Grand Theft Auto games don't directly follow on from each other. Certain characters or locations may appear in multiple installments, but, overall, most entries are self-contained adventures. This allows Rockstar to have the events of each title occur in whatever year the company chooses, and, sometimes, the year or decade in which a game is set plays a big part in its presentation or themes.
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The franchise doesn't change things radically as each of its entries are all still great crime-based games. In fact, it's pretty impressive how Rockstar can make its signature brand of gameplay fit into different time periods. With 14 games spanning over 50 in-universe years, however, it can be a little tricky keeping track of what happened when.
Updated July 8, 2021 by Tom Bowen: Though not quite as chronologically confusing as Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series, understanding where each of the 14 Grand Theft Auto games fits into the overall timeline is far from easy. Many of the games are set decades before their actual release dates, while others take place in what was once the present day. With this in mind, understanding the true order in which key events take place can quickly become a challenge, even for the most meticulous of players.
14 Grand Theft Auto: London 1961
Setting: London, 1961
Platform(s): PC
Initial Release Date: June 1, 1999
Protagonist(s): Maurice Caine, Mick Casey, Johnny Hawtorn, Winston Henry, Charles Jones, Rodney Morash, Sid Vacant & Wolfie Vilans
Typically, Grand Theft Auto games are set in fictional American locations. However, the original title has two mission packs that transport players back to London in the midst of the swinging sixties. As its name suggests, the second of these mission packs focuses on the year 1961.
The place and time are represented through things like the game's locations and vehicles. For instance, red Double Decker buses and Mini Coopers are all over the roads, and they look just like they did in 1961. Well, as close as the graphics will allow them to, anyway.
13 Grand Theft Auto: London 1969
Setting: London, 1969
Platform(s): PlayStation 1 & PC
Initial Release Date: April 29, 1999
Protagonist(s): Maurice Caine, Mick Casey, Johnny Hawtorn, Winston Henry, Charles Jones, Rodney Morash, Sid Vacant & Wolfie Vilans
Before players traveled back to 1961 Britain, they first visited the country's capital in 1969 for GTA's very first mission pack. Cars driving on the left, constant references to British culture, and plenty of music from the era are just a few ways that the game aims to recreate the country and era.
While the story isn't a big focus in the series' older installments, London 1969 does introduce some characters who later go on to appear in the 1961 mission pack. That said, there's very little personality or character development to them, so it's difficult to really notice.
12 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Setting: Vice City, 1984
Platform(s): PlayStation 2 & PSP
Initial Release Date: October 31, 2006
Protagonist(s): Victor "Vic" Vance
Vice City Stories acts as a prequel to the arguably timeless, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Despite being set in the same location though, the Miami-esque city looks a little different in this one. For instance, certain landmarks, such as the Avery Construction building, don't even exist yet due to the game taking place some two years earlier.
A man who does exist, however, is Victor Vance, who serves as the game's main protagonist. After being dishonorably discharged from the army, he needs to make his way in the drug-filled city and ends up getting dragged down into a life of crime. He also appears at the beginning of Tommy Vercetti's adventure two years later.
11 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Setting: Vice City, 1986
Platform(s): PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC & Mobile
Initial Release Date: October 29, 2002
Protagonist(s): Tommy Vercetti
When fans think of a GTA period piece, Vice City is generally the first one that springs to mind. Its 1980s setting is perfectly realized in the game's bright and vibrant presentation and the in-game radio is filled with iconic tracks that are synonymous with the decade.
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Players control Tommy Vercetti as he tries to build a drug empire following his release from prison. As is typically the case with GTA narratives, there are a lot of betrayals and plenty of gunfire throughout his blood-spattered journey to the top. It's a wild ride, but, sadly, one that hasn't aged particularly well.
10 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Setting: San Andreas, 1992
Platform(s): PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, PC & Mobile
Initial Release Date: October 26, 2004
Protagonist(s): Carl "CJ" Johnson
Gangsta rap was absolutely huge in the '90s and so it's not all that surprising that the genre features so prominently throughout the GTA: San Andreas soundtrack. The songs instantly allow players to identify the era, as too do the outfits and hairstyles sported by the game's varied cast of characters.
The main story goes far beyond tunes and threads, however, as gang warfare plays a large role in the narrative. The playable character, CJ, gets involved right from the very beginning after returning to San Andreas – which remains one of the biggest maps that Rockstar has ever made even to this day.
9 Grand Theft Auto
Setting: Liberty City, San Andreas & Vice City, 1997
Platform(s): PlayStation 1, Game Boy Color & PC
Initial Release Date: October 21, 1997
Protagonist(s): Bubba, Divine, Katie, Kivlov, Mikki, Travis, Troy & Ulrika
The first Grand Theft Auto game has several elements that identify it as one that's set in the late '90s, from the music to the heavy use of payphones. Yet, it wasn't designed to be a period piece. The game simply takes place in what was the present day at the time of the game's release, which just goes to show how long the series has lasted.
The title actually introduces several places that would go on to become significant in later installments in the franchise, including Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City. However, these places are a lot smaller in the original title than they are today, and look very different when rendered in only two dimensions.
8 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
Setting: Liberty City, 1998
Platform(s): PlayStation 2, PSP & Mobile
Initial Release Date: October 24, 2005
Protagonist(s): Antonio "Toni" Cipriani
Three years before working with Claude in GTA 3, Toni Cipriani was busy serving as the main protagonist in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. The game begins with him rejoining the Leone crime family after having spent some time lying low for murdering one of Liberty City's many made men.
As a prequel to the third game, Liberty City Stories allows players to get a glimpse of what the city looked like back in 1998. However, the year doesn't really have too much of an impact on the game itself, with Rockstar having seemingly only selected it so that the game could fit neatly into the series' overarching narrative.
7 Grand Theft Auto 2
Setting: Anywhere City, 1999 or 2013
Platform(s): PlayStation 1, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color & PC
Initial Release Date: October 22, 1999
Protagonist(s): Claude Speed
GTA 2 is the only game in the series that doesn't inform the player of the year that everything is taking place. Fans, of course, have theories, however, ranging from 1999 to 2013. Though some promotional material points to the latter, many consider 1999 to be more likely due to one of the radio hosts mentioning that the "millennium is coming."
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It's hard to tell by the environment of the game as everything occurs in a retro-futuristic city, which is just one of many strange thing about the series. The lack of any real story or character development means that it doesn't connect to the other titles anyway, nor does it take place in one of the series' three main cities.
6 Grand Theft Auto Advance
Setting: Liberty City, 2000
Platform(s): Game Boy Advance
Initial Release Date: October 26, 2004
Protagonist(s): Mike
Grand Theft Auto Advance actually takes place several years before the game's actual release date. Much like Liberty City Stories, though, this is less to do with Rockstar looking to take advantage of the time period and more to do with the game being a prequel to GTA 3.
The game actually shares a few characters with the third GTA installment, although features a brand new protagonist in Mike. The small-time criminal is attempting to gain vengeance for his friend's untimely demise, but must first find those responsible before he can finally bring them down.
5 Grand Theft Auto 3
Setting: Liberty City, 2001
Platform(s): PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC & Mobile
Initial Release Date: October 22, 2001
Protagonist(s): Claude
Grand Theft Auto 3 made a lot of changes to the series' tried and tested formula. Most notably, it was the first 3D GTA game and also put a lot more emphasis on its narrative than each of its predecessors. The story follows silent protagonist Claude as he attempts to track down his ex-girlfriend Catalina and introduces players to a lovable cast of rogues.
While the game was innovative from a gameplay perspective, the time period was perhaps less so. The game's events take place in what was at the time the present day, meaning that it often felt like a generic everyday city. Looking back though, it's pretty cool to see what Liberty City - and society, in general - was like in the early 2000s.
4 Grand Theft Auto 4
Setting: Liberty City, 2008
Platform(s): PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 & PC
Initial Release Date: April 29, 2008
Protagonist(s): Niko Bellic, Johnny Klebitz & Luis Fernando Lopez
Like its direct predecessor, GTA 4 takes place primarily in Liberty City, but during the year 2008 rather than 2001. The place has clearly changed with the times, especially when it comes to its residents. Things like mobile phones and the internet have also become a big part of people's lives, much like they had in the real world.
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In Niko, the game introduces one of the series' best protagonists, who comes to Liberty City in pursuit of the American dream. Well. That, and vengeance. The stories of Johnny Klebitz and Luis Lopez also take place concurrently, in The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony expansions respectively.
3 Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Setting: Liberty City, 2009
Platform(s): PSP, Nintendo DS & Mobile
Initial Release Date: March 17, 2009
Protagonist(s): Huang Lee
In 2009, Huang Lee, the son of a Triad boss, attempts to find out the truth behind his father's death and retrieve their missing family sword. These events occur throughout Liberty City, which looks pretty similar to the way that it does during Niko's reign of terror.
Unlike GTA 4, the game doesn't offer up too much social commentary about life in the late 2000s. Instead, it places the focus squarely on Asian gangs and offers some great insight into the way that they operate. It's not quite as involved as some of the series' mainline entries, but is still fairly enjoyable nonetheless.
2 Grand Theft Auto 5
Setting: San Andreas, 2013
Platform(s): PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X & PC
Initial Release Date: September 17, 2013
Protagonist(s): Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton & Trevor Philips
The main story of Grand Theft Auto 5 features three different protagonists from three different parts of San Andreas. Their lives intertwine during their time in Los Santos, and, despite how different they all are as people, they end up becoming good friends. At least for a while, anyway.
After the prologue, all of Michael, Franklin, and Trevor's missions occur during 2013. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the game pokes fun at the present-day world. Things like social media, celebrity status, and the government are the main targets for the title's mockery, but there are plenty of other references to the era as well.
1 Grand Theft Auto Online
Setting: San Andreas, 2013 - Present Day
Platform(s): PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X & PC
Initial Release Date: October 1, 2013
Protagonist(s): N/A
As GTA Online constantly gets updated, it pretty much keeps up with the real-world calendar. However, the beginning of its story takes place just before GTA 5's main campaign and so the game must therefore initially be set in the year 2013 or earlier.
The user-created protagonist arrives in Los Santos during the mode's opening cutscene. They then get involved in all sorts of criminal activity, from street racing to bank heists. It all takes place in the exact same setting as GTA 5, meaning that it too closely resembles the modern world.
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