Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Auto is made up of a series of levels, each set in either Liberty City, Vice City, or San Andreas. In each level, the player's ultimate objective is to reach a target number of points, which is typically achieved by performing tasks for the city's local crime syndicate. Each level has its own unique set of tasks. Successful completion of a mission rewards the player with points and opens the opportunity to attempt harder missions for higher rewards, while failure awards few points and may permanently seal off opportunities for more tasks.

London, 1969 & London, 1961

Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969 and Grand Theft Auto: London, 1961 are two mission packs for the first Grand Theft Auto game. The games use the same game engine as Grand Theft Auto, thus giving similar gameplay. Like Grand Theft Auto, the mission packs are divided into sub-sections with short cut scenes between. London, 1969 was the first expansion pack released for PlayStation. London, 1961 is only available for PC and is available to be downloaded for free at the official site!

Both games require Grand Theft Auto to play and London, 1961 requires both Grand Theft Auto and London, 1969!

Grand Theft Auto 2

Grand Theft Auto 2 is set in an unspecified time in a metropolis referred to only as "Anywhere, USA". The main character is a man named Claude Speed. Grand Theft Auto 2 retained the overhead viewpoint of the original game, as well as the car-stealing/telephone-answering formula of the original. The player has the ability to explore cities on foot or in various vehicles. The aim is to achieve a certain score. On achieving this goal the player then can proceed to the next level. A new feature introduced in Grand Theft Auto 2 was doing missions for differnt gangs. Being employed by one gang can cause distrust from others. Also, Grand Theft Auto 2 added SWAT teams, Special Agents, and the army which will persue the player as his or her wanted level increases.

Grand Theft Auto III

Grand Theft Auto III is the first 3D title in the Grand Theft Auto series. The game is set in modern Liberty City, a fictional metropolitan city based on New York City. The game follows a criminal, who was betrayed by his girlfriend in a bank heist, and is required to work his way up the crime ladder of the city before confronting her. Grand Theft Auto III is composed of elements from driving games and third-person shooters. Although the game's protagonist is never given a name in gameplay, Grand Theft Auto: Sand Andreas later confirms that it is Claude.

Grand Theft Auto III became 2001's top selling video game and is cited as a landmark in video games for its far-reaching influence within the industry.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City draws much of its inspiration from 1980s American culture. Set in 1986 in Vice City, a fictional city modeled after Miami, the story revolves around Mafia member Tommy Vercetti, who was recently released from prison. After being involved in a drug deal gone wrong, Tommy seeks out those responsible while building a criminal empire and seizing power from other criminal organizations in the city. The game uses a tweaked version of the game engine used in Grand Theft Auto III and similarly presents a huge cityscape, fully populated with buildings, vehicles, and people. Like other games in the series, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City has elements from driving games and third-person shooters, and features "open-world" gameplay that gives the player more control over their playing experience.

Upon its release, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City became the best-selling video game of 2002. As of July 2006 the game was, in the American market, the best-selling PlayStation 2 game of all time!

Grand Theft Auto Advance

Grand Theft Auto Advance is the only game in the series avaiable only on the Game Boy Advance. Like Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2, Grand Theft Auto Advance is played from a top-down perspective. However, several features that were introduced in the later games are also included (such as vehicle-based side-missions, the heads-up display and a large majority of the weapons) The game is set in Liberty City and is a prequel to Grand Theft Auto III. The game follows a new protagonist, Mike, who is a small-time criminal. Several small characters from Grand Theft Auto III, including some who are ony mentioned by name in the earlier game, are featured in Grand Theft Auto Advance.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is set in the fictional state of San Andreas, comprising of three metropolitan cities: Los Santos (based on Los Angeles), San Fierro (based on San Francisco), and Las Venturas (based on Las Vegas). Deserts, rivers, forests and even a mountain separate the cities. Set in late 1992, the game revolves around gang member Carl "CJ" Johnson returning home from Liberty City to Los Santos, after learning of his mother's murder. CJ finds his old friends and family in disarray. Over the course of the game, CJ unravels the plot behind his mother's murder while exploring his own business ventures. The game adds several new features, such as car customization, and character personalization.

Like previous games in the series, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas sold very well. The Guinness World Records lists it as the most successful game for the PlayStation 2 with 17.33 million copies sold for that console alone and with a total of 21.5 million in all formats. Currently, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the 3rd Best Selling game of all time!

Liberty City Stories

Liberty City Stories is set in Liberty City. It takes place in 1998, three years before the events of Grand Theft Auto III. Toni Cipriani is fresh back in the city after lying low for several years, having killed a made man as a favor for Don Salvatore Leone. The grateful Salvatore puts him straight back to work. During the course of the game, players can accept a variety of missions from many people, including Salvatore, Salvatore's wife Maria, JD O'Toole, wise guy Vincenzo "Vinnie" Cilli, and even Toni's own mother. Players may also accept missions from the "Avenging Angels", similar to the Guardian Angels, earning special vehicles and wardrobe rewards.

Vice City Stories

Vice City Stories is set in 1984, two years before the events of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Victor "Vic" Vance, the protagonist, is a U.S. Army soldier whose sergeant, Jerry Martinez, gets him involved in drug trafficking, which is strictly against Vic's morals. Soon Vic is dishonorably discharged for the drugs found in his room and bringing a prostitute to the barracks, both of which were intended for Martinez. Vic works for Phil Cassidy, who is also featured in Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.

This game features several improvements since the release of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. New features include new animations, faster load times, a longer draw distance, reductions in clumping of pedestrians and vehicles, more complex explosions, and increases in the density of objects, vehicles, and NPCs!

Grand Theft Auto IV

Grand Theft Auto IV is set in a redesigned rendition of Liberty City. It follows Niko Bellic, a war veteran from an unspecified country in Eastern Europe. He comes to the United States in search of the American Dream, but quickly becomes entangled in a world of gangs, crime, and corruption. It is the first console game in the series to feature an online multiplayer mode.

A major commercial and critical success, Grand Theft Auto IV broke industry records with sales of around 3.7 million units on its first day of release and grossing more than $500 million in revenue in the first week, selling an estimated 6 million units worldwide! Grand Theft Auto IV is also one of the most critically acclaimed video games of all time, receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from critics, with many giving the game a perfect score.

The Lost and Damned

The Lost and Damned is the first of two episodic expansion packs developed for Grand Theft Auto IV. The Lost and Damned features a new protagonist, Johnny Klebitz, who is a member of Liberty City's biker gang The Lost, a gang which is featured in missions throughout the course of Grand Theft Auto IV.

The Lost and Damned is an expansion pack (or mission pack as they were earlier called), so it requires Grand Theft Auto IV to be played. However, there is a combined standalone package titled Episodes From Liberty City that does not require Grand Theft Auto IV. Episodes From Liberty City contains both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony!

Chinatown Wars

Chinatown Wars is similar to Grand Theft Auto Advance in that it is only available on portable gaming systems. The game also has a different presentation from previous games in the series. Instead of a ground-level view behind the protagonist or a top-down perspective, Chinatown Wars uses a fully rotatable camera angled down at the action. Chinatown Wars also uses cel-shaded polygons with black outlines to produce a comic book-like aesthetic - a first for the series. Chinatown Wars takes place in the Grand Theft Auto IV rendition of Liberty City.

The Ballad of Gay Tony

The Ballad of Gay Tony follows the exploits of a new protagonist, Luis Fernando Lopez, a recent member of the Dominican drug dealers and the personal bodyguard of Anthony Prince, who is also referred to as "Gay Tony". Prince is the owner of the two largest nightclubs within Liberty City as well as a high-status socialite.

The Ballad of Gay Tony is an expansion pack (or mission pack as they were earlier called), so it requires Grand Theft Auto IV to be played. However, there is a combined standalone package titled Episodes From Liberty City that does not require Grand Theft Auto IV. Episodes From Liberty City contains both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony!