GTA, or Grand Theft Auto, is arguably the biggest brand in gaming, rivalling juggernauts like Super Mario and Call of Duty. Originally created for the PlayStation and PC in 1997 by Scottish developer DMA Design – which would go on to rebrand itself as Rockstar North – the series has shipped more than 350 million units over the course of its 20 year lifespan. And now, we want to know your personal favourites.
GTA has a long and illustrious history spanning all of Sony’s home consoles, and its first portable as well. The series started out as a top-down adventure game, where you could steal cars and use them to complete missions accessed from telephone booths. The first instalment introduced its trio of iconic American inspired maps: Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City.
In 2001, Rockstar rocked the video game landscape forever with GTA 3, a 3D version of its PS1 titles which allowed you to explore its sandbox as you pleased. This landmark game had a profound impact on the industry at large, and played a significant part in establishing the open world genre, which would go on to be adopted by the likes of Ubisoft, Sony, and many more.
Featuring Hollywood stars like Ray Liotta and Samuel L. Jackson, GTA is not only a popular video game series, but has also etched itself into popular culture. With enormous licensed soundtracks and dozens upon dozens of iconic characters, the franchise is considered one of the industry’s most cherished, earning rave reviews along the way.
And now we need you to help us put the PlayStation games in order. Below you’ll find a list of all the major instalments in the series, dating all the way back from 1997 to the present day. We need you to give each one a review score, so that we can crunch the data and bring you a definitive list of all the games, ranked from the worst to the best.
So what will it be? Is GTA 3 your personal favourite cup of tea, or do you prefer GTA: San Andreas and hot coffee? Rate using the widget, and share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Ratings close on the 5th November, with our results article set to be published on the very same day, so get your votes in while you can.
What's the best GTA game? Steal a car, drive it off a cliff, and live to tell the tale in the comments section, and be sure to check back soon for the final rankings, as determined by you.
Comments 69
The best or my favourite? Can't say which is best as I haven't played the PSP games. My favourite was GTA: London mostly because of it's setting.
For me it's Vice City all day even if it's quite outdated control-wise. The story with the presentation and the soundtrack were all the best in the series. For folks picking up the trilogy remaster to play these for the first time, I envy you. I'd love to play Vice City for the 1st time again.
It’s probably San Andreas for me. Vice City I’m quite literally stuck on and never went back. Quite a few truly irritating missions in that one but San Andreas is just so good.
@Korgon Yeah, Vice City. No contest.
It's a difficult one but if I only had 1 choice it'd be 5 and throw in a monumental online mode (forget about the gta$) which realised a good chunk of my favourite parts of PC online mods (SA:MP and the earlier one which name eludes me now which started on vice city) and you are on to a winner.
The trilogy also is up there and it's honestly difficult to separate any of them.
3 for the utter shock launching it up and being a crisp 3d world, memorable cast and it gets an extra point purely for the fact it lay down the groundwork for the following 2.
Vice city for building on this with a nostalgic trip of a setting, characters and a killer soundtrack.
Finally, San Andreas.. this time a great 90s soundtrack and a vast open playground.
All 4 are practically inseparable in terms of relative quality.
San Andreas is mine but I love them all.
Gta san Andreas.but vice city and gta 3.and 4.and 5 is really good.word up son
San Andreas is still my favorite game in the series overall.
@Integrity they aren't just psp games. They were on PS2 too. Except Chinatown.. really hope they will remake Liberty city and Vice city stories games together with GTAIV for the next trilogy
Gta and god of war best video games franchises ever.gta is a juggernaut.put call of duty.mario.zelda.skyrim etc against it sales wise.gta will eat them for breakfast.lunch and dinner.haha😃.word up son
I like 5 the best. I'd say San Andreas but that mission with the motorcycle and the train gives me Vietnam War style flashbacks.
Vice city is the correct answer anything else is wrong
Gta peaked with san andreas. Every campaign since has felt like a step backwards to me.
For me it’s…
1. San Andreas (on PC, I played the PS2 version afterwards but for me it was the PC version that’s sealed in my memories)
2. GTA IV: Ballad of Gay Tony
3. GTA IV
4. GTA V
5. GTA IV: Lost and the Damned
@Loftimus
I think Ballad of Gay Tony got the closest to San Andrea’s campaign. It was hilarious like San Andreas, the missions were varied and fun, and the weapons were over the top, like the Sniper Rifle that fired explosive rounds.
Shouldn't gta5 be listed as a ps3 game?
I had to Google just to confirm yet again its been that long.....
@MatthewJP
I think the PS4 version outsold it.
I got the PS3 version on launch day. It kept me busy through the PS4 launch. I didn’t get my PS4 until February of 2014.
None of them for me - I think they're all vastly overrated.
Sorry.
x
Vice City (PS2)
Removed - inappropriate language
Gotta be vice City Tommy vacceti has to be best protagonist, I mean the sound track and basically been scarface is just so 80s, can't wait to reply it,
Mark the words there will be a trophy for a stupid long wheelie on a motorcycle
They’re all good in their own right but if you are asking which is the ‘best’ then it’s GTA V hands down in my opinon. That game is superbly fleshed out, no two missions are the same and the level of detail is ridiculous of how alive that world is. 100%’ ing it is a great way to show off how deep the characters stories go.
Personal favourite for me though I think is GTA III.
I did not know what to expect when I bought it, it was just recommended by a friend back when it first released, and man did it blow my mind at what a PlayStation game could do. Was truly witnessing something special and I can’t wait to jump back in with The Definitive Edition.
Vice City all day! You know I'm right!
GTA2 is easily my favourite. Pinnacle of the 2d era and my favourite of the whole series
Tricky.
I have the fondest memories of GTA III, but it's clearly not the best, objectively speaking.
Vice City absolutely nails it in terms of music and mood.
Plot wise I think I like GTA IV the most.
GTA V is a masterclass in world-building.
But in terms of sheer fun, I think my favourite is San Andreas. It's the best all-rounder in my eyes.
It's gotta be Vice City (seemingly like everyone else here who was gaming during PS2 era).
GTA3 was probably the most revolutionary, but Vice City just made everything more fun, with a better story, better characters and a great soundtrack.
The greatest gaming series bar none.
Bought every single game day one and I will until they stop making them.
I couldn't even bring myself to meet Trevor in 5, I tried two or three times. The online portion I spent about 2 hours and never went back to it. I didn't really get the buzz.
Vice City will always remain the pinnacle of the series.
Watch Dogs is the best GTA game.
Vice city is the best one ☝️ ps2
Easy. San Andreas.
It is between Vice City and V for me. 3 blew my mind when it came out but Vice City improves on it in almost every way. Never completed San Andrea as I found it a bit bloated and wasn't keen on the lifestyle stuff in it. IV was alright but didn't like the protagonist or how relationships were handled. I did play the PS1 games but I don't remember enough about them.
If you said or even think gta5 is the best one. Then you are part of the problem and why rockstar think they can keep re-releasing gta5 in the first place. It doesn't even have any single player dlc. Geez even gta 3 and vc had there own spin off expansion games.
As much as I love GTA III it's aged really badly but I can't deny the impact that game had on the open world genre as a whole in gaming.
Without it we wouldn't of had stuff like Saints Row or Sleeping Dogs or I don't think open world games would be as popular as they are today without this.
Also GTA San Andreas "All we had to do was follow the damn train CJ" iconic as hell 😂😂😂
Vice city... The era.. the colors, Miami. I can't wait to repay it. first played in seventh grade when it came out, had to spend my lunch money to buy from a friend and also had to shut it off when?if my parents came into the room. good times.
Honestly, 5 is the best, but 3, Vice City, San Andreas, 4, and 5 are all 9/10 tier games with 5 edging close to being a 10/10.
@Integrity Hipster
@Jammsbro or maybe, Londoner?
@hypnotoad love me some Westlife, Boyzone and Take That 😁 NSYNC, Backstreet Boys too 😁 But I love all music, from ABBA, to Amy, to Anthrax, to Billie Holiday, to Bob, to Britney, to Bowie, to Chopin, to Chvrches, to Kylie, to Lana, to Lauryn, to Madonna , to Mariah, to Marilyn Manson, to MJ, to Miley, to Nas, to NIN, to Prince, to Prodigy, to Queen, to RuPaul, to Whitney, to Wolf Alice, to Tchaichovsky, to Tupac, to xxxtentacion. Just to name a few 😬
@TheRedComet i never got along with IV for some reason and because of it only being available on ps3 ive never gotten back to it. Hopefully they will bring a definitive edition out so i can try it again.
@Korgon You’re making me want to get it. Never played the PS2 iterations.
Gta IV and Sanandreas for me
Didn't play GTA 3,until after Vice & San Andreas so its habit of closing off previous save areas being attacked by gangs didn't gel with me.
Vice City on ps2 absolutely nailed the era right from the get go,superb soundtracks,funny DJ Chat channels,Fernando etc. Even little touches like the windscreen getting water droplets on screen!👍A shame subsequent ports have omitted certain tracks or edited some gameplay. It was presented as an over the top look back on the era. Vice City Stories comes a close 2nd in terms of soundtrack...like Liberty City Stories, both ported well from superb handheld versions to hold up well as ps2 releases as well. Best way to enjoy Liberty City in that era of games.
San Andreas also nailed its era superbly,& certainly pushed its 3d open world as much as it could on ps2. Though CJ should've told his lazy brother where to shove his Grove street loyalties given what their buddies were up to!
And Samuel L Jackson really played up Tenpenny as the love to hate bad guy! The RC missions including the infamous fuel bug was nightmare fuel though!
Never really gelled with Niko/GTA IV. Enjoyed V a bit more,though the stock market aspect & GTA Online introducing the modern day mtx/grindy gameplay Rockstar a turnoff.
The last Rockstar game I could enjoy for its story without it being a grindy gameplay training ground for its online mode was RDR 1/Undead Nightmare.
@Milktastrophe Its not even the best Watch Dogs game.
San Andreas
Played them all, its still installed on my PS4 for me to mess around in from time to time. Getting the remastered trilogy and happily platinuming it again.
3 because of the mafia vibe and being the one that innovated on the formula.
San andreas, bring on the 11th of November to jump back in!
San andreas is the only correct answer
Rated the games that I've played in the series so look forward to the results.
If Vice City doesn't win I shall have to send Tommy round! LOL
I lost my love for the series at this point but IV was the peak imo and the 3 PS2 games are pretty close to it. Tbh I'd rather play the top-down games than V, have no hope for VI but I'm pretty excited for the Trilogy remaster.
Between San Andreas and GTA V for me.
3 was the game changer but San Andreas will always be my favourite, really loved Vice City & 5 as well but the sound track and characters in SA just smashed it for me.
San Andreas because of the perfect match between LA Gangs in 92 set and GTA themes. It’s like just perfect and perfectly written too. I dream of historical GTAs though, too bad LA Noire was violence restricted (did I say that ? Lol)
@Integrity Lived there, never lived in LA, still prefer LA and NY.
For me its Vice City. The setting, the characters, the radio (VROCK and VCPR in particular) made ot for me. It was also my first GTA and while ive enjoyed the others since Vice is the one I remember the most fondly.
Vice City is my fav. The remasters better have the same soundtracks or they can f*** right off.
@BoldAndBrash The driving in GTA IV sucked so bad. It put me right off even playing it.
I'm still waiting for a remaster of IV Rockstar 😐 also storywise which is the most important part for me is GTA IV.
GTA 5 and San Andreas are 10s for me. I started out in the OG way back when I was like 7. In that game was the first time I heard "D***wad" and that was a great thing to copy and tell to my friends. I also remember killing random people for no reason, I remember feeling a little bad for those pixels for a bit. Lol
Well, technically speaking, GTA V is the best but my favourite is Vice City. Whether that's nostalgia talking I'll find out once the trilogy is in a sale in a years time!
GTA IV has a special place in my heart, I still regularly play it and it never really gets boring. A refresh would be nice, with an improved framerate and increased resolution, the rest can stay the same.
Vice City Stories is also one of my favourites, it improved on Vice City in (almost) every way, and the fact I could take it with me as a teenager also helped my appeal towards it. Great soundtrack, improved cars, Phil Collins!
San Andreas & GTA IV are my favourites
vice city, san andreas and 5 are the best imo
San Andreas is #1 but Vice City is a close #2.
As sure as a Miyamoto game on Nintendolife. Just 10’s baby!
GTA 5, Vice City, GTA 4, and GTA SA are my favorites.
GTA IV,, has to be the best of the series for me.
Got to be GTA SA for me but I did love vice city ps2. Vice city had the best soundtrack as-well imo
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