The complete GTA timeline: Every Grand Theft Auto game so far in chronological order
Dec. 3, 2023Grand Theft Advent | Now that we have concrete date for the GTA 6 trailer, let’s remind ourselves where the series has been
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TheGTA 6trailer is coming – confirmed by Rockstar via a solitary social media image this week. So far, all we really know for certain is that theGTA 6 trailer release timeis 9am ET / 2pm UK on Tuesday, December 5. The sunset colors and palm tree silhouettes certainly suggest a return to the Miami-inspired Vice City setting – a rumor the Grand Theft Auto community has subscribed to ever since the GTA 6 leaks of last year – but we’re otherwise in the dark about, well, pretty much everything regarding the next slice of the long-standing open-world crime simulator series.
With games set in the 60s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and beyond, one of the biggest debates right now is just where GTA 6 will fit into the GTA timeline when it eventually lands. Perhaps we’ll finally get some clues about its direction soon with the impending trailer, which has just been teased with some very Vice City-like palm trees.
If you’re looking for a refresher on the GTA timeline, or you want a chronological overview of the series as we prepare for GTA 6, read on below for a full recap.
The GTA timeline in chronological order
Welcome to Grand Theft Advent – a month-long celebration of Rockstar’s enduring crime sim series. Be sure to check in on ourGTA 6 coverage hubfor more every day throughout December.
Release date:June 1, 1999Platform:PC
London 1961 is an expansion released for the original Grand Theft Auto on PC that takes place in, as the name gives away, London, England in 1961. With the signature top-down style of the early GTA games of the 2D universe, the entry is set prior to the events of the first expansion, London 1969.
Involving various missions across the streets of the city for the Cartwright gang, you can choose to play as one of eight selectable protagonists with their own default names – including the likes of Rodney Morash, Wolfie Vilans, and Winston Henry, among others.
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Release date:April 30, 1999Platform(s):PS1, PC
Fast forward eight years, and we arrive at the first expansion for the original Grand Theft Auto, which is also set in London. With 1961 acting as a kind of prequel to 1969, the latter entry was released on both PC and PS1 and also introduces a helping of new missions in the capital city at the tail end of the ’60s. You can choose from the same lineup of set protagonists found in 1961 (albeit slightly older) as you get stuck into the world of organized crime on the streets of London.
Release date:October 31, 2006Platform(s):PSP, PS2
Set in 1984 and falling under the 3D timeline, Vice City Stories first released on the PSP before eventually getting ported to the PS2. As a prequel to Vice City, Stories takes place in the same area based on real-world Miami, and follows the journey of ex-soldier Victor Vance, who sets out to build up his own criminal empire alongside his brother Lance. As a tie-in that takes place prior to Tommy Vercetti’s rise to power, Stories plays out much like Vice City, with several core missions and an open-world environment you’re free to explore. The biggest difference, though, is that Rocktar’s take on Miami looks a little different, since it takes place a few years earlier.
Ah, we can hear the tunes of Flash FM now. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City took us to the sandy beaches of a fictionalized take on Miami in 1986. Following the story of Tony Vercetti who’s newly released from prison, we’re thrown into a world of warring gangs, drugs, and bullet-fueled missions as Tony rises up to power. Complete with an excellent soundtrack of signature tunes from the ’80s, Vice City really puts you right into the era. Originally released on the PS2 and PC, it also later landed on Xbox.
Playing as Carl “CJ” Johnson, we got the chance to BMX bike our way through the fictional US state of San Andreas, which draws inspiration from California. Set in the early ’90s, the story follows CJ as he returns home from Los Santos after the murder of his mother. Now determined to go up against the gang that were responsible for his mother’s death, CJ gets caught up in the world of crime, dealing with corrupt law enforcement and plenty of action across the state. As the largest game that falls under the 3D universe, San Andreas' sense of scale is still impressive to this day.
Release date:November 28, 1997Platform(s):PC, PS1, Game Boy Color
The game that started it all. The original Grand Theft Auto had a top-down 2D format, and took place across three different cities – San Andreas, Liberty City, and Vice City – that would of course go on to serve as the backdrop for some of the later entries. Released in 1997, the game’s setting reflected the current day, which places it in the late ’90s, before it got the 60s treatment with expansions. First arriving on PC and PS1, it also later came to the Game Boy Color in 1999, and followed the story of an unnamed protagonist who helps out gangs to build up their reputation on the streets.
Release date:October 22, 1999Platform(s):PC, PS1, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast
Set in the year 2000, Grand Theft Auto Advance took us to a version of Liberty City that was made for the handheld console. Serving as a kind of prequel to GTA 3 not unlike Liberty City Stories, GTA Advance follows the story of a criminal called Mike who sets out to try and avenge his partner Vinnie who’s killed in an explosion. As Mike tries to get to the bottom of the murder, he takes on several jobs with various prominent figures in the criminal underworld of the city.
Release date:April 28, 2008Platform:PS3, Xbox 360, PC
After GTA 3 came GTA 4, the first game in the HD era of the series that built on what came before. Once again set in Liberty City, we take on the role of Niko Bellic, an Eastern-European war veteran who heads to the city to reunite with his cousin Roman. After discovering that Roman isn’t living the high life, Niko sets out to find work and gets swept up in seedy dealings in Liberty City’s underbelly. With various memorable missions and a vast open-world, it quickly became one of the biggest games to release on the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Release date(s):February 17, 2009; October 29, 2009Platform(s):Xbox 360, PC, PS3
GTA 4’s two comprehensive single-player story expansions, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, are among the best narrative outings the Grand Theft Auto series as a whole has to offer. The former focuses on the exploits of motorcycle gang member Johnny Klebitz; with the latter following the same timeline but from the perspective of nightclub promoter Anthony “Gay Tony” Prince. Both expansions unfold during the same cycle as the Grand Theft Auto 4 base game, and take place within the same Liberty City sandbox. While originally released as dedicated DLC, both titles were ultimately released standalone under the Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City package.
Release date:March 17, 2009Platform(s):PSP, Nintendo DS, iOS, AndroidSet in 2009, Chinatown Wars was another entry that took place in Liberty City. Released on the Nintendo DS and PSP, the off-shot adventure followed the story of Huang Lee, a member of the Triad who gets attacked when he sets out to deliver a sword to his uncle. Now determined to reclaim the ancestral weapon from those who stole it from him, Lee gets caught up between the rivalries and growing tensions of the triads in the city.
The ever-evolving GTA Online really is its own beast and has become massive over the past decade, with a huge player community, many updates, and a wealth of freedom to play around in the open-world setting of San Andreas. Where it sits in the timeline in terms of story-related content would put it very close to its Los Santos and Blaine County-set counterpart, GTA 5.
GTA 6 trailer predictions: Everything we hope to see on December 5
I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at GamesRadar+. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I’m not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.
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