All GTA games to play in chronological order, explored

Anybody interested in a deep dive into the GTA series as a whole should know that there are over a dozen different games within the franchise. There are two different types of chronological order to discuss in this article. The first one is for the oldest games to the newest, based on their release year. In this regard, their first debut is what is counted, not their subsequent ports.

Another way to play the GTA games chronologically is to play them according to the real-life year used in their setting. After all, some in-game events from past titles are referenced elsewhere in the series. This list will include everything up to the fabled Grand Theft Auto 6.

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List of all GTA games in chronological order by release year

There have only been 17 unique Grand Theft Auto games released in the series as the GTA 6 release date is still yet to be revealed, not to mention that the title hasn't been released yet.

Here is a chronological list of all games within the series as per their release year:

1. Grand Theft Auto: November 28, 1997
2. Grand Theft Auto London 1969: April 30, 1999
3. Grand Theft Auto London 1961: July 1, 1999
4. Grand Theft Auto 2: October 22, 1999
5. Grand Theft Auto III: October 23, 2001
6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: October 29, 2002
7. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas & Grand Theft Auto Advance: October 26, 2004
8. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories: October 25, 2005
9. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories: October 31, 006
10. Grand Theft Auto IV: April 29, 2008
11. Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned: February 17, 2009
12. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars: March 17, 2009
13. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony: October 29, 2009
14. Grand Theft Auto V: September 17, 2013
15. Grand Theft Auto Online: October 1, 2013
16. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition: November 11, 2021

Oddly enough, San Andreas and Advance had the same initial release date of October 26, 2004. Most games also launch in October, more than any other month of the year.

The GTA Trilogy was the most recent game to be released (Image via Rockstar Games)

It is worth pointing out that Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition is a remaster of III, Vice City, and San Andreas. If one excludes it, there hasn't been a new game in the series since 2013.

Grand Theft Auto 5 and Online were the last mainline titles to be released before the Trilogy remaster. Gamers should know that Grand Theft Auto 6 is known to be in development, but that game hasn't even gotten an announcement yet.

Once released, it will, quite naturally, be the most recent addition to the chronological order of GTA games in the series based on release year.

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List of all GTA games in chronological order by the year they take place with respect to canon

GTA London 1961 is the oldest game in the series' lore (Image via Rockstar Games)

By comparison, here is the chronological order of all GTA games if one were to play them based on the year they're set in in-game since no specific month or days are confirmed:

1. Grand Theft Auto London 1961: 1961
2. Grand Theft Auto London 1969: 1969
3. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories: 1984
4. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: 1986
5. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition: 1986 /1992 / 2001
6. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: 1992
7. Grand Theft Auto: 1997
8. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories: 1998
9. Grand Theft Auto 2: 1999
10. Grand Theft Auto Advance: 2000
11. Grand Theft Auto III: 2001
12. Grand Theft Auto IV: 2008
13. Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned: 2008
14. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony: 2008
15. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars: 2009
16. Grand Theft Auto V: 2013 (only 2004 for the Prologue)
17. Grand Theft Auto Online: 2013 to the current year

Since the Trilogy is a remaster of III, Vice City, and San Andreas, it unsurprisingly shares the same years as them.

GTA Online's San Andreas Mercenaries DLC was the most recent update as of this writing (Image via Rockstar Games)

It is also worth noting that Grand Theft Auto 2 had an official website that alluded to the title taking place in 2013, yet the content found in the game points more to the 1999 date.

Grand Theft Auto Online is also a bit complicated since all content from it prior to the Gunrunners update took place in 2013, according to lore. However, after the Gunrunners DLC, everything started to take place in the modern year, based on the patch. The second list in this article also applies to all versions of the said game.

For example, GTA 5 is always going to take place in 2013 in-game, regardless if you're on the PS3, the PS5 Slim, or another of its numerous ports.

The final thing worth mentioning is that Grand Theft Auto 6 is known to take place in the modern era, but its exact year is yet to be revealed.