Which GTA game is the best to play (or try) ahead of GTA 6?
, by Chris
We’re now in the final stretch before the release of Grand Theft Auto VI, the next installment in the GTA series, more than 13 years after the release of the previous game. You have just over two weeks left to catch up, perhaps discover the franchise for the first time, or revisit some of its most memorable titles. To help you out, here’s a short list of the best games in the franchise to get you started.
The unclassifiable GTAs
Before we begin this list, it’s important to note that some titles clearly don’t qualify for inclusion. This is the case with the earliest games: Grand Theft Auto (1997), GTA London 1969, and GTA London 1961 (the 1999 expansions for the original GTA). Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999) and GTA Advance (2004). These games are already impossible to find, since they haven’t been re-released. The early GTA games offer no storyline and no real objective other than stringing together missions that are completely unrelated to one another. Graphically, they were already outdated upon release. And in terms of gameplay, they’re frankly no better.
These GTA games are merely nostalgic relics for those who experienced them upon release, but they’re really not ideal for newcomers or for those waiting for GTA 6. The same goes for GTA Advance, a prequel to GTA III released in 2004 on the Game Boy Advance, which is a disaster in terms of graphics and technical quality. These are clearly the four installments of the series you’re best off forgetting.
Now let’s dive into the top 9 best GTA games to play while we wait for GTA 6. To compile this list, we based our selection on several criteria:
- Accessibility: Is the game easily accessible on current-generation consoles in 2026?
- Aging: Have the game and its technology stood the test of time?
- Story: Are the writing and storytelling up to par?
- Gameplay: Is the gameplay still acceptable in 2026?
- Content: Is the game’s content still just as good in 2026?
9. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
Last on our list of the best GTA games to start with in 2026 while waiting for GTA 6 is the third installment, released in 2001. The game is available as part of the 2021 GTA The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition, released on all current-generation consoles. And that’s going to be the game’s only strong point.
In terms of how it’s aged, GTA III has really shown its age. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t measure up to the other entries in the series. There is no story. At its core, GTA III is a remake of the first GTA. It wasn’t until the very last few months of production that the teams at Rockstar North decided to include a storyline. That’s why Claude Speed, the main character, is silent—they didn’t have time to write his lines or have him record them.
The gameplay is very archaic—it’s rough around the edges, with poorly balanced difficulty and outdated aiming mechanics. In terms of content, the game is extremely repetitive. Clearly, GTA III was a massive revolution at the time of its release. It left an indelible mark on the video game industry and the open-world game genre. However, the game has aged very poorly.
8. GTA: Vice City Stories (2006)
Released in 2006 on the PSP, GTA Vice City Stories is an excellent entry in the series. It’s a prequel to GTA Vice City, set two years before Tommy Vercetti’s adventures. And the game is truly excellent. In terms of gameplay, it builds on that of GTA Vice City, which itself is an improved version of GTA III’s gameplay. In terms of content, it’s very comprehensive, featuring a great storyline, really fun missions, solid content, and quite a few new features.
The music, the atmosphere… Everything draws on themes from GTA Vice City and the 1980s. On paper, this could be an excellent GTA game to get you in the Vice City mood while you wait until November 19. Unfortunately, the game is virtually impossible to find these days.
Since 2006, it has only been re-released on the PS2 in 2007. A digital version was available for a few years on the PS Vita, PS3, and PS4. But for several years now, the game has been impossible to find. It hasn’t been re-released on current-generation consoles or mobile devices. So, if you want to check out GTA Vice City Stories, you’ll have to dust off your PSP or PS2.
7. GTA: Liberty City Stories (2005)
Liberty City Stories is a prequel to GTA III, released in 2005 on the PSP. It draws somewhat on the concept of GTA Vice City Stories, offering the world, atmosphere, and themes of GTA III, but with more polished content, gameplay, and story. Clearly, GTA Liberty City Stories ranks above GTA III but below GTA Vice City Stories. What places it a bit higher on the list is that it received a re-release on iOS and Android in 2015 to mark its tenth anniversary. As a result, the game is fairly easy to access if you have a recent smartphone. Thanks to Bluetooth controllers, be it for the PS5 or the Xbox, you'll be able to play it comfortably.
6. GTA: Chinatown Wars (2009)
This may well be the most underrated GTA in the series. Released in 2009 on the Nintendo DS, GTA Chinatown Wars is a portable version of GTA IV, set in the same time period and on the same Liberty City map. The game puts you in the shoes of Huang Lee, a member of the Triad. It offers a unique atmosphere, quite different from Niko Bellic’s adventures in the fourth installment.
Unfortunately, the limitations of the Nintendo DS clearly don’t work in its favor. Three or four years after the excellent GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories, which adapted the graphics and gameplay of the PS2 games for the PSP, players struggled with GTA Chinatown Wars. This title returns to the gameplay of the early games, featuring a top-down view. And, inevitably, that’s a bit of a letdown.
The game is full of great ideas, making extensive use of the touch screen through a multitude of mini-games that were extremely innovative for the series. The various styles of car theft that we’ll see in GTA 6 were already a thing in this installment. Unfortunately, the graphics, technical aspects, and gameplay clearly didn't work in the game's favor.
5. GTA Vice City (2002)
We kick off the top 5 with the all-time classic: GTA Vice City. It’s simply GTA III, but better. The game takes all the revolutionary aspects and strengths of GTA III, ironing out the flaws and elevating all its strengths. The game offers a much more enjoyable map, greater freedom, a genuine storyline with a charismatic main character, and more interesting missions, all set against the wild atmosphere of the 1980s.
On top of that, the game is very accessible, as it’s included in the GTA The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition compilation, released in 2021 on all platforms. In terms of gameplay and mechanics, the game has aged a bit, but it’s still perfectly acceptable. The game offers a very charming retro feel!
4. Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
It’s undoubtedly the ultimate GTA. At least in terms of the story, plot, and storytelling. GTA IV is a relatively dark crime thriller that focuses entirely on the story. That’s actually its main drawback: a lack of side content. But the story is so gripping, and Liberty City feels so real, with its completely wild atmosphere, that it’s hard not to consider it one of the best entries in the series.
It’s the first GTA to use Rockstar’s RAGE graphics engine and the Euphoria physics engine, which brings a dose of realism with a sim¡-like feel. For many, it’s the quintessential GTA. Thanks to this new graphics engine, GTA IV offers truly remarkable gameplay and technical quality that, 18 years after its release, still holds up very well.
Unfortunately, it’s not very accessible. If you have the Xbox 360 version, you can play it on Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S via backward compatibility. The game is also available on PC. For PlayStation players, however, the only option is to dig your PS3 out of the closet! The game isn’t available on PS4 or PS5 at all.
3. GTA San Andreas (2004)
In third place on the podium, we have GTA San Andreas. It’s the logical follow-up to GTA III and GTA Vice City. Once again, it offers improved gameplay, better graphics, and simply impressive content. To this day, it remains the most comprehensive single-player GTA game in the series. San Andreas also features a rich, well-crafted, and relatively long storyline. The open world is sensational, featuring one of the best maps in the series. More than 20 years after its release, it remains a timeless classic that hasn’t aged too badly.
As for accessibility, the game is available everywhere! Thanks to GTA The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition, it’s available on all current platforms, as well as on mobile. No excuses here!
2. Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
Released in 2013, GTA V is the latest GTA game to date and, naturally, it’s a must-play! In terms of graphics, gameplay, and technical aspects, it’s undoubtedly the best of the bunch. In terms of accessibility, the same goes—the game is available on all major platforms starting with the PS3 and Xbox 360. Even price-wise, it’s very affordable and can easily be found for around twenty euros.
It may not be the best GTA in the series, but it offers a very good balance across the board. The story is pretty fun, and the content on display is solid, especially if you want to achieve 100% completion. The game still looks relatively good, particularly on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S with the recent 2022 remasters. It offers a great taste of the GTA experience.
1. GTA Online (2013)
It’s honestly the most comprehensive GTA to date! Like GTA V, it features the most advanced graphics, gameplay, and technology in the series, since GTA Online was released in 2013, at the same time as GTA V. In terms of content, it’s massive, thanks to the numerous free updates released by Rockstar over the past 13 years. It’s an online GTA game, but you can also play it solo thanks to the many updates and missions designed for single-player. Conversely, it’s a GTA with story-driven missions and narratives, in which you can play cooperatively with up to four friends. It’s clearly the ideal GTA to start with and to get a feel for how the franchise works while you wait for the new adventure alongside Jason and Lucia in the Leonida region!