GTA Games in Order: Release Dates and Story Timeline

There are eight main Grand Theft Auto games, counting GTA 6, and 16 entries in total once you add the expansion packs and handheld spin-offs. Below you'll find them in release order, in story order, and grouped into the three separate GTA "universes".

Last checked: November 9, 2026.

Main GTA games in release order

The first game came out in North America in March 1998, a few months after Europe. Most 3D-era games came to Windows and Xbox later, and GTA V was re-released on PS4 and Xbox One in November 2014, on PC in April 2015 and on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on March 15, 2022.

GTA 6 is still unreleased as of this writing. Rockstar Games and its parent company Take-Two list it for November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only, with no PC version announced.

Every GTA game in release order

This list adds the expansion packs, the handheld games and the two big re-releases most people ask about.

A few notes on the exact dates:

• Liberty City Stories (October 25, 2005) and Vice City Stories (October 31, 2006) started on PSP and came to PS2 later.
• The Lost and Damned (February 17, 2009) and The Ballad of Gay Tony (October 29, 2009) were Xbox 360 exclusives first. They reached PS3 and Windows in April 2010 as Episodes from Liberty City.
• Chinatown Wars launched on Nintendo DS on March 17, 2009, then came to PSP and phones.
• GTA Online launched on October 1, 2013, two weeks after GTA V. It's free with every copy of GTA V and has also been sold on its own since March 15, 2022.
• The Definitive Edition remasters GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas. It launched on November 11, 2021, and phone versions followed on December 14, 2023.

Without GTA Online and the remaster, that's 16 games, and GTA 6 is the 16th.

GTA games in story order

Each GTA game tells its own story, and you never need to play one to follow another. If you want to play by in-game year, this is the order within each continuity:

The first Grand Theft Auto is generally placed in 1997, the year it came out. GTA 2's time period is never stated clearly, so it's left out of the table. GTA IV's two expansions run alongside the main game and show some of the same events from other characters' points of view.

GTA 6 doesn't give a year in its marketing. Its world pokes fun at 2020s America, including social media, influencer culture and police body cameras.

The three GTA universes

The series is split into three separate continuities, often called the 2D, 3D and HD universes. They share brand names, city names and some background characters, but the stories don't carry over from one universe to another.

This is why Liberty City in GTA IV is a different version of the city from the one in GTA III, and why Vice City has been rebuilt several times. GTA 6 brings Vice City back again, this time as one part of a whole state. See our comparison of GTA 6 and the original Vice City for what has changed.

Which GTA game should you play first?

Because every story stands alone, you can start anywhere. Two practical options:

1. Start with GTA V if you want the modern controls and systems closest to GTA 6. It has native PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions, and Take-Two says it has sold over 230 million units. Our GTA 5 sales guide has the full numbers.
2. Play Vice City if you're curious about the city GTA 6 returns to. It's set in 1986 and stars Tommy Vercetti. Our guide on how to play GTA Vice City in 2026 covers where to get it.

If you want to see how the main characters changed over the years, our list of every GTA protagonist goes from Claude to Jason and Lucia.

Frequently asked questions

How many GTA games are there?

There are eight main Grand Theft Auto games if you count GTA 6, which comes out on November 19, 2026. Counting expansion packs and handheld spin-offs there are 16 games, plus GTA Online and the Definitive Edition remaster of the 3D trilogy.

What was the first GTA game?

Grand Theft Auto, released for MS-DOS and Windows in Europe on November 28, 1997, and in North America in March 1998. It was a top-down game set across three cities: Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City.

What order should I play the GTA games in?

Any order works, because each game has its own story and cast. Release order shows how the series evolved, while starting with GTA V gives you the controls and systems closest to GTA 6.

Is GTA 6 a sequel to GTA 5?

Not in a story sense based on what Rockstar has shown. GTA 6 has new protagonists, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, and a new setting, the state of Leonida, instead of GTA V's San Andreas.

Which GTA games are set in Vice City?

Four: the original Grand Theft Auto (1997), GTA: Vice City (2002), GTA: Vice City Stories (2006) and Grand Theft Auto VI (2026). Each one uses its own version of the city.

When does GTA 6 come out?

GTA 6 is scheduled for November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. No PC version has been announced.

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