Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is an action-adventure video game series created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later games were developed with the guidance of Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies, and Aaron Garbut. The series is mainly made by the British game company Rockstar North (formerly known as DMA Design) and published by its American parent company, Rockstar Games. The name "Grand Theft Auto" refers to the crime of stealing motor vehicles in the United States.

The gameplay takes place in an open world, where players complete missions to advance the story and also participate in side activities. Most of the gameplay involves driving and shooting, with some role-playing and stealth elements. The series includes features from older beat 'em up games from the 16-bit era. The games are set in fictional cities based on real-life locations, such as New York City, San Francisco, and Miami, with settings ranging from the early 1960s to the 2010s. The first game included three cities—Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City—but later games focus on one main setting and expand on these locations. Each game follows a different main character who rises through the criminal world for various reasons, often involving themes of betrayal. Many actors and musicians have voiced characters in the games, including Ray Liotta, Dennis Hopper, Samuel L. Jackson, and others. Some celebrities, like Lazlow Jones, Phil Collins, Dr. Dre, and Anderson .Paak, have also appeared as themselves in the games.

DMA Design started the series with the 1997 release of Grand Theft Auto. As of 2020, the series includes seven main games and four expansion packs. The third main game, Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001, is considered a major milestone because it introduced a three-dimensional environment for the first time. Later games built on this format and received widespread praise. These games influenced other open-world games and led to the term "Grand Theft Auto clone" for similar titles.

The series has received high praise from critics, with all the main 3D games often ranked among the greatest and best-selling video games. It has sold nearly 465 million copies, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises. In 2006, Grand Theft Auto was included in a list of British design icons by the BBC and the Design Museum. In 2013, The Telegraph listed Grand Theft Auto as one of Britain's most successful exports. The series has also sparked controversy due to its mature themes, violent content, and removed material. It is also one of the highest-grossing media franchises in history.

Series history

The Grand Theft Auto series is divided into separate fictional worlds, named after the main graphics technology used in each era. The original Grand Theft Auto, its expansions, and its sequel are part of the "2D universe." Grand Theft Auto III and its sequels belong to the "3D universe." Grand Theft Auto IV, its expansions, and Grand Theft Auto V are part of the "HD universe." Each universe is considered separate, with only brand names, place names, and background characters shared between them.

Grand Theft Auto, the first game in the series, was released for MS-DOS and Windows in November 1997. It was later ported to the PlayStation in 1998 and the Game Boy Color in 1999. Grand Theft Auto 2 was released in 1999 for Windows and later received ports on the PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Game Boy Color.

The PlayStation 2 featured three main games from the series, all of which were re-released on other platforms. A deal between Take-Two Interactive and Sony Computer Entertainment made these games exclusive to the PlayStation 2 for a limited time before they were released on Windows and the Xbox. Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001, moved away from the 2D graphics used in the first two games to 3D computer graphics. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, published in 2002, was the first game in the series to feature a speaking protagonist, voiced by Ray Liotta. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, released in 2004, introduced new elements, including character customization and a large map covering three cities and surrounding rural areas.

Two main versions of the game were released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Grand Theft Auto IV, released in 2008, focused on realism and detail, removing some customization features while adding an online multiplayer mode. Grand Theft Auto V, published in 2013, featured three playable protagonists. It was released to great financial success and broke multiple records. It was later re-released with improvements in 2014 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and in 2015 for Windows. Versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S were released in 2022.

On February 4, 2022, Rockstar confirmed that development of a new game in the series was "well underway." In September 2022, in-development footage of the game was leaked, and Rockstar expressed disappointment with how it was first shown, though it did not expect long-term effects on development. In December 2023, the game was officially announced as Grand Theft Auto VI, with a projected release date of 2025 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. It was later delayed to November 19, 2026.

The Grand Theft Auto series includes many additional games and expansion packs. In 1999, the original game received two expansion packs: Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 and Grand Theft Auto: London 1961, which featured a fictional version of London and new missions and characters. Grand Theft Auto Advance, released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance, used a top-down perspective similar to the first two main games and shared the same setting as Grand Theft Auto III, serving as a prequel. Three games were released for the PlayStation Portable: Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005, a prequel to Grand Theft Auto III), Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006, a prequel to Vice City), and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (2009, which shares the same setting as Grand Theft Auto IV but is otherwise unrelated). 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 the PlayStation Portable. In 2009, The Lost and Damned and 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 made these games exclusive to the Xbox 360 for a limited time. Both expansions focus on characters with minor roles in the main game and take place simultaneously with Grand Theft Auto IV. They 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.

Many games in the series have been released on mobile devices. Chinatown Wars was released for iOS in 2010 and for Android and Fire OS in 2014. For their tenth anniversaries, Grand Theft Auto III was re-released for iOS and Android in 2011, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was re-released in 2012. In 2013, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was ported to iOS, Android, and Windows Phone and RT. The mobile version was later re-released for Xbox 360 in 2014, the year of the game’s tenth anniversary, and for PlayStation 3 in 2015. In 2015, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories was ported to iOS, Android, and Fire OS.

Grand Theft Auto Double Pack, released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, includes both Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy is a compilation of Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas. It was first released in 2005 for the Xbox and later re-released for the PlayStation 2, Windows, Mac OS X, and PlayStation 4. The Trilogy also served as the revised version of San Andreas, which was removed from shelves due to the controversial Hot Coffee mod. In August 2021, reports suggested Rockstar Dundee was leading development on

Related media

The series has been adapted into different formats. A book titled Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto, written by David Kushner, was published in 2012. It tells the story of how the series was created. In March 2015, BBC Two announced The Gamechangers, a 90-minute docudrama about the making of Grand Theft Auto. Directed by Owen Harris and written by James Wood, the film features Daniel Radcliffe as Rockstar president Sam Houser and Bill Paxton as Jack Thompson, a lawyer who was disbarred. In May 2015, Rockstar sued the BBC for trademark infringement, saying they had no role in the film’s creation and had failed to contact the BBC to resolve the issue. The film first aired on BBC Two on September 15, 2015.

In 2006, McFarland & Company published The Meaning and Culture of Grand Theft Auto, compiled by Nate Garrelts. This 264-page book includes essays to help audiences understand the Grand Theft Auto series and to highlight the importance of careful game criticism. The book has two parts: the first discusses controversies around the series, and the second examines the games without focusing on the controversies.

Roger Corman, who produced the unrelated 1977 film Grand Theft Auto, said that attempts to make a film based on the video game series had failed. In 2017, he claimed he sued the "video game manufacturer who stole the idea" and that they "settled out of court and gave me some money." He stated he still owns the rights but noted the contract terms were unclear. His lawyers were reviewing the contract to confirm his ability to remake the film. Take-Two Interactive responded, stating that it "owns all rights for films related to the Grand Theft Auto series" and that it "can and will take legal action against anyone trying to misuse its intellectual property by making a new film titled Grand Theft Auto." The company also said it has successfully stopped similar attempts in the past.

Common elements

Each game in this series lets the player take the role of a criminal in a big city. Over time, the character usually moves up in organized crime groups. The player receives missions from powerful figures in the city's criminal world. These missions must be completed to move forward in the story. Violence, such as assassinations, is often part of the game. Occasionally, the player may drive a taxi, fight fires, race on the streets, or learn to fly helicopters and planes.

In later games, especially those after Grand Theft Auto 2, the story becomes more detailed. The player faces challenges, like being betrayed and left for dead, which push the character to climb the criminal ranks. By the end of the story, the character usually achieves success.

The Grand Theft Auto series is part of a game type called open world games. These games give players a lot of freedom to explore. Unlike traditional action games, which follow a strict path, Grand Theft Auto lets players choose which missions to do and how to interact with characters. The games are inspired by Turbo Esprit, allowing players to freely explore cities at any time. These cities include small missions and buildings that are not part of the main story. Some missions, however, must be completed in order to unlock new areas.

Starting with Grand Theft Auto III, the games include more voice acting and radio stations. These features include music, radio hosts, commercials, and elements of American culture. Players can drive cars while listening to music, similar to real life.

The games use vehicles to create a realistic city environment. Pedestrians follow traffic rules, and the city feels alive. Similar ideas appear in other games, such as The Simpsons: Hit & Run and Lego City Undercover, though these games focus less on crime or have different roles for players.

In Grand Theft Auto, criminal actions are noticed by the police. The player can earn a "wanted level," shown as stars (up to five or six). Small crimes, like hitting a pedestrian, may give one star, while serious crimes, like shooting a police officer, earn more stars. More stars mean stronger police responses, such as tanks or helicopters chasing the player. Some missions automatically give a wanted level, which the player must resolve before completing the mission. Avoiding police can raise the wanted level further. Players can reduce the wanted level by hiding, spending in-game money at certain places, or dying and respawning at a hospital. The "wanted level" system is now common in similar games.

Most Grand Theft Auto games are set in fictional versions of real U.S. cities, in different time periods. The games are divided into three main groups (2D, 3D, and HD), each with its own version of the city and story. These groups share names, brands, and characters but are considered separate.

Liberty City, based on New York City, was first introduced in Grand Theft Auto. It includes two large land areas, a central island, and smaller islands. A nearby area called New Guernsey (a parody of New Jersey) is also part of the city. The city is divided into districts inspired by New York and New Jersey.

A redesigned version of Liberty City appeared in Grand Theft Auto III (set in 2001). This version includes elements from cities like Philadelphia, Detroit, and Chicago. The city has three main islands—Portland, Staunton Island, and Shoreside Vale—connected by bridges and tunnels. This version of Liberty City returned in later games, with changes to match different time periods.

In Grand Theft Auto IV and related games (set in 2008), Liberty City closely resembles New York. The city has four main areas—Broker, Dukes, Bohan, and Algonquin—mirroring real-life Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. Other areas, like Charge Island and Colony Island, are also included. A separate area called Alderney is part of the city but not present in all games.

San Andreas, based on San Francisco, was another original city in the series. It includes a large northern area divided into 15 districts and a smaller island for docks. A valley called Aye Valley separates parts of the northern area. A redesigned version of San Andreas was introduced in later games, though the text is incomplete.

Controversies

According to The Guinness World Records 2008 and 2009 Gamer's Edition, the Grand Theft Auto series is the most controversial video game series in history. Over 4,000 articles have been written about it, including claims that the games make violence look good, influence players to act badly, and are linked to real-life crimes.

The series became controversial from the beginning. In Britain, Germany, and France, people criticized the first game for its "extreme violence," and Brazil banned it completely. A publicist named Max Clifford helped spread attention-grabbing stories in newspapers to increase sales of the first game.

The controversy grew again with the release of Grand Theft Auto III. This was because the 3D graphics made the violence look more real. Players could also pay prostitutes to heal and, if they wanted, kill them to get money.

Critics also said the games focused too much on illegal actions compared to other games that feature "heroic" characters. The main character in the game can commit crimes, such as killing police and soldiers, and only face temporary consequences.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the sixth game in the series, faced criticism for a mission where players must start a gang war between Haitian and Cuban gangs. Haitian and Cuban groups said the game was unfair and hurt their communities. One person from a Haitian group said the game should not "destroy human life" or "destroy an ethnic group." The game originally had a line saying "kill the Haitian dickheads," but Rockstar Games changed it after being threatened with a lawsuit.

San Andreas, another game in the series, was criticized for showing drug use, prostitution, and murder. Later, players found a hidden feature called "Hot Coffee," which included sexual content. Even though the feature was removed from the game, it remained in the code and was discovered in some versions. This led to an "Adults Only" rating for those versions. The game was re-released with a "Mature" rating, and a lawsuit was filed against the company.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) criticized the game for allowing players to drive while drunk. They wanted the game to be rated for adults only because they believed it was inappropriate for teenagers. In the final version of the game, drunk driving is still possible, but it causes problems for the player, and the character says it is a "bad idea."

In later games, such as The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, players could not drive while drunk. However, this feature returned in Grand Theft Auto V.

The Lost and Damned expansion pack was criticized for showing full-frontal male nudity in a scene. A group called Common Sense Media warned parents about this content, saying it made the game more controversial than earlier versions.

Nintendo wanted Rockstar Games to create a Grand Theft Auto game for their platform, but they did not want to make a game for children. Rockstar did not want to change their usual style of making games.

Some people criticized a drug-dealing mini-game in the series. Players could sell drugs, but their profits depended on the area and how well they served customers.

Grand Theft Auto V faced controversy for a mission where players must perform torture, such as kneecapping, electrocution, and waterboarding. A UK charity called Freedom from Torture said the game was wrong for making players act as torturers. The charity’s leader said Rockstar Games had "crossed a line" by forcing players to do these actions.

The game has also been criticized for how it portrays women. Some said the characters were uncreative and that violent or sexist themes hurt the game. Rockstar Games said they sometimes overlooked how women were shown but believed the focus on male characters fit the story they wanted to tell.

Several celebrities sued Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive for using their names or images without permission, including a rapper, a reality TV star, and an actress.

A lawyer named Jack Thompson tried to make Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive responsible for deaths linked to the games. He was later banned from practicing law and fined over $100,000.

In 2003, the families of two teenagers who were shot by others claimed the killings were inspired by Grand Theft Auto III. They sued the game’s publishers, retailers, and Sony. Rockstar and Take-Two argued that the First Amendment protected free speech and that the game’s ideas were not responsible for the crimes. The lawsuit was dismissed, and the families’ lawyer, Jack Thompson, did not succeed in moving the case to a state court.

Reception

Since 2001, when Grand Theft Auto III was released, the Grand Theft Auto series has been very successful in both reviews and sales. It has sold almost 465 million copies, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises in history.

In 2006, Grand Theft Auto was chosen as one of Britain's top 10 designs in the Great British Design Quest, organized by the BBC and the Design Museum. The game was listed among British design icons, which included items like Concorde, Jaguar E-Type, Mini, World Wide Web, Tomb Raider, and others.

The series has set many records. Guinness World Records awarded the series 10 world records in the 2008 Gamer's Edition. 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), and Most Successful Entertainment Launch of All Time (Grand Theft Auto V). Guinness World Records also ranked Grand Theft Auto third on their list of top 50 console games of all time, based on initial impact and lasting influence. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is listed as the most successful game on the PlayStation 2 according to the 2009 Gamer's Edition.

Grand Theft Auto III, San Andreas, and Vice City are currently ranked 2nd, 5th, and 6th among the highest-rated PlayStation 2 games on Metacritic. Chinatown Wars is rated the best game on the Nintendo DS and the second best on the PlayStation Portable. Grand Theft Auto IV is currently ranked the second best game ever, with a score of 98, behind only The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Vice City and Grand Theft Auto V are ranked 11th and 2nd among the best PC games of all time on Metacritic. Additionally, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony are ranked 35th and 59th among the top Xbox 360 games.

Similar games

The release of Grand Theft Auto III is seen as a key moment in video game history. It is considered a groundbreaking game, similar to how Doom changed the industry about ten years earlier.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto III, Yoshinori Ono, the producer of the Street Fighter series, said, "It is not an overstatement to say that Grand Theft Auto III changed the video game industry. We can divide the time before and after its release into two different periods." In the same article, Todd Howard, director of Bethesda Game Studios, stated, "A truly great game is shown by how many people try to copy it but fail. Grand Theft Auto III has many followers who have tried to recreate it."

Games that follow the same style of driving and shooting as Grand Theft Auto III are called "Grand Theft Auto clones." Some reviewers even called the Driver series a clone, even though Driver was released years before Grand Theft Auto III. These clone games are a type of 3D action-adventure game. Players can drive any vehicle or use any weapon while exploring a large, open world. These games often include themes of violence and crime. Other games similar to Grand Theft Auto III include Saints Row, Scarface: The World Is Yours, True Crime: Streets of LA, Watch Dogs, Sleeping Dogs, Just Cause, Mafia, and The Godfather.