Top 10 Best Grand Theft Auto Games

If you've been cruising the streets of Los Santos, causing chaos in Vice City, or pulling off heists in Liberty City, then you know what we're talking about: Grand Theft Auto, the epic saga that's been keeping us glued to our screens for more than 20 years. Since '97, GTA has been setting the bar for open-world madness, telling unforgettable stories while giving us a playground to go wild in.

From crazy car chases to insane shootouts and everything in-between, GTA packs in action, adventure, and laughs like no other. Whether you're a casual player or a die-hard fan, there's no denying that GTA has become a global phenomenon. So, gear up, hit that gas pedal, and let's keep the legacy rolling.
The Top Ten
1 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas This game is set in a fictional state inspired by California and features a vast open world for players to explore. It follows the story of a former gang member who returns home to uncover the truth behind his mother's murder.

I played Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto Vice City, Grand Theft Auto 4, and this one is by far the best in the series. It has the best gameplay, best story, best soundtrack. The only thing that is not the best is the graphics, but who cares? Gameplay is where it's at!

I used to drive to the beach in this game, crash into a crowd of people with my van, then get out and fire my AK at people running away. It is the ultimate adrenaline rush. Firing my guns straight down the boardwalk. I also used to run around the strip and just stab random people. When they hear the chainsaw dive into the first person's splattered head and brains, they start running and then is the perfect time to get out your AK 47 and just start taking headshots, shots to the stomach, whatever. The real fun happens when the cops arrive and you get into a shootout though. I have shot into many cop cars before.

This is easily the best of the GTA series. It is insane how much content they squeezed into this game. After playing the game for hundreds of hours, I thought I was aware of most of the content in this game. Then, I picked up a strategy guide and was blown away by how much more the game had that I hadn't even seen before. The story is amazing and spans four different cities. The variety of vehicles also blows away any other GTA game. You can steal a freight train and a 737 airplane. I still go back to this game from time to time. It's probably my favorite game ever!

2 Grand Theft Auto V This game is set in a fictional city based on Los Angeles and features three playable characters who are involved in a series of heists. It includes a large open world with various missions and activities to complete.

The story and characters alone make this my favorite Grand Theft Auto game. However, the gameplay, open world, and graphics add something greater that I've never experienced in a Grand Theft Auto game. Even the writing for this game is hilarious and entertaining. The pacing was great, and I was rarely bored.

Most incredibly for me, though, was the fact that the game made me CARE about the characters. What would happen to them, how all of their stories would play out, and whether they would stay true to their "friendship" or whether they would follow down the path of betrayal and murder (like most Grand Theft Auto plots have). Happily, that wasn't the case.

Clearly the best Grand Theft Auto ever created! Saying San Andreas is better than Grand Theft Auto 5 – what a moron can say such words? Grand Theft Auto V has things San Andreas can only dream of! Awesome three protagonists! Trevor is exactly who a Grand Theft Auto protagonist should be! A psycho-maniac! I put my money on Trevor kicking CJ's ass in a minute.

3 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City This game is set in a fictional city inspired by Miami and takes place in the 1980s. Players control a character who rises through the ranks of the criminal underworld, completing various missions and tasks.

Yes, some of the missions were too easy, and yes, the AI were dumb at times, and sure, it lacks the massive scope of the successors (hell, the map was smaller than Grand Theft Auto III's, and there were fewer gangs). Despite these things, Vice City is my favourite. I love the setting (80's Miami-vice inspired city), it has a complex but cool story with a badass voiced protagonist, an awesome art style that's colourful and distinctive, the gameplay is very classic-Grand Theft Auto, and the graphics have necessary improvements where vital. Also, this hands down has the best soundtrack in the series for me (made me a fan of 80s music).

I hope they remaster PS2 classics. I love the Grand Theft Auto series, especially the PS2 era. I was honored to grow up with these games, and Vice City is nostalgic. I look back at this game, and it felt like I lived in the '80s, even though I wasn't alive in the '80s. It captured every single thing about that decade, from the music to the atmosphere, the style, and the perfect Miami setting. They don't make games like this anymore. The time before microtransactions were a thing. Now, priorities are different. These days, that's all developers mostly care about: online games and microtransactions.

4 Grand Theft Auto IV This game is set in a fictional city based on New York and follows the story of an Eastern European immigrant who becomes involved in the criminal underworld. It features a large open world with various missions and activities to complete.

This game was amazing. It pleased gamers and people who aren't even into video games. The characters are outstanding! However, some were a little weird like Little Jacob, but they still had much better alternatives. This game actually has my favorite Grand Theft Auto protagonist, Niko Bellic. His character kills me! He's able to be a total badass with a sad backstory, yet still be very humorous. The story is one of the best. It keeps you hooked like most Grand Theft Auto games do. The only bad thing I could find with this was the soundtrack. It had some good songs, like Run to the Hills. It's a shame I've only heard it once. Liberty Rock Radio was sort of a letdown, but if that's the only flaw, I'm perfectly satisfied! This game is a masterpiece and deserves its spot as number 1 on the list.

Instead of sunny Los Angeles, Rockstar decided to go a different way - they created a dark-themed New York with an amazing story for an open-world game. Grand Theft Auto IV introduced many new features, great graphics, and physics. The city looked like real New York, radio stations were awesome, and I really enjoyed the game overall. It felt good. Also, what is Grand Theft Auto V doing in the top 3? I understand that this is subjective, but this game doesn't deserve such a high spot. It's an "improved" version of Grand Theft Auto IV. I agree with San Andreas and Vice City. These games were awesome. Grand Theft Auto IV will most likely stay as my favorite one, though.

5 Grand Theft Auto III This game is set in a fictional city based on New York and follows the story of a criminal who works his way up the ranks of the city's underworld. It features a large open world with various missions and activities to complete.

This Grand Theft Auto brings back so many memories. It's straight to the point, meaning no boring side missions and other stuff like that, which the newer Grand Theft Auto games have. It's easy to memorize the whole layout of the city, and the missions require some thinking and have many different strategies for beating them. In my opinion, it's not the best Grand Theft Auto but definitely needs to be raised up in the rankings.

To a lot of people, this is where the Grand Theft Auto series really started. The transition to a 3D world really made you feel like you were finally part of the world and its surroundings. The protagonist didn't talk, but I believe that added to the whole atmosphere of the game, which was grey and gloomy. The characters all had personalities and connected well within the story. The gameplay mechanics may not have aged well, but this game revolutionized open-world gaming.

6 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories This game is a prequel to Grand Theft Auto III and follows the story of a small-time criminal in Liberty City. It features a smaller open world than other games in the series but includes a variety of missions and activities.

This game, I believe, is even better than Grand Theft Auto 5 and even San Andreas. But before you start tapping that dislike button just because I said this, I just want to point out a couple of things. It introduced so many new features, such as parachutes, mission replay, cage fighting, new weapons, and a new story with fun characters such as Luis Lopez, Tony Prince, Yusuf, and a new antagonist, Ray Bulgarin. If you have Grand Theft Auto 4 and are considering downloading it as DLC or thinking of buying Grand Theft Auto: Episodes of Liberty City, do it because it will be something you won't regret.

Awesome game! I am shocked to see that this game is in the 8th position. It should be at the top place instead of San Andreas. Yes, this game is short, but the graphics, the weapons, the missions, and the characters are too best and cool, so I think that it is better than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

7 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories This game is a prequel to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and follows the story of a soldier who returns home to find his family's fortune stolen. It includes a smaller open world than other games in the series but features various missions and activities.

This was way better than Vice City. This game has better controls, more features and activities, more stuff, a cool story, and you can swim.

This game is so underrated, with a great story, great characters. The only bad thing in the game was literally the loading lag.

If the town with touches of Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy is the basis for Grand Theft Auto 5, and Scarface for Vice City, I think Bad Boys 1 and 2 are the basis for this one. I rank this as the third best and third most fun Grand Theft Auto game, and I hope they release this bad boy on iOS pretty soon.

8 Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars This game is set in a fictional city based on New York and follows the story of a young gang member who becomes involved in a power struggle between different criminal organizations. It features a unique gameplay style that incorporates touch screen controls.

I like this game for many reasons, but my number one is because of the way it looks. It has the same look as the first Grand Theft Auto and the Game Boy Advance version, but this one has better controls, and I love that you can get a lite version of the game for iOS. The only problem is that you have to read all the dialogue.

Insanely underrated. Very, very easily the best game on iPhone for hardcore gamers. Everybody hates this game only because it's top-down after a half dozen 3D games. How this is below Grand Theft Auto 1 & 2 is beyond me.

Simply the best Grand Theft Auto experience. Beautiful integration with the DS touchscreen capability coupled with a back-to-roots gameplay style makes this the top Grand Theft Auto title.

9 Grand Theft Auto 2 This game is set in a fictional city and follows the story of a criminal who works his way up the ranks of the city's underworld. It features a top-down perspective and includes various missions and activities.

The graphics and music in this game are great! When I was 3, I played Grand Theft Auto 2 on PS1 with my cousin. I have played Grand Theft Auto 1, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, and Grand Theft Auto IV, but that legendary game is a classic and my favorite.

My first Grand Theft Auto game... Always loved it.

10 Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned This game is an expansion pack for Grand Theft Auto IV and follows the story of a biker gang member who becomes involved in a war between different biker groups. It includes new missions, weapons, and vehicles.

Best game of all time. Playing as Johnny Klebitz, a badass biker who is a member of The Lost MC. It features bike races, gang wars, and probably the best and deepest story of all Grand Theft Auto games.

Best story ever! The only game to feature gang wars and bikers. I have Grand Theft Auto 1, 2, 3, 4, but I definitely believe this is by far the best!

Great driving controls, a bunch of new guns, and an overall great story. To me, it feels like a completely different game than Grand Theft Auto 4.

The Contenders
11 Grand Theft Auto The original game that started it all, set in a fictional city and allowing players to take on the role of a criminal, completing various missions and causing chaos.

This is the one that started it all. Should be number one.

This one had the best soundtrack.

12 Grand Theft Auto: Online An online multiplayer version of Grand Theft Auto V that allows players to explore the game's vast open world together and engage in various activities, such as heists and races.

Set a bar on what can be done with a multiplayer game on a previous-gen console.

Great game, has some glitches, and hackers, but overall it's pretty good.

13 Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony An expansion pack for Grand Theft Auto IV, following the story of a nightclub owner and featuring new missions, weapons, and vehicles.
14 Grand Theft Auto: London 1969
15 Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 A mission pack expansion for the original Grand Theft Auto game, set in London during the 1960s and featuring new missions and vehicles.
16 Grand Theft Auto Advance A top-down action game for Game Boy Advance, set in Liberty City and following the story of a small-time criminal who rises through the ranks of the criminal underworld.
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