Grand Theft Auto is Rockstar's flagship title with millions upon millions of fans worldwide. While many joined the community in the years since the launch of GTA 5, it was already a well known mainstream hit before with a history of successful releases, spin offs, imitators and controversy.
We decided to tackle the gargantuan task of putting together a ranking of GTA titles — these rankings are entirely subjective and may differ from your experience with each game. We tried to approach this ranking as objectively as we could.
Being top 5 in a franchise with many more releases means even the 'worst' on this list is by no means bad — they're classics one and all. All the GTA games mentioned are unique and fun, regardless of their standing in this particular list.
5. Grand Theft Auto 3
Just about every GTA top list will include Grand Theft Auto III (GTA 3) in some way. The GTA series started out with a top-down 2D perspective but transitioned into a 3D open-world game with the introduction of GTA 3. GTA 3 was a revolutionary game for the franchise, and arguably the genre. It introduced a lot of new game mechanics that are still used in today's GTA games.
GTA 3 introduced a protagonist with a personal story to follow from a third-person perspective. This story element of the game further enticed many. Overhauled camera controls and the mini-map were well received, paving the way for the continuation of improved UI and controls in the games that followed.
The world of GTA 3 has no shortage of activities to do and secrets to find. If you ever feel bored with the main storyline, you can take a break and play in some other way, like becoming a taxi driver. In addition to the main story quests, you also had the option of side quests which kept the players engaged throughout the game.
The game gave the players full autonomy, from shooting pedestrians with rocket launchers to launching grenades at the cops. Chaos has become the central theme of GTA games, in which many players found their joy.
4. Grand Theft Auto 4
Grand Theft Auto 4 undoubtedly had its moments and was one of the most critically acclaimed titles in the series for its time. GTA 4 received a lot of criticism regarding its textures and overall color tone, but has stood the test of time nonetheless. The most notable of the criticisms include the driving mechanics — following the realistic physics approach left driving extremely difficult.
Despite the bugs, the realistic physics did feature a lot of other fun stuff such as the introduction of ragdolls. Blowing up vehicles and shooting to see the fiery embers and authentic muzzle flashes was a sight to behold. The game's physics arguably were among the best, that some say surpasses even that of GTA 5 today — as long as you don't count driving.
With the new and improved physics, GTA 4 also received a complete combat overhaul. The improved versions of the same combat system and the weapon selection wheel mechanic can be seen in GTA 5. GTA 4 also introduced two new notable expansions to keep the player base engaged. The expansion packs were not small either, being complete storylines of their own.
Story-wise, the game followed Niko Belic, an eastern European ex-soldier who moves to Liberty City to pursue his American dream. No matter how bland the colors are in GTA 4, there is no denying that Rockstar has done New York city justice in the form of an enhanced Liberty City. Grand Theft Auto IV is also one of the turning points in the franchise as it helped Rockstar learn their mistakes which were later seen as improvements and fixes in the sequel GTA 5.
