Grand Theft Auto: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Video game series}}

[[Image:GTA Logo.jpg|thumb|200px|The current design of the ''Grand Theft Auto'' logo. The logo has been in use in the series since ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' (2001); the upcoming ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'' (2007) is also adopting the same logo design at present.]]

{{About|the video game series|the crime|Motor vehicle theft|the first game in the series|Grand Theft Auto (video game){{!}}''Grand Theft Auto'' (video game)|other uses|Grand theft auto (disambiguation){{!}}Grand theft auto}}

'''''Grand Theft Auto''''' ('''''GTA''''') is a [[video game]] series created and primarily developed by [[Scotland|Scottish]] developer [[Rockstar North]] (formerly [[DMA Design]]), published by [[Rockstar Games]] and debuted in [[1998 in video gaming|1998]]. It includes seven [[stand-alone]] games and two expansion packs for the original, ''GTA: London 1969'' and ''GTA: London 1961''. ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' and subsequent games in the series have been best-selling blockbusters which have also gained critical acclaim, including several game of the year awards from various sources. In addition, the series has emerged as being so popular and profitable that a long list of Hollywood stars have lent their voices to the games. Gangster film veterans such as [[Michael Madsen]], [[Samuel L. Jackson]], [[James Woods]], [[Joe Pantoliano]], [[Frank Vincent]], [[Robert Loggia]] and [[Ray Liotta]] have all voiced major characters. The names of the series and its games are derived from "grand theft auto", a term referring to [[motor vehicle theft]].

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{{Use British English|date=February 2022}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Infobox video game series

| title = Grand Theft Auto

| image = Grand Theft Auto logo series.svg

| alt = Grand Theft Auto logo

| caption = Logo since ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' (2001)

| genre = [[Action-adventure game|Action-adventure]]

| developer = {{Plainlist|

* [[Rockstar North]]

* [[Digital Eclipse]]

* [[Rockstar Leeds]]

* [[Rockstar Canada]]

}}

| publisher = [[Rockstar Games]]

| creator = {{Plainlist|

* [[David Jones (video game developer)|David Jones]]<ref name="Edge-DavidJones">[http://www.edge-online.com/news/david-jones-returns-apb David Jones Returns To APB – Edge Magazine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924062328/http://www.edge-online.com/news/david-jones-returns-apb/ |date=24 September 2014 }}. Edge-online.com (12 May 2011). Retrieved on 6 September 2012.</ref>

* [[Mike Dailly (game designer)|Mike Dailly]]<ref name="Dailly"/>

}}

| platforms = {{Plainlist|

* [[Dreamcast]]

* [[Fire OS]]

* [[Game Boy Advance]]

* [[Game Boy Color]]

* [[Android (operating system)|Android]]

* [[iOS]]

* [[macOS]]

* [[MS-DOS]]

* [[Nintendo DS]]

* [[Nintendo Switch]]

* [[Quest 2]]

* [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]

* [[PlayStation 2]]

* [[PlayStation 3]]

* [[PlayStation 4]]

* [[PlayStation 5]]

* [[PlayStation Portable]]

* [[Windows]]

* [[Windows Phone]]

* [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]]

* [[Xbox 360]]

* [[Xbox One]]

* [[Xbox Series X/S]]

}}

| first release version = ''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]''

| first release date = 28 November 1997

<!-- The "latest release" fields below are only used for new GTA titles, not ports of the previous games; see [[Template:Infobox video game series#Release version fields]] -->

| latest release version = ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition]]''

| latest release date = 11 November 2021

}}

'''''Grand Theft Auto''''' ('''''GTA''''') is an [[action-adventure video game]] series created by [[David Jones (video game developer)|David Jones]] and [[Mike Dailly (game designer)|Mike Dailly]].<ref name="Dailly">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-10-22-gta-max-clifford-made-it-all-happen|title=GTA: "Max Clifford made it all happen"|publisher=GamesIndustry.biz|date=22 October 2012|access-date=22 June 2013|archive-date=2 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602070838/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-10-22-gta-max-clifford-made-it-all-happen|url-status=live}}</ref> Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers [[Dan Houser|Dan]] and [[Sam Houser]], [[Leslie Benzies]] and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily developed by British development house [[Rockstar North]] (formerly DMA Design), and published by its American parent company, [[Rockstar Games]]. The name of the series is a term for [[motor vehicle theft]] in the United States.

== Series overview ==

The games allow the player to take on the role of a [[Crime|criminal]] in a big city, typically a lowly individual who rises in the ranks of [[organized crime]] over the course of the game. Various missions are set for completion by the figureheads of the city underworld, generally criminal, which must be completed to progress through the storyline. [[Bank robbery|Bank robberies]], [[assassination]]s and other crimes feature regularly, but occasionally [[taxicab|taxi]] driving, [[firefighting]], [[pimp]]ing, [[street racing]], or learning to fly an [[fixed-wing aircraft|airplane]] are also involved as alternate adventures, which can be done at any time during the game, with the exception of the periods performing main missions.

[[Gameplay]] focuses on an [[open world]] where the player can complete missions to progress an overall story, as well as [[Nonlinear gameplay|engage in various side activities]]. Most of the gameplay revolves around driving and shooting, with occasional [[role-playing video game|role-playing]] and [[Stealth game|stealth]] elements. The series also has elements of the earlier [[beat 'em up]] games from the [[History of video game consoles (fourth generation)|16-bit era]]. The games in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series are set in fictional locales modelled after real-life cities, at various points in time from the early 1960s to the 2010s. The original game's map encompassed three cities—Liberty City (based on [[New York City]]), San Andreas (based on [[San Francisco]]),{{efn|In later games, San Andreas is depicted as a state, mostly based on [[California]] and [[Nevada]], while a new city based on San Francisco, San Fierro, is instead featured. Two additional cities, Los Santos (based on [[Los Angeles]]) and Las Venturas (based on [[Las Vegas]]) also exist in the state of San Andreas.|name=|group=}} and Vice City (based on [[Miami]])—but later titles tend to focus on a single setting and expand upon the original three locales. Each game in the series centres on different respective [[protagonist]] who attempts to rise through the criminal underworld due to various motives, often accompanying themes of betrayal. Several film and music veterans have voiced characters in the games, including [[Ray Liotta]], [[Dennis Hopper]], [[Samuel L. Jackson]], [[William Fichtner]], [[James Woods]], [[Debbie Harry]], [[Axl Rose]] and [[Peter Fonda]].<ref name="TakeTwo2011Sep">{{cite web |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=14 September 2011 |title=''Grand Theft Auto IV'' Passes 22M Shipped, Franchise Above 114M |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/37228/Grand_Theft_Auto_IV_Passes_22M_Shipped_Franchise_Above_114M.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912180203/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/37228/Grand_Theft_Auto_IV_Passes_22M_Shipped_Franchise_Above_114M.php |archive-date=12 September 2015 |access-date=21 September 2011 |website=[[Gamasutra]]}}</ref>

In later titles, notably those released after ''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]'', the player is given a more in depth storyline, in which they are forced to overcome an event where they are either backstabbed and left for dead by someone they know, or experienced an unfortunate event. This served as a motivation for the character to advance in the criminal ladder, and eventually leads to the triumph of the character by the end of the storyline.

[[DMA Design]] began the series in 1997, with the release of the [[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|''Grand Theft Auto'']]. {{As of|2020|}}, the series consists of seven standalone titles and four [[expansion pack]]s. The third main title, ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'', released in 2001, is considered a landmark game, and brought the series into a [[3D computer graphics|three-dimensional]] environment for the first time. Subsequent titles have followed and built upon the format established by ''Grand Theft Auto III'', receiving significant acclaim. The games influenced other open-world games, and led to the label [[Grand Theft Auto clone|''Grand Theft Auto'' clone]] on similar titles.<ref name="OpenWorld">{{cite web|url=https://www.theringer.com/2021/10/22/22737333/grand-theft-auto-gta-rockstar-open-world-assassins-creed|title= After 'Grand Theft Auto III,' Open-World Games Were Never (and Always) the Same|last=Gordon|first=Jeremy|date=22 October 2021|website=[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]]|access-date=28 July 2023|archive-date=2 June 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230602220012/https://www.theringer.com/2021/10/22/22737333/grand-theft-auto-gta-rockstar-open-world-assassins-creed|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''Grand Theft Auto'' series is notable for the large amount of freedom given to the player in deciding what to do and how to do it through different methods of transport and weapons. Unlike most action games, which are structured as a single track series of levels with [[linear gameplay]], in ''GTA'' the player can pick and choose which missions they want to undertake, and their relationships with various powers are changed based on these choices. The vast cities of the games can also be roamed freely at any point in the game, offering many accessible buildings and minor missions. There are exceptions: Missions follow a linear, overarching plot, and some city areas must be unlocked over the course of the game.

The series has been critically acclaimed, with all the main 3D entries in the franchise frequently ranked among the [[List of video games considered the best|greatest]] and [[List of best-selling video games|best-selling video games]];<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/sep/19/50-best-video-games-of-the-21st-century |title=The 50 best video games of the 21st century |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=19 September 2019 |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=22 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922192039/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/sep/19/50-best-video-games-of-the-21st-century |url-status=live }}</ref> it has shipped almost 450 million units, making it one of the [[best-selling video game franchises]]. In 2006, ''Grand Theft Auto'' was featured in a list of British design icons in the Great British Design Quest organised by the [[BBC]] and the [[Design Museum]].<ref name="British design icons"/> In 2013, ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' ranked ''Grand Theft Auto'' among Britain's most successful exports.<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news|title=GTA 5: a Great British export|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/10316267/GTA-5-a-Great-British-export.html|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=17 September 2015|access-date=5 April 2018|archive-date=13 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413010138/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/10316267/GTA-5-a-Great-British-export.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The series has also been [[Video game controversies|controversial]] for its [[Adult video game|adult]] nature and violent themes, as well as for [[cut content]].

''Grand Theft Auto III'' and subsequent games have been notable for their storylines, high quality of voice acting, and "[[radio station]]s," which simulate driving to music with satirizing [[Disc jockey|DJ]]s, radio personalities, [[advertising|commercial]]s, [[talk radio]], [[popular music]], and American culture. All of this is seamlessly integrated in the realistic setting of a dysfunctional urban environment which parodies a real-life city. Players also often cite the music and humor of the series in explaining its appeal.

== Series history ==

The game's influence on [[teen]]agers and [[adult]]s alike has created a "[[cult]]" scene of GTA fans that see past the merits of the game itself and appreciate the [[retro]] feel and the ''good-old-days'' vibe the game emanates. People remember or imagine the time the games are set in and can enjoy the music, the atmosphere, the fashion, the slang and the cities from their favorite decade, such as the 1980s or early 1990s.

=== Main series ===

The use of vehicles in an explorable urban environment provides a basic simulation of a working city, complete with pedestrians who obey traffic signals. Further details are used to flesh out an open-ended atmosphere that has been used in several other games, such as ''[[The Simpsons Hit & Run]]'' and the ''[[True Crime: Streets of LA|True Crime]]'' series, which have less emphasis on crime or violence. Some compare this to open-ended RPGs such as ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' series, and foresee action games using a similar design.

{{Timeline of release years

| subtitle = {{legend0|#da1824}}{{legend0|#FE2020}} 2D universe&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;{{legend0|Goldenrod}}{{legend0|Gold}} 3D universe&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;{{legend0|#228B22}}{{legend0|#0BDA51}} HD universe<ref name="RockstarGTAUniverses" />

| range1 = 1997 – 2000

The series has courted a great deal of controversy since the release of ''Grand Theft Auto III''. This criticism stems from the focus on illegal activities, in comparison with "hero" roles that most other games offer. The main character can commit a wide variety of crimes and violent acts while dealing with only temporary consequences, including the killing of policemen and military personnel. Opponents believe that players will try to emulate this behavior, while proponents believe it provides an emotional outlet, as such actions in real life would have serious consequences. For specific incidents, see the individual game articles.

| range1_color = #FE2020 #da1824

| range2 = 2001 – 2007

| range2_color = Gold Goldenrod

| range3 = 2008 – 2020

| range3_color = #0BDA51 #228B22

| range4 = 2021 – 2021

| range4_color = Gold Goldenrod

| range5 = 2022 –

| range5_color = Grey Black

| 1997 = '''''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]'''''

== History ==

| 1999a = ''[[Grand Theft Auto: London 1969]]''

| 1999b = ''[[Grand Theft Auto: London 1961]]''

| 1999c = '''''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]'''''

| 2001 = '''''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'''''

| 2002 = '''''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'''''

| 2004a = '''''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'''''

| 2004b = ''[[Grand Theft Auto Advance]]''

| 2005 = ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]''

| 2006 = ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]''

| 2008 = '''''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'''''

| 2009a = ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned]]''

| 2009b = ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars]]''

| 2009c = ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony]]''

| 2013a = '''''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'''''

| 2013b = ''[[Grand Theft Auto Online]]''

| 2021 = ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition]]''

| 2026 = '''''[[Grand Theft Auto VI]]'''''

}}

The ''Grand Theft Auto'' series is split into separate [[fictional universe]]s, named after the primary level of graphics capability used in each era.<ref name="RockstarGTAUniverses"/> The original ''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]'', its expansions and its sequel are considered the "2D universe". ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' and its sequels are considered the "3D universe". ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'', its expansions and ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'' are considered the "HD universe". Each universe is considered separate with only brands, place names and background characters shared between them.<ref name="RockstarGTAUniverses" />

<div style="float:right;width:215px;">

[[Image:GTA1 PC in-game screenshot.png|200px|right|thumb|The original ''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]'' (PC version)]]

[[Image:GTA2 PC in-game screenshot.jpg|200px|right|thumb|''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]'' (PC version)]]

[[Image:Gta3-pc-police.jpeg|200px|right|thumb|''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'', the first game in the series which immersed players in a truly 3D environment]]

</div>

The ''Grand Theft Auto'' series may be divided into eras, based on the inclusion of a numbering after the recognizable title name (e.g. ''Grand Theft Auto III'') after the original ''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]'''s release, and to a certain extent, the type of [[Game engine|graphics engine]] used. For further information on each title, see their respective articles.

''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]'', the first game in the series, was released for [[MS-DOS]] and [[Windows]] in November 1997, ported to the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] in 1998 and the [[Game Boy Color]] in 1999. ''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]'' was released in 1999 for Windows, later receiving ports on the PlayStation, [[Dreamcast]] and Game Boy Color.<ref name="Cinema Blend">{{cite web|url=http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Grand-Theft-Auto-Drama-Heading-BBC-Television-70657.html|title=Grand Theft Auto Drama Heading to BBC Television|last=Usher|first=William|publisher=Cinema Blend|date=14 March 2015|access-date=14 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402130739/http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Grand-Theft-Auto-Drama-Heading-BBC-Television-70657.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== ''Grand Theft Auto (1)'' series ===

The [[PlayStation 2]] also featured three instalments of the main series, all of which have been re-released on several platforms; a deal between [[Take-Two Interactive]] and [[Sony Computer Entertainment]] resulted in their timed exclusivity on the PlayStation 2, before receiving ports to Windows and the [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2002-sony-gets-grand-theft-auto-exclusive/1100-2866884/|title=E3 2002: Sony gets Grand Theft Auto exclusive|last=Walker|first=Trey|publisher=[[GameSpot]]. [[CBS Interactive]]|date=21 May 2002|access-date=14 March 2015|archive-date=10 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710025059/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2002-sony-gets-grand-theft-auto-exclusive/1100-2866884/|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2001 title ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' moved away from the [[2D computer graphics|two-dimension (2D) graphics]] used in the first two games to [[3D computer graphics|three-dimension (3D) computer graphics]]<ref name="Breakthrough">{{cite web|last=Moses|first=Travis|url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/previews/158028/grand-theft-auto-iv/|title=Preview&nbsp;: Grand Theft Auto IV|publisher=Gamepro.com|date=23 January 2008|access-date=21 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422230023/http://www.gamepro.com/article/previews/158028/grand-theft-auto-iv/|archive-date=22 April 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'' was published in 2002, and was the first to feature a speaking protagonist, voiced by [[Ray Liotta]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ign.com/articles/2013/05/06/ign-presents-the-history-of-grand-theft-auto-2?page=3|title=IGN Presents The History of Grand Theft Auto|page=3|last1=McLaughlin|first1=Rus|last2=Thomas|first2=Lucas M.|publisher=IGN. [[Ziff Davis]]|date=6 May 2013|access-date=14 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402111706/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/06/ign-presents-the-history-of-grand-theft-auto-2?page=3|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'', released in 2004, introduced various new elements, including character customisation and a large map encompassing three cities and surrounding rural area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ign.com/articles/2013/05/06/ign-presents-the-history-of-grand-theft-auto-2?page=4|title=IGN Presents The History of Grand Theft Auto|page=4|last1=McLaughlin|first1=Rus|last2=Thomas|first2=Lucas M.|publisher=IGN. [[Ziff Davis]]|date=6 May 2013|access-date=14 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402113211/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/06/ign-presents-the-history-of-grand-theft-auto-2?page=4|url-status=live}}</ref>

The first title in the series, '''''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]''''', appeared on the [[Personal computer|PC]] and [[PlayStation]] in 1997/1998<ref name="GTA1 release date">The actual release date of ''Grand Theft Auto'' is not clear. While Rockstar Games asserts in [http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/gta.html its official website] that the game was released in 1997, [http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/grandtheftauto/similar.html?mode=versions GameSpot] and [http://pc.ign.com/objects/002/002281.html IGN] indicated that the game was only released on February or March 1998, respectively.</ref> as well as a reduced [[Game Boy Color]] port, and subsequently two expansion packs were offered:

Two main instalments were published for the [[PlayStation 3]] and [[Xbox 360]]. The 2008 title ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'' focused on realism and detail, removing various customisation features, while adding an [[online multiplayer]] mode.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kotaku.com.au/2007/08/taketwo_interactive_taketwo_ex/|title=Take-Two Execs Explain Grand Theft Auto IV Delay|last=McWhertor|first=Michael|work=[[Kotaku]]|publisher=[[Gawker Media]]|date=2 August 2007|access-date=14 March 2015|archive-date=17 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217224636/http://www.kotaku.com.au/2007/08/taketwo_interactive_taketwo_ex/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'', published in 2013, featured three playable protagonists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/51370/grand-theft-auto-v-reviews.html|title=Grand Theft Auto V Reviews|author=R* Q|publisher=[[Rockstar Games]]|date=16 September 2013|access-date=25 September 2013|archive-date=27 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927015219/http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/51370/grand-theft-auto-v-reviews.html/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was released to massive financial success, breaking multiple records.<ref name="guinness">{{cite web|url=http://au.ign.com/articles/2013/10/09/gta-5-currently-holds-seven-guinness-world-records|title=GTA 5 Currently Holds Seven Guinness World Records|last=Karmali|first=Luke|website=IGN|date=9 October 2013|access-date=10 October 2013|archive-date=11 October 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131011230715/http://au.ign.com/articles/2013/10/09/gta-5-currently-holds-seven-guinness-world-records|url-status=live}}</ref> It was later [[Grand Theft Auto V (re-release)|re-released]] with various enhancements, in 2014 for the [[PlayStation 4]] and [[Xbox One]], and in 2015 for Windows;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/52308/grand-theft-auto-v-release-dates-and-exclusive-content|title=Grand Theft Auto V Release Dates and Exclusive Content Details for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC|author=R* Q|work=Rockstar Newswire|publisher=[[Rockstar Games]]|date=12 September 2014|access-date=12 September 2014|archive-date=12 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912164011/http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/52308/grand-theft-auto-v-release-dates-and-exclusive-content|url-status=live}}</ref> versions for [[PlayStation 5]] and [[Xbox Series X and S]] were released in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/next-gen-gta-v-has-been-delayed-until-march-2022/ |title=Next-gen GTA V has been delayed until March 2022 |last=Scullion |first=Chris |work=[[Video Games Chronicle]] |publisher=[[Gamer Network]] |date=9 September 2021 |access-date=10 September 2021 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909202634/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/next-gen-gta-v-has-been-delayed-until-march-2022/ |archivedate=9 September 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>

*'''''[[Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969]]''''' (1999), an expansion pack of the original game, set in 1969 [[London]]. Available in PS and PC boxed versions.

On 4 February 2022, Rockstar confirmed that development of a new entry in the series was "well underway".<ref name="IGN GTA 6">{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/gta-6-confirmed |title=GTA 6 Confirmed: Rockstar Finally Says It's in Development |last=Skrebels |first=Joe |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=4 February 2022 |access-date=5 February 2022 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204151542/https://www.ign.com/articles/gta-6-confirmed |archivedate=4 February 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref> In-development footage of the game leaked in September 2022;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/18/23359156/gta-6-leak-gameplay-footage-90-videos |title=GTA 6 gameplay leaks online in 90 videos |last=Warren |first=Tom |work=[[The Verge]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |date=18 September 2022 |access-date=18 September 2022 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220918112405/https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/18/23359156/gta-6-leak-gameplay-footage-90-videos |archivedate=18 September 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-another-alleged-gta-6-leak-this-time-with-video/ |title=Here's another alleged GTA 6 leak, this time with video |last=Macgregor |first=Jody |work=[[PC Gamer]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |date=18 September 2022 |access-date=18 September 2022 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220918110746/https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-another-alleged-gta-6-leak-this-time-with-video/ |archivedate=18 September 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref> Rockstar noted that it was "extremely disappointed" by the manner in which the game was first demonstrated, but that it did not anticipate long-term effects on development.<ref name="VGC Leak Rockstar">{{cite web |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/rockstar-comments-on-gta-6-leak-and-claims-project-wont-be-delayed/ |title=Rockstar comments on GTA 6 leak and claims project won't be delayed |last=Robinson |first=Andy |work=[[Video Games Chronicle]] |publisher=[[Gamer Network]] |date=19 September 2022 |access-date=19 September 2022 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919133034/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/rockstar-comments-on-gta-6-leak-and-claims-project-wont-be-delayed/ |archivedate=19 September 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2023, the game was officially announced as ''[[Grand Theft Auto VI]]'', with a projected release date of 2025 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.<ref name="T2 GTA6">{{cite press release |url=https://www.take2games.com/ir/news/rockstar-games-announces-grand-theft-auto-vi-coming-2025 |title=Rockstar Games Announces ''Grand Theft Auto VI'', Coming 2025 |last1=Ramsey |first1=Simon |last2=Lewis |first2=Alan |publisher=[[Take-Two Interactive]] |date=4 December 2023 |access-date=5 December 2023 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205002919/https://www.take2games.com/ir/news/rockstar-games-announces-grand-theft-auto-vi-coming-2025 |archivedate=5 December 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was later delayed to 26 May 2026.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/gta-6-delayed-to-2026 |title=''GTA 6'' delayed to 2026 |last=Phillips |first=Tom |work=[[Eurogamer]] |publisher=[[Gamer Network]] |date=2 May 2025 |accessdate=2 May 2025 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250502114751/https://www.eurogamer.net/gta-6-delayed-to-2026 |archivedate=2 May 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref>

*'''''[[Grand Theft Auto: London, 1961]]''''' (1999), another expansion pack of ''Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969'', with missions taking place in 1961 London. ''London, 1961'' is a free PC download.

=== ''GrandOther Theft Auto 2'' seriesgames ===

''Grand Theft Auto'' has spawned numerous additional games and [[expansion pack]]s. In 1999, the original game received two expansion packs: ''[[Grand Theft Auto: London 1969]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: London 1961]]'', which, as their names suggest, featured a different setting – a fictional version of [[London]] – and new missions and characters.<ref name="Cinema Blend" /> ''[[Grand Theft Auto (Game Boy Advance)|Grand Theft Auto Advance]]'', released in 2004 exclusively for the [[Game Boy Advance]], featured a [[top-down perspective]], similarly to the first two main games in the series, and the same setting as ''Grand Theft Auto III'', to which it served as a prequel. Three games were released for the [[PlayStation Portable]]: ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]'' in 2005, which is also a prequel to ''Grand Theft Auto III''; ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]'' in 2006, which is a prequel to ''Vice City''; and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars]]'' in 2009, which features the same setting as ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', but the two games are otherwise unrelated. Both ''Liberty City Stories'' and ''Vice City Stories'' were later ported to the PlayStation 2, while ''Chinatown Wars'' was originally released for the [[Nintendo DS]] and later ported to PlayStation Portable.<ref>{{cite web|author=Robert Purchese|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/gta-chinatown-wars-for-psp|title=Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for PSP|publisher=Eurogamer.net|date=22 June 2009|access-date=21 July 2009|archive-date=22 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722131644/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/gta-chinatown-wars-for-psp|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned|The Lost and Damned]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony|The Ballad of Gay Tony]]'' were released for the [[Xbox 360]] as expansion packs to ''Grand Theft Auto IV''; a "[[strategic alliance]]" between Rockstar and [[Microsoft]] resulted in the timed exclusivity. The expansions focus on characters who played a relatively minor role in the main game, and whose stories take place simultaneously with ''Grand Theft Auto IV''{{'}}s. Both were later released for the PlayStation 3 and Windows as part of a compilation, titled ''Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City'', also available on Xbox 360.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5459329/grand-theft-auto-episodes-from-liberty-city-announced-for-ps3-and-pc|title=Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City Announced for PS3 and PC|last=Ashcraft|first=Brian|work=[[Kotaku]]|publisher=[[Gawker Media]]|date=29 January 2010|access-date=14 March 2015|archive-date=29 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029162503/https://kotaku.com/5459329/grand-theft-auto-episodes-from-liberty-city-announced-for-ps3-and-pc|url-status=live}}</ref>

Numerous titles in the series have received ports to [[Mobile game|mobile]] devices. ''Chinatown Wars'' was released for [[iOS]] in 2010 and for [[Android (operating system)|Android]] and [[Fire OS]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/52368/grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars-updated-for-ios-and-now|title=Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Updated for iOS and Now Available for Android and Amazon Devices|author=R* Q|work=Rockstar Newswire|publisher=[[Rockstar Games]]|date=18 December 2014|access-date=14 March 2015|archive-date=8 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508114334/http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/52368/grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars-updated-for-ios-and-now|url-status=live}}</ref> For their tenth anniversaries, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' and ''Vice City'' were both re-released for iOS and Android in 2011 and 2012, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|last=Q|first=R*|title=Announcing Grand Theft Auto III: 10th Anniversary Edition for Select Mobile Devices & the Limited Edition Claude Action Figure|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19201/announcing-grand-theft-auto-iii-10th-anniversary-edition-for-sel.html|access-date=17 October 2011|archive-date=3 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203193246/http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19201/announcing-grand-theft-auto-iii-10th-anniversary-edition-for-sel.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/46331/grand-theft-auto-vice-city-10th-anniversary-edition-coming-to-io.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 10th Anniversary Edition Coming to iOS and Android Devices on December 6th|publisher=Rockstar Games|date=21 November 2012|access-date=30 April 2013|archive-date=11 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411152358/http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/46331/grand-theft-auto-vice-city-10th-anniversary-edition-coming-to-io.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2013, ''San Andreas'' was ported to iOS, Android and Windows Phone and RT;<ref>{{cite web|last=Johnson|first=Leif|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/18/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas-ios-review|title=Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas iOS Review|website=IGN|date=18 December 2013|access-date=3 March 2014|archive-date=18 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718064316/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/18/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas-ios-review|url-status=live}}</ref> the mobile port was later re-released for Xbox 360 in 2014, the year of the game's tenth anniversary,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-san-andreas-re-release-coming-to-xbox-360-upda/1100-6423111/|title=GTA: San Andreas Re-Release Coming to Xbox 360 [UPDATE]|last=Makuch|first=Eddie|work=[[GameSpot]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|date=23 October 2014|access-date=26 October 2014|archive-date=25 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025081250/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-san-andreas-re-release-coming-to-xbox-360-upda/1100-6423111/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the following year for PlayStation 3.<ref name="PSU">{{cite web|url=http://www.psu.com/news/28669/GTA-San-Andreas-for-PS3-gets-rated-for-upcoming-re-release/ |title=GTA San Andreas for PS3 gets rated for upcoming re-release |last=Harradence |first=Michael |website=psu.com |date=16 November 2015 |access-date=18 November 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117155612/http://www.psu.com/news/28669/GTA-San-Andreas-for-PS3-gets-rated-for-upcoming-re-release |archive-date=17 November 2015 }}</ref> In 2015, ''Liberty City Stories'' was ported to iOS, Android and Fire OS.<ref name="Vas">{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/the-psp-classic-grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories-1748476859|title=Kotaku|last=Vas|first=Gergo|date=17 December 2015|access-date=18 December 2015|archive-date=19 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219020519/http://kotaku.com/the-psp-classic-grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories-1748476859|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Fingas">{{cite web|url=http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/12/17/gta-liberty-city-stories-comes-to-ios-pixelmator-adds-apple-pencil-tilt-to-more-brushes|title=GTA: Liberty City Stories comes to iOS, Pixelmator adds Apple Pencil tilt to more brushes|last=Fingas|first=Roger|date=17 December 2015|work=[[Apple community]]|access-date=18 December 2015|archive-date=18 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218131443/http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/12/17/gta-liberty-city-stories-comes-to-ios-pixelmator-adds-apple-pencil-tilt-to-more-brushes|url-status=live}}</ref>

'''''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]''''' for the PC, PlayStation and [[Dreamcast]], was released in 1999. Set in the unconfirmed future,<ref name="GTA 2 timeline">''Grand Theft Auto 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s manual uses the phrase "three weeks into the future", and phrases such as "X weeks into the future" or "X minutes into the future" are common phrases meaning "near future"; fictional journal entries on the game's official website, however, suggest 2013 [http://www.rockstargames.com/gta2/journal/journal_list.html].</ref> it featured updated graphics and somewhat different gameplay based upon the player's appeal to various criminal organizations. A reduced [[Game Boy Color]] port was also produced.

=== ''Grand Theft Auto III'' seriesCompilations ===

''Grand Theft Auto Double Pack'' was released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and includes both ''Grand Theft Auto III'' and ''Vice City''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Boulding|first1=Aaron|title=Grand Theft Auto Double Pack|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/05/grand-theft-auto-double-pack|website=[[IGN]]|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|access-date=28 March 2017|date=4 November 2003|archive-date=1 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101141009/http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/05/grand-theft-auto-double-pack|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy'' is a compilation of ''III'', ''Vice City'', and ''San Andreas'', and was first released in 2005 for the Xbox.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.xbox.ign.com/objects/773/773097.html|title=IGN: Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy|publisher=Uk.xbox.ign.com|access-date=11 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713005815/http://uk.xbox.ign.com/objects/773/773097.html|archive-date=13 July 2011}}</ref> It was later re-released for the PlayStation 2, Windows, Mac OS X, and PlayStation 4.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.ps2.ign.com/objects/865/865013.html|title=IGN: Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy|publisher=Uk.ps2.ign.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409054633/http://uk.ps2.ign.com/objects/865/865013.html|archive-date=9 April 2008|access-date=11 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/objects/143/14356725.html|title=IGN: Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy|publisher=Uk.pc.ign.com|access-date=11 August 2010|archive-date=31 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331234718/http://uk.pc.ign.com/objects/143/14356725.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.mac.ign.com/objects/086/086141.html|title=IGN: Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy|publisher=Uk.mac.ign.com|access-date=19 October 2010|archive-date=19 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119042942/http://uk.mac.ign.com/objects/086/086141.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/grand-theft-auto-the-trilogy/cid=UP1004-CUSA03506_00-GTATRILBUNDLEPS4|title=Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy on PS4|date=12 January 2016|access-date=13 January 2016|archive-date=29 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029121645/https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/grand-theft-auto-the-trilogy/cid=UP1004-CUSA03506_00-GTATRILBUNDLEPS4|url-status=live}}</ref> ''The Trilogy'' also served as the revised package for ''San Andreas'', which had to be pulled from shelves due to the controversial [[Hot Coffee mod|''Hot Coffee'' mod]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xbox.ign.com/objects/773/773097.html|title=IGN: Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy|publisher=Xbox.ign.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051102091030/http://xbox.ign.com/objects/773/773097.html|archive-date=2 November 2005|access-date=11 August 2010}}</ref> A report in August 2021 suggested that [[Rockstar Dundee]] was leading development on a [[remastered]] version of the trilogy, using [[Unreal Engine]];<ref name="Kotaku Trilogy">{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/the-gta-remastered-trilogy-appears-to-be-real-and-comi-1847474620 |title=The GTA Remastered Trilogy Appears To Be Real, And Coming To Switch |first=Zack |last=Zwiezen |date=12 August 2021 |website=[[Kotaku]] |access-date=13 August 2021 |archive-date=12 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812192032/https://kotaku.com/the-gta-remastered-trilogy-appears-to-be-real-and-comi-1847474620 |url-status=live}}</ref> following some leaks,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Zwiezen|first=Zack|date=30 September 2021|title=The GTA Remastered Trilogy Sure Seems Imminent Now|url=https://kotaku.com/the-gta-remastered-trilogy-sure-seems-imminent-now-1847774767|access-date=6 October 2021|website=[[Kotaku]]|archive-date=4 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004031602/https://kotaku.com/the-gta-remastered-trilogy-sure-seems-imminent-now-1847774767|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Stanton|first=Rich|date=30 September 2021|title=Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition is happening|work=[[PC Gamer]]|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/grand-theft-auto-trilogy-the-definitive-edition-is-happening/|access-date=6 October 2021|archive-date=30 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930151331/https://www.pcgamer.com/grand-theft-auto-trilogy-the-definitive-edition-is-happening/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Chalk|first=Andy|date=5 October 2021|title=Rockstar Launcher update points another finger at a remastered Grand Theft Auto trilogy|work=[[PC Gamer]]|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/rockstar-launcher-update-points-another-finger-at-a-remastered-grand-theft-auto-trilogy/|access-date=6 October 2021|archive-date=5 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005224051/https://www.pcgamer.com/rockstar-launcher-update-points-another-finger-at-a-remastered-grand-theft-auto-trilogy/|url-status=live}}</ref> Rockstar officially announced ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition]]'' on 8 October 2021. The game features graphical and gameplay upgrades, and replaced existing versions on digital retailers. It was released for the [[Nintendo Switch]], PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on 11 November 2021,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-gta-trilogy-trailer-gameplay-price-release-date-the-definitive-edition |title=Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Gets Gameplay Trailer, November Release Date |last=Skrebels |first=Joe |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=22 October 2021 |access-date=22 October 2021 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022124629/https://www.ign.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-gta-trilogy-trailer-gameplay-price-release-date-the-definitive-edition |archivedate=22 October 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref> and for Android and iOS on 14 December 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/23980880/netflix-play-grand-theft-auto-3-vice-city-trilogy-app-release |title=Netflix has landed The Grand Theft Auto Trilogy |last=Patches |first=Matt |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |date=29 November 2023 |access-date=30 November 2023 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129190000/https://www.polygon.com/23980880/netflix-play-grand-theft-auto-3-vice-city-trilogy-app-release |archivedate=29 November 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City'' is a standalone compilation of the two episodes for ''Grand Theft Auto IV''. It contains both ''The Lost and Damned'' and ''The Ballad of Gay Tony'' on one disc. It was released on 29 October 2009 for the Xbox 360 and on 13 April 2010 for PlayStation 3 and Windows. Microsoft added ''Episodes from Liberty City'' to its [[List of Xbox 360 games compatible with Xbox One|backwards compatibility list for Xbox One]] platforms in February 2017.<ref name="Eurogamer X1">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-02-09-gta4-and-episodes-from-liberty-city-get-xbox-one-backwards-compatibility|title=Grand Theft Auto 4 and Episodes from Liberty City get Xbox One backwards compatibility|last=Matulef|first=Jeffrey|website=[[Eurogamer]]|date=9 February 2017|access-date=10 February 2017|archive-date=9 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170209194127/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-02-09-gta4-and-episodes-from-liberty-city-get-xbox-one-backwards-compatibility|url-status=live}}</ref> The standalone release of ''Episodes from Liberty City'' for Windows was discontinued and replaced by a single-player-only version of ''Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition'' in 2020.<ref name="Teuton">{{Cite web |last=Teuton |first=Christopher |date=19 February 2020 |title=Major Changes Are Coming To GTA IV And Episodes From Liberty City |url=https://screenrant.com/grand-theft-auto-new-updates-iv-liberty-city/ |access-date=18 June 2021 |website=ScreenRant |language=en-US |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201215/https://screenrant.com/grand-theft-auto-new-updates-iv-liberty-city/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

*'''''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]''''' (2001), set in fictional Liberty City (based on [[New York City]]) during the release of the game (October 2001),<ref name="GTA III timeline">According to the final entry of the [http://www.rockstargames.com/libertytree/index.html official ''Liberty Tree'' "online newspaper"], ''Grand Theft Auto III'' is implied to be set around the first release of ''GTA III'', specifically, October 2001.</ref> brought a [[third-person shooter|third-person view]] to the series, rather than the traditional top-down view of earlier titles (although the view is still made available as an optional camera angle). Graphics were also updated with a new 3D [[game engine]]. While not the first of its kind, the gameplay engine had expanded the explorable world of ''GTA III'', doing away with a traditional game structure where the player faces a "boss" at the end of the level and moves onto a new level, opting instead for more realistic mission-based approach. Multiplayer was discarded (third party [[Mod (computer gaming)|mod]]s were later released, allowing for multiplayer gameplay) but ''GTA III'' improved in many other areas such as voice-acting and storyline (before, there was speech only in short animated cut scenes between levels, other communication was simply subtitles running on the bottom of the screen). Pop culture also is cemented into ''GTA III'', drawing many aspects and ideas from popular films and shows such as ''[[Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface]]'', ''[[Goodfellas]]'', and ''[[The Sopranos]]''.

=== Titles ===

''Grand Theft Auto III'' sold very well and became the first blockbuster game in the series, setting the precedent for subsequent ''GTA'' titles to be very successful. ''GTA III'' also attracted heavy criticism for its violence against police and its indifference to innocent bystanders, making future games in the ''GTA'' series synonymous with violence. Following the success of ''GTA III'', the following titles released are stand-alone [[sequel]]s (though all take place before ''GTA III'' chronologically):

{| class="unsortable wikitable"

|-

! rowspan="2" | Year

! rowspan="2" style="width:20%" | Title

! rowspan="2" | Developer

! colspan="4" | Platform(s)

! rowspan="2" | Universe<ref name="RockstarGTAUniverses">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19861/grand-theft-auto-iii-your-questions-answered-part-one-claude-dar.html|title=Grand Theft Auto III: Your Questions Answered – Part One (Claude, Darkel & Other Characters)|author=Rockstar|quote='''Rockstar:''' The "universes" are the worlds interpreted at different definitions, 2D, 3D and high definition, so we felt brands and radio/back ground characters would exist in both, but 3 dimensional characters would not.|access-date=8 November 2012|archive-date=10 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410102933/http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19861/grand-theft-auto-iii-your-questions-answered-part-one-claude-dar.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

|-

! style="width:16%" | Home console

! style="width:16%" | Computer

! style="width:16%" | Handheld

! style="width:16%" | Mobile

|-

! scope="col" colspan="9" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Main series

|-

!scope="row" | 1997

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]''

| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | [[DMA Design]]

| style="background:#dfd;" | [[PlayStation (console)|PS1]]

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|[[MS-DOS]]|[[Windows]]}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | [[Game Boy Color|GBC]]

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | 2D

|-

! scope="row" | 1999

|''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]''

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|PS1|[[Dreamcast]]}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | Windows

| style="background:#dfd;" | GBC

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

! scope="row" | 2001

|''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]''

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|[[PlayStation 2|PS2]]|[[Xbox (console)|Xbox]]}}

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|Windows|[[OS X]]}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|[[Android (operating system)|Android]]|[[iOS]]|[[Fire&nbsp;OS]]}}

| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | 3D

|-

! scope="row" | 2002

|''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]''

| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;" |[[Rockstar North]]

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|PS2|Xbox}}

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|Windows|OS X}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|Android|iOS|Fire&nbsp;OS}}

|-

! scope="row" | 2004

|''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]''

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|PS2|Xbox|[[PlayStation 3|PS3]]{{efn-ua|Originally available on PlayStation 3 as part of the [[List of PlayStation 2 Classics for PlayStation 3|PlayStation 2 Classics]] line via the PlayStation Network, but later replaced with a HD native release<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.psu.com/news/28669/GTA-San-Andreas-for-PS3-gets-rated-for-upcoming-re-release/|title=GTA San Andreas for PS3 gets rated for upcoming re-release|last=Harradence|first=Michael|website=psu.com|date=16 November 2015|access-date=18 November 2015|archive-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117155612/http://www.psu.com/news/28669/GTA-San-Andreas-for-PS3-gets-rated-for-upcoming-re-release|url-status=live}}</ref>}}|[[Xbox&nbsp;360]]{{efn-ua|Originally available on Xbox 360 as part of the [[List of Xbox Originals|Xbox Originals]] line via the [[Xbox Games Store|Xbox Live Marketplace]], but later replaced with a HD native release<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-san-andreas-re-release-coming-to-xbox-360-upda/1100-6423111/|title=GTA: San Andreas Re-Release Coming to Xbox 360 [UPDATE]|last=Makuch|first=Eddie|work=[[GameSpot]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|date=23 October 2014|access-date=25 October 2014|archive-date=25 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025060207/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-san-andreas-re-release-coming-to-xbox-360-upda/1100-6423111/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}}}

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|Windows|OS X}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|Android|iOS|[[Windows Phone|WP]]|Fire&nbsp;OS}}

|-

! scope="row" | 2008

|''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]''

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|PS3|Xbox 360}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | Windows

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | HD

|-

! scope="row" | 2013

|''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]''

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|PS3|Xbox&nbsp;360|[[PlayStation 4|PS4]]|[[Xbox&nbsp;One]]|[[PlayStation 5|PS5]]|[[Xbox&nbsp;Series X/S]]}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | Windows

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

! scope="row" | 2026

|''[[Grand Theft Auto VI]]''

| {{n/a|TBA}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|PS5|Xbox Series X/S<ref name="T2 GTA6"/>}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| {{n/a|TBA}}

|-

! scope="col" colspan="9" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Expansion packs

|-

!scope="row" rowspan="2" | 1999

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto: London 1969]]''

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Rockstar Canada]]

| style="background:#dfd;" | PS1

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|MS-DOS|Windows}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | 2D

|-

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto: London 1961]]''

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|MS-DOS|Windows}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

!scope="row" rowspan="2" | 2009

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned]]''

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Rockstar North

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|PS3|Xbox&nbsp;360}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | Windows

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | HD

|-

|''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony]]''

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|PS3|Xbox&nbsp;360}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | Windows

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

! scope="col" colspan="9" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Handheld games

|-

! scope="row" | 2004

|''[[Grand Theft Auto Advance]]''

| style="text-align:center;" |[[Digital Eclipse]]

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#dfd;" |[[Game Boy Advance|GBA]]

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | 3D

|-

! scope="row" | 2005

|''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]''

| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" |[[Rockstar Leeds]]

| style="background:#dfd;" | PS2

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#dfd;" |[[PlayStation Portable|PSP]]

| style="background:#dfd;" |{{hlist|iOS|Android|Fire&nbsp;OS}}

|-

! scope="row" | 2006

|''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]''

| style="background:#dfd;" | PS2

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#dfd;" | PSP

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

!scope="row" | 2009

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars]]''

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|PSP|[[Nintendo DS|DS]]}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|iOS|Android|Fire&nbsp;OS}}

| style="text-align:center;" | HD

|-

! scope="col" colspan="9" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Compilations and remasters

|-

! scope="row" | 1999

|''Grand Theft Auto: Director's Cut''{{efn-ua|Includes ''Grand Theft Auto'' and ''London 1969''}}

| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2" |{{nowrap|DMA Design /}}<br> Rockstar Canada

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|PS1}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|MS-DOS|Windows}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| 2D

|-

! scope="row" rowspan="2"| 2003

|''Grand Theft Auto: The Classics Collection''{{efn-ua|Includes ''Grand Theft Auto'', ''London 1969'', and ''Grand Theft Auto 2''}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|PS1}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|Windows}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

|''Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack''{{efn-ua|Includes ''Grand Theft Auto III'' and ''Vice City''}}

| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2" |Rockstar North

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|PS2|Xbox}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | 3D

|-

! scope="row" | 2005

|''Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy''{{efn-ua|Includes ''Grand Theft Auto III'', ''Vice City'', and ''San Andreas''}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|Xbox|PS2}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|Windows|OS X}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

! scope="row" rowspan="2"| 2009

|''Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack''{{efn-ua|Includes ''Liberty City Stories'' and ''Vice City Stories''}}

| style="text-align:center;" |Rockstar Leeds

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|PS2}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#dfd;" | PSP

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

|''Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City''{{efn-ua|group=table|Includes ''The Lost and Damned'' and ''The Ballad of Gay Tony''}}

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Rockstar North

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|Xbox 360|PS3}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | Windows

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | HD

|-

! scope="row" | 2010

|''Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition''{{efn-ua|group=table|Includes ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', ''The Lost and Damned'' and ''The Ballad of Gay Tony''}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|Xbox 360|PS3}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | Windows

| style="background:#fdd;" |

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

! scope="row" | 2021

|''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition]]''{{efn-ua|group=table|Includes remastered versions of ''Grand Theft Auto III'', ''Vice City'', and ''San Andreas''}}

| style="text-align:center;" | {{nowrap|Grove Street}} Games /<br>{{nowrap|Video Games}} Deluxe

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|[[Nintendo Switch|Switch]]{{efn-ua|name=Switch|The Nintendo Switch is a [[hybrid console]], combining features of home and handheld systems.}}|PS4|PS5|Xbox One|Xbox Series X/S}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | Windows

| style="background:#dfd;" | Switch{{efn-ua|name=Switch}}

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|Android|iOS}}

| style="text-align:center;" | 3D

|-

| colspan="9" style="font-size:88%" |'''Notes:''' {{notelist-ua}}

|}

== Related media ==

*'''''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]''''' (2002), set in 1986 in Vice City (based on [[Miami, Florida|Miami]]). Influences for the game include movies such as ''[[Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface]]'', ''[[Carlito's Way]]'' and the TV series ''[[Miami Vice]]''. In fact, the entire basic storyline of the game is an homage to ''Scarface'', including the climactic gun-fight in the main character's mansion at the end.

The series has been expanded into various other formats. ''Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto'', a book written by [[David Kushner (writer)|David Kushner]] chronicling the development of the series, was published in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/by-the-book-jacked-the-outlaw-story-of-grand-theft-auto/1100-6363867/|title=By the Book: Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto|author=GameSpot Staff|publisher=[[GameSpot]]. [[CBS Interactive]]|date=1 March 2012|access-date=14 March 2015|archive-date=12 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112162725/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/by-the-book-jacked-the-outlaw-story-of-grand-theft-auto/1100-6363867/|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2015, [[BBC Two]] announced ''[[The Gamechangers]]'', a 90-minute [[docudrama]] based on the creation of ''Grand Theft Auto''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-tv-drama-announced/1100-6425878/|title=Grand Theft Auto TV Drama Announced|last=Makuch|first=Eddie|publisher=[[GameSpot]]. [[CBS Interactive]]|date=12 March 2015|access-date=14 March 2015|archive-date=14 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150314151523/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-tv-drama-announced/1100-6425878/|url-status=live}}</ref> Directed by Owen Harris and written by James Wood, the drama stars [[Daniel Radcliffe]] as Rockstar president [[Sam Houser]] and [[Bill Paxton]] as disbarred attorney [[Jack Thompson (activist)|Jack Thompson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-drama-casts-daniel-radcliffe-and-bill-paxton/1100-6426802/|title=GTA Drama Casts Daniel Radcliffe and Bill Paxton|last=Makuch|first=Eddie|publisher=[[GameSpot]]. [[CBS Interactive]]|date=22 April 2015|access-date=23 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423223101/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-drama-casts-daniel-radcliffe-and-bill-paxton/1100-6426802/|archive-date=23 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2015, Rockstar filed a lawsuit against the BBC for trademark infringement, stating that they had no involvement with the development of the film and had unsuccessfully tried to contact the BBC to resolve the matter.<ref name="LawsuitBBC">{{cite news|url=http://ign.com/articles/2015/05/21/rockstar-games-files-lawsuit-against-the-bbc|title=Rockstar Games Files Lawsuit Against the BBC|last=Krupa|first=Daniel|publisher=IGN. [[Ziff Davis]]|date=21 May 2015|access-date=23 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521200740/http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/21/rockstar-games-files-lawsuit-against-the-bbc|archive-date=21 May 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> It first aired on 15 September 2015 on [[BBC Two]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2015/37/gamechangers|title=The Gamechangers|last=Rymer|first=Barbara|publisher=BBC|access-date=5 September 2015|archive-date=5 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905043443/http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2015/37/gamechangers|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2006, [[McFarland & Company]] published ''The Meaning and Culture of Grand Theft Auto''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dredge|first1=Stuart|title=Top 10 things you never knew about Grand Theft Auto (because you're not brainy enough)|url=http://www.techdigest.tv/2006/12/top_10_things_y.html|website=TechDigest|date=5 December 2006|access-date=17 June 2015|archive-date=18 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518085959/http://www.techdigest.tv/2006/12/top_10_things_y.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Compiled by [[Nate Garrelts]], the 264-page book is a collection of essays regarding the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, to help audiences better understand the games and to make a point about due diligence of game criticism. The book is divided into two parts: the first part discusses the controversies surrounding the series, while the second half takes a theoretical look at the games absent of the controversy.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Quijano-Cruz|first1=Johansen|title=Using Literary Theory to Read Games: Power, Ideology, and Repression in Atlus' Growlanser: Heritage of War|issue=2|pages=161–168|url=http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/viewArticle/vol2no2-2/77|journal=Eludamos. Journal for Computer Game Culture|date=21 September 2008|volume=2|doi=10.7557/23.5979 |s2cid=59490226 |access-date=17 June 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924000435/http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/viewArticle/vol2no2-2/77|url-status=live|doi-access=free|issn = 1866-6124}}</ref>

*'''''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]''''' (2004), set in 1992 in the fictional state of [[San Andreas (Grand Theft Auto)|San Andreas]] (based on [[California]] and [[Nevada]], specifically [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], and [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]), inspiration comes from movies such as ''[[Boyz N the Hood]]'' and ''[[Menace II Society]]'', and early [[1990s|90s]] [[West Coast hip hop|west coast gangsta rap culture]] and groups such as [[N.W.A.]].

**''San Andreas'' expanded on previous [[Computer role-playing game|RPG]] elements, adding the ability to dress the player's character, exercise, and tattoo him. These elements also have an effect on gameplay as other characters would comment on the player character's physique or clothes. The character could also swim.

**''San Andreas'' also attracted controversy when a sex [[minigame]] that was cut from the game, but remaining in the game code, was discovered in both the console and [[Personal Computer|PC]] versions of the game (''See [[Hot Coffee mod]]''). As a result, ''GTA: San Andreas'' was pulled from a number of retail outlets and was re-rated from "M" (Mature) to "AO" (Adults Only) by the [[Entertainment Software Rating Board]] (ESRB); the first game in the series to be given an AO rating. Rockstar has since released an edited version of the game for the PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 2, and has reclaimed the "M" rating.

[[Roger Corman]], who produced the unrelated 1977 film [[Grand Theft Auto (film)|''Grand Theft Auto'']], claimed that any attempted film adaptation of the video game series was unable to proceed. In 2017, he claimed that he sued the "video game manufacturer who flat-out stole the idea", and that they "settled out of court and they gave me some money".<ref name="Corman"/> He said that he retains the rights, "but the way it was actually written in the contract is a little bit cloudy", and that his lawyers were analysing the contract to ensure that he can remake the film.<ref name="Corman"/> Take-Two Interactive responded to Corman's claims, noting that the company "owns all rights for films related to the ''Grand Theft Auto'' video game series", and that it "can and will take appropriate legal action against anyone attempting to misuse our intellectual property by attempting to make a new film titled ''Grand Theft Auto''";<ref name="Corman"/> it claimed to have successfully taken legal action against similar attempts in the past.<ref name="Corman">{{cite web|last1=McKittrick|first1=Christopher|title=Seven Decades of Cinematic Storytelling: Roger Corman on Screenwriting|url=https://creativescreenwriting.com/roger-corman-2/|publisher=Creative Screenwriting|access-date=14 March 2017|archive-date=15 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315183340/https://creativescreenwriting.com/roger-corman-2/|url-status=live}}</ref>

*'''''[[Grand Theft Auto Advance]]''''' (2004), originally intended to be a topdown conversion of ''GTA III'' for the [[Game Boy Advance]], it ended up becoming its own completely original adventure, set roughly a year before ''GTA III''.

== Common elements ==

*'''''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]''''' (2005), a [[PlayStation Portable]] ''GTA III'' prequel set in 1998 Liberty City. A [[PlayStation 2]] port was released by Rockstar on June 6, 2006.

=== Gameplay ===

*'''''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]''''' (2006), the second PlayStation Portable game, was released on October 31, 2006 and set in 1984 Vice City. A PlayStation 2 port was released by Rockstar on March 6, 2007.

Each game in this series allows the player to take on the role of a criminal in the big city, typically an individual who ends up rising through the ranks of [[organized crime|organised crime]] through the course of the game. The player is given various missions by kingpins and major idols in the city underworld which must be completed to progress through the storyline. Assassinations and other [[violent crime]]s are featured regularly. Occasionally, [[Taxicab|taxi]] driving, [[firefighting]], [[street racing]], [[bus driver|bus driving]], or learning to fly [[helicopter]]s and [[fixed-wing aircraft]] are also involved in the game.

In later titles, notably those released after ''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]'', the player is given a more developed storyline in which they are forced to overcome an unfortunate event (e.g., being betrayed and left for dead), which serves as motivation for the character to advance up the criminal ladder and ultimately leads to the triumph of the character by the end of the storyline.

[[Rockstar North]] has also developed the controversial ''[[Manhunt (video game)|Manhunt]]'' video game (2003), which is set in Carcer City, a city within ''GTA III'' canon.

The ''Grand Theft Auto'' series belongs to a genre of [[Nonlinear gameplay|free-roaming]] role-playing video games called [[open world]] games, and grants a large amount of freedom to the player. Traditional action games are structured as a single track series of levels with [[linearity (video games)|linear gameplay]], but in ''Grand Theft Auto'' the player can determine the missions that they want to undertake, and their relationship with various characters are changed based on these choices. Influenced by the earlier game ''[[Turbo Esprit]]'',<ref name="rg20">Retrorevival: Turbo Esprit, ''[[Retro Gamer]]'' issue 20, page 48. [[Imagine Publishing]], 2006.</ref><ref name="gameswipe">''Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe'', [[BBC Television]], 2009. "''Grand Theft Auto'' directly inspired by the pioneering Spectrum game ''Turbo Esprit''"</ref> the cities of the games can be roamed freely at any point in the game, and are examples of [[open world]] video game environments which offer accessible buildings with minor missions in addition to the main storyline. There are exceptions: missions follow a linear, overarching plot. These missions are required to complete in order to unlock new areas in the game.

=== ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' series ===

''Grand Theft Auto III'' and subsequent games have more voice acting and radio stations, which simulate driving to music with disc jockeys, radio personalities, [[advertising|commercials]], [[talk radio]], [[popular music|pop music]], and American culture.

The next installment of the series, '''''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]''''' (''GTA IV''), is slated to be released on [[16 October]] [[2007]], in [[North America]], for the [[PlayStation 3]] and the [[Xbox 360]], the first ''Grand Theft Auto'' to be released simultaneously on the PlayStation and Xbox platforms. Each console will receive its own exclusive [[episodic games|episodic content]] via their respective download services ([[Xbox Live]] for the Xbox 360 and [[PlayStation Network]] for the PlayStation 3). ''GTA IV'''s [[game engine]] will be the [[Rockstar Advanced Game Engine]] (a.k.a. RAGE) used in ''[[Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis]]''.

The use of vehicles in an explorable urban environment provides a basic simulation of a working city, complete with pedestrians who generally obey traffic signals. Further details are used to flesh out an open-ended atmosphere that has been used in several other games, such as ''[[The Simpsons: Hit & Run]]'', which has less emphasis on crime or violence, and ''[[Lego City Undercover]]'', which reverses the roles of police officer and criminal, although the player goes undercover in gangs for a portion of the game.

The first ''GTA IV'' [[Trailer (film)|trailer]] was released for public viewing on [[29 March]] [[2007]]. The trailer hints that the game will once again take place in a redesigned Liberty City that very closely resembles [[New York City]] more than previous renditions.<ref>{{cite web | last = Totilo | first = Stephen | date = [[2007-03-29]] | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1555977/20070329/index.jhtml | title = 'GTA IV' Revealed: Game Returning To City That Made It Famous | publisher = [[MTV]] | accessdate = 2007-04-01}}</ref>

{{anchor|Wanted level}}Criminal activities in ''Grand Theft Auto'' games do not go unnoticed by the police. As the player engages in these in-game illegal activities, they may gain a "wanted level", represented by a maximum of five or six stars. A small crime, such as running over a [[non-player character]], may create a one star wanted level situation, while shooting an officer may earn more stars. As the number of stars increase, the amount and strength of the response will increase; a single star might have a few police cars chase after the player, while at 5 or 6 stars, tanks and attack helicopters will chase down the player. Many in-game missions will automatically give the player a wanted level after completing a certain event which they must then get rid of before the mission is complete. Often, trying to keep away from the police while wanted will cause the player to gain even higher wanted levels. The player can remove their character's wanted level by avoiding detection or spending in-game money at specific locations to elude the police (such as a mod shop to repaint their car). Alternatively, if the player-character dies, they will [[Spawning (gaming)|respawn]] at a hospital and the wanted level will be removed, though the player may lose money, guns, and other benefits they had before being chased. The "wanted level" gameplay concept has become common in [[Grand Theft Auto clone|similar open world games]].

==''GTA'' locations==

===Cities and states===

<!--This section only lists locations that are featured as a primary or secondary setting in any GTA game or Manhunt (tied to settings in GTA). Locations mentioned only in text are not notable of mentioned.-->

'''Fictional'''

*''[[Liberty City (Grand Theft Auto)|Liberty City]]'' - A city based on [[New York City]] (''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]'', ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'', ''[[Grand Theft Auto Advance]]'', ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'' (featured prominently in one mission), ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]''.

*''[[Vice City]]'' - A city based on [[Miami, Florida|Miami]] (''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]'' , ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]''); the ''Vice City'' and ''Vice City Stories'' renditions of the city are suggested to be located in the state of [[Florida]].

*''[[San Andreas (Grand Theft Auto)|San Andreas]]'' - [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] (''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]''), and a state based upon [[California]] and [[Nevada]] (''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]''). Note that the ''GTA1'' version of San Andreas is significantly different from the ''GTA: San Andreas'' version: One is a city, the other is a state. Their relation is never made clear.

**''[[San Andreas (Grand Theft Auto)#Los Santos|Los Santos]]'' - [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]

**''[[San Andreas (Grand Theft Auto)#San Fierro|San Fierro]]'' - [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]]

**''[[San Andreas (Grand Theft Auto)#Las Venturas|Las Venturas]]'' - [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]

*''Anywhere City'' - Unknown (''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]'')

*''[[Carcer City]]'' - Most likely [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] or [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]]. Said to be neighboring Liberty City (''[[Manhunt (video game)|Manhunt]]'' takes place in Carcer City; mentioned in ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'', ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'', ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'', ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]'', and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]'')

*''[[Bullworth]]'' - The city where ''[[Bullworth Academy]]'' is located, and also the set of the game ''[[Bully (game)|Bully!]]'' (also known as ''[[Canis Canem Edit]]'').

=== Setting ===

'''Non-fictional'''

Most ''Grand Theft Auto'' games are set in fictional parodies of well-known [[United States]] cities, in a number of different time periods. The games are split into three different universes (2D, 3D, and HD), each with their own reinterpretations of previously established settings. The universes share the names of cities, several brands, and background characters who never make physical appearances in the games (with a few exceptions), but are otherwise considered to be separate continuities.<ref name="RockstarGTAUniverses" />

*''[[London]]'' (''[[Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: London, 1961]]'')

*''[[Manchester]]'' - an add-on, multiplayer-only city (''[[Grand Theft Auto: London, 1961]]'')

*''[[Salford]]'' (featured in ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas#Bonus material|The Introduction]]'', a ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' prequel film)

==== Liberty City ====

===Towns in the state of San Andreas (in ''GTA:SA'')===

[[File:View_of_Empire_State_Building_from_Rockefeller_Center_New_York_City_dllu_(cropped).jpg|thumb|New York City, which serves as the basis for Liberty City]]

Liberty City, based on [[New York City]], is one of the three original cities introduced in ''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]''. It is the first setting available to the player. The city encompasses two landmasses (a large one in the southeast and a smaller one in the northeast) and a [[Manhattan]]-like central island; two smaller islands are featured along the river that separates the three main islands. The setting also incorporates the neighbouring state of New Guernsey (a parody of [[New Jersey]]), which occupies the northwest portion of the map. All four major islands are divided into multiple districts, inspired by New York and New Jersey's boroughs.

*''Dillimore, San Andreas'' (Red County)

*''Palomino Creek, San Andreas'' (Red County)

*''Montgomery, San Andreas'' (Red County)

*''Blueberry, San Andreas'' (Red County)

*''Angel Pine, San Andreas'' (Whetstone)

*''Bayside, San Andreas'' (Tierra Robada)

*''El Quebrados, San Andreas'' (Tierra Robada)

*''Las Barrancas, San Andreas'' (Tierra Robada)

*''Las Payasadas, San Andreas'' (Bone County)

*''Fort Carson, San Andreas'' (Bone County)

'''[[Ghost Towns]]'''

*''Aldea Malvada, San Andreas'' (Tierra Robada)

*''Las Brujas, San Andreas'' (Bone County)

A redesigned version of Liberty City was introduced in ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' (set in 2001). This iteration is only loosely based on New York, and incorporates elements from other U.S. cities, such as [[Philadelphia]], [[Detroit]], [[Boston]], [[Chicago]], and [[Baltimore]].<ref name="GTA IV: Building a Brave New World">{{cite web|last=Goldstein|first=Hilary|date=28 March 2008|title=Grand Theft Auto IV: Building a Brave New World|url=http://au.ign.com/articles/2008/03/29/gta-iv-building-a-brave-new-world|access-date=3 May 2008|website=IGN|archive-date=21 December 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131221113712/http://au.ign.com/articles/2008/03/29/gta-iv-building-a-brave-new-world|url-status=live}}</ref> The city encompasses three main islands, which are gradually unlocked as the game's storyline progresses: Portland (based on the industrial areas of [[Brooklyn]] and [[Queens]], with additional elements from Manhattan and [[Long Island]]), Staunton Island (based mostly on Manhattan), and Shoreside Vale (loosely based on [[North Jersey]], [[The Bronx]], [[Staten Island]], and [[Upstate New York]]). The islands are connected by road bridges and an underground tunnel system. A tunnel leading out of Liberty City can be found in Shoreside Vale, but it is impassable by the player. This particular version of Liberty City returned in the prequels ''[[Grand Theft Auto Advance]]'' (set in 2000) and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]'' (set in 1998), albeit with several changes to reflect the different time periods. The city was also mentioned in ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'', and was the setting of a mission in the latter.

== Characters ==

=== Protagonists ===

A third version of Liberty City was featured in ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'', its expansion packs ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned|The Lost and Damned]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony|The Ballad of Gay Tony]]'' (all three set in 2008), and the handheld game ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars]]'' (set in 2009). This iteration closely resembles New York, and consists of four main boroughs, which become available to explore as the story progresses: Broker (based on Brooklyn), Dukes (Queens), Bohan (The Bronx), and Algonquin (Manhattan).<ref name="Liberty NY">{{cite news|author=Moore, Matthew|date=14 May 2008|title=Grand Theft Auto IV: Photos reveal similarities between Liberty City and New York City|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|___location=London|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1955256/Grand-Theft-Auto-IV-Photos-reveal-similarities-between-Liberty-City-and-New-York-City.html|access-date=12 November 2008|archive-date=19 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219192936/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1955256/Grand-Theft-Auto-IV-Photos-reveal-similarities-between-Liberty-City-and-New-York-City.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The placement of these boroughs mirrors that of their real-life counterparts: Broker and Dukes occupy a large landmass in the southeast, while Bohan forms its own, smaller island in the northeast, and Algonquin acts as the city's central island. The setting also incorporates three smaller islands—Charge Island ([[Randall's Island]]), Colony Island ([[Roosevelt Island]]), and Happiness Island ([[Liberty Island]])—and a fourth landmass, Alderney, which is located west of Algonquin and regarded as its own independent state (similarly to New Jersey). Alderney is absent in ''Chinatown Wars''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Welsh|first=Oli|date=17 November 2008|title=GTA DS to feature most of IV's map|work=[[Eurogamer]]|publisher=[[Gamer Network]]|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/gta-ds-to-feature-most-of-ivs-map|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=30 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130050635/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/gta-ds-to-feature-most-of-ivs-map|url-status=live}}</ref> All islands, barring Happiness Island, are connected by road bridges, underground tunnels, and a [[Rapid transit|subway system]]; none of which lead out of the city.

* [[Claude (Grand Theft Auto)|Claude Speed]] - The name of the ''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]'' character, as revealed by the [[full motion video|FMV]] introduction's credits.

* [[Claude (Grand Theft Auto)|Claude]] - The nameless protagonist from ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]''. In ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|San Andreas]]'' a phone call upon completion of the game reveals his first name is in fact Claude. In ''GTA III'', he is only referred to by nicknames ''Fido'' and ''(The) Kid''. Since the release of ''San Andreas'' many players speculate that Claude is ''Claude Speed'', the protagonist in ''GTA2'', though this is unknown.

* [[Tommy Vercetti]] - ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]''

* [[Carl "CJ" Johnson]] - ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]''

* [[List of characters in Grand Theft Auto Advance#Mike|Mike]] - ''[[Grand Theft Auto Advance]]''

* [[Toni Cipriani]] - ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]''

* [[Victor Vance]] - ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]''

* [[Niko Bellic]] - ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]''

==== OthersSan Andreas ====

{{multiple image

* [[List of characters in Grand Theft Auto III|From ''Grand Theft Auto III'']]

|perrow=1

* [[List of characters in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City|From ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'']]

|total_width = 185

* [[List of characters in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|From ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'']]

|image1=San_Francisco_from_the_Marin_Headlands_in_August_2022_(cropped2).jpg

* [[List of characters in Grand Theft Auto Advance|From ''Grand Theft Auto Advance'']]

|caption1=San Francisco, initially the basis for San Andreas and later San Fierro

* [[List of characters in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories|From ''Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories'']]

|image2=Las_Vegas_Skyline_at_night_North_(7314937576).jpg

* [[List of characters in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories|From ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories'']]

|caption2=Las Vegas, the basis for Las Venturas

* [[List of characters in Grand Theft Auto IV|From ''Grand Theft Auto IV'']]

|image3=Los_Angeles_with_Mount_Baldy.jpg

|caption3=Los Angeles, the basis for Los Santos

}}

San Andreas, based on [[San Francisco]], is one of the three original cities introduced in ''Grand Theft Auto''. It is the second setting available to the player. The locale encompasses two landmasses: a large northern portion, which is divided into fifteen districts and generally considered to be the city's core, and a smaller island in the southeast, consisting of only one district, which acts as the city's docks area. The northern landmass is further divided by Aye Valley, which cuts through the heart of the area from the east to the west.

A reimagined version of San Andreas was featured in ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'' (set in 1992), as a state rather than a city. Based on [[California]] and [[Nevada]], the state encompasses two landmasses, separated by a river and surrounded by a large body of water. The southern portion of the map features the cities of Los Santos (based on [[Los Angeles]]) and San Fierro (San Francisco), separated by vast forest and mountain areas. By contrast, the northern portion is one large desert region and incorporates only one city, Las Venturas ([[Las Vegas]]). Both landmasses feature additional rural settlements, which are less inhabited than the three major cities. The cities are connected by a train track system, and each one features an airport, which can be used to [[fast travel]] from a city to another. At the beginning of the game, players only have access to Los Santos, with the rest of the map being gradually unlocked as the story progresses.

== Similar games ==

{{main|GTA clone}}

Because of the success of the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, notably ''Grand Theft Auto III'' and subsequent games, several other developers have attempted to replicate ''GTA'''s driving/shooting formula and open-ended sandbox play. Notable games that are often seen as doing so include:

A third version of San Andreas appeared in ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'' (set in 2013), again imagined as a state. The game features only the southern portion of the state, which is depicted as a large island. The southern portion of the island is occupied mostly by the city of Los Santos (which resembles Los Angeles much more closely than its ''San Andreas'' counterpart), while the northern portion, known as Blaine County, is less inhabited, featuring vast areas of desert, forest, and mountain, and only a few small towns.<ref name="Grand Theft Auto V Official Announcement">Rockstar Games [http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19471/grand-theft-auto-v-official-announcement.html Grand Theft Auto V Official Announcement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011010257/http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19471/grand-theft-auto-v-official-announcement.html |date=11 October 2012 }}. Retrieved 26 November 2012.</ref> This version of San Andreas is currently the only setting in the series that does not feature any map limitations, allowing players to explore the entire island at the beginning of the game. Los Angeles was extensively researched for ''Grand Theft Auto V''. The team organised field research trips with tour guides and architectural historians and captured around 250,000 photos and hours of video footage during these visits.<ref name="Building the World Of GTA V">{{cite web|last=Bernstein|first=Joseph|date=13 August 2013|title="Way Beyond Anything We've Done Before": Building The World Of "Grand Theft Auto V"|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/way-beyond-anything-weve-done-before-building-the-world-of-g|access-date=3 September 2013|publisher=[[BuzzFeed]]|archive-date=15 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815073123/http://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/way-beyond-anything-weve-done-before-building-the-world-of-g|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the release of the game, hundreds of in-game buildings have been identified as being based on real-world landmarks.<ref name="Los Santos Landmarks Map">{{cite web|date=1 December 2013|title=Los Santos Landmarks Map|url=http://grandtheftdata.com/landmarks|access-date=18 April 2014|archive-date=19 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419055057/http://grandtheftdata.com/landmarks/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The New Yorker]]''{{'}}s Sam Sweet notes that, with sales of the game reaching thirteen million copies, "there will be more people living in the imaginary state of Los Santos than in the real city on which it was modelled."<ref name="newyorker">{{cite magazine|last=Sweet|first=Sam|date=20 September 2013|title=Idling in Los Santos|url=http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/09/idling-in-los-santos-grand-theft-auto-vs-la-fantasy.html|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|access-date=29 September 2013|archive-date=9 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509233305/http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/idling-in-los-santos|url-status=live}}</ref>

* ''[[APB (video game)|APB]]'' (''All Points Bulletin'') and ''[[Crackdown]]''. Both games are created by [[David Jones (game developer)|David Jones]], who is also credited for the development of the first ''Grand Theft Auto'' and ''Grand Theft Auto 2''. However, these cannot be called true clones because they miss the "gangsta feel" GTA has.

* ''[[DRIV3R]]'' and ''[[Driver: Parallel Lines]]''. Note that the ''[[Driver (video game)|Driver]]'' series had started 3D free roaming before ''GTA III''.

* [[The Getaway (video game)|''The Getaway'' series]]

* ''[[The Godfather: The Game]]''

* ''[[Jak II]]'' and ''[[Jak 3]]''

* ''[[Just Cause (video game)|Just Cause]]''

* ''[[Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven]]''

* ''[[Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction]]'' and ''[[Mercenaries 2: World in Flames]]''

* ''[[True Crime: Streets of LA]]'' and ''[[True Crime: New York City]]''

* ''[[Saint's Row]]''

* ''[[Scarface: The World Is Yours]]''

* ''[[The Simpsons Hit & Run]]'' (Considered by some to be a [[parody]]{{Verify source|date=April 2007}})

* ''[[Total Overdose: A Gunslinger's Tale in Mexico]]''

* ''[[Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions]]''

==== Vice City ====

[[Image:Truegrime.jpg|240px|right|thumb|Billboard in ''GTA: San Andreas'' mocking ''[[True Crime: Streets of LA]]''.]]

[[File:Downtown_Miami_Panorama_from_the_Rusty_Pelican_photo_D_Ramey_Logan.jpg|thumb|Miami, which serves as the basis for Vice City]]

Vice City, based on [[Miami]], is one of the three original cities introduced in ''Grand Theft Auto''. It is the third setting available to the player. The city encompasses one large landmass, divided into eight districts which form the city's core, and a smaller island, Vice Beach, in the northeast. Like its real-life counterpart, Vice City is depicted as a tropical city, easily distinguished from the other two in the game by its beaches and palm trees.

A redesigned version of Vice City, located in the state of [[Florida]], was introduced in ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'' (set in 1986). The city consists of two main landmasses, Vice City Beach and Vice City Mainland, separated by a large body of water and connected to each other and to two smaller islands, Starfish Island and Prawn Island, by a series of road bridges. At the beginning of the game, the player only has access to Vice City Beach, with the rest of the city being gradually unlocked as the story progresses. The same setting would be later used in the prequel ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]'' (set in 1984), albeit with several changes to reflect the earlier time period.

As a result of such similarities, Rockstar has placed several [[Easter egg (virtual)|Easter egg]]s to mock the competition. One such Easter egg in ''GTA III'' references [[Driver 2|Tanner]], the protagonist of several games in the ''Driver'' series. In a mission called "Two Faced Tanner" players must kill a "strangely animated" undercover cop who is "useless out of his car" (they even go so far as to give the pseudo Tanner a female's walking animation).

A third version of Vice City will be featured as a main setting of the upcoming ''[[Grand Theft Auto VI]]'' (set in the present) and will again be based on Miami. It is also being re-imagined as a major city in the fictional state of Leonida, based on Florida, and as the county seat of Vice-Dale County, based on [[Miami-Dade County]]. In addition, unlike previous iterations of the city, Vice Beach (known as Vice City Beach in the 3D universe's depictions of Vice City) will be its own separate city complete with its own police force, much like the real world [[Miami Beach, Florida|Miami Beach]].

In ''GTA: Vice City'', during the mission "Autocide", the targets that the player must kill are subtle references to the main characters of ''Driver 2'' (Dick Tanner, after Tanner), ''The Getaway'' (Marcus Hammond and Franco Carter, after Mark Hammond and Frank Carter), and ''True Crime: Streets of LA'' (Nick Kong, after Nick Kang Wilson). ''DRIV3R'' responded by sticking floatie-wearing characters named Timmy Vermicellis, after the protagonist of ''Vice City,'' Tommy Vercetti, since no one in the ''GTA'' series could swim before ''GTA: San Andreas''.

==== Other settings ====

In ''San Andreas'', while breaking into [[List of characters in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas#Madd Dogg|Madd Dogg]]'s mansion, players will see a man playing a video game and making fun of the way the main character walks stating "How could Refractions [a parody of [[Reflections Interactive]]] mess up so bad? Tanner, you suck ass!!" (Tanner's walking animations were often criticized). Another ''San Andreas'' Easter egg mocks ''True Crime'', which was depicted on several billboards in the city of Los Santos.

The ''[[Grand Theft Auto: London 1969|London 1969]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: London 1961|London 1961]]'' expansion packs for ''Grand Theft Auto'' take place within a fictionalised version of [[London]] during the 1960s. As such, they are the only games in the series to be set outside of the United States. The portion of the city used in the games is based on [[Central London]], although heavily condensed and mostly geographically inaccurate. It consists of two landmasses, separated by the [[River Thames]] and connected by several road bridges. A fictionalised version of [[Manchester]] is also featured in the games.

''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]'' is set in Anywhere City, a fictional US retro futuristic metropolis with no apparent inspiration from any real-life city. The setting consists of three areas, which the player will switch between as the story progresses: the Downtown District, the Residential District, and the Industrial District. Each district is depicted as its own individual island. The game is set in an unspecified time period—conflicting sources suggest anything from "three weeks into the future",<ref>{{cite web|title=GTA2 – Frameset|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/gta2/frameset.html|access-date=5 February 2011|publisher=[[Rockstar Games]]|archive-date=29 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229094813/http://www.rockstargames.com/gta2/frameset.html|url-status=live}}</ref> to the year 2013,<ref name="rockstargames.com">{{cite web|title=GTA2 – Individual Police Files|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/gta2/journal/journal_list.html|access-date=29 April 2007|publisher=[[Rockstar Games]]|archive-date=3 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203122255/http://www.rockstargames.com/gta2/journal/journal_list.html|url-status=live}}</ref> while the game itself features several references to the "new millennium" that is coming, implying that the year is 1999.<ref name="rockstargames.com" />

Rockstar also took a swing at ''[[Project Gotham Racing]]'', with a poster in ''Vice City'' (located in the parking garage of the car dealership, owned by the player) that reads "Make cash, not Kudos"

''Grand Theft Auto V'' features the fictional town of Ludendorff in the state of North Yankton, which is the setting of two missions and is inaccessible outside of the storyline.<ref>{{cite video game|title=[[Grand Theft Auto V]]|trans-title=|developer=[[Rockstar North]]|publisher=[[Rockstar Games]]|date=17 September 2013|platform=|version=|scene=|level=Prologue, Bury the Hatchet|language=|quote=}}</ref> The 2020 update for ''[[Grand Theft Auto Online]]'', ''The Cayo Perico Heist'', introduced the eponymous fictional island, a "tropical paradise" off the [[Caribbean]] coast of [[Colombia]] privately owned by notorious drug lord Juan "El Rubio" Strickler. The island is used as both a [[transshipment]] base and a partying place by El Rubio, and draws inspiration from [[Norman's Cay]] and [[Hacienda Nápoles]].<ref>{{cite video game |title=[[Grand Theft Auto Online]] |trans-title= |developer=[[Rockstar North]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=17 September 2013 |platform= |version= |scene= |level=The Cayo Perico Heist |language= |quote= }}</ref> Cayo Perico is the first setting in the series not located in the United States since London.

== Trivia ==

=== Voice acting ===

* A similar arcade game called ''[[A.P.B. (arcade game)|A.P.B.]]'' predates the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series by eleven years, sporting a top-down perspective used in earlier ''GTA'' games. However, the objectives of the game is entirely reversed in that the player take on the role of a police officer tasked to pursue and arrest lawbreakers, all while the game attempts to discourage the player from breaking the law themselves (colliding with other vehicles or running over pedestrians, etc.)

The series has included a wide variety of [[Voice acting|voice actors]]. The original ''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]'', its [[Grand Theft Auto: London 1969|mission packs]] and its [[Grand Theft Auto 2|sequel]], as well as ''[[Grand Theft Auto (Game Boy Advance)|Grand Theft Auto Advance]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars|Chinatown Wars]]'' did not feature any voice credited to specific roles.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grand Theft Auto instruction manual (PC) (in English)|publisher=[[Rockstar Games]]|url=http://gtamp.com/dl/file.php?id=48|format=PDF|year=1997|access-date=1 June 2008|archive-date=10 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710075018/http://gtamp.com/GTA1/gta1manual.zip|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Grand Theft Auto 2 instruction manual (PC) (in English)|publisher=[[Rockstar Games]]|url=http://gtamp.com/dl/file.php?id=6|format=PDF|year=1999|access-date=1 June 2008|archive-date=14 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214232337/https://gtamp.com/GTA2/docs/gta2manual.zip|url-status=live}}</ref> The first game in the series to do so was ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' which, despite a limited budget and the series' low profile at the time,<ref name="HouserEdge">{{cite magazine|title=Grand Theft Auto: the Inside Story|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge magazine]]|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/grand-theft-auto-inside-story | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120426182234/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/grand-theft-auto-inside-story | url-status=dead | archive-date = 26 April 2012|date=16 March 2008|access-date=11 May 2008}}</ref> featured several notable actors from film and television. These included [[Frank Vincent]], [[Michael Madsen]] and [[Kyle MacLachlan]], who all had prominent roles. At the time it was rare for a video game to use such high-profile actors, and ''Grand Theft Auto III'' is considered a pioneer in doing so.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/hubpages/2008/gta/dlgta3.xml|title=Video game review: Grand Theft Auto III|date=15 April 2008|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=1 June 2008|url-status=dead|___location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430020523/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fconnected%2Fhubpages%2F2008%2Fgta%2Fdlgta3.xml|archive-date=30 April 2008}}</ref> The next game, ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'', featured more film actors, including [[Ray Liotta]] as the player character. Although the following title, ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'', also featured many notable film actors—such as [[Samuel L. Jackson]], [[Peter Fonda]] and [[James Woods]]—it had been decided that the use of such actors should be reduced, particularly for leading roles. As a result, many of the prominent roles in ''San Andreas'' were voiced by lower profile actors or rappers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Retrospective: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-08-26-retrospective-grand-theft-auto-san-andreas|last=Whitehead|first=Dan|date=26 August 2012|website=Eurogamer|language=en|access-date=12 May 2020|archive-date=13 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813025429/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-08-26-retrospective-grand-theft-auto-san-andreas|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Rockstar Won't Hire Famous Actors For Its Games Anymore And Burt Reynolds Is (Partly) To Blame|url=http://www.goliath.com/gaming/rockstar-wont-hire-famous-actors-for-its-games-anymore-and-burt-reynolds-is-partly-to-blame/|last=Steinberg|first=Nick|date=15 October 2018|website=Goliath|access-date=12 May 2020|archive-date=14 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814234323/https://www.goliath.com/gaming/rockstar-wont-hire-famous-actors-for-its-games-anymore-and-burt-reynolds-is-partly-to-blame/|url-status=live}}</ref>

* The [[TrueType|TrueType font]] used for the "Grand Theft Auto" title text since ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' is called "[[Pricedown]]". The font also bears striking resemblance to the title sequence of the 1972-to-present game show ''[[The Price Is Right]]'' — the font could be inspired by the show.

**[[Ray Larabie]] is credited for creating the Pricedown font and naming it in 1998 [http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/larabie/pricedown/], before Rockstar adopted it for ''GTA III'''s title design and interface. It is also worth noting that Larabie was promoted as the art director for Rockstar Games in [[Toronto]] during the mid-1990s.[http://www.photospin.com/press/?page=archives&name=Ray%20Larabie]

**The similarity of both font designs for the game show and the video game led ''[[MADtv]]'' to produce a 2003 sketch, where a game show "''Grand Theft Auto''" featured a ''The Price Is Right''-like set with contestants killing each other with ''GTA''-style weaponry.

From ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories|Liberty City Stories]]'' through to ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'', the series has continued using lesser known actors to voice main characters, but still uses celebrities and real-life radio personalities to voice the DJs of the many radio stations featured in each game. Some games also feature celebrities portraying themselves, such as [[Lazlow Jones]], [[Phil Collins]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/grand-theft-auto/g24330/grand-theft-auto-gta-celebrity-voices-guest-stars/|title=25 GTA celebrity guest stars that stole the game|first=Matt|last=Hill|date=22 October 2016|website=Digital Spy|access-date=13 December 2019|archive-date=13 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213005129/https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/grand-theft-auto/g24330/grand-theft-auto-gta-celebrity-voices-guest-stars/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ricky Gervais]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/arts/28auto.html|title=Grand Theft Auto IV: Dystopian Liberty City|first=Seth|last=Schiesel|newspaper=The New York Times|date=28 April 2008|access-date=22 August 2017|archive-date=1 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101233409/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/arts/28auto.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Katt Williams]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2018/09/the-real-life-celebrities-who-appeared-in-gta/ |title=The Real-Life Celebrities Who Appeared In GTA |first=Zack |last=Zwiezen |date=5 September 2018 |website=[[Kotaku Australia]] |access-date=17 March 2020 |archive-date=17 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417151922/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2018/09/the-real-life-celebrities-who-appeared-in-gta/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[Dr. Dre]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2020/12/dr-dre-jimmy-iovine-featured-in-new-gta-v-heist-update |title=Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine Featured in New 'GTA V' Heist Update |first=Trace |last=Cowen |date=15 December 2020 |website=[[Complex Networks|Complex]] |access-date=16 December 2020 |archive-date=15 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215180147/https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2020/12/dr-dre-jimmy-iovine-featured-in-new-gta-v-heist-update |url-status=live }}</ref>

* Head Radio, an in-game [[radio station]] originating from the original ''Grand Theft Auto'', made repeated appearances in following ''GTA'' titles, including ''[[Grand Theft Auto 2|GTA 2]]'', ''GTA III'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories|GTA: Liberty City Stories]]''. The original ''Grand Theft Auto'' depicted the station playing a variety of music genres, while sequel renditions are depicted specifically playing modern [[pop music|pop]] and [[Rock (music)|rock music]].

== Controversies ==

== References in popular culture ==

{{Cleanup|date=October 2006}}

According to ''The Guinness World Records'' 2008 and 2009 Gamer's Edition, it is the most controversial video game series in history, with over 4,000 articles published about it, which include accusations of [[glamour (presentation)|glamorising]] violence, corrupting gamers, and connection to real life crimes.<ref name="guiness 2009">{{cite book|title=Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition|date=February 2009|editor=[[Guinness World Records]]|pages=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_o9k7/page/108 108–109]|publisher=Guinness World Records |isbn=978-1-904994-45-9|url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_o9k7/page/108}}</ref>

* In the last episode of the second series of ''[[Swiss Toni]]'', Swiss gets addicted to ''Vice City'' and, after some intense playing, has trouble telling real life from his virtual life. The fact that players can kill and rob a prostitute after sex in ''Vice City'' is also mentioned in the episode - and even encouraged by Swiss's co-worker.

=== ''Grand Theft Auto'' ===

* [[Dave Chappelle]] did an "If ''Grand Theft Auto'' was real life" sketch in [[Chappelle's Show|his show]], where he leaves for work, pulls out the driver of a passing car, switches weapons by having them appear in his hands out of midair, kills the driver after the driver shoots him (slowly depleting Chappelle's health with each shot), sees the driver's body vanish, and drives away in the stolen vehicle. After Dave enters the car, the name of the vehicle is displayed with a generic make, in ''GTA'' fashion (In the sketch, "Toyola" is displayed instead of the name of the depicted [[Toyota Motor Corporation|Toyota]]). The [[HUD (computer gaming)|HUD]] that appears onscreen is based on the HUD in ''Vice City''. The sketch mostly parodies some of the unrealistic gameplay mechanics in the series.

The game was controversial from the first incarnation of the series.<ref name="dock" /> ''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]'' was condemned in Britain, Germany, and France due to its "extreme violence",<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|last1=McLaughlin|first1=Rus|last2=Thomas|first2=Lucas M.|url=http://ign.com/articles/2013/05/06/ign-presents-the-history-of-grand-theft-auto-2|title=IGN Presents: The History of Grand Theft Auto|website=IGN|date=6 May 2013|access-date=21 December 2013|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924200207/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/06/ign-presents-the-history-of-grand-theft-auto-2|url-status=live}}</ref> and Brazil banned it outright.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> [[Publicist]] [[Max Clifford]] planted sensational stories in [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|tabloids]] in order to help sell the first game.<ref name="dock">{{cite web|author=gamesindustry.biz|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/09/11/grand_theft_auto/|title=Grand Theft Auto in the dock over JP road killing|website=The Register|date=11 September 2003|access-date=21 July 2009|archive-date=29 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429111724/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/09/11/grand_theft_auto/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/comment/Grand-Theft-Auto-IV-Joyride.4024414.jp|title=Grand Theft Auto IV Joyride|author=Peter Ross|date=27 April 2008|work=[[Scotland on Sunday]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502070957/http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/comment/Grand-Theft-Auto-IV-Joyride.4024414.jp|archive-date=2 May 2008}}</ref><ref name="gibson">{{cite web|title=The history of Grand Theft Auto|author=Sam Gibson|website=IGN.com|date=6 May 2013|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/06/ign-presents-the-history-of-grand-theft-auto-2|access-date=20 December 2017|archive-date=8 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108144226/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/06/ign-presents-the-history-of-grand-theft-auto-2|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== ''Grand Theft Auto III'' ===

* [[Dave Chappelle]] also produced another skit, dubbed "The New Tupac," in which a "new" [[Tupac Shakur|Tupac]] song is played in a club (10 years or so after Tupac's death). Tupac raps of things that have happened recently, including a reference to ''San Andreas'' player character, [[Carl "CJ" Johnson]]: "Your crew don't faze us / We'll make you busters pay us / Run up on your spot like CJ from San Andreas".

{{See also|Grand Theft Auto III#Controversies}}

The controversies flared up again with ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'', for various reasons. First, the 3D graphics made the violence more realistic. Also, players could restore their health by paying for the services of prostitutes, and if they wished, kill them to get some of their money back.<ref name="gibson" />

* An episode of the television series ''[[CSI: Miami]]'' featured a gang of young criminals who based their crimes on a fictional game intentionally similar to ''Grand Theft Auto'', named [http://www.tv.com/csi-miami/urban-hellraisers/episode/559934/summary.html ''Urban Hellraisers'']. The game's box and logo are extremely similar to those of the later ''Grand Theft Auto''s, and the episode's plot acts out the claims of ''Grand Theft Auto'''s critics that such games inspire violent behavior in young people. This of course, caught the attention of many gamers, as the episode had anti-gamer rhetoric and slander, with an over the top plot.

There was also criticism of the focus on illegal activities in comparison with traditional "heroic" roles that other games offer. The main character can commit crimes and violent acts – including the killing of policemen and military personnel – while suffering only temporary consequences.

* In the pilot episode of ''[[The O.C.]]'', Seth references the franchise by alluding to its ability to "steal cars and stuff - it's pretty cool".

=== ''Vice City'' ===

* An episode of the television series ''[[Killer Instinct (TV series)|Killer Instinct]]'' followed a similar storyline in the episode "Game Over."

{{See also|Grand Theft Auto: Vice City#Controversies}}

The sixth game in the series, ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'', also came under criticism. One mission in particular, in which the player must instigate a [[Gang|gang war]] between Haitian and Cuban gangs, has been controversial. Haitian and Cuban anti-defamation groups criticised the game.

Jean-Robert Lafortune of the Haitian American Grassroots Coalition is quoted as saying that "The game shouldn't be designed to destroy human life, it shouldn't be designed to destroy an ethnic group," for this and similar scenarios, including lines in the game's script such as "kill the Haitian dickheads" said by character "Diaz" during an altercation between the player and a Haitian gang. After the threat of a lawsuit by the Haitian-American Grassroots Coalition, Rockstar removed the word "Haitians" from this phrase in the game's subtitles.<ref name="CubanHaitian4">{{cite web|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/grandtheftautovicecity/news.html?sid=6085346#|title=Take-Two self-censoring Vice City|work=GameSpot|access-date=2 May 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929225104/http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/grandtheftautovicecity/news.html?sid=6085346|archive-date=29 September 2007}}</ref><!--<ref name = "driver killed in Grand Theft Auto copycat murder">{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/04/2323766.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807052159/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/04/2323766.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 August 2008|title=Thai cabbie killed in Grand Theft Auto copycat murder|work=www.abc.net.au|access-date=4 August 2013}}</ref> -->

* In an episode of the short-lived television series ''[[Game Over (TV series)|Game Over]]'' on [[UPN]], the Smashenburn family is shown at a mall. At the end of the scene, the father is attacked by a man with at wodden chair and is robbed of his bag of items. The father then says, "I hate shopping in [[Vice City]]."

=== ''San Andreas'' ===

* [[Guru (rapper)|Guru]], one half of rap duo [[Gang Starr]] and the voice actor of [[List of characters in Grand Theft Auto III#8-Ball|8-Ball]] in ''GTA III'' and ''GTA: Liberty City Stories'', shouts out to his character in the games in an early episode of the ''[[Kung Faux]]'' television series, in which he also performs as a key voice over artist for the show.

{{Main|Hot Coffee (minigame)}}

''San Andreas'' was criticised initially for its "gangster" elements, which include drugs, prostitution, and murder. It received additional criticism after the discovery of an interactive sex [[minigame]], nicknamed Hot Coffee. Although it had been cut from the game, it remained in the code, and was discovered in both the console and Windows versions.

After the release of ''San Andreas'', [[Mod (video gaming)|modders]] managed to find the unused code in the game and released [[unofficial patch]]es for the Windows and Xbox (with a [[modchip]]) [[porting|versions]] as well as a [[PlayStation 2]] version through the use of an [[Action Replay]] code enabling the player to engage in these sexual mini-games (dubbed "Hot Coffee" in reference to a euphemism for sex used in the game). These mini-games were left partially intact in the game's code. This prompted application of an AO (Adults Only) [[Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]] rating to the version of the game containing the leftover code. Take-Two Interactive was forced to re-release the game in order to restore the M (Mature) rating. A class action lawsuit against Take-Two was also filed as a result of the "Hot Coffee" code.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ps2.ign.com/articles/834/834150p1.html|title=IGN: Hot Coffee Lawsuit Finally Mopped Up|work=IGN|date=9 November 2007|access-date=2 May 2008|archive-date=12 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112134151/http://ps2.ign.com/articles/834/834150p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/take-two-announces-hot-coffee-lawsuit-settlements|title=Take-Two Announces 'Hot Coffee' Lawsuit Settlements|work=Gamasutra|access-date=2 May 2008|archive-date=21 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521173725/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16182|url-status=live}}</ref>

* ''[[Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne]]'' features an Easter egg that activates a scene reminiscent of the top-down versions of the ''GTA'' series (although it also borrows elements from modern ''GTA'' games), in which a pedestrian is shot dead in a drive-by shooting, from which the killer emerges from his car to steal all of the dead man's money and drives away.

=== ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' ===

* In the 2003 comedy film ''[[Malibu's Most Wanted]]'', the lead character B-rad (played by [[Jamie Kennedy]]) shoots at cars and people during one scene aggressively. When asked where he learned to do that, he replies "''Grand Theft Auto III''".

{{Main|Controversies surrounding Grand Theft Auto IV}}

One of the controversies involved with this game was [[Mothers Against Drunk Driving]]'s (MADD) criticism of the ability to [[Driving under the influence|drink and drive]] as a new feature. MADD had even requested [[Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]] to change the rating of the game from "M" for ages seventeen and up to "AO", for adults only, because they felt it was inappropriate for children, even at the age of seventeen, to experience drunk driving in such a manner.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mothers-against-gtaivs-drunk-driving/1100-6190213/|title=Mothers against GTAIV's drunk driving|last=Sinclair|first=Brendan|date=30 April 2008|website=[[GameSpot]]|access-date=13 October 2008|archive-date=22 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322015446/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mothers-against-gtaivs-drunk-driving/1100-6190213/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the final game, drunk driving is a playable event, but it is a crime that automatically generates a wanted rating<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sterling |first1=Jim |title=Does GTA IV promote drunk driving? |url=https://www.destructoid.com/does-gta-iv-promote-drunk-driving--84443.phtml |website=Destructoid |date=3 May 2008 |access-date=17 April 2020 |archive-date=27 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727075339/https://www.destructoid.com/does-gta-iv-promote-drunk-driving--84443.phtml |url-status=live }}</ref> and main playable character [[Niko Bellic]] loudly (and drunkenly) proclaims that it is a "bad idea" and that he "should know better".<ref>''Grand Theft Auto IV'', Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 release.</ref>

Notably, it is impossible to drive while drunk in the ''GTA IV'' expansions, ''The Lost and Damned'' and ''The Ballad of Gay Tony''. These were released after the criticism. It is, however, possible to drive drunk again in the successor, ''Grand Theft Auto V''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://attackofthefanboy.com/news/gta-players-drive-drunk-esrb-states/|title=GTA V players can drive drunk as ESRB states|date=21 August 2013|work=Attack of the Fanboy|access-date=5 September 2015|archive-date=18 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918175225/http://attackofthefanboy.com/news/gta-players-drive-drunk-esrb-states/|url-status=live}}</ref>

* An episode of ''[[Law & Order]]'' depicts teenagers committing a ''GTA''-like crime. A similar looking game is used in the show to depict a gruesome hit-and-run, and a vicious assault on a prostitute. The same teenagers also re-coded the game to depict police chasing a fellow accomplice (who would commit suicide as a result). [[District attorney]] [[Jack McCoy]] succeeded in sending them both to [[Rikers Island]].

* An episode of the satirical news show ''[[The Daily Show]]'' featured correspondent [[Samantha Bee]] reporting from [[San Andreas (Grand Theft Auto)|San Andreas]]. A street scene from the game was displayed in the background as she discussed the reaction of San Andreas residents to video game rating debates in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. She also appeared in front of a "Vice City" screen during the same scene, however it was treated as if she was still in Los Santos. This is a reference to the re-rating of ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' in the wake of the [[Hot Coffee mod|Hot Coffee controversy]].

=== ''The Lost and Damned'' ===

* ''[[The Football Factory]]'', a 2004 film which credits Rockstar Games as its Executive Producers, sees a character playing ''GTA: Vice City''.

{{See also|Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned#Controversy}}

''[[Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned|The Lost and Damned]]'' expansion pack for ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' was condemned by US parents group Common Sense Media who issued a public warning against the pack's content due to a full-frontal [[nudity]] scene during one of the cutscenes. They claimed the game was "more controversial than its predecessors" because it featured "full frontal male nudity".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.wired.com/games/2009/02/parents-group-w.html|title=Parents Group Warns Against Lost And Damned Nudity|work=Wired.com|date=21 February 2009|access-date=15 July 2009|archive-date=27 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327203001/http://blog.wired.com/games/2009/02/parents-group-w.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== ''Chinatown Wars'' ===

* In the 2005 film ''Dirty'', drug lords and Canadian thugs were seen playing ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas''. Ironically, [[Clifton Collins Jr.]], who played a major role in the film as Officer Armando Sancho, voiced [[List of characters in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas#Cesar Vialpando|Cesar Vialpando]], a street gang member in ''GTA: San Andreas''.

{{See also|Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars#Controversy}}

{{Quote box|quote=Nintendo wanted us to make ''Grand Theft Auto'', and we wanted to make a game on their platform. They didn't want us to make a ''Grand Theft Auto'' for kids, and we weren't interested in making a game we wouldn't normally make.|source=Dan Houser, on the making of ''Chinatown Wars'' for the [[Nintendo DS]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dpadmagazine.com/2008/09/25/houser-nintendo-didnt-want-us-to-make-gta-for-kids/|title=Houser: "Nintendo didn't want us to make GTA for kids"|publisher=D+PAD|date=25 September 2008|access-date=20 August 2011|archive-date=11 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211185232/http://www.dpadmagazine.com/2008/09/25/houser-nintendo-didnt-want-us-to-make-gta-for-kids/|url-status=live}}</ref>|align=right|width=30em |quoted=1}}

* In the film ''[[The Break-Up]]'', [[Vince Vaughn]]'s character, Gary, plays ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas''.

There has been some controversy over a drug dealing minigame<ref>{{cite web|last=Langshaw|first=Mark|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/feature/a315957/feature-video-game-controversy.html|title=Feature: Video Game Controversy|website=Digital Spy|date=24 April 2011|access-date=20 August 2011|archive-date=25 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425140622/http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/feature/a315957/feature-video-game-controversy.html|url-status=live}}</ref> along with comments that some Nintendo games are being aimed at children (despite the fact that the game was rated Mature). The drug dealing mini-game allows players to peddle six types of drugs around the city, but the profit the player makes depends on market conditions, which will be based on the area in which they deal, and the level of regular service this area receives from them.<ref>{{cite web|author=L.B. Jeffries|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.72422-GTA-Chinatown-Wars-Features-Drug-Dealing-Minigame|title=Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Features Drug-Dealing Minigame|publisher=Escapistmagazine.com|access-date=20 August 2011|archive-date=10 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010190615/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.72422-GTA-Chinatown-Wars-Features-Drug-Dealing-Minigame|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infendo.com/rockstar-nintendo-wanted-a-bad-ass-gta-title/|title=Rockstar: Nintendo wanted a bad ass Grand Theft Auto title|publisher=Infendo.com|date=24 September 2008|access-date=20 August 2011|archive-date=28 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928101222/http://www.infendo.com/rockstar-nintendo-wanted-a-bad-ass-gta-title/|url-status=live}}</ref>

* [[Coca-Cola]] produced a [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3913745262811179417 commercial] which has appeared in theaters, and set in a video game. The game resembles a lot of the key elements and style of graphics as the ''GTA'' series. The protagonist begins the commercial as though he is about to commit violence but enters a store to buy Cola, pulls a driver out of a car to give him another bottle of Cola and then proceeds to do good deeds around the city while people sing and cheer him on.

=== ''Grand Theft Auto V'' ===

* [[Mike Epps]] portrayed a character in the film ''[[Resident Evil: Apocalypse]]'', where he was driving around the zombie infested [[Raccoon City]], and then runs down a zombie that walks out in front of him yelling out loud "GTA mother fucker!." After he hits the zombie, he drives off saying "10 points," a reference to the early ''Grand Theft Auto'' point system where the player is awarded money when committing specific criminal offenses (including running over pedestrians). Coincidentally, Capcom, which develops the [[Resident Evil (series)|''Resident Evil'' series]], also distributes ''Grand Theft Auto'' games in Japan.

{{Main|Controversies surrounding Grand Theft Auto V}}

A segment in the latest instalment caused controversy for scenes containing player-initiated torture. The mission "By the Book" features graphic depictions of kneecapping, electrocution, dental extraction and waterboarding, and the player is required to perform an act of torture in order to progress in the game.<ref name="Theguardian">{{cite web|url=http://techinamerica.com/grand-theft-auto-5-under-fire-for-graphic-torture-scene/|title=Grand Theft Auto 5 under fire for graphic torture scene|author=Alex Hern|date=18 September 2013|publisher=Tech in America|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928223234/http://techinamerica.com/grand-theft-auto-5-under-fire-for-graphic-torture-scene/|archive-date=28 September 2013|access-date=5 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Martin Bagot|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/staying-in/video-games/gta-5-torture-row-teachers-2278689|title=Grand Theft Auto 5 torture row: Teachers slam scenes of extreme violence in most expensive game ever made – Mirror Online|publisher=Mirror.co.uk|date=17 September 2013|access-date=5 November 2013|archive-date=15 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115054618/http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/staying-in/video-games/gta-5-torture-row-teachers-2278689|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/staying-in/video-games/gta-5s-most-controversial-mission-2279001|title=Why Grand Theft Auto 5's most controversial mission may be unpleasant and repulsive but there is a message behind the degradation – Dan Silver – Mirror Online|publisher=Mirror.co.uk|date=17 September 2013|access-date=5 November 2013|archive-date=20 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020225005/http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/staying-in/video-games/gta-5s-most-controversial-mission-2279001|url-status=live}}</ref>

UK-based charity [[Freedom from Torture]] publicly condemned the use of torture scenes in ''Grand Theft Auto V''. The organisation, who works to rehabilitate survivors of torture, joined other human rights charities who were outraged at a torture scene in the game in which the players have to pull teeth and [[Electric torture|electrocute]] an unarmed man in order to extract information. The charity's CEO Keith Best stated: "Rockstar North has crossed a line by effectively forcing people to take on the role of a torturer and perform a series of unspeakable acts if they want to achieve success in the game."<ref name="Theguardian" />

* In the ''[[South Park]]'' episode "[[Make Love, Not Warcraft]]", as [[Randy and Sharon Marsh|Randy Marsh]] rushes to deliver a virtual weapon to his son [[Stan Marsh|Stan]], he and two executives of [[Blizzard Entertainment]] procure a car in a very ''GTA''-style manner by dashing in front of the vehicle, pulling out the driver, and beating him before stealing the vehicle.

The game has also been accused of sexism. The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' considered the game's satirical portrayals of women uncreative, and added that violent and sexist themes hurt the game experience.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/games/theft-is-the-least-of-the-sins-of-grand-theft-auto-v/|title='Grand Theft Auto V' review: Stubborn sexism, violence ruin game play|last=Martens|first=Todd|date=20 September 2013|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=8 October 2013|archive-date=23 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023005759/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/games/theft-is-the-least-of-the-sins-of-grand-theft-auto-v/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Edge'' noted that while "every female in the game exists solely to be sneered, leered or laughed at", it treated its all-male lead characters in a similar vein through their stereotyped tendencies towards violence.<ref name="Edge Review">{{cite magazine|author=Edge Staff|title=Play: Economies of scale|publisher=[[Future plc]]|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|issue=259|date=November 2013|pages=85–88|url=http://www.edge-online.com/review/grand-theft-auto-v-review/|access-date=7 July 2014|archive-date=19 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130919065641/http://www.edge-online.com/review/grand-theft-auto-v-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Sam Houser]], Rockstar Games co-founder, felt that the development team sometimes overlooked their portrayal of women in ''Grand Theft Auto'' games, but that the weight towards male characters "fit with the story we wanted to tell".<ref name="Comedy of Violence">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/arts/video-games/grand-theft-auto-v-is-a-return-to-the-comedy-of-violence.html|title=Grand Theft Auto V Is a Return to the Comedy of Violence|last=Suellentrop|first=Chris|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=16 September 2013|access-date=4 October 2013|archive-date=25 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131125194859/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/arts/video-games/grand-theft-auto-v-is-a-return-to-the-comedy-of-violence.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

* In the ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' episode "Lust for Puppets", [[Mario]] and [[Luigi]] stumble into [[Vice City]], and their antics parody the gameplay conventions of both the [[List of Mario games by year|''Mario'' series]] and the ''GTA'' series. For example, after Luigi kills a girl's pet turtle (thinking it was a [[Koopa Troopa]]), he gets one star on his "wanted" meter, attracting the attention of the police (as is customary in the ''GTA'' games). When he and Mario escape, the wanted meter increases to two stars. Also, the brothers pick up a prostitute, believing that she is [[Princess Peach]].

===Lawsuits===

* [[Spike Lee]]'s 2006 film ''[[Inside Man]]'' implicity criticizes violent video games with a scene in which a little boy plays an exaggeratedly violent game similar to ''GTA: San Andreas''.

Several celebrities have sued Rockstar Games and/or Take-Two Interactive for purportedly violating their [[intellectual property]] or [[personality rights]], including hip-hop artist [[Daz Dillinger]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/52614-daz-dillinger-accuses-grand-theft-auto-v-of-stealing-his-beats/|title=Daz Dillinger accuses Grand Theft Auto V of Stealing his Beats|author=Staff|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=11 October 2013|access-date=14 October 2013|archive-date=14 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014035718/http://pitchfork.com/news/52614-daz-dillinger-accuses-grand-theft-auto-v-of-stealing-his-beats|url-status=live}}</ref> Karen Gravano of ''[[Mob Wives]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/451243/mob-wives-karen-gravano-suing-rockstar-over-gta-v-character/|title=Mob Wives' Karen Gravano suing Rockstar over GTA V character|last=Jackson|first=Mike|magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]]|date=27 February 2014|access-date=15 April 2014|archive-date=7 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707103739/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/451243/mob-wives-karen-gravano-suing-rockstar-over-gta-v-character/|url-status=live}}</ref> and actress [[Lindsay Lohan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/28129505|title=Lindsay Lohan is suing the makers of Grand Theft Auto V|date=2 July 2014|work=[[Newsbeat]]|publisher=BBC|access-date=2 July 2014|archive-date=3 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703005145/http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/28129505|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Lawsuits involving Jack Thompson====

* The episode "[[Witch Hunt (NCIS)|Witch Hunt]]" of ''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]'' presents an investigation of kidnapped girl. When [[Ziva David|Officer Ziva David]] questions a neighborhood youth for any information regarding the kidnapper, he reportedly answers a green "Karuma", which [[Leroy Jethro Gibbs|Special Agent Jethro Gibbs]] translates the word for Officer David as Japanese for "car" (自動車). [[Timothy McGee|Agent McGee]] then claims that a Karuma is a vehicle from ''GTA III'' (spelled "Kuruma" in-game, the correct transliteration of the Japanese term) and that it is a [[Chrysler Sebring]].<ref name="NCIS ref">'''Gibbs:''' "Karuma is Japanese for car, Ziva." / '''Tony:''' "Your description of the car is 'car'. Nice work, Officer David." / '''McGee:''' "Karuma is the name of a car in ''Grand Theft Auto III''. It's a Chrysler Sebring sedan." / '''Tony:''' "McGeek with the save!" ([http://shetiger.com/fanfic/ncis/episodes/406.html ''NCIS'', episode 4.06/"Witch Hunt" script])</ref>

{{Further|Jack Thompson (activist)#Grand Theft Auto}}

Former lawyer [[Jack Thompson (activist)|Jack Thompson]] has been involved in a number of attempts to get families of murder victims to hold the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series accountable for the death of their loved ones. Due to his conduct in this and related cases, Thompson was [[disbarred]] in 2008<ref>[http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/09/25/disbarred "Disbarred!"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926072609/http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/09/25/disbarred |date=26 September 2008 }}, GamePolitics.com, 25 September 2008</ref> and was fined more than $100,000 by the [[Florida Bar]] Association.<ref>[http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/07/09/we-have-judge039s-report-recommending-permanent-disbarment-jack-thompson "Judge's report recommending Permanent disbarment for Jack Thompson"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928054215/http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/07/09/we-have-judge039s-report-recommending-permanent-disbarment-jack-thompson |date=28 September 2008 }}, Gamepolitics.com, 9 July 2008</ref>

On 20 October 2003, the families of Aaron Hamel and Kimberly Bede, two young people shot by teens William and Josh Buckner (who in statements to investigators claimed their actions were inspired by ''Grand Theft Auto III'') filed a US$246 million lawsuit against publishers [[Rockstar Games]], [[Take-Two Interactive]] Software, retailer [[Walmart]], and PlayStation 2 manufacturer [[Sony Interactive Entertainment|Sony Computer Entertainment America]].<ref name="bucknertrial_a1">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/22/videogame.lawsuit.ap/index.html|title=Lawsuit filed against Sony, Wal-Mart over game linked to shootings|work=CNN|access-date=6 May 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060503074048/http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/22/videogame.lawsuit.ap/index.html|archive-date=3 May 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="bucknertrial_a2">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/grandtheftauto3/news_6077161.html|title=Families sue over ''Grand Theft Auto III''-inspired shooting|work=GameSpot|access-date=6 May 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040508045243/http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/grandtheftauto3/news_6077161.html|archive-date=8 May 2004}}</ref> Rockstar and its parent company, Take-Two, filed for dismissal of the lawsuit, stating in [[United States district court|US District Court]] on 29 October 2003 that the "ideas and concepts as well as the 'purported psychological effects' on the Buckners are protected by the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment's]] free-speech clause". The lawyer of the victims, Jack Thompson, denied that, but failed in his attempt to move the lawsuit into a state court and under [[Tennessee]]'s consumer protection act.<ref name="bucknertrial_b">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/grandtheftauto3/news_6081737.html|title=Rockstar seeks to dismiss ''Grand Theft Auto III'' lawsuit|work=GameSpot|access-date=6 May 2006|archive-date=23 January 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050123061151/http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/grandtheftauto3/news_6081737.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Two days later, the plaintiffs filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal, and the case was closed.

* In an episode of ''[[Police Files: Unlocked]]'', two 13 year old boys steal a car and try to imitate a ''GTA'' police car chase. They end up crashing, with the voice over commentary stating that "they should have sticked to their PlayStations, where it's safe to play ''Grand Theft Auto''".

In February 2005, a [[lawsuit]] was brought upon the makers and distributors of the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series claiming the games caused a teenager to shoot and kill three members of the [[Alabama]] police force. The shooting took place in June 2003 when [[Devin Moore (murderer)|Devin Moore]], 17 years old at the time, was taken in for questioning by police in [[Fayette, Alabama]], regarding a stolen vehicle. Moore then grabbed a pistol from one of the police officers and shot and killed him along with another officer and dispatcher before fleeing in a police car.<ref name="Devin Moore">{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050307095559/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=502424|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=502424|archive-date=7 March 2005|title=Suit: Video Game Sparked Police Shootings|work=ABC News|date=7 March 2005}}</ref><ref name="Devin Moore2">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/grandtheftautovicecity/news.html?sid=6118699|title=''Grand Theft Auto'' sparks another lawsuit|work=GameSpot|access-date=18 August 2006|archive-date=1 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201095341/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/grandtheftautovicecity/news.html?sid=6118699|url-status=live}}</ref> One of Moore's attorneys, Jack Thompson, claimed it was ''Grand Theft Auto''{{'}}s graphic nature—with his constant playing time—that caused Moore to commit the murders, and Moore's family agrees. Damages were being sought from branches of [[GameStop]] and Wal-Mart in [[Jasper, Alabama]], the stores from which ''Grand Theft Auto III'' and ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'', respectively, were purchased and also from the games' publisher Take-Two Interactive, and the [[PlayStation 2]] manufacturer [[Sony Computer Entertainment]]. On 29 March 2006 the case was dismissed and permission to appeal was denied.<ref name="dismissalUpheld">Reeves, Jay "[http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-20/1143662355218050.xml&storylist=alabamanews Court rejects appeal in Alabama suit blaming game for slayings] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029012618/http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews-20%2F1143662355218050.xml&storylist=alabamanews |date=29 October 2008 }}". ''Associated Press'', 29 March 2006.</ref>

== See also ==

* [[List of gangs in Grand Theft Auto series|List of gangs in ''Grand Theft Auto'' series]]

* [[List of Grand Theft Auto voice actors|List of ''Grand Theft Auto'' voice actors]]

* [[GTA clone]]

* [[Video game controversy]]

In May 2005, Jack Thompson appeared via satellite on the ''[[Glenn Beck (TV program)|Glenn Beck]]'' program on [[CNN]]'s [[Headline News]]. Thompson mentioned Devin Moore and said, regarding ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'', "There's no doubt in my mind [...] that but for Devin Moore's training on this cop killing simulator, he would not have been able to kill three cops in Fayette, Alabama, who are now dead and in the ground. We are suing Take-Two, [[Sony]], Wal-Mart, and GameStop for having trained Devin Moore to kill. He had no history of violence. No criminal record."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqSCLrtioEI CNN Headline News – Grand Theft Morality Pt.2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108234002/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqSCLrtioEI |date=8 January 2015 }} YouTube. Retrieved 7 May 2008. Update There is 1.234 dislikes</ref>

=== Soundtracks ===

==== Radio station soundtracks ====

* [[Grand Theft Auto 2 soundtrack|''Grand Theft Auto 2'' soundtrack]]

* [[Grand Theft Auto III soundtrack|''Grand Theft Auto III'' soundtrack]]

* [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack|''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'' soundtrack]]

* [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack|''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' soundtrack]]

* [[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories soundtrack|''Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories'' soundtrack]]

* [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories soundtrack|''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories'' soundtrack]]

In September 2006, Thompson brought another lawsuit, claiming that Cody Posey played the game obsessively before murdering his father Delbert Paul Posey, stepmother Tryone Schmid, and stepsister Marilea Schmid on a ranch in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]]. The suit was filed on behalf of the victims' families.<ref name="Cody Posey">{{cite web|url=http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2006/sep/25/video-game-maker-blamed-04-killing/|title=Video-game maker blamed in '04 killing|work=The Albuquerque Tribune|access-date=27 September 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825065157/http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2006/sep/25/video-game-maker-blamed-04-killing/|archive-date=25 August 2007}}</ref> The suit alleged that were it not for his obsessive playing of ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'', the murders would not have taken place.<ref name="Cody Posey3">{{cite web|url=http://www.abqjournal.com/abqnews/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1526&Itemid=2|title=Antigame Crusader in ABQ|work=ABQnewsSeeker|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927230450/http://www.abqjournal.com/abqnews/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1526&Itemid=2|archive-date=27 September 2007|access-date=27 September 2006}}</ref> Named in the suit were Cody Posey, Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive, and Sony. The suit asked for US$600 million in damages.<ref name="Suit Damage">{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/27/jack-thompson-becomes-boring/|title=Jack Thompson becomes boring|work=Joystiq|date=27 September 2006|access-date=11 July 2007|archive-date=11 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011212816/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/27/jack-thompson-becomes-boring/|url-status=live}}</ref> During the criminal trial, Posey's defence team argued he was abused by his father, and tormented by his stepmother.<ref name="Posey Abuse">{{cite web|url=http://gamepolitics.com/2006/09/25/jack-thompson-lawsuit-to-be-filed-in-albuquerque/|title=Jack Thompson Lawsuit to be Filed in Albuquerque|work=Game Politics.com|date=25 September 2006|access-date=11 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011151427/http://gamepolitics.com/2006/09/25/jack-thompson-lawsuit-to-be-filed-in-albuquerque/|archive-date=11 October 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> Posey was also taking [[Sertraline|Zoloft]] at the time of the killings.<ref name="Cody Posey2a">{{cite web|url=http://www.courttv.com/talk/chat_transcripts/2006/0208posey-ockenfels.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502183241/http://www.courttv.com/talk/chat_transcripts/2006/0208posey-ockenfels.html|archive-date=2 May 2008|title=Vera Ockenfels, the Cody Posey defence team's mitigation specialist, discusses his conviction (transcript) (Feb. 8, 2006)|work=CourtTV|access-date=27 September 2006}}</ref> The lawsuit was dismissed in December 2007.<ref name="escapist">{{cite web|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/83973-Vice-City-Wrongful-Death-Suit-Dismissed|title=Vice City Wrongful Death Suit Dismissed|last=Chalk|first=Andy|date=20 May 2008|access-date=18 December 2016|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220201128/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/83973-Vice-City-Wrongful-Death-Suit-Dismissed|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Cover Art ===

<gallery>

Image:GTA - Box Front.jpg|<center> Grand Theft Auto (1998)

Image:GTA1969.JPG|<center> GTA: London 1969 (1999)

Image:GTA2boxart.jpg|<center> GTA II (1999)

Image:GTA3boxcover.jpg|<center> GTA III (2001)

Image:Vcbox.jpg|<center> GTA: Vice City (2002)

Image:GTASABOX.jpg|<center> GTA: San Andreas (2004)

Image:GtaAdvancebox.jpg|<center> GTA: Advance (2004)

Image:Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories box.jpg|<center> GTA: LCS (2005)

Image:072406111853 vcsboxart.jpg|<center> GTA: VCS (2006)

</gallery>

==Notes=Modding and referencesfan recreations===

{{Main|Grand Theft Auto modding}}

<div class="references-small">

[[Mod (video games)|Modding]] of ''Grand Theft Auto'' content, either within ''Grand Theft Auto'' games or recreated via other software, has been generally performed by the player community since around the early 2000s, with one of the first major conversions being the recreation of ''Grand Theft Auto III''{{'s}} Liberty City within the game engine running ''Vice City''.<ref name="pcgamer 2021 dcma"/> Around 2017, Take Two began taking action against these mods, specifically issuing a [[cease & desist]] letter to the makers of ''OpenIV'', a piece of software that allowed players to alter content from ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' and ''V''. Take-Two said at the time that its issue was not directly with the mod itself, but that it "enables recent [[Cheating in online games|malicious mods]] that allow harassment of players and interfere with the ''GTA Online'' experience for everybody", and that it was working with ''OpenIV'' to find an amenable solution. ''OpenIV'' developers opted to remove the mod from circulation after several rounds of discussion with Take-Two.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/gta-modding-tool-openiv-shuts-down-claiming-cease-and-desist-from-take-two/ | title = GTA modding tool OpenIV shuts down due to cease and desist from Take-Two | first = Christopher | last = Livingstone | date = 15 June 2017 | access-date = 19 July 2021 | work = [[PC Gamer]] | archive-date = 19 July 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210719161828/https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/gta-modding-tool-openiv-shuts-down-claiming-cease-and-desist-from-take-two/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Take-Two issued a statement to clarify that it would not take action against single-player mods;<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/rockstar-is-talking-with-openiv-developer-issues-new-statement-on-mods/ | title = Rockstar is talking with OpenIV developer, issues new statement on mods | first = Christopher | last = Livingstone | newspaper = PC Gamer | date = 23 June 2017 | access-date = 19 July 2021 | archive-date = 18 July 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210718215105/https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/rockstar-is-talking-with-openiv-developer-issues-new-statement-on-mods/ | url-status = live }}</ref> this statement was updated in 2019 to exclude modders from including other Take-Two intellectual property or from "making new games, stories, missions, or maps".<ref name="pcgamer 2021 dcma">{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/take-two-has-been-issuing-takedowns-for-gta-mods/ | title = Take-Two has been issuing takedowns for GTA mods | first = Jody | last = Macgregor | date = 18 July 2021 | access-date = 18 July 2021 | work = [[PC Gamer]] | archive-date = 18 July 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210718100923/https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/take-two-has-been-issuing-takedowns-for-gta-mods/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

<references/>

</div>

The ''Grand Theft Auto'' modding community worked under this response to continue to build mods and other content within the bounds set by Take-Two.<ref name="pcgamer 2021 dcma"/> In February 2021, Take-Two, under the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] (DMCA), issued a takedown request for two projects hosted on [[GitHub]] that had [[reverse-engineered]] the game engines for ''Grand Theft Auto III'' and ''Vice City'', asserting that such reverse-engineering was disallowed by the game's [[End User License Agreement]].<ref name="re3 Eurogamer DMCA">{{cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-02-20-gta-3-and-vice-city-reverse-engineering-fan-project-hit-with-dmca-takedown |title=GTA 3 and Vice City reverse-engineering fan project hit with DMCA takedown |last=Yin-Poole |first=Wesley |work=[[Eurogamer]] |publisher=[[Gamer Network]] |date=20 February 2021 |access-date=22 February 2021 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220110831/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-02-20-gta-3-and-vice-city-reverse-engineering-fan-project-hit-with-dmca-takedown |archivedate=20 February 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 10 June 2021, the project developers filed a counter-notice; per DMCA rules regarding disputes, the source code was restored after two weeks.<ref name="re3 Eurogamer DMCA 2">{{cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-06-28-gta-3-and-vice-city-reverse-engineering-fan-project-back-online-after-take-two-takedown |title=GTA 3 and Vice City reverse-engineering fan project back online after Take-Two takedown |last=Yin-Poole |first=Wesley |work=[[Eurogamer]] |publisher=[[Gamer Network]] |date=28 June 2021 |access-date=5 August 2021 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628112617/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-06-28-gta-3-and-vice-city-reverse-engineering-fan-project-back-online-after-take-two-takedown |archivedate=28 June 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref> Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated the company has a "pretty flexible" view on user mods, asserting that "if the economy is threatened, or if there's bad behaviour, and we know how to define that, then we would issue a takedown notice".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/gta-mods-dmca | title = Take-Two says it's "pretty flexible" when it comes to DMCAing GTA mods | first = Dustin | last = Bailey | date = 2 August 2021 | access-date = 2 August 2021 | work = [[PCGamesN]] | archive-date = 5 August 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210805131756/https://www.pcgamesn.com/gta-mods-dmca | url-status = live }}</ref> However, the company proceeded to continue to file a lawsuit in California against the programmers behind this effort in September 2021, asserting that the programmers "are well aware that they do not possess the right to copy, adapt, or distribute derivative GTA source code, or the audiovisual elements of the games, and that doing so constitutes copyright infringement."<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/take-two-is-suing-the-creators-of-a-gta-3-and-vice-city-reverse-engineering-projects/ | title = Take-Two is suing the creators of GTA 3 and Vice City reverse engineering projects | first = Chris | last = Scullion | date = 3 September 2021 | access-date = 3 September 2021 | work = [[Video Games Chronicle]] | archive-date = 3 September 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210903134025/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/take-two-is-suing-the-creators-of-a-gta-3-and-vice-city-reverse-engineering-projects/ | url-status = live }}</ref> As part of the lawsuit, Take-Two issued another takedown notice to GitHub to remove the mods in October 2021.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-10-02-gta-reverse-engineering-fan-projects-pulled-offline-for-a-second-time-after-yet-another-take-two-takedown | title = GTA reverse engineering fan projects pulled offline for a second time after yet another Take-Two takedown | first = Wesley | last = Yin-Poole | date = 2 October 2021 | access-date = 2 October 2021 | work = [[Eurogamer]] | archive-date = 2 October 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211002175103/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-10-02-gta-reverse-engineering-fan-projects-pulled-offline-for-a-second-time-after-yet-another-take-two-takedown | url-status = live }}</ref> The modders, in their legal reply, asserted that use of the assets were within [[fair use]], as the reverse-engineered versions were transformative in nature and, as neither Rockstar nor Take Two had issued any updates for years, did not harm the commercial prospects of the games.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamesradar.com/gta-3-and-gta-vice-city-modders-fight-back-against-copyright-lawsuit/ | title = GTA 3 and GTA Vice City modders fight back against copyright lawsuit | first = Ali | last = Jones | date = 17 November 2021 | access-date = 17 November 2021 | work = [[GamesRadar]] | archive-date = 17 November 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211117141159/https://www.gamesradar.com/gta-3-and-gta-vice-city-modders-fight-back-against-copyright-lawsuit/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

== External links ==

===Official sites===

* [http://www.grandtheftauto.com/ Official ''Grand Theft Auto'' website]

* [http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/ Free download of ''GTA'' and ''GTA2'' at Rockstar Classics]

* [http://www.rockstargames.com/gta/ ''GTA1'']

* [http://www.rockstargames.com/gtalondon/ ''GTA: London'']

* [http://www.rockstargames.com/gta2/ ''GTA2'']

* [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/ ''GTA III'']

* [http://www.rockstargames.com/vicecity/ ''GTA: Vice City'']

* [http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/ ''GTA: San Andreas'']

* [http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto/gba/ ''GTA Advance'']

* [http://www.rockstargames.com/libertycitystories/ ''GTA: Liberty City Stories'']

* [http://www.rockstargames.com/vicecitystories/ ''GTA: Vice City Stories'']

* [http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/ ''GTA IV'']

===General resource=Reception ==

{{Video game series reviews

*{{moby game|id=-group/grand-theft-auto-series|name=''Grand Theft Auto'' series}}

| updated = 5 February 2015

* [http://www.ugo.com/channels/games/features/gtaretrospective/default.asp ''Grand Theft Auto'' Retrospective from UGO.com]

| game1 = [[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]

* [http://www.gamespot.com/features/6111834/index.html GameSpot: The History of ''Grand Theft Auto'']

| gr1 = (PC) 79%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/197476-grand-theft-auto/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto for PC|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326003540/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/197476-grand-theft-auto/index.html |archivedate=26 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PS1) 68%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197477-grand-theft-auto/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto for PlayStation|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326002735/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197477-grand-theft-auto/index.html |archivedate=26 March 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref><br />(GBC) 57%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gbc/576069-grand-theft-auto/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto for Game Boy Color|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326003442/http://www.gamerankings.com/gbc/576069-grand-theft-auto/index.html |archivedate=26 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

* [http://www.gtacentral.com/carpetdweller/storlines.html ''GTA'' storyline], a detailed explanation of the ''GTA'' storyline by chronological order of its timeline (Contains spoilers)

| mc1 =—

* [http://grandtheftauto.5gigs.com ''GTA radio station guide'']; covers radio stations for ''GTA III'', ''Vice City'' and ''San Andreas''.

* {{wikia|gta| game2 = [[Grand Theft Auto}}: London 1969|London 1969]]

| gr2 = (PC) 75%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/197482-grand-theft-auto-mission-pack-1-london-1969/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: Mission Pack #1: London 1969 for PC|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326003545/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/197482-grand-theft-auto-mission-pack-1-london-1969/index.html |archivedate=26 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PS1) 69%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197481-grand-theft-auto-london-1969/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto Mission Pack #1: London 1969 for PlayStation|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326002740/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197481-grand-theft-auto-london-1969/index.html |archivedate=26 March 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

* [http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?isbn=0-7864-2822-8 The Meaning and Culture of ''Grand Theft Auto'': Critical Essays], an academic book published by McFarland Press that collects essays examining the meaning and cultural implications of the ''Grand Theft Auto'' video game series.

| mc2 =—

| game3 = [[Grand Theft Auto 2]]

| gr3 = (PC) 72%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/197478-grand-theft-auto-2/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto 2 for PC|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326002720/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/197478-grand-theft-auto-2/index.html |archivedate=26 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(DC) 71%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/dreamcast/197479-grand-theft-auto-2/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto 2 for Dreamcast|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315215539/http://www.gamerankings.com/dreamcast/197479-grand-theft-auto-2/index.html |archivedate=15 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PS1) 70%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/185853-grand-theft-auto-2/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto 2 for PC|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326002730/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/185853-grand-theft-auto-2/index.html |archivedate=26 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(GBC) 35%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gbc/562989-grand-theft-auto-2/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto 2 for Game Boy Color|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326003134/http://www.gamerankings.com/gbc/562989-grand-theft-auto-2/index.html |archivedate=26 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| mc3 = (PS1) 70<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-2/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation|title=''Grand Theft Auto 2'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=30 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430224838/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation/grand-theft-auto-2|url-status=live}}</ref>

| game4 = [[Grand Theft Auto III]]

| gr4 = (PS2) 95%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/466217-grand-theft-auto-iii/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto III for PlayStation 2|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303231014/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/466217-grand-theft-auto-iii/index.html |archivedate=3 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PC) 94%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/548931-grand-theft-auto-iii/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto III for PC|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306200412/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/548931-grand-theft-auto-iii/index.html |archivedate=6 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| mc4 = (PS2) 97<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-iii/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2|title=''Grand Theft Auto III'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=6 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106030305/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/grand-theft-auto-iii|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(Xbox) 96<ref name="GTADoublePack">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-double-pack/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox|title=Grand Theft Auto Double Pack for Xbox Reviews|work=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=26 July 2020|archive-date=24 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624171647/https://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox/grand-theft-auto-double-pack|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(PC) 93<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-iii/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=''Grand Theft Auto III'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=6 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106030305/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/grand-theft-auto-iii|url-status=live}}</ref>

| game5 = [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City|Vice City]]

| gr5 = (PS2) 94%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/561545-grand-theft-auto-vice-city/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for PlayStation 2|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306194732/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/561545-grand-theft-auto-vice-city/index.html |archivedate=6 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PC) 94%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/561641-grand-theft-auto-vice-city/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for PC|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304011752/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/561641-grand-theft-auto-vice-city/index.html |archivedate=4 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| mc5 = (Xbox) 96<ref name="GTADoublePack"/><br />(PS2) 95<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-vice-city/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2|title=''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=12 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412124754/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/grand-theft-auto-vice-city|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(PC) 94<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-vice-city/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=9 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409000435/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/grand-theft-auto-vice-city|url-status=live}}</ref>

| game6 = [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|San Andreas]]

| gr6 = (PS2) 95%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/914983-grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for PlayStation 2|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303004131/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/914983-grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/index.html |archivedate=3 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(Xbox) 92%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox/925634-grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for Xbox |publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304004114/http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox/925634-grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/index.html |archivedate=4 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PC) 92%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/924362-grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for PC |publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306195205/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/924362-grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/index.html |archivedate=6 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| mc6 = (PS2) 95<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2|title=''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=29 March 2016|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20160329093046/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(Xbox) 93<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox|title=''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=13 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413060842/http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(PC) 93<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=27 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427030131/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas|url-status=live}}</ref>

| game7 = [[Grand Theft Auto (Game Boy Advance)|Advance]]

| gr7 = (GBA) 70%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/919434-grand-theft-auto/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto for Game Boy Advance|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326002620/http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/919434-grand-theft-auto/index.html |archivedate=26 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| mc7 = (GBA) 68<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance|title=''Grand Theft Auto'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=30 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430040740/http://www.metacritic.com/game/game-boy-advance/grand-theft-auto|url-status=live}}</ref>

| game8 = [[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories|Liberty City Stories]]

| gr8 = (PSP) 87%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/psp/925776-grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories for PSP|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307214521/http://www.gamerankings.com/psp/925776-grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories/index.html |archivedate=7 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PS2) 77%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/931275-grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories for PlayStation 2|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316204616/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/931275-grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories/index.html |archivedate=16 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| mc8 = (PSP) 88<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories/critic-reviews/?platform=psp|title=''Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=30 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830195544/http://www.metacritic.com/game/psp/grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(PS2) 78<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2|title=''Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=15 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415044440/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories|url-status=live}}</ref>

| game9 = [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories|Vice City Stories]]

| gr9 = (PSP) 85%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/psp/933097-grand-theft-auto-vice-city-stories/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories for PSP|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090308001435/http://www.gamerankings.com/psp/933097-grand-theft-auto-vice-city-stories/index.html |archivedate=8 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PS2) 76%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/938211-grand-theft-auto-vice-city-stories/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories for PlayStation 2|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317044100/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/938211-grand-theft-auto-vice-city-stories/index.html |archivedate=17 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| mc9 = (PSP) 86<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-vice-city-stories/critic-reviews/?platform=psp|title=''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=8 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108071218/http://www.metacritic.com/game/psp/grand-theft-auto-vice-city-stories|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(PS2) 75<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-vice-city-stories/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2|title=''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=23 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100823001813/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/grand-theft-auto-vice-city-stories|url-status=live}}</ref>

| game10 = [[Grand Theft Auto IV]]

| gr10 = (PS3) 97%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/933036-grand-theft-auto-iv/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto IV for PlayStation 3|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305063523/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/933036-grand-theft-auto-iv/index.html |archivedate=5 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(X360) 97%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/933037-grand-theft-auto-iv/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307003855/http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/933037-grand-theft-auto-iv/index.html |archivedate=7 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PC) 88%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/952150-grand-theft-auto-iv/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto IV for PC|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305060900/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/952150-grand-theft-auto-iv/index.html |archivedate=5 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| mc10 = (PS3) 98<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-iv/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3|title=''Grand Theft Auto IV'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=25 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625160633/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/grand-theft-auto-iv|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(X360) 98<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-iv/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360|title=''Grand Theft Auto IV'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=10 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010111711/http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/grand-theft-auto-iv|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(PC) 90<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-iv/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=''Grand Theft Auto IV'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=3 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203044705/https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/grand-theft-auto-iv|url-status=live}}</ref>

| game11 = [[Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned|The Lost and Damned]]

| gr11 = (PC) 94%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/987736-grand-theft-auto-iv-the-lost-and-damned/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned for PC|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421023238/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/987736-grand-theft-auto-iv-the-lost-and-damned/index.html |archivedate=21 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PS3) 94%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/987733-grand-theft-auto-iv-the-lost-and-damned/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned for PlayStation 3|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100426004725/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/987733-grand-theft-auto-iv-the-lost-and-damned/index.html |archivedate=26 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(X360) 90%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/955085-grand-theft-auto-iv-the-lost-and-damned/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned for Xbox 360|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102144439/http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/955085-grand-theft-auto-iv-the-lost-and-damned/index.html |archivedate=2 January 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| mc11 = (X360) 90<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-iv-the-lost-and-damned/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360|title=''Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=27 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827130728/http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/grand-theft-auto-iv-the-lost-and-damned|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(PS3) 88<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-iv-the-lost-and-damned/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3|title=''Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=15 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115064929/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/grand-theft-auto-iv-the-lost-and-damned|url-status=live}}</ref>

| game12 = [[Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars|Chinatown Wars]]

| gr12 = (NDS) 93%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ds/950922-grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for DS|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413192916/http://www.gamerankings.com/ds/950922-grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars/index.html |archivedate=13 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PSP) 90%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/psp/961725-grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for PSP|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100907234846/http://www.gamerankings.com/psp/961725-grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars/index.html |archivedate=7 September 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| mc12 = (NDS) 93<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars/critic-reviews/?platform=ds|title=''Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=27 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927115335/http://www.metacritic.com/game/ds/grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(PSP) 90<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars/critic-reviews/?platform=psp|title=''Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=3 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503223402/http://www.metacritic.com/game/psp/grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars|url-status=live}}</ref>

| game13 = [[Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony|The Ballad of Gay Tony]]

| gr13 = (PC) 90%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/987735-grand-theft-auto-iv-the-ballad-of-gay-tony/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony for PC|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224134208/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/987735-grand-theft-auto-iv-the-ballad-of-gay-tony/index.html |archivedate=24 February 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PS3) 90%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/987734-grand-theft-auto-iv-the-ballad-of-gay-tony/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony for PlayStation 3|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704062036/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/987734-grand-theft-auto-iv-the-ballad-of-gay-tony/index.html |archivedate=4 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(X360) 90%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/960355-grand-theft-auto-iv-the-ballad-of-gay-tony/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony for Xbox 360|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=12 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620090808/http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/960355-grand-theft-auto-iv-the-ballad-of-gay-tony/index.html |archivedate=20 June 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

|mc13 = (X360) 89<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-iv-the-ballad-of-gay-tony/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360|title=''Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=29 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829065911/http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/grand-theft-auto-iv-the-ballad-of-gay-tony|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(PS3) 87<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-iv-the-ballad-of-gay-tony/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3|title=''Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=12 August 2012|archive-date=25 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225032252/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/grand-theft-auto-iv-the-ballad-of-gay-tony|url-status=live}}</ref>

| game14 = [[Grand Theft Auto V]]

| gr14 = (XONE) 98%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/xboxone/805605-grand-theft-auto-v/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto V for Xbox One|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=5 February 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223034310/http://www.gamerankings.com/xboxone/805605-grand-theft-auto-v/index.html |archivedate=23 December 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PS3) 97%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/634490-grand-theft-auto-v/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto V for PlayStation 3|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=5 February 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109070934/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/634490-grand-theft-auto-v/index.html |archivedate=9 January 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PS4) 96%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps4/805601-grand-theft-auto-v/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto V for PlayStation 4|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=5 February 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223051745/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps4/805601-grand-theft-auto-v/index.html |archivedate=23 December 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(X360) 96%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/634491-grand-theft-auto-v/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto V for Xbox 360|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=5 February 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203045734/http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/634491-grand-theft-auto-v/index.html |archivedate=3 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(PC) 95%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/805606-grand-theft-auto-v/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto V for PC|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=5 February 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626200756/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/805606-grand-theft-auto-v/index.html |archivedate=26 June 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

| mc14 = (XONE) 97<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-v/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one|title=''Grand Theft Auto V'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=5 February 2015|archive-date=20 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320045443/http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-one/grand-theft-auto-v|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(PS3) 97<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-v/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3|title=''Grand Theft Auto V'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=5 February 2015|archive-date=1 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131201023319/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/grand-theft-auto-v|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(PS4) 97<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-v/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4|title=''Grand Theft Auto V'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=5 February 2015|archive-date=19 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319100538/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/grand-theft-auto-v|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(X360) 97<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-v/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360|title=''Grand Theft Auto V'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=5 February 2015|archive-date=17 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217183158/http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/grand-theft-auto-v|url-status=live}}</ref><br />(PC) 96<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-v/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=''Grand Theft Auto V'' Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=5 February 2015|archive-date=23 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140123060118/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/grand-theft-auto-v|url-status=live}}</ref>

}}

Ever since the release of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' in 2001, the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series has been a major success, both critically and financially. It has shipped almost 450 million units,<ref name="Sales 450"/> making it one of the [[best-selling video game franchises]] of all time.<ref name="220 million">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-series-passes-220-million-sales-w/1100-6429961/|title=Grand Theft Auto Series Passes 220 Million Sales Worldwide|last=Haywald|first=Justin|work=[[GameSpot]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|date=21 August 2015|access-date=26 August 2015|archive-date=20 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320030730/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-series-passes-220-million-sales-w/1100-6429961/|url-status=live}}</ref>

<br>

{{Video game controversy}}

In 2006, ''Grand Theft Auto'' was voted one of Britain's top 10 designs in the Great British Design Quest organised by the [[BBC]] and the [[Design Museum]]. The game appeared in a list of British design icons which included [[Concorde]], [[Jaguar E-Type]], [[Aston Martin DB5]], [[Mini]], [[World Wide Web]], ''[[Tomb Raider]]'', [[Red telephone box|K2 telephone box]], [[Tube map|London tube map]], [[AEC Routemaster]] bus and the [[Supermarine Spitfire]].<ref name="British design icons">{{cite news|title=Long list unveiled for national vote on public's favourite example of Great British Design|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/01_january/27/culture.shtml|agency=BBC|date=18 November 2016|access-date=20 December 2019|archive-date=19 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719010335/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/01_january/27/culture.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Concorde voted the UK's top icon|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4814088.stm|agency=BBC|date=18 November 2016|access-date=18 November 2016|archive-date=3 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903170528/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4814088.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Grand Theft Auto topics}}

The series has broken several records, resulting in Guinness World Records awarding the series 10 world records in the ''Gamer's Edition 2008''. These records include Most Guest Stars in a Video Game Series, Largest Voice Cast in a Video Game (''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas''), Largest In-Game Soundtrack (''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'') as well as Most Successful Entertainment Launch of All Time (''Grand Theft Auto V''). Guinness World Records also ranked ''Grand Theft Auto'' in third place on their list of top 50 console games of all time based on initial impact and lasting legacy.<ref name="guinness50">{{cite magazine|last=Ivan|first=Tom|date=28 February 2009|title=Guinness ranks top 50 games of all time|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=209385|magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301225730/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=209385|access-date=14 March 2009|archive-date=1 March 2009}}</ref> ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' is listed as the most successful game on the PlayStation 2 according to ''The Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition''.

''Grand Theft Auto III'', ''San Andreas'' and ''Vice City'' currently lie at the 2nd, 5th and 6th highest rated PlayStation 2 games on [[Metacritic]], respectively,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/game/legacy|title=Legacy Platform Games at Metacritic – Metacritic|publisher=Metacritic.com|access-date=5 November 2013|archive-date=17 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017002521/http://www.metacritic.com/game/legacy|url-status=live}}</ref> while ''Chinatown Wars'' is rated the best game on the Nintendo DS<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/release-date/available/ds/metascore|title=New and Upcoming Nintendo 3DS Games at Metacritic – Metacritic|publisher=Metacritic.com|access-date=5 November 2013|archive-date=3 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103144009/http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/release-date/available/ds/metascore|url-status=live}}</ref> and the second best on the [[PlayStation Portable]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/release-date/available/psp/metascore?view=condensed&hardware=all|title=New and Upcoming PSP Games at Metacritic – Metacritic|publisher=Metacritic.com|access-date=5 November 2013|archive-date=30 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330030517/http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/release-date/available/psp/metascore?view=condensed&hardware=all|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is currently rated the second best game ever, with a score of 98, only trailing behind ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]''. Also, ''Vice City'' and ''Grand Theft Auto V'' lie at 11th and 2nd best PC games of all time, on Metacritic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/release-date/available/pc/metascore|title=New and Upcoming PC Games at Metacritic – Metacritic|publisher=Metacritic.com|date=27 October 2013|access-date=5 November 2013|archive-date=22 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122073459/http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/release-date/available/pc/metascore|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/all/pc?sort=desc|title=Best PC Video Games of All Time|website=Metacritic|access-date=14 August 2016|archive-date=16 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316125621/http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/all/pc?sort=desc|url-status=live}}</ref> Along with this, ''The Lost and Damned'' and ''The Ballad of Gay Tony'' are currently placed 35th and 59th in the top Xbox 360 games.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/release-date/available/xbox360/metascore?view=condensed&hardware=all|title=New and Upcoming Xbox 360 Games at Metacritic – Metacritic|date=27 October 2013|publisher=Metacritic.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004213431/http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/release-date/available/xbox360/metascore?view=condensed&hardware=all|archive-date=4 October 2011|access-date=5 November 2013}}</ref>

=== Sales ===

{| class="wikitable"

|+

|-

! Year

! Game

! Sales

! Acquired label(s)

|-

| 1997

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]''

| 6 million<ref>{{cite news |title=Fun plus games equals profits; Take-Two succeeds in volatile sector; a plan for Europe. |last=Vargas |first=Alexia |work=[[Crain's New York Business]] |publisher=[[Crain Communications]] |volume=17 |page=30 |date=26 March 2001 |id={{Gale|A72508818}} }}</ref>

| style="background:#dfd;" | PS1 ''[[Greatest Hits (PlayStation)|Greatest Hits]]'', ''[[Essentials (PlayStation)|Platinum]]''

|-

| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | 1999

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto: London 1969]]''

| {{Unknown}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto: London 1969#Grand Theft Auto: London 1961|Grand Theft Auto: London 1961]]''

| {{Unknown}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]''

| 1 million<ref>{{cite web|first=Tim|last=Lushen|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96969258/evening-standard/|title=Steal a car, run amok - it's Ok, it's a game|newspaper=[[Evening Standard]]|page=32|date=11 October 1999|access-date=5 March 2022|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|archive-date=5 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305161231/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96969258/evening-standard/|url-status=live}}</ref>

| style="background:#dfd;" | PS1 ''Greatest Hits''

|-

| style="text-align:center;" | 2001

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]''

| 17.5 million<ref name="archive12">[https://web.archive.org/web/20080408234728/http://taketwovalue.com/documents/TTWO_Value.pdf#page=12 Internet Archive Wayback Machine]. Web.archive.org (8 April 2008). Retrieved on 6 September 2012.</ref>

| style="background:#dfd;" | PS2 ''Greatest Hits'', ''Platinum''

|-

| style="text-align:center;" | 2002

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]''

| 20 million<ref name="archive12" />

| style="background:#dfd;" | PS2 ''Greatest Hits'', ''Platinum''

|-

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | 2004

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]''

| 27.5 million<ref>[http://kotaku.com/5840484/gta-iv-overtakes-san-andreas-in-lifetime-sales GTA IV Overtakes San Andreas in Lifetime Sales [Correction&#93;]. Kotaku.com (15 September 2011). Retrieved on 6 September 2012. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531083217/http://kotaku.com/5840484/gta-iv-overtakes-san-andreas-in-lifetime-sales |date=31 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120207175047/http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/confLobby.zhtml?ticker=TTWO&item_id=1642557 CCBN – Lobby]. Corporate-ir.net (26 September 2007). Retrieved on 6 September 2012.</ref>

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|

* PS2 ''Greatest Hits'', ''Platinum''

* Xbox ''[[Platinum Hits]]''

* <br />PS3 ''Greatest Hits''

* Xbox 360 ''Platinum Hits''}}

|-

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto Advance]]''

| 100,000

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

| style="text-align:center;" | 2005

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]''

| 8 million<ref name="archive12" />

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|

* PSP ''Greatest Hits'', ''Platinum''

* PS2 ''Platinum''}}

|-

| style="text-align:center;" | 2006

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]''

| 4.5 million<ref name="archive12" />

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|

* PSP ''Greatest Hits'', ''Platinum''

* PS2 ''Platinum''}}

|-

| style="text-align:center;" | 2008

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]''

| 25 million+<ref name="gamespot.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-series-shipments-reach-125-million/1100-6400652/|title=Grand Theft Auto series shipments reach 125 million|publisher=GameSpot.com|date=27 November 2012|access-date=22 June 2013|archive-date=22 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022100809/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-series-shipments-reach-125-million/1100-6400652/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/games/gta-5-has-already-beaten-gta-4-s-lifetime-sales-8863784.html |title=GTA 5 has already beaten GTA 4's lifetime sales |first=James |last=Vincent |date=7 October 2013 |work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=7 July 2022 |archive-date=7 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707194411/https://www.independent.co.uk/games/gta-5-has-already-beaten-gta-4-s-lifetime-sales-8863784.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|

* PS3 ''Greatest Hits'', ''Platinum''

* Xbox 360 ''Platinum Hits''}}

|-

| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;" | 2009

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned]]''

| 1 million+<ref>[http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/gta-iv-dlc-to-sell-2m-by-year-end/ GTA IV DLC to sell 2m by year end] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202002905/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/gta-iv-dlc-to-sell-2m-by-year-end/ |date=2 February 2017 }} by Matt Martin (6 March 2009) Edge Magazine.com</ref><ref>[http://kotaku.com/5165818/analyst-lost-and-damned-sales-at-1-million-all+new-gta-in-2010 Analyst: Lost And Damned Sales At 1 Million, All-New GTA In 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222152534/http://kotaku.com/5165818/analyst-lost-and-damned-sales-at-1-million-all+new-gta-in-2010 |date=22 February 2014 }}. Kotaku.com (6 March 2009). Retrieved on 6 September 2012.</ref>

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars]]''

| 200,000<ref>{{cite web|author=thorsen-ink|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/only-200000-chinatown-wars-sold-in-march/1100-6207855/|title=Only 200,000 Chinatown Wars sold in March?|publisher=GameSpot.com|access-date=21 July 2009|archive-date=26 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326055743/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/only-200000-chinatown-wars-sold-in-march/1100-6207855/|url-status=live}}</ref>

| style="background:#dfd;" | PSP ''Greatest Hits''

|-

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony]]''

| {{Unknown}}

| style="background:#fdd;" |

|-

| ''Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City''

| 160,000+<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-episodes-from-liberty-city-sells-under-160k-in-oct-nov/1100-6242842/ GTA: Episodes from Liberty City sells under 160K in Oct.-Nov.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010155844/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-episodes-from-liberty-city-sells-under-160k-in-oct-nov/1100-6242842/ |date=10 October 2017 }} by Tor Thorsen (11 December 2009) GameSpot.com</ref>

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|

* PS3 ''Greatest Hits''

* Xbox 360 ''Platinum Hits''}}

|-

| style="text-align:center;" | 2013

| ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]''

| 215 million<ref name="Sales 450"/>

| style="background:#dfd;" | {{hlist|

* PS3 ''Greatest Hits''

* Xbox 360 ''Platinum Hits''}}

|-

! colspan="4" | Total series sales: <!-- This is not a total of the above figures. Please don't add to it when changing a figure above.-->450 million<ref name="Sales 450">{{cite web |url=https://gamingbolt.com/grand-theft-auto-5-sells-over-215-million-units-red-dead-redemption-2-crosses-74-million |title=''Grand Theft Auto 5'' Sells Over 215 Million Units, ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' Crosses 74 Million |last=Sinha |first=Ravi |work=GamingBolt |date=16 May 2025 |accessdate=18 May 2025 }}</ref>

|}

== Similar games ==

{{See also|Grand Theft Auto clone}}

<!-- This is a BRIEF list. Please DO NOT add any more games to this section. Please add them to the main article (Grand Theft Auto clone). -->

The release of ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' is treated as a major event in the [[history of video games]], considered a revolutionary title in the medium, much like the release of ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' nearly a decade earlier.<ref>[[Game Informer]] Issue 138 p.73</ref>

During interviews to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of ''Grand Theft Auto III'', producer of the ''Street Fighter'' series, [[Yoshinori Ono (game producer)|Yoshinori Ono]], said "It would be no exaggeration to say that ''Grand Theft Auto III'' changed the industry, and we can basically separate the time before and after its emergence as distinct eras." In the same article [[Bethesda Game Studios]] director, [[Todd Howard]], said "The mark of a truly great game is how many people try to recapture or emulate it and fail. There's a long line behind this one."<ref>[http://www.gamesradar.com/what-devs-think-grand-theft-auto-iii/?page=2 Page 2 – What devs think of Grand Theft Auto III] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306112341/http://www.gamesradar.com/what-devs-think-grand-theft-auto-iii/?page=2 |date=6 March 2014 }}. GamesRadar (18 October 2011). Retrieved on 6 September 2012.</ref>

Subsequent games that follow this formula of driving and shooting have been called "''Grand Theft Auto'' clones". Some reviewers even extended this label to the [[Driver (series)|''Driver'' series]], even though this series began years before the release of ''Grand Theft Auto III''.<ref name="driverseries">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/driver-parallel-lines-review/1900-6145962/|title=Driver: Parallel Lines Review|website=GameSpot|author=[[Jeff Gerstmann]]|date=14 March 2006|access-date=26 October 2016|archive-date=18 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018192548/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/driver-parallel-lines-review/1900-6145962/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Grand Theft Auto'' clones are a type of [[3D computer graphics|3D]] [[action-adventure game]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/19/the-godfather-mob-wars-review|title=The Godfather: Mob Wars|author=Chris Roper|website=IGN|date=18 September 2006|access-date=25 July 2008|archive-date=19 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019205214/http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/19/the-godfather-mob-wars-review|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wham.canoe.ca/wii/2007/03/30/3871537-torsun.html|author=Steve Tilley|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer|CANOE]]|title=Wii 'Godfather' for newbies only|date=1 April 2007|access-date=25 July 2008|archive-date=23 June 2007|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070623032604/http://wham.canoe.ca/wii/2007/03/30/3871537-torsun.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/16/e3-2003-true-crime-streets-of-la-update|title=E3 2003: True Crime: Streets of LA Update|author=Sam Bishop|date=16 May 2003|website=IGN|access-date=25 July 2008|archive-date=22 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322203014/http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/16/e3-2003-true-crime-streets-of-la-update|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/saints-row/729563p1.html|title=''GameSpy'' Review&nbsp;— Saints Row|publisher=GameSpy|author=Will Tuttle|date=30 August 2006|access-date=25 July 2008|archive-date=17 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517072022/http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/saints-row/729563p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=158948|magazine=GamePro|title=Just Cause 2 announced for Xbox 360, PS3, PC|author=Blake Snow|date=30 January 2008|access-date=24 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201011432/http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=158948|archive-date=1 February 2008}}</ref> where players are given the ability to drive any vehicle or fire any weapon as they explore an [[open world]].<ref name="crackdownqa">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/crackdown-community-q-and-a-interview|title=Crackdown Community Q&A|website=EuroGamer|date=27 March 2007|access-date=25 July 2008|archive-date=31 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131185817/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/crackdown-community-q-and-a-interview|url-status=live}}</ref> These games often incorporate violent and criminal themes. Notable games that are comparable to ''Grand Theft Auto'' are ''[[Saints Row]]'',<ref>Douglass C. Perry, [https://web.archive.org/web/20060902213158/http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/728/728829p1.html Saints Row Review], ''[[Saints Row 2]]'' ''IGN'', 28 August 2006</ref> ''[[Scarface: The World Is Yours]]'',<ref>Chris Roper, [https://web.archive.org/web/20061026101926/http://xbox.ign.com/articles/737/737782p1.html ''Scarface: The World Is Yours'' Review], [[IGN]], 6 October 2006</ref> ''[[True Crime: Streets of LA]]'',<ref>[http://ps2.ign.com/articles/457/457538p4.html True Crime: Streets of LA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714023947/http://ps2.ign.com/articles/457/457538p4.html |date=14 July 2007 }}, ''IGN'', 31 October 2003</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/561383.asp?q=True%20Crime|title=Gameranking PS2 Average 77%|date=3 November 2003|publisher=Gamerankings.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016205510/http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/561383.asp?q=True%20Crime|archive-date=16 October 2007|access-date=16 March 2011}}</ref> ''[[Watch Dogs (video game)|Watch Dogs]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Independent.ie|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/games/all-eyes-on-watch-dogs-but-have-we-seen-it-before-30313403.html|date=9 June 2014|access-date=9 June 2014|archive-date=9 June 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140609050640/http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/games/all-eyes-on-watch-dogs-but-have-we-seen-it-before-30313403.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Sleeping Dogs (video game)|Sleeping Dogs]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5938212/5-ways-sleeping-dogs-improves-on-grand-theft-auto|title=5 Ways Sleeping Dogs Improves On Grand Theft Auto|date=27 August 2012|work=[[Kotaku]]|access-date=27 October 2016|archive-date=15 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015133345/http://kotaku.com/5938212/5-ways-sleeping-dogs-improves-on-grand-theft-auto|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Just Cause (video game)|Just Cause]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2012/11/17/what-gta-v-can-learn-from-just-cause-2-readers-feature-497519/|title=What GTA V can learn from Just Cause 2|date=17 November 2012|work=Metro News|access-date=5 September 2015|archive-date=21 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821062200/http://metro.co.uk/2012/11/17/what-gta-v-can-learn-from-just-cause-2-readers-feature-497519/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven|Mafia]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamereactor.eu/news/4718/Mafia+II+vs+GTA+IV/|first=Bengt|last=Lemne|title=Mafia II vs GTA IV|date=26 August 2010|work=Gamereactor UK|access-date=5 September 2015|archive-date=27 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627052759/http://www.gamereactor.eu/news/4718/Mafia+II+vs+GTA+IV/|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[The Godfather: The Game|The Godfather]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5349309/what-godfather-ii-did-better-than-gta|title=What Godfather II Did Better Than GTA|date=9 January 2009|first=Stephen|last=Totilo|work=Kotaku|access-date=5 September 2015|archive-date=17 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150917041338/http://kotaku.com/5349309/what-godfather-ii-did-better-than-gta|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- This is a BRIEF list. Please DO NOT add any more games to this section. Please add them to the main article (Grand Theft Auto clone). -->

== See also ==

* [[GTA gang]]

== Notes ==

{{Notelist}}

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==

*{{cite book|first=Nate|last=Garrelts|author-link=Nate Garrelts|title=The Meaning and Culture of Grand Theft Auto|title-link=The Meaning and Culture of Grand Theft Auto|date=2006|publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]|___location=Jefferson, North Carolina, United States|isbn=9780786428229 }}

*{{cite book|first=David|last=Kushner|author-link=David Kushner (writer)|title=Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto|date=2012|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Wiley]]|___location=Hoboken, New Jersey, United States|isbn=978-0470936375}}

== External links ==

{{commons}}

* {{Official website}}

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