There are 18 Grand Theft Auto releases counting expansions, handheld games, GTA Online and the 2021 Trilogy remaster, starting with the original Grand Theft Auto in 1997 and running to Grand Theft Auto VI, whose release date is November 19, 2026. In story order the series splits into three separate timelines: the top-down games, the 3D games of the PS2 and PSP years (set between 1984 and 2001), and the HD games from GTA IV onward (set from 2008).
Below are both orders, the platforms each game first came out on, how the three timelines fit together, where to play every game now, and the order we’d play them in. If you want every Rockstar game, not just GTA, our list of all Rockstar games in order covers Red Dead, Max Payne, Bully and the rest.
Every GTA Game in Release Order
| # | Game | Year | Original platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Theft Auto | 1997 (Europe), 1998 (North America) | PC, PlayStation |
| 2 | Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (expansion) | 1999 | PC, PlayStation |
| 3 | Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 (free expansion) | 1999 | PC |
| 4 | Grand Theft Auto 2 | 1999 | PC, PlayStation |
| 5 | Grand Theft Auto III | 2001 | PlayStation 2 |
| 6 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | 2002 | PlayStation 2 |
| 7 | Grand Theft Auto Advance | 2004 | Game Boy Advance |
| 8 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | 2004 | PlayStation 2 |
| 9 | Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories | 2005 | PSP |
| 10 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories | 2006 | PSP |
| 11 | Grand Theft Auto IV | 2008 | PS3, Xbox 360 |
| 12 | GTA IV: The Lost and Damned (expansion) | 2009 | Xbox 360 |
| 13 | Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars | 2009 | Nintendo DS |
| 14 | GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (expansion) | 2009 | Xbox 360 |
| 15 | Grand Theft Auto V | 2013 | PS3, Xbox 360 |
| 16 | Grand Theft Auto Online | 2013 | PS3, Xbox 360 (part of GTA V) |
| 17 | Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy, The Definitive Edition (remaster) | 2021 | PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC |
| 18 | Grand Theft Auto VI | 2026 (November 19) | PS5, Xbox Series X|S |
Most of these moved to other systems later. GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas reached PC and the original Xbox, the two PSP games came to PS2, and GTA V has been re-released three times. The era sections below list where each one went.
Every GTA Game in Story Order
Story order only works inside each timeline, because the three never cross (more on that in the next section). These are the years each story is set in.
The top-down games
| Game | Set in |
|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 | 1961 |
| Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 | 1969 |
| Grand Theft Auto | No year given |
| Grand Theft Auto 2 | No year given (a futuristic-looking city) |
The 3D games
| Game | Set in |
|---|---|
| Vice City Stories | 1984 |
| Vice City | 1986 |
| San Andreas | 1992 |
| Liberty City Stories | 1998 |
| GTA Advance | 2000 |
| GTA III | 2001 |
The HD games
| Game | Set in |
|---|---|
| GTA IV, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony | 2008 (the three stories overlap) |
| Chinatown Wars | 2009 |
| GTA V | 2013 |
| GTA Online | 2013 onward |
GTA VI is set in a modern-day Leonida, but Rockstar hasn’t given it a year or placed it in a timeline. Its own pages use the same car makers as GTA V, which points to the HD world.
The 3D timeline is the one that changes most from release order: the two PSP games and GTA Advance are prequels, so the game that came out first, GTA III, is the last story in its timeline.
The Three GTA Timelines, Explained
Rockstar keeps the eras apart on purpose. Dan Houser, Rockstar’s co-founder and lead writer on the series, put it plainly in 2012, while GTA V was being revealed: “The five PS2 games are one universe, and this is the high definition universe, so they don’t co-exist. You wouldn’t ever see CJ or Tommy Vercetti. They would be like mythical characters in this world who never existed.”
The five PS2 games are GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories. GTA Advance, a Game Boy Advance story set in GTA III’s Liberty City a year earlier, sits with them. The HD timeline starts with GTA IV, and GTA V shares it: GTA IV characters such as Johnny Klebitz, the lead of The Lost and Damned, turn up in GTA V. Chinatown Wars uses GTA IV’s version of Liberty City, so it sits with the HD games too. The top-down games came first and share only city names (Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City) with what followed.
That is why the same city can appear in different forms. The Liberty City of GTA III and the Liberty City of GTA IV are separate places in separate timelines, and so are San Andreas’ Los Santos and GTA V’s. For how GTA VI fits, see the GTA VI section below.
The Top-Down Era
Grand Theft Auto (1997) is the original: a top-down crime sandbox across three cities, Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City, made by DMA Design, the Scottish studio that became Rockstar North. It came out on PC and PlayStation, then on Game Boy Color.
London 1969 and London 1961 (1999) move the action to swinging-sixties London. London 1969 was an expansion for PC and PlayStation, and London 1961 a free download for the PC version.
Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999) is the last top-down numbered game, set in a futuristic-looking Anywhere City where seven gangs compete for your respect. It came out on PC and PlayStation, then on Dreamcast and Game Boy Color.
None of the top-down games is sold today, so playing them means an original copy.
The 3D Era
GTA III (2001) took the series into 3D: Claude, a silent criminal left for dead, works his way through Liberty City. It started on PS2, then came to PC in 2002 and Xbox later. Start with the GTA 3 cheats and how to fly the Dodo.
Vice City (2002) is Tommy Vercetti’s rise through 1986 Vice City, the series’ Miami. PS2 first, then PC and Xbox. Our guides cover how to progress the story and every hidden package.
GTA Advance (2004) is a top-down Game Boy Advance game with a new story, set in GTA III’s Liberty City a year before that game. It isn’t sold today.
San Andreas (2004) follows Carl “CJ” Johnson home to Los Santos in 1992, across a whole state with three cities. PS2 first, then PC and Xbox in 2005. See every San Andreas cheat and how to save your game.
Liberty City Stories (2005) is a PSP prequel to GTA III, set in 1998, starring Toni Cipriani, a Leone family mobster who also hands out jobs in GTA III. It later came to PS2 and phones.
Vice City Stories (2006) is a PSP prequel to Vice City, set in 1984 and starring soldier Vic Vance, whose brother Lance is Tommy’s partner in Vice City. It later came to PS2.
Where to play the 3D games now: GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas are in Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy, The Definitive Edition, the 2021 remaster for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch and PC. Liberty City Stories is sold on iOS and Android. Vice City Stories and GTA Advance need original copies.
The HD Era
GTA IV (2008) brings Niko Bellic to a rebuilt Liberty City, chasing the fortune his cousin Roman promised him. PS3 and Xbox 360 first, then PC later in 2008. Our guides explain the best ending and list the best GTA 4 mods.
The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009) are GTA IV’s two expansions, following biker Johnny Klebitz and Luis Lopez, assistant to nightclub owner Gay Tony, through the same city at the same time as Niko. Both came to Xbox 360 first, then PS3 and PC in 2010 as Episodes from Liberty City. Our guide explains how to start the GTA 4 DLC.
Chinatown Wars (2009) returns to a top-down view in a cel-shaded style: Huang Lee comes to Liberty City to deliver his murdered father’s sword. Nintendo DS first, then PSP and phones.
GTA V (2013) follows Michael, Franklin and Trevor through a run of heists across Los Santos and Blaine County. It came to PS3 and Xbox 360, then PS4 and Xbox One (2014), PC (2015), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S (2022) and an Enhanced PC version (2025). Our guides cover what year GTA 5 is set in and how to switch characters.
GTA Online (2013) shipped as part of GTA V and has been updated ever since with new businesses, heists and weekly events. Our guides cover current events such as every peyote plant.
Where to play the HD games now: GTA V and GTA Online are on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. GTA IV is sold on PC as the Complete Edition, which includes both expansions, and the Xbox 360 version plays on modern Xbox consoles through backward compatibility. Chinatown Wars is sold on iOS and Android.
Grand Theft Auto VI
Release date: November 19, 2026. Platforms: PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Grand Theft Auto VI follows Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, who, in Rockstar’s words, “find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America” after an easy score goes wrong, across the state of Leonida, home to Vice City. It is the first numbered GTA since GTA V in 2013.
In story order it stands on its own: it has new leads in a new state, Rockstar hasn’t given it a year, and Rockstar hasn’t said which timeline it belongs to. Its pages share GTA V’s car makers and nod to 2002’s Vice City, and our guide to whether GTA 6 is connected to GTA 5 goes through every link. Our guides to what time it unlocks and every character Rockstar has revealed are the place to start, and every GTA VI guide is on our GTA 6 hub.
Which Order to Play the GTA Games In
You don’t need to play any GTA in order. Every numbered game starts a new story with new leads, so start with the era that appeals. If you do want to play through a timeline, this is the order we’d pick:
- The 3D games in release order: GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, then Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories. The prequels lean on knowing the originals (Toni Cipriani’s later role, Vic Vance’s fate), so they land better afterwards.
- The HD games: GTA IV, then The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony (they cross paths with Niko’s story), then GTA V. Chinatown Wars is optional.
- GTA VI whenever you like: it doesn’t need GTA V.
The top-down games are history more than a starting point, and they are hard to buy now. For which games are worth your time first, our ranking of the best GTA games picks a top five, and our GTA hub collects every guide we have for the series.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many GTA games are there? Eight main games, counting GTA VI: Grand Theft Auto, GTA 2, GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, GTA IV, GTA V and GTA VI. Add the expansions, the handheld games, GTA Online and the Trilogy remaster and there are 18 releases.
What was the first GTA game? Grand Theft Auto, a top-down game from DMA Design (now Rockstar North), released in Europe in 1997 and in North America in 1998.
What is the GTA timeline in order? In the 3D timeline: Vice City Stories (1984), Vice City (1986), San Andreas (1992), Liberty City Stories (1998), GTA Advance (2000) and GTA III (2001). In the HD timeline: GTA IV and its two expansions (2008), Chinatown Wars (2009), GTA V (2013) and GTA Online (2013 onward). Rockstar hasn’t given GTA VI a year.
Are all GTA games connected? No. Rockstar treats the 3D games and the HD games as separate universes, so their characters never meet, and the top-down games share only city names with the rest.
Which GTA games are on Nintendo Switch? GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas, in the Definitive Edition trilogy. GTA VI’s platforms are PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, as our guide to GTA 6 on PS4, Xbox One and Switch 2 explains.
When is GTA 6’s release date? November 19, 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Our release time guide has the unlock hour for every region.