While the release of GTA 6’s official trailer is just a few days away from becoming reality, it’s time to try to discover which game is the best in the legendary Grand Theft Auto series. We will consider only the gameplay part, as we can’t objectively establish the quality of a game just because it was released at a time when it wasn’t physically possible to build high-graphic games.
The Grand Theft Auto series started way back in 1997, and since that time, 17 GTA games have been released. In other words, it can be difficult to say for sure which is the best GTA game ever, but we’ll give it a shot, as we’ve done a little ranking:
5. GTA 3 (2001)
GTA 3 was the first game in its series to introduce 3D graphics, and that’s a huge plus. While the very first GTA game from 1997 and GTA 2, which came out in 1999, also had open-world concepts, GTA 3 raised the stakes a lot higher. In this 2001 title, the player had the possibility to drive cars, steal cars, run away from the police, and even destroy their cars, and a lot more. The protagonist of the game is Claude, a silent man who wants revenge after being betrayed and left for dead by his girlfriend. A huge rage was burning in his soul, and only vengeance could quench it.
4. GTA Vice City (2002)
GTA Vice City is one of the most influential video games in history and for good reasons. It’s almost impossible to find a gamer after 30 years old who has never played this game. That’s because GTA Vice City has improved the open-world concept that was brought by GTA 3. The action takes place in Vice City (fictional Miami), and it finds Tommy Vercetti dealing with all sorts of trouble with drug dealers and all sorts of dangerous people.
The gameplay of GTA Vice City was amazing, as Tommy had a lot of powerful weapons at his disposal, and he had the possibility to steal a lot of amazing cars. There are lots of missions in this game, adding to the general charm of it.
GTA Vice City might have been inspired by the 1983 movie ‘Scarface,’ which had Al Pacino in the main role of a Columbian immigrant who came to the States for a better life. Known as Tony Montana, Al Pacino’s character is a very cocky guy who won’t stop from getting what he wants, even if that means killing someone. He was extremely angry at Fidel Castro’s communist regime that he underwent in Cuba, and thus, he wanted to get everything his heart desired once he arrived in the USA.
3. GTA 4 (2008)
GTA 4 amazed everyone with its huge improvements compared to its predecessor, meaning GTA 3. The 2008 title has Niko Bellic as the protagonist character, a Bosnian who had to run away from the Yugoslavian war in Europe, cross the Atlantic Ocean, and try to build a better life in Liberty City (fictional New York). But it isn’t long until, along with his cousin Roman, Niko gets into all sorts of trouble, as he has a good taste for danger. From time to time, Niko faces his human side, struggling and wondering how he could become so cruel and if there is still anything good in him anymore.
GTA 4 has impressive gameplay, and one of the standout gameplay elements is when someone gets shot. He behaves in a very realistic way, struggling and holding the wounded part of his body.
2. GTA 5 (2013)
In a ranking where the graphics would also count, GTA 5 was clearly in the first place. Otherwise, it falls behind the game that ranks first in our view, even though the 2013 insanely popular title remains one of the most exciting and realistic games ever made. GTA 5 offers a massive open-world environment filled with mountains, countryside, and an imposing urban setting. This is the only GTA game ever released that has more than one protagonist character. In Grand Theft Auto 5, you will have to control three protagonist characters.
You have Franklin, a relatively calm dude who is eager to become a gangster. There’s also Michael, an old and miserable fellow who retired long ago from his activity as a bank robber. Last but not least, Trevor Phillips is the remaining protagonist character of the game, and he’s a pure psychopath and misanthrope who will never abstain from displaying his dark humor and cynical way of living.
1. GTA San Andreas (2004)
GTA San Andreas takes the cake, as this game has it all. You can play the justice game by being a policeman and catching the crooks, or you can be the burglar who robs houses at night and gets the goods in a van. You can be a doctor, a firefighter, a taxi driver, and many more. You can do stunt missions, race missions with just about any vehicle you want, and so on. You can engage in gang wars, and a lot more. The possibilities are endless in GTA San Andreas. Even after you pass all the 100 storyline missions, there’s probably 3 times more to do in the game besides that. GTA SA was an incredibly complex and fun game for its time when it was released back in 2004. That was almost two decades ago, and GTA SA still rocks.
Ultimately, each and every GTA game ever released has its own charm, and it depends on each and every person which of the games of the legendary series is the best for them. You can feel free to come up with your own ranking!
Tim M. Hill helped bring Digital-Overload from a weekly newsletter to a full-fledged news site by creating a new website and branding. He continues to assist in keeping the site responsive and well organized for the readers. As a writer to Digital-Overload, Tim mainly covers mobile news and gadgets.
