In just a few weeks, Grand Theft Auto VI, one of the most anticipated video games in recent memory, will be released to the general public. It’s been a while since Rockstar Games put out a Grand Theft Auto game but, with how fantastic each entry has been, a lot of gamers don’t really mind the long wait. In fact, it’s been more than a decade since Grand Theft Auto V, the last game in the franchise, came out. Even so, there are still people who are playing it, especially since it came with Grand Theft Auto Online. Still, it’s about time Rockstar Games put out a new entry in the series and I bet a lot of people are going to be stealing cars, riding jetskis, going behind cover and whatnot when Grand Theft Auto VI drops in the 19th of November.
Although it’s still quite a long way, Grand Theft Auto VI’s imminent release did get me reminiscing on the franchise’s legacy. More specifically, the legacy it started when the series moved to the 3D era. The first two Grand Theft Auto games utilized top-down gameplay but, like most gamers, I only started playing when the series went to 3D starting with Grand Theft Auto III. But ever since then, I have played every other Grand Theft Auto game Rockstar Games has published. So, let’s take a trip down memory lane while I rank all of the Grand Theft Auto Games starting from Grand Theft Auto III!
But first, I do have to explain how I’m ranking them. I already said I’m only including the ones after Grand Theft Auto III, meaning I’m excluding the first two. That’s because I never played them. I’m also only ranking the mainline games, so Vice City Stories, Episodes from Liberty City and Chinatown Wars will not be appearing in this ranking. I also will be taking into account how I felt while playing them when they were first released. Rockstar Games always built up anticipation for a new Grand Theft Auto game so it seems fair to include how much I felt the game met my expectations. Finally, I’m factoring in how memorable they are. Sure, nostalgia might cloud my judgement but there’s a reason why I have nostalgic feelings for them, right? Anyway, let’s get rating!
Russian immigrant Niko Bellic arrives in Liberty City in the hopes of chasing the “American Dream.” However, his dream of a peaceful life is disrupted as, after arriving, he has to rely on his military training and knowledge of criminal workings to keep his cousin, Roman, from getting into more debt from mobsters. That suits him just fine as Niko Bellic actually has another reason for coming to America: to hunt down the traitor who betrayed his military unit during the wars.
Grand Theft Auto IV was the first game in the series to enter the “modern era” of HD graphics. Yet, I’ve always seen it as a downgrade from the earlier games visually. Liberty City comes off as really drab and lifeless and, while that might have been the goal of Rockstar Games, it just doesn’t appeal to me. Also, I didn’t really enjoy a lot of the side activities you can do here. Playing bowling and pool was fun at the start but got old real quick. I will say I had fun with the dating aspect but even that got tiring eventually. It’s also one of the more serious entries in the series. There are silly characters, like Roman and Gay Tony but everyone else come off as humorless and stiff.
That’s not to say Grand Theft Auto IV is total garbage. It’s still a Grand Theft Auto game and it’s still mindblowing how big the world can feel. I just think Rockstar Games were a little overwhelmed with trying to add so many things while also adapting the world to HD. I feel the transition limited what they could do since this was their first time in doing so. As such, I have to put this in last place.
#4 Grand Theft Auto III
Your character, Claude, is shot by Catalina, your “girlfriend”, in the middle of a bank robbery, leading to your arrest and conviction. While being transported to supermax prison, your transport is ambushed, leading to you escaping along with fellow convict, 8-Ball. Now on the run, Claude starts working with the local criminal element with the goal of getting revenge on Catalina for her betrayal.
The game that officially made Grand Theft Auto a top-tier franchise. Grand Theft Auto III was a landmark game because, before this, there wasn’t really a game that epitomizes how an “open world game” could operate in 3D. The entirety of Liberty City could be explored right when you start playing, giving players freedom to explore like no other game did before. You could “obtain” any car you could see and cause as much mayhem as you want until you escape the police, get busted by the coppers or get wasted from lead poisoning from getting shot up. The last two are pretty much minor inconveniences as you’ll just walking out on the street with your wallet a few bucks lighter.
Grand Theft Auto III’s cast of characters are also pretty good in their own way. Even Claude, the silent protagonist, manages to be very memorable even though (or because) he doesn’t say a single word. Probably the best thing about Grand Theft Auto III is the amount of freedom Rockstar Games gave the player on how to accomplish missions. In one such mission, you have to follow someone without getting spotted. But, as this person takes a taxi to their destination, you could just commandeer a taxi of your own and take the person to the location yourself! Gotta love how Rockstar Games took this into account!
Still, Grand Theft Auto III does have some problems in hindsight. The story missions are very short, meaning they can feel uninvolving. The payouts for the missions are also huge, giving you more money than you know what to do with even early on. In fact, the only mission I had trouble with was the final one but even that took only around five tries. Escaping from the law is too easy as all you need to do it enter a Pay’n’Spray in your vehicle and the cops won’t recognize you anymore. Still, as this was my first ever Grand Theft Auto, these weren’t really problems when I first played it but, since Rockstar Games upped their game in later entries, Grand Theft Auto III does feel archaic by comparison.
Three criminals, retired bank robber Michael De Santa, gangbanger who’s tired of small-time jobs Franklin Clinton and all-around psycho Trevor Philips, get entangled with various corrupt government agencies, mercenary groups and various criminal elements. The trio must find a way to work together to get them untangled and hopefully survive against these forces as well as survive against themselves.
If there is a word I could use to describe Grand Theft Auto V, it would be “polished.” The game is gorgeous and Rockstar Games really leveled up in a lot of aspects. From the layout of Los Santos as well as a good chunk of the fictional state of San Andreas, there’s a lot to explore but every area feels well-defined. The controls feel responsive and fluid, making driving and shooting come off as second-nature. It also felt huge because you had three protagonists you could control, meaning you get three stories to follow as well and all three protagonists have interesting stories and interesting personalities, making them a joy to play.
Rockstar Games also gave players a lot to do, like towing cars, hunting and playing tennis and golf. But they also took away some activities from earlier entries, like the police vigilante missions. Taking on missions also felt more constrictive as the game grades you on a hidden scorecard, meaning, if you want to get the best rating for a mission, you have to follow how Rockstar Games wanted you to complete the mission. You don’t need to finish them in the way they want but the mere fact you get scored this was feels like Rockstar Games is scolding you for not following their plans.
They do make up for this with how they revamped the heist missions. In Grand Theft Auto V, each heist mission, and there are several, has you pick between two plans. Usually, one of them utilizes a more stealthy approach while the other uses more brute force. You also have to pick your crew, with some crew members getting a smaller cut but having less skill, which could cause problems during the heist itself.
So, why is Grand Theft Auto V just in the middle? Because, simply put, as good as this is, the top two just were more revolutionary and made significant improvements to their previous entries. Grand Theft Auto V took a minor step back because of how you have to play the missions based on the scoring system they implemented.
#2 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Taking place in the mid ’80s, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City puts you in the shoes of Tommy Vercetti. Just released from prison, he is sent to Vice City to check on a drug deal for his mob family. The deal goes wrong when Tommy and his group are ambushed and he loses the drugs. He then seeks out who stole the drugs as well as try to establish himself as the new crime kingpin of the city.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City came out just a year after Grand Theft Auto III. As such, Rockstar Games shouldn’t have had any time to add a lot of stuff to it… but they did! They revamped the artstyle, relying on glorious neon everywhere to highlight the time period. This was also the first 3D entry to have two-wheeled vehicles like motorcycles and actual flying vehicles like seaplanes. Unlike Claude, Tommy Vercetti can change his clothes. These might seem like minor updates but, back in the day, these felt like huge improvements!
Although they really didn’t add a lot of innovation here, the story in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is better and grander. Tommy Vercetti is talkative and voice brilliantly by the late Ray Liotta. This allows the character to have his own personality rather than just be an avatar for the player. Speaking of characters, the roster of main players in this game is also phenomenal and adds a lot to making the story feel more emotional.
However, the best thing about Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for me personally has to be the soundtrack. As I grew up in the ’80s, I was gobsmacked with all of the ’80s tunes Rockstar Games licensed for the game! I even bought a couple of the soundtrack discs because of how great the game’s song selection was! I can remember times when I would just “obtain” a car, drive off to find a quiet part of Vice City just to listen to the songs on the in-game radio. Ahh, good times!
I will always have a soft spot for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. I honestly thought there was no way Rockstar Games could top it. But it turns out I was wrong because, just a couple of years ago, Rockstar Games did top it.
#1 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
After staying in Liberty City for several years, Carl “CJ” Johnson returns to his home city of Los Santos in the state of San Andreas to attend his mother’s funeral. Although he had given up the lifestyle, he finds his gang, the Grove Street Families, is in disarray and losing territory. He then opts to try to return his gang back to its former glory. However, things are not that simple as there is a traitor within the gang, leading to CJ to go all around San Andreas to try to not only save his gang but to also better himself in the process.
I would generally bounce between Grand Theft Auto: Vice City or Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas regarding which is the best game in the franchise. Some days, I would pick the former because of the vibe and the soundtrack. Most days, I would pick the latter. While I have a lot of love for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, there’s simply no denying how objectively better Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is. This still feels like the biggest open world among all of the games as it has three well-made cities instead of just one.
Rockstar Games made a whole lot of gameplay additions, such as simply RPG elements where you can get better at driving and shooting specific vehicles or weapons depending on how often you use them. You can also work out or eat too much, turning CJ into a musclebound menace or a fat slob. They also added one thing that was sorely missing in the previous games: the ability to swim! Yeah, we take swimming for granted in Grand Theft Auto games today but San Andreas was the first one to implement it!
I also have to say San Andreas has the best set of characters in any Grand Theft Auto game. CJ is still my personal favorite protagonist in the series and Woozie and Cesar are my favorite secondary characters in all of the games. The story also goes in all sort of directions, with CJ even becoming a spy of sorts because… who cares! I can fly around in a jetpack because of this!
Rockstar Games put a lot into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. While the series has incrementally added improvements and gameplay conveniences, the jump from Vice City to San Andreas is simply unmatched at this time. There is a good chance Rockstar Games may be making Grand Theft Auto VI even bigger and better than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. But I’ll decide than when it comes out. For now, San Andreas is still the best Grand Theft Auto game.
What is your favorite Grand Theft Auto game so far? Let me know in the comments section below!
