GRAND THEFT AUTO is one of the most successful game series of all time. Gamers wait eagerly for each edition of the game eagerly. The first GTA game was launched in 1997 and as you would expect from GTA games, creating chaos in the city was the main theme of the games. GTA 3 was launched in 2001 and was the first time people got to see characters, cars, missions, and so much more in full play. Also, GTA 3 was criticized for adult and violent content.
The criticism wasn’t enough to stop GRAND THEFT AUTO from showing violence in their game. The next 2 games; Vice City and San Andreas were huge hits. The level of violence increased but they also introduced sexual content in the game. San Andreas had better graphics and is still one of the most sold games of all time. This is the time when GTA and Rockstar studios decided to place the game under parental guidance. 18+ content was filled in the game but people seemed to like and it also received positive reviews from the critics.
After a hiatus of 4 years, GRAND THEFT AUTO 4 came out in 2008. It set a new world record as it earned over $500 million just within a week of release. The game had everything; multiplayer mode, impressive graphics, andintuitive gameplay. In 2013, Rockstar North came out with GTA 5. The game easily had the best graphics of all GTA games. As a matter of fact, it became a really popular game title amongst game streamers. Let’s take a look at each GTA game in detail.
GRAND THEFT AUTO (1997)
The first game in the franchise was literally about killing people and creating as much chaos as possible. The game was created by DMA Design and was available to play on Play Station 1, Windows, and MS-DOS. The game received average reviews from critics as there was a lack of missions in the game and people felt bored after few hours of gameplay.
GRAND THEFT AUTO: LONDON 1969 + GRAND THEFT AUTO: LONDON 1961 (1999)
This is kind of like the second game of the series. There is hardly any evolution in this game. The protagonist has to do some missions and he is driving in the neighbourhoods of London. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful game for its time. This game was developed by Rockstar Canada and was available to play on Play Station 1, Windows, and MS-DOS.
GRAND THEFT AUTO 2 (1999)
This game was again developed by DMA Design and available for playing on Play Station 1, Windows, and Dreamcast. The graphics improved but the game was still about dealing as much damage as possible. It had some mission because of which it was much appraised by game critics.
GRAND THEFT AUTO 3 (2001)
This is the turning point in GTA games. Games about dealing damage to the city were banned so GTA had to take a different approach. In 2001, GTA 3 came out and it became an instant hit among the gamers. The game had a storyline and real missions in it and for the first time, a GTA game was launched in 3D and this was game-breaking at that time. Rockstar Games developed this game and they were far ahead of the game developers at that time. It was available to play on PS2, Xbox, and Windows and received positive reviews mainly because of the graphics.
GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY (2002)
This is the time when GTA games started to gain traction. The graphics were awesome for a game launched in 2002. The only issue was that you couldn’t swim in this game. Most of the sections were taken from GTA 3 but that didn’t stop gamers from playing it and critics from giving it thumbs up. Despite sexual content, it received great reviews from critics.
GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS (2004)
This is one of the best games to come out in 2004 and probably the best GTA games of all time. Till date, people play this game. It was launched for a variety of platforms like PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, and windows. The graphics were really good, the storyline was interesting, soundtracks were catchy, and the multiplayer mode was too much fun. Also, players had access to cheat codes which doubled the fun. Game critics were very pleased with this game as it had loads of interesting missions, amazing graphics, and a bunch of mini-games.
GRAND THEFT AUTO: LIBERTY CITY STORIES (2005)
The game was setup in Liberty City and was a lot of fun. The game was available on PS2 and PSP only. The game felt incomplete and didn’t gain as much popularity like San Andreas. The graphics and gameplay improved a tiny bit but rest was similar to San Andreas. The overall reception of the game was good.
GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY STORIES (2006)
Rockstar North and Rockstar Leeds collaborated on this game. At this point, Rockstar Studios was looking a bit rushed on their games. The game was set in Vice City and was very much like the previous game. A slight improvement in graphics was seen but aside from that, there was no major improvement. This game was also launched for only PS2 and PSP.
GRAND THEFT AUTO 4 (2008)
2 years later, GTA 4 came out and the graphics were insanely good. This game looked beautiful at the time and this was the game which got many notable streamers on YouTube. The game was available on PS3, Xbox 360, and Windows. It received great reviews from IGN, Metacritic, Eurogamer, and Game Informer. This game marked the beginning of a new era of GTA games.
GRAND THEFT AUTO: THE LOST AND DAMNED + CHINATOWN WARS + THE BALLAD OF GAY TONY (2009)
Rockstar Studios was riding high on the success of GTA 4 and they completely forgot to market these games properly. Chinatown Wars was launched for mobile devices and PSP whereas the other two games were launched for PS3, Xbox 360, and Windows. They had slightly better graphics and minor improvements in the gameplay.
GRAND THEFT AUTO 5 (2013)
In 2013, GTA 5 came out and it was a masterpiece. Besides just being fun, it accelerated the growth of video games in general. The realism in the game was on a whole new level. GTA 5 was a big game from Rockstar Games after GTA 4 in 2008. Still, it is a favorite of many gamers and receives regular updates. To say the least, it’s one of the greatest games of all time.
It has been 6 years and GTA 6 is in the works. It is speculated that it is going to be the best games to come out in a really long time. Rockstar Games is taking their time to test things out and making sure that they give the best version of GTA 6 to the fans.
