25 years have passed since the beginning of Grand Theft Auto. We look back at the best games in the franchise.
Whether it’s Claude, Carl Johnson, Tommy Vercetti, Niko Bellic, or Michael de Santa, each and every one of these names has something in common: GTA. Grand Theft Auto is without a doubt the most popular game series in the world, in addition to being one of the longest-active sagas in the entire video game industry. But what are the best GTA games?
That is why to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this incredible saga, it is time to refocus a little and look back at the five best games of the franchise.
Best GTA Games
Grand Theft Auto is one of those iconic video game sagas. It is even so well known that both gamers and non-gamers know or have heard of it. All this is thanks to the great work that Rockstar Games has done over the years. They deliver titles with a great story, gameplay, and the opportunity to do whatever you want.
The GTA format has worked so well since the beginning that they have been the inspiration for great developers over the last 25 years. GTA has games to its credit going back to the fifth generation of consoles. It even has games that came out on the Game Boy Advance! So, we have a great list of games to revisit to make this top 5 list.
Although GTA has both 2D and 3D games, they have achieved total success in making the leap to 3D. So, sorry for my fellow retro lovers, but 2D games are left out of our top picks. Without further ado, these are the top 5 best GTA games to date.
GTA III
The 2D games of the franchise worked very well in their time. They were games that despite not being a total success were released for different platforms. But, the game that started the success of the Rockstar Games saga was GTA III.
Despite not being a game that has aged very well, Claude and GTA III are a reference in the sandbox genre. The depth of the story and the free 3D gameplay made GTA III a total success on all platforms where the game was released.
So important was it that, with the launch of the PSP, Rockstar Games released an alternate version of the game (Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories) considered by many as one of the great games of the Sony handheld console. If you have never tried it, we recommend you do so. If you want to play it on next-gen consoles, you can get it as part of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy Definitive Edition.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Although we mentioned Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories as one of the best PSP games, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is the best game of the series on Sony’s PlayStation Portable handheld.
Featuring an alternative story to another game in the series, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories brings us amazing gameplay. In addition, we will have a different perspective of Vice City. Offering over 10 hours of gameplay, it is a great title that deserves to be revisited by many.
It’s somewhat difficult to find these days, although you may find it on eBay.
GTA IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is for many the best game in the series. GTA IV presented us with the return to Liberty City, but this time not at the hands of Claude but Niko Bellic. This was a much more mature production by Rockstar Games.
It was the first time that many players considered a GTA game as a “new generation” game, since the graphic, technical and other advances were much more advanced. Undoubtedly, it was a great success on the part of Rockstar. A game that has aged very well, is replayable, and remains one of the best games in the entire saga.
GTA San Andreas
You thought we’d put it in the first place, right? Well, you’re not entirely wrong. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is the most iconic game in the entire franchise. It is a masterpiece from start to finish. It has even been the game where Rockstar has demonstrated the great potential of this incredible saga.
GTA San Andreas, for the first time in the saga, presented not only one city but three! Thanks to this, Rockstar was able to deliver a dense and extensive story very well done that grabs you from the beginning. If you like video games, this is a title that you must have played at least once in your life.
Grand Theft Auto V
It may or may not come as a surprise, but we think that GTA V is the best game of the whole saga. Rockstar was able to collect everything they did in GTA San Andreas and GTA IV and improve it a lot more. GTA V is a video game masterpiece wherever you look at it.
Grand Theft Auto V stands on its own as a massive sandbox, where the use of GTA modded accounts has become a notable aspect among players seeking unique experiences. Even ten years after its release, it is still considered the pinnacle of the sandbox genre. In addition, for the first time in the franchise, you can use three different characters with separate stories and styles, and the presence of GTA modded accounts adds another layer of depth to the gameplay.
Added to all that, there is GTA Online. GTA V offers us a very well-done online mode where we can play races, events, and more with other online players. It’s a game mode that to this day continues to receive new content. In addition, you will have the option to play with other players on the same map of the game. Undoubtedly, it is an excellent experience for most mature players.
If you are looking for a game that offers you dozens of hours of gameplay, the freedom to do mostly what you want, and that gives you a lot of fun, GTA V is definitely for you. Plus, it’s perfect while we wait for the long-awaited release of Grand Theft Auto VI.
Congratulations to Rockstar for the 25th anniversary of their successful franchise. We hope that they can continue to do an amazing job.
