The Story Timeline Order of Grand Theft Auto Games
Grand Theft Auto is a franchise of open world video games. Commonly referred to as GTA games, these games have had a lasting influence on the video games industry as well as on the open world video game genre. Indeed, the first 3D GTA game, Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001, is often considered to be one of the most groundbreaking games in the video games history.
What Are Grand Theft Auto Games Like?
Grand Theft Auto video games are often considered to be classics of the open world video game genre. The first 3D GTA game, Grand Theft Auto III, is frequently accredited of popularizing the modern defition of open world video game, and subsequent GTA games have maintained this gamepay tradition.
The gameplay of GTA games, specially beginning in Grand Theft Auto III, features some similarities to the gameplay of action-adventure video games, specially 3D action-adventure games. However, one important difference is that most of the action-adventure video games of the late 1990s and early 2000s did not feature an open game world, or, more specifically, did not feature a game world of the same scale as Grand Theft Auto III. For this reason, even though GTA games share some common gameplay elements with typical action-adventure video games, these games are more frequently described as open world games, as this is their most defining feature in relation to other games.
In general, GTA games are world video games in which the player character is able to walk around the city, drive different vehicles and complete missions. The storyline of each game is usually progressed by completing these missions. GTA games also often feature collectables. In GTA games, quite often the main game character begins their adventure with a small amount of in-game money, no items and no vehicles. Through the completion of different missions, as well as by the completion of side-missions, or secondary missions, the player character is able to progress in the game and acquire more items.
Considering the scale of the game world often found in GTA games, these games are praised by their replayability in the sense of adventuring in these fictional game worlds. Indeed, since GTA games generally feature the passage of time, dynamic weather systems, non-playable characters (NPCs) and many other elements, these games are often played due to their immersive and atmospheric experience.
Are Grand Theft Auto Games Connected?
There is frequently a debate on whether different Grand Theft Auto video games are set in the same continuity, or universe. While there are common elements that can sometimes be found across multiple GTA games, in general the GTA games are set in different continuities.
Even though GTA games are set in different continuities, quite often these games are set in the same locations, although different versions of these same locations. Many GTA video games take place in either Liberty City, Vice City or Los Santos. However, considering that the games are often set in different continuities, different versions of these fictional cities are presented. It is possible to find some common elements across games of different continuities, but in general these are secondary elements that do not directly interfere in the storyline of each GTA game. For this reason, while these elements could captivate the attention of GTA games fans, they could be considered "video game easter eggs", and not plot elements.
The Chronological Story Order of Grand Theft Auto Video Games
This is the chronological story order of the Grand Theft Auto video games. In other words, this is the chronological order in which the story events take place in each GTA game. This is not the same as the chronological order of release of these games. This is the suggested order in which to play the GTA video games for the most comprehensive story experience possible.
Considering that GTA games are set in different continuities, or different universes, it is reasonable to organize these games in different chronological story orders, as the story events of games of different continuities are theoretically not related, story-wise. Considering that these multiple orders are set in different continuities, I chose to separate each of these different chronological story orders with a blank space. In other words, each time there is a blank space in the following list, it's because the continuity has changed.
Grand Theft Auto: London 1961
Grand Theft Auto: London 1969
Grand Theft Auto (1997)
Grand Theft Auto 2
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto Advance
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned
Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto Online
The Story Timeline Order of Grand Theft Auto Games
This is a story timeline order of the Grand Theft Auto video games, or story timeline order of the GTA video games. It is noteworthy to mention that this timeline is related to the fictional years in which the GTA games take place. While in some cases the year in which the game takes place is the same as the year in which the game was released, in most cases these years are unrelated to each other. For example, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was released in 2004 but is set in 1992. For this reason, the years which I wrote in this timelien of GTA games should be considered fictional years. In other words, these are years in the fictional GTA games universe, and for this reason, these years could be called "fictional years of the GTA games universe", "fictional years in which GTA games take place" or "fictional timeline of GTA video games".
Considering that GTA games are set in different continuities, such as I wrote different chronological story orders for each continuity, it is also reasonable to organize these games in different timelines. For this reason, since these games are set in different timelines, a story event that takes place in 1997 in a certain timeline is not related to a story event that takes place in 1986 in a different timeline. These different timelines should effectively be considered timelines that represent different continuities, or different universes.
1961 Grand Theft Auto: London 1961
1969 Grand Theft Auto: London 1969
1997 Grand Theft Auto (1997)
2013 (or 1999) Grand Theft Auto 2
1984 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
1986 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
1998 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
1992 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
2000 Grand Theft Auto Advance
2001 Grand Theft Auto III
2008 Grand Theft Auto IV
2008 Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned
2008 Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony
2009 Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
2013 Grand Theft Auto V
2013 Grand Theft Auto Online
Regarding Grand Theft Auto 2, it was unclear to me whether this game is set in either 1999 or 2013. It seems to me that GTA 2 has some references to 1999 and some references to 2013. It seems to me that GTA 2 is likely set in 2013, and not in 1999, because if it were set in 1999, then it would take place 2 years after Grand Theft Auto (1997), whereas the environment of the game is drastically different to the one seen in Grand Theft Auto (1997), time-wise. However, I have found no clear, unquestionable evidence as to whether Grand Theft Auto 2 is definitely set in either 1999 or 2013.
Are Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Set in the Same Universe?
As it was previously pointed out in this article, in "Are Grand Theft Auto Games Connected?", some GTA video games are set in different continuities, which could also be called different universes. Grand Theft Auto V is set in the same continuity as Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and Grand Theft Auto Online, whereas Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is set in the same continuity as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto III, for example. For this reason, Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas are set in different continuities, or different universes.
Sources of Research: