Which is the best GTA game in the series

The GTA franchise features one of the most popular, raved-about series of all time. Indeed, the series has been ruling the game world for over two decades now and will probably be all the rage in the near future as well, especially if Rockstar keeps releasing incredibly addictive masterpieces like GTA 5 and their online components where fans can either build a camaraderie or become arch-rivals.

Over the years, Rockstar has released a number of new games, each more exciting in nature than the other. The last entry in the franchise was released almost eight years ago. And the whereabouts of the next one, the most anticipated game of all time, still seems to be in the grey as Rockstar seems to have taken a vow to not say a word about it until the game is ready to hit the market.

That said, every GTA game is grand in its own right and deserves all the hype in the world, but there's one game that leaves every other entry in the franchise in the dust: GTA San Andreas, the most iconic game of all time.

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IS GTA San Andreas the best game in the GTA series?

What truly sets GTA San Andreas apart from the other games in the GTA series is its storyline (Image via wallpapercave.com)

The GTA games are all about gangs, but the likes of the one featured in GTA San Andreas have seldom been seen before in the franchise. Fans could actually recruit members of the Grove Street Families to accompany them on certain missions, which made the storyline sound a lot more real and fleshed out.

That is perhaps one of the reasons why GTA San Andreas is so incredibly popular. From the main lead to the blood-thirsty, acquisitive antagonists to the members of the GSF, GTA San Andreas boasts an exceptionally diverse and memorable assortment of characters.

While the subsequent games in the GTA series also feature incredibly interesting characters, the ability to recruit members of one's own gang is exclusively tied to GTA San Andreas and is surprisingly missing in others.

Carl Johnson also plays an important role in the popularity of GTA San Andreas. While he is neither as impulsive as Trevor from GTA 5 nor as clever as Tommy from GTA Vice City, he has a profound personality and an emotionally moving backstory that makes him a lot more relatable to GTA fans, who always appreciate characters who aren't wrecking the world just for the heck of it.

What truly sets GTA San Andreas apart from the other games in the GTA series is its storyline. While every game boasts an engaging plotline, GTA San Andreas' story seems to have drawn inspiration from real-life events and is hence a lot more relatable to fans.

Furthermore, the game's characters, including the NPCs, made sure GTA San Andreas was as much of a thrill ride as possible by showcasing exemplary feats of strength and endurance while also maintaining the much-needed touch of reality instead of going all superhero-powerful when faced with problems.

All in all, GTA San Andreas is one of the best games in the GTA franchise and is worth all the hype in the world, if not more.

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