🚗Best GTA Games Ranked
Grand Theft Auto redefined open-world crime epics across three decades, with each sequel raising the bar on freedom, satire, and scale. Rankings hinge on which title delivered the most memorable heists, cities, and cultural moments. Vote to reorder the list.
What counts: Best means critical acclaim, sales impact, innovation, and replay value. List thin beyond top 10; all figures approximate.
Grand Theft Auto V▲ Rising
GTA V launched with a three-protagonist heist structure that peaked in the Paleto Score and finale, cementing its place as the series sales king. Its satirical take on modern America and seamless online transition gave it unmatched longevity.
Release Year: 2013Metacritic: 97/10Sales: 200 MMain Story Hours: 30 hrsOnline Mode: ✓
added by IJRin 10 rankingsGrand Theft Auto V
33Grand Theft Auto: Vice City▲ Rising
Tommy Vercetti's neon-soaked 80s rise featured the best radio soundtrack and Scarface-inspired empire building that felt cinematic. The boat and helicopter additions expanded gameplay dramatically.
Release Year: 2002Metacritic: 95/10Sales: 20 MMain Story Hours: 20 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJRin 2 rankings
29Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas▲ Rising
CJ's journey from Grove Street to Las Venturas delivered the biggest map yet with RPG leveling and gang territory wars that felt personal. The jetpack and train heist moments still define series freedom.
Release Year: 2004Metacritic: 95/10Sales: 27 MMain Story Hours: 35 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJRin 6 rankingsGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas
28Grand Theft Auto IV▲ Rising
Niko Bellic's immigrant story in Liberty City brought emotional weight and realistic driving physics that made chases tense. The bowling and friendship systems added rare humanity to GTA.
Release Year: 2008Metacritic: 98/10Sales: 25 MMain Story Hours: 25 hrsOnline Mode: ✓
added by IJRin 2 rankingsGrand Theft Auto IV
18Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony▲ Rising
Luis's flashy nightclub missions and parachute stunts offered the series' most over-the-top set pieces in a compact package. It fixed GTA IV's pacing while keeping the strong writing.
Release Year: 2009Metacritic: 87/10Sales: 4 MMain Story Hours: 10 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJRGrand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony
14Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories▲ Rising
Vic Vance's prequel added military bases and empire building to Vice City's neon world, delivering solid handheld missions despite hardware limits. The soundtrack and atmosphere carried it.
Release Year: 2006Metacritic: 78/10Sales: 2 MMain Story Hours: 15 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJRGrand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
14Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned▲ Rising
Johnny Klebitz's biker gang tale brought gritty realism and the best gunplay of the IV era with memorable heist and revenge arcs. It expanded the city with new areas and characters.
Release Year: 2009Metacritic: 86/10Sales: 3 MMain Story Hours: 10 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJR
12The original top-down crime spree across three cities launched the series with simple bank jobs and car theft that felt fresh in 1997. Its freedom was revolutionary for the time.
Release Year: 1997Metacritic: —Sales: 1 MMain Story Hours: 8 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJRGrand Theft Auto
11Grand Theft Auto Advance▲ Rising
The GBA entry tried top-down missions in the III map but suffered from hardware limits and weak controls, making it the weakest link for most fans.
Release Year: 2004Metacritic: 53/10Sales: 0.5 MMain Story Hours: 10 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJRGrand Theft Auto Advance
10Grand Theft Auto 2▲ Rising
The top-down sequel introduced gang respect mechanics and multiple cities with wild missions that leaned into cartoonish crime. It refined the formula before the 3D jump.
Release Year: 1999Metacritic: —Sales: 1 MMain Story Hours: 10 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJRGrand Theft Auto 2
5Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories▲ Rising
Toni Cipriani's mob rise in the III-era map added motorcycles and new districts, extending the classic Liberty City experience with stronger mission design than expected on PSP.
Release Year: 2005Metacritic: 78/10Sales: 3 MMain Story Hours: 15 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJRGrand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
4The persistent multiplayer mode evolved into a heist and business simulator with ongoing updates that outlasted the single-player campaign.
Release Year: 2013Metacritic: 80/10Sales: 150 MMain Story Hours: 100 hrsOnline Mode: ✓
added by IJRin 2 rankingsGrand Theft Auto Online
3The first expansion added a swinging London setting with new cars and missions but felt like a small DLC pack rather than a full sequel.
Release Year: 1999Metacritic: —Sales: 0.5 MMain Story Hours: 6 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJRGrand Theft Auto: London 1969
1Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Stories▼ Falling
Fan-made concept often discussed but never released; stands as placeholder for missing handheld entries in the series timeline.
Release Year: —Metacritic: —Sales: —Main Story Hours: —Online Mode: —
added by IJR
0Grand Theft Auto VI▲ Rising
The upcoming entry promises dual protagonists in Vice City-inspired setting but remains unreleased, generating hype based on trailer alone.
Release Year: 2025Metacritic: —Sales: —Main Story Hours: —Online Mode: ✓
added by IJRGrand Theft Auto VI
0Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition
The bundled IV plus episodes improved value but offered no new content beyond the original releases.
Release Year: 2010Metacritic: 90/10Sales: 5 MMain Story Hours: 45 hrsOnline Mode: ✓
added by IJRGrand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition
0Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Mobile▼ Falling
The portable version added touch features and cloud saves but faced criticism for performance on older devices.
Release Year: 2013Metacritic: 75/10Sales: 2 MMain Story Hours: 35 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJR
0Grand Theft Auto V: Enhanced Edition
The next-gen remaster added graphics and first-person but changed little in core gameplay or story.
Release Year: 2014Metacritic: 97/10Sales: 10 MMain Story Hours: 30 hrsOnline Mode: ✓
added by IJR
-1Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Huang Lee's drug empire on the DS used touch-screen mini-games and a top-down view that rewarded clever planning over chaos. It proved the GTA formula worked in handheld form.
Release Year: 2009Metacritic: 86/10Sales: 1 MMain Story Hours: 12 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJRGrand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
-2Grand Theft Auto III
The leap to 3D open world with Claude's silent rampage through Liberty City invented the modern GTA formula overnight. The bridge unlock progression created a genuine sense of expanding freedom.
Release Year: 2001Metacritic: 97/10Sales: 15 MMain Story Hours: 18 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJR
-3The smaller London follow-up added little beyond a few missions and felt like an afterthought to the first expansion.
Release Year: 1999Metacritic: —Sales: 0.3 MMain Story Hours: 4 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJRGrand Theft Auto: London 1961
-6Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars DS
The original DS version used unique stylus features for drug deals and mini-games before the iOS port simplified it.
Release Year: 2009Metacritic: 86/10Sales: 0.8 MMain Story Hours: 12 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJR
-6Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary▼ Falling
The mobile port brought the classic to touchscreens with updated controls but limited the original's impact.
Release Year: 2011Metacritic: 80/10Sales: 1 MMain Story Hours: 18 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJR
-10Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 10 Year▼ Falling
The mobile version preserved the neon atmosphere with touch controls but couldn't match the original PC experience.
Release Year: 2012Metacritic: 80/10Sales: 1 MMain Story Hours: 20 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJR
-10Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy▼ Falling
The remastered III, Vice City, and San Andreas brought classics to new platforms but suffered from bugs on launch.
Release Year: 2021Metacritic: 60/10Sales: 5 MMain Story Hours: 70 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJR
-11Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes
The combined Lost and Damned plus Ballad of Gay Tony pack delivered the best value for IV owners with two distinct story arcs.
Release Year: 2010Metacritic: 88/10Sales: 4 MMain Story Hours: 20 hrsOnline Mode: —
added by IJR
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