Ranking the maps in the GTA series in order of size

The GTA franchise burst onto the scene in the early 2000s and took no prisoners when it came to bold creative choices and game design. One aspect of game design that immediately stood out as being revolutionary was the expansive open-world city of GTA 3.

Liberty City quickly became a talking point for the industry and community since no other game had managed to craft a 3D open-world as dense and complex as that. Over the years that followed, Rockstar Games experimented and tinkered with the core map design in many ways and delivered some of the most iconic maps in gaming history.

Here, we take a look at the gigantic maps of the mainline GTA games and rank them according to how large their total area is.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinion of the writer.

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GTA maps ranked according to the total area of the map

5) GTA 3, Liberty City - 8.12 km²

When the game first came out, players didn't exactly have a close reference point as to what 3D open-world games could be. For its time, the game's map of Liberty City was among the biggest 3D spaces players had been able to explore, and it still remains as iconic as it was back then.

Liberty City is loosely inspired by New York City and has a rather keen sense of detail. The map isn't exactly large by today's standards, but it was absolutely revolutionary back in 2001.

4) GTA Vice City - 9.11 km²

The map of Vice City was not only bigger in terms of pure statistics and numbers, but it also felt a lot bigger than Liberty City. This was purely because the game was trying to accomplish an entirely different goal than Liberty City with its core design and aesthetics.

Vice City wasn't exactly an oppressive, restrictive urban metropolitan area; it was much more akin to a neon paradise, a playland for criminals. Vice City had a lot more open space and diversity when it came to architectural design and the overall feel.

3) GTA 4, Liberty City - 16.14 km²

Rockstar Games took players down to Liberty City yet again, albeit in an even darker version of the city players saw in 2001. GTA 4's Liberty City is an absolute work of art as one of Rockstar's most complex maps to date and a truly riveting study of modern cities.

Liberty City is not a very "fun" place to live, and it is reflected in its towering structures that feel oppressive. Immense wealth and excess are contrasted by abject poverty and homelessness around every street corner. And even with its size, the game world feels a lot more claustrophobic.

2) GTA San Andreas (State of San Andreas) - 38.2 km²

After the success of GTA 3 and Vice City, the pressure on Rockstar to deliver the next game started to mount up. Instead of caving in and giving in to the pressure, Rockstar stepped up the plate and knocked it out of the park.

With GTA San Andreas, Rockstar decided that they have had their fill of modern metropolitan cities and now wanted to graduate to an entire state. The map of San Andreas is not just big by 2004's standards, but even today's.

The game includes three major cities: Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas. Along with this, it also features a vast county area that has plenty of secrets for the player to discover.

1) GTA 5, Los Santos and Blaine County - 75.84 km²

While technically, GTA 5 still takes place in the state of San Andreas as well, it chooses to focus on other parts of the state. This time, players get to run around in a far bigger version of Los Santos and a truly unruly Blaine County with areas such as Sandy Shores and Paleto Bay.

GTA 5's map still remains one of the most iconic game maps in history and will go down as one of the most fascinating creations in the gaming industry.