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Which best GTA games are the best? There is no doubt that the Grand Theft Auto game series is well-known and beloved by millions of fans worldwide. However, not all GTA games have been a success, with early versions garnering harsh criticism. However, as with any video game franchises, not all games are made equal, and as a result, a few rotten apples are to be expected. With that said, there’s no doubting that GTA games are now of the finest quality, and Rockstar Games have undoubtedly created one of the best games on the globe!
The GTA formula is quite straightforward. All of the games in the franchise provide specific tasks to players to complete, highlighting actions such as shooting and driving across each title’s open environment. What distinguishes each GTA game is the environment, which is based on real cities from around the world. So, without further ado, here’s a ranking of the top Grand Theft Auto games of all time.
Best GTA Games
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V is at the top of the list because it is the series’ zenith in terms of design, storytelling, and technology. The game, which was released in 2013, has withstood the test of time and remains enormously popular to this day, thanks in part to its GTA Online aspect. The plot of the game adopted a novel approach for the franchise by incorporating three playable protagonists.
Michael, Trevor, and Franklin each came from different backgrounds and brought their own individual viewpoints and gaming options, keeping the experience fresh. And the stories came together in a nice way at the conclusion. GTA V dumped players into a huge environment bustling with life and things to do, locations to explore, and people to meet, set in a fictional version of Los Angeles called Los Santos and the surrounding territory known as Blaine County.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
GTA: San Andreas ranks high on our list because it was a breakthrough open-world experience when it was released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2004. The game casts you in the character of Carl “CJ” Johnson in a vast open-world based on Los Angeles and other locations. GTA San Andreas improved on previous entries by removing loading screens between locations, introducing swimming into the mix.
An RPG system in which you gain weight when you eat and must exercise to stay trim, and offering what was, at the time, a gorgeous world to explore filled with all manner of activities. We said in our review at the time that when a game tries to accomplish too many things, it might become stretched thin, but San Andreas builds on its strengths to produce an extremely impressive product overall.
Grand Theft Auto Vice City
Vice City can be summed up in one word: style. It nails a time and place better than any other GTA game, and its 1980s rendition of Miami is brimming with colour and life – where GTA 3 laid the groundwork for the series to follow, Vice City added a layer of personality on top. Ray Liotta’s fully voiced Tommy Vercetti felt like a believable character – bright and devoted – who got you hooked in his attempts to rule the city’s criminal underworld.
The city has its own pulse. Rival gangs fought in the streets, automobiles collided at intersections, and you could go inside buildings like shopping malls to make it feel more real. You could even acquire factories, clubs, or hotels if you had enough money. More ambitious missions and a broader range of weapons and vehicles elevate it above GTA 3, and the music remains one of the best in any video game.
Grand Theft Auto IV
GTA 4’s self-importance plot was mocked, but Niko’s path from nothing to hotshot was what we loved most about it. Yes, the tone alternates between tragic and ludicrous, and ostensibly emotive cutscenes are intermingled with open-world anarchy. And, yeah, your cousin Roman keeps pestering you to join him at the bowling alley.
However, by focusing more on its characters, Rockstar made us care about Niko’s story. His pursuit of the illusive American Dream had us enthralled from the time he arrived on a boat from Eastern Europe, and we couldn’t help but root for him. You could still do all the ridiculous open-world stuff, with a long list of side quests, cars to drive, and weaponry to learn.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
GTA: Chinatown Wars was developed for mobile devices such as the PSP and Nintendo DS. The game made use of the DS’s touch screen and secondary screen to provide a unique gameplay configuration. Chinatown Wars is set in Liberty City and follows Huang Lee on his travels as a member of the Triad gang. After a brief hiatus, GTA’s early top-down perspective and visual style were reinstated. Critics praised the game for being more than just a scaled-down version of GTA and for steering the series in a meaningful direction.
Grand Theft Auto 3
It’s difficult to put into words the sheer magnitude of Grand Theft Auto III’s impact upon its initial release. While the first game provided the groundwork, the third instalment launched the franchise in an exciting new path, potentially changing the way people treated video games forever. Based in a massive open-world sandbox that fostered experimentation and felt truly alive, always surprised and pleased you, no matter how long you spent with it.
Exploring the city streets was a game in and of itself, and one could lose hours doing nothing and neglecting the primary objective framework. Subsequent releases further refined the concept, but this one will be remembered for establishing a new set of norms for AAA video gaming – principles that, one could say, remain in force many years later.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
GTA: Liberty City Stories was created for the PSP and is regarded as the first 3D GTA game on the handheld system. The game is a predecessor to GTA 3 and features Tony Cipriani, a mobster trying to establish himself in the underworld. Liberty City Stories follows the standard Rockstar model of portraying a criminal’s story through numerous action-packed missions and cutscenes. The game was deemed exceptional for its time since it could capture a significant portion of the GTA experience on a handheld platform. The game is now also available on cellphones.
Grand Theft Auto: II
Grand Theft Auto II is a 1999 action-adventure video game. DMA Design created it, and Rockstar Games published it. It is the sequel to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and the second instalment in the GTA series. It was first released in 1999 for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows, with Game Boy Color and Dreamcast versions following a year later. GTA II is played from the top down, and players can explore the open environment on foot or in a vehicle of their choice.
It is available in both single-player and multiplayer modes. When GTA II was released, it garnered mixed reviews. The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) awarded the PlayStation version a “Platinum” sales award after it sold more than 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom when it was launched!
Final Words
The best GTA games are available on the market. The Grand Theft Auto franchise from Rockstar is the best-selling console franchise of all time. Grand Theft Auto V has sold more copies than any other franchise combined. The series has spent years providing players with an experience that they simply cannot obtain anyplace else. Grand Theft Auto is one of the only titles where players can go wherever and do whatever they want, and the world encourages it.