campaigns. Release order is best for appreciating innovation; modern-first order is best for avoiding a difficult first encounter with older controls.
Quick Recap
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