Top 3 most underrated games of the GTA franchise that deserved more attention

The GTA series is one of the most well-known names in the video game industry, with the majority of its installments being massively successful.

There are some games in the franchise that have broken major sales records and have become household names. GTA San Andreas holds the record of being the best-selling game on the PS2, while GTA 5 became the second best-selling video game ever.

However, not all games were so popular, with some even failing to meet sales expectations. This article will dive into three GTA games that didn't receive as much attention as the rest.

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

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These GTA games deserve more recognition

3) GTA Vice City Stories

GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas are some of the most well-known GTA games still being played to this day. Yet a lot of those fans aren't aware of GTA Vice City Stories.

Released in 2006 exclusively for the PSP, GTA Vice City Stories mixes Vice City and San Andreas in gameplay and features. It includes a unique empire management system that combines gang battles and asset ownership from San Andreas.

The narrative tells the story of the Vance brothers before the events of GTA Vice City. While the game remains one of the most popular games on the PSP, the handheld-exclusive release limited its widespread popularity.

2) GTA Liberty City Stories

GTA Liberty City Stories, released a year before Vice City Stories, was another handheld exclusive title. Like the previous game on this list, this game also incorporated gameplay elements from GTA San Andreas.

Players could now ride bikes in the 3D Universe Liberty City, although climbing and swimming were impossible. The plot is a lot more linear than most games in the series and is rather straightforward.

The entire storyline consists of the protagonist Tony Cipriani being part of the mob and doing missions for his boss Salvatore Leone. Despite being ported over to the PS2 and even mobile devices quite recently, the game was not as successful as mainstream titles.

1) GTA Chinatown Wars

GTA Chinatown Wars was the only GTA game to be released for the Nintendo DS. It was widely appraised by critics and remained the most highly-rated game on the platform.

With GTA Chinatown Wars, Rockstar demonstrated that it could create a solid game for any platform. Although their handheld titles remain much less popular than their mainstream counterparts, they're still some of the best games on those consoles.

This game was also ported to mobile devices, which seemed logical since it was originally designed for the DS's touch controls. The game's unique minigames, which include car-jacking and drug-dealing, are its greatest feature.

While the narrative was a bit clichéd even by GTA standards, the arcadey gameplay and engrossing minigames made it a must-have for GTA fans.