Play Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended
0 / 15 playedAll main games and major expansions in release order, grouped by era. Release matches story order closely, since each era resets continuity.
2D era
- 1 Grand Theft Auto
- 2 Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 Expansion. Includes the free London 1961 mission pack.
- 3 Grand Theft Auto 2 Set in Anywhere City. Standalone.
3D era
- 4 Grand Theft Auto III
- 5 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- 6 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- 7 Grand Theft Auto Advance Game Boy Advance prequel to GTA III.
- 8 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories PSP prequel set in 1998 Liberty City.
- 9 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories PSP prequel set in 1984 Vice City.
HD era
- 10 Grand Theft Auto IV
- 11 Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City Includes The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. Both run parallel to GTA IV.
- 12 Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
- 13 Grand Theft Auto V
- 14 Grand Theft Auto Online Launched October 1, 2013. Still updated in 2026.
- 15 Grand Theft Auto VI Dated November 19, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Unreleased as of September 17, 2026. Set in Leonida with Lucia and Jason.
About Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto splits into three continuities: the top-down 2D games from 1997 to 1999, the 3D PS2 era from GTA III to Vice City Stories, and the HD era from GTA IV onward. Stories rarely carry over, so release order matches story order closely enough for a single play order list grouped by era.
This play order lists 15 entries from the 1997 original through GTA Online, with GTA VI as a dated future entry. New players can start with GTA V or San Andreas and still follow everything.
Good to know
Newcomers should start with Grand Theft Auto V. It is cheap, runs on every modern platform, and its three-protagonist structure previews the Leonida setting of VI without requiring older games.
GTA VI is dated November 19, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with pre-orders from June 25, 2026. It was unreleased as of September 17, 2026, after delays announced May 2, 2025 and November 6, 2025. No PC or Switch 2 version has been announced. The free London 1961 mission pack is folded into the London 1969 entry.
