The practical answer: Grand Theft Auto does not have one continuous canon. Its games are divided into separate 2D, 3D and HD universes. For the central 3D-era story, play Vice City Stories (1984), Vice City (1986), San Andreas (1992), Liberty City Stories (1998), optional Advance (2000), then Grand Theft Auto III (2001). The HD-era route is Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), its overlapping episodes, Chinatown Wars (2009), Grand Theft Auto V (2013), and the evolving Grand Theft Auto Online. The older 2D games should remain a separate block because their fictional dates are not firmly established.
What “story order” means in GTA
A release-order marathon and a chronological playthrough answer different questions. Release order shows how the series’ design, technology and storytelling developed. Story order places each game in the year or period in which its fictional events occur.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
That distinction matters because Grand Theft Auto reuses cities, surnames and criminal organizations across continuities. Liberty City in the 3D universe is not the same historical timeline as Liberty City in the HD universe, even when both resemble a fictional New York. A character name appearing in two eras does not make those appearances one biography. Treat each universe as its own canon rather than trying to connect every protagonist into a single history.
The tables below use the fictional setting year where one is established. “Mainline” identifies a full console-era entry; “expansion” means additional story content built around another game; and “handheld side story” identifies a smaller title that is optional for understanding the principal arc.
#1 Best Overall
- Grand Theft Auto III: It all starts in Liberty City. With the revolutionary freedom to go anywhere and jack anyone, Grand Theft Auto III puts the center of the criminal underworld at your fingertips, if you have enough guts to take it.
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: Welcome to the 1980s. From the decade of big hair and pastel suits comes the story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Five years ago, Carl 'CJ' Johnson escaped the haze of Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption.
All GTA continuities at a glance
| Continuity | Story span covered here | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 2D universe | Original Grand Theft Auto, the two London expansions and GTA 2 | Keep as an early-era block; exact fictional dating is disputed. |
| 3D universe | 1984–2001 | The cleanest chronological route for the pre-HD games. |
| HD universe | 2008 onward | Begins with GTA IV, continues through its overlapping episodes, Chinatown Wars, GTA V and Online. |
The 2D universe: a separate early-era block
The first games use a different presentation and continuity from the later 3D and HD eras. Their in-fiction calendars are not settled consistently enough to assign a precise year-by-year sequence without implying certainty that the sources do not support.
- Grand Theft Auto (1997 release). This is the original top-down entry. Its fictional dates vary by source, so use it as the opening 2D-era game rather than assigning a definitive calendar year.
- Grand Theft Auto: London 1961. This expansion relocates the 2D formula to London in 1961. It is best treated as part of the London pair, not as evidence that every later GTA shares its timeline.
- Grand Theft Auto: London 1969. The second London expansion follows the same separate continuity and setting concept, this time in 1969.
- Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999 release). Its exact fictional placement is disputed. Place it at the end of your 2D block for a practical playthrough, while recognizing that this is a cataloging choice rather than a universally accepted in-world date.
If your goal is to understand the modern character-driven stories, you can stop after this historical block and begin the 3D universe. None of these four games is required to follow the later Liberty City, Vice City or Los Santos narratives.
The 3D universe in strict fictional order
This is the most useful chronological route for the pre-HD era. The sequence moves from 1984 to 2001 and follows the independent stories that establish the 3D-universe versions of Vice City, San Andreas and Liberty City.
1. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories — 1984
Set in Vice City in 1984, this prequel follows Victor “Vic” Vance as he becomes entangled in the city’s drug trade and power struggles. It establishes the earlier state of the city and leads directly into the circumstances that make Vice City possible two years later. As a prequel, it works best before Tommy Vercetti’s story if you want events in calendar order.
Rank #2
- Grand Theft Auto III: It all starts in Liberty City. With the revolutionary freedom to go anywhere and jack anyone, Grand Theft Auto III puts the center of the criminal underworld at your fingertips, if you have enough guts to take it.
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: Welcome to the 1980s. From the decade of big hair and pastel suits comes the story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile. Grand Theft Auto returns with Tommy Vercetti’s tale of betrayal and revenge in a neon-soaked tropical town full of excess and brimming with possibilities.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Five years ago, Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson escaped the haze of Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption. Now, it's the early 90s. CJ’s got to go home - his mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart, and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster.
2. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City — 1986
Two years later, Tommy Vercetti arrives in Vice City and builds his position in the cocaine and casino underworld. The 1986 setting gives the game its distinctive neon crime-film atmosphere. Playing it after Vice City Stories lets you see the same 3D-universe city after the earlier conflicts, although the two games have different protagonists and self-contained campaigns.
3. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas — 1992
San Andreas shifts to the fictional state of San Andreas in 1992. Carl “CJ” Johnson returns to Los Santos after his mother’s death and is pulled back into neighborhood, family and statewide criminal conflicts. It is not a direct continuation of Tommy Vercetti’s plot, but it belongs to the same 3D continuity and follows Vice City by six years.
4. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories — 1998
Set in Liberty City in 1998, this story centers on Toni Cipriani’s return to Leone-family crime. It shows the city before the events of Grand Theft Auto III, making it a genuine prequel rather than merely another game using the Liberty City name. Its position after San Andreas preserves the fictional calendar order.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →5. Grand Theft Auto Advance — 2000 (optional handheld side story)
Advance is a handheld side story set in Liberty City in 2000. It leads into the conditions of GTA III, but it is not necessary to understand Claude’s campaign. Include it if you want every known stop in the 3D-universe timeline; skip it if you are following the principal console releases.
Rank #3
- Grand Theft Auto III: It all starts in Liberty City
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: Welcome to the 1980s
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Five years ago, Carl 'CJ' Johnson escaped the haze of Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption.
6. Grand Theft Auto III — 2001
The 3D-universe route concludes with Claude’s betrayal and criminal ascent in Liberty City in 2001. Because Liberty City Stories and Advance establish earlier versions of the city, playing them first adds context to the criminal families and locations that GTA III presents, but the game remains fully playable on its own.
The HD universe in strict fictional order
The HD universe begins a separate history with a new version of Liberty City. Its 2008 stories overlap rather than forming a simple, start-to-finish trilogy, so the order below is a practical sequence, not a claim that every mission occurs one after another.
1. Grand Theft Auto IV — 2008
Niko Bellic arrives in Liberty City from Eastern Europe in 2008. His search for a better life and unresolved wartime history drives the main campaign. Start here: the two major episodes use the same city and intersect with events and characters from Niko’s story.
Recommended Free Tools
2. The Lost and Damned — 2008, overlapping GTA IV
This expansion follows Johnny Klebitz and The Lost Motorcycle Club during the same broad period as GTA IV. Its missions reveal the club’s internal power struggle from a different viewpoint. Because its timeline overlaps Niko’s, there is no single “day after GTA IV” placement; play it after beginning or finishing the main campaign to avoid switching protagonists before you know Liberty City’s central conflicts.
Rank #4
3. The Ballad of Gay Tony — 2008, overlapping GTA IV
The second expansion stars Luis Lopez, bodyguard and business partner to nightclub impresario Tony Prince. It occupies the same 2008 window and intersects with both Niko’s and Johnny’s worlds. A straightforward route is GTA IV, then The Lost and Damned, then The Ballad of Gay Tony; players who prefer to follow intersecting events can alternate episodes, but that requires tracking the shared chronology themselves.
4. Chinatown Wars — 2009
Huang Lee’s revenge story takes place in Liberty City in 2009, after the overlapping 2008 narratives. It is a handheld side story in the HD continuity, with its own viewpoint and gameplay structure. The familiar city does not make it a sequel to the 3D-universe Liberty City Stories; it belongs to the newer HD timeline.
5. Grand Theft Auto V — 2013
GTA V moves to Los Santos and Blaine County in 2013. Michael, Franklin and Trevor share the campaign, so the game is already designed around multiple perspectives rather than one linear protagonist. In HD-universe chronology it follows the Liberty City stories by four years and starts a new Southern California chapter.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match6. Grand Theft Auto Online — the GTA V era and beyond
GTA Online begins in the era established by GTA V and continues through later update stories. It is better understood as an evolving online narrative than as one finished campaign with a fixed final date. New content can extend the setting’s chronology, and the player-created protagonist does not have one predetermined biography comparable to Niko, Michael, Franklin or Trevor.
Best Value
- Grand Theft Auto III: It all starts in Liberty City. With the revolutionary freedom to go anywhere and jack anyone, Grand Theft Auto III puts the center of the criminal underworld at your fingertips, if you have enough guts to take it.
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: Welcome to the 1980s. From the decade of big hair and pastel suits comes the story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Five years ago, Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson escaped the haze of Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption.
One comparison table for the playable route
| Game | Fictional year | Continuity | Location | Protagonist | Format | Included in the trilogy compilation? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice City Stories | 1984 | 3D | Vice City | Victor “Vic” Vance | Prequel/main story | No |
| Vice City | 1986 | 3D | Vice City | Tommy Vercetti | Mainline | Yes |
| San Andreas | 1992 | 3D | State of San Andreas | Carl “CJ” Johnson | Mainline | Yes |
| Liberty City Stories | 1998 | 3D | Liberty City | Toni Cipriani | Prequel/side story | No |
| Advance | 2000 | 3D | Liberty City | Mike | Handheld side story | No |
| GTA III | 2001 | 3D | Liberty City | Claude | Mainline | Yes |
| GTA IV | 2008 | HD | Liberty City | Niko Bellic | Mainline | No |
| The Lost and Damned | 2008 | HD | Liberty City | Johnny Klebitz | Expansion | No |
| The Ballad of Gay Tony | 2008 | HD | Liberty City | Luis Lopez | Expansion | No |
| Chinatown Wars | 2009 | HD | Liberty City | Huang Lee | Handheld side story | No |
| GTA V | 2013 | HD | Los Santos and Blaine County | Michael, Franklin and Trevor | Mainline | No |
| GTA Online | GTA V era onward | HD | Los Santos and later update locations | Player-created character | Evolving online narrative | No |
Which order should a new player choose?
For strict chronology
Play the 2D block separately if you want the complete historical record. Then use the 3D sequence from Vice City Stories through GTA III, followed by the HD sequence from GTA IV through GTA V. Keep the 2008 expansions together as overlapping companion stories rather than trying to force them into mission-by-mission precision.
For the most accessible 3D introduction
Start with GTA III, continue to Vice City, then play San Andreas. This release-era route is easier to access and introduces the three major 3D settings without requiring the prequel or handheld entries first. Return to Vice City Stories, Liberty City Stories and Advance afterward if you want the earlier context.
For a completionist route
Use the tables as a checklist, but do not treat every title as equally essential. The expansions and handheld games add perspective and setting details; the mainline campaigns carry the primary arc for each era. Mark Advance and Chinatown Wars as optional if hardware access or control schemes are a concern.
Availability and the 3D trilogy compilation
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition bundles GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas, the three games in the accessible 3D introduction route. It also received physical console releases. The bundle does not include Vice City Stories, Liberty City Stories, Advance or any HD-universe title, so owning it does not provide the complete chronological set. Platform, regional availability and current stock can differ; check the store listing for your territory before purchasing.
Where Grand Theft Auto VI fits
Grand Theft Auto VI is officially listed for November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar describes Jason and Lucia in Vice City and the wider state of Leonida. Because the released campaign is not available at the current chronology point, its full place in the HD timeline cannot yet be established. The confirmed setting connects it thematically to Vice City, but it should not be inserted into the 1984 or 1986 3D-universe entries: those are separate continuities.
Bottom line for your playthrough
Choose a continuity before choosing a date. The 2D games form their own early block; the 3D universe runs from Vice City Stories in 1984 to GTA III in 2001; and the HD universe runs from GTA IV in 2008 through GTA V and the continuing GTA Online. If you want a shorter, widely accessible starting point, play GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas together, then move to GTA IV and its episodes before GTA V.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
