Preparing for GTA 6? Here’s the Whole GTA Timeline in Chronological Order

With Grand Theft Auto 6 releasing in November 2026, no doubt plenty of gamers are looking for an excuse to revisit Rockstar’s iconic urban crime saga. Whether to refresh their memory, hunt for potential connections to the new game, or finally tackle an entry or two they skipped years ago. But with 16 games, expansions, and spin-offs under its belt, the GTA timeline isn’t nearly as straightforward as simply playing the series in release order. Between reboots and stories spread across several decades, figuring out where each entry fits can be surprisingly confusing.

That’s why, before diving in, it’s important to know that the whole Grand Theft Auto franchise is split into three separate continuities. The original games belong to the 2D Universe, consisting of the first two top-down GTA games and their expansions. The PS2-era classics form the 3D Universe, which includes GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas. Meanwhile, GTA 4 through 6 are part of the modern HD Universe, a ‘rebooted’ continuity that is separate from the events of the older games.

Because the universes don’t directly connect, there isn’t one single timeline that includes every GTA game. With that in mind, here’s every GTA game in chronological order, broken down by which universe they’re in.

The 2D GTA Universe Timeline

The original GTA games take place in a separate continuity from both the 3D and HD Universes. Unlike later entries, they place far less emphasis on storytelling and instead focus on racking up points by completing payphone missions across a series of city-based levels. While players can choose from several protagonists, these characters are largely cosmetic, featuring only brief background descriptions and no unique abilities or gameplay differences. Every protagonist also comes with a default name, though players are free to rename them, with renaming doubling as a cheat code input system.

1. 1961 – Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 (Released in 1999 | PC)
2. 1969 – Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (Released in 1999 | PC, PlayStation)
3. 1997 – Grand Theft Auto (Released in 1997 | PC, PlayStation, Game Boy Color)
4. 20XX – Grand Theft Auto 2 (Released in 1999 | PC, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color)

Chronologically, the earliest story takes place in 1961, where a small-time criminal begins working for London’s various gangs. The conflict escalates in 1969 as organised crime expands throughout the British capital, leading to the events of London 1969. The timeline then jumps several decades to the original Grand Theft Auto, where players undertake jobs for criminal syndicates across Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas. The 2D Universe concludes with GTA 2, which takes place far in the dystopian future of Anywhere City.

The GTA ‘3D Universe’ Timeline

As the series finally transitioned to a fully open-world 3D experience, many longtime fans still consider the PS2-era games the heart of the franchise. If you’re looking to experience that storyline chronologically, here’s the order:

1. 1984 – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Released in 2006 | PSP, PS2, PS3)
2. 1986 – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Released in 2002 | PS2, PC, Xbox, PC, Mobile, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch)
3. 1992 – Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Released in 2004 | PS2, Xbox, PC, Mobile, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch)
4. 1998 – Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Released in 2005 | PSP, PS2, Mobile, PS3)
5. 2001 – Grand Theft Auto 3 (Released in 2001 | PS2, Xbox, PC, Mobile, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch)

The 3D Universe story begins in 1984 with Victor Vance, a US Army corporal who is discharged after becoming involved in criminal activities around Vice City. Together with his brother Lance, Victor builds a growing drug and smuggling operation, helping shape the city’s criminal underworld. However, by 1986, Victor’s empire comes crashing down when he is murdered during a botched drug deal. His death serves as the opening event of GTA: Vice City, which follows Tommy Vercetti, a recently released mob enforcer of the Forelli crime family. After surviving the same ambush that kills Victor, Tommy gradually takes control of the city’s organized crime and establishes himself as one of Vice City’s most powerful kingpins.

The timeline then jumps to 1992 and shifts focus to Carl “CJ” Johnson in San Andreas. While Tommy’s story largely remains confined to Vice City, CJ’s journey expands the scope of the 3D Universe, introducing major criminal organisations and several recurring characters that help connect the franchise.

As Toni’s actions set the stage for a massive gang war, and those tensions eventually erupt in 2001 during the events of GTA 3. This time, we follow Claude, a tough, silent-type criminal, betrayed during a bank robbery by his partner, Catalina, a minor character in San Andreas. Catalina herself was in a relationship with CJ before she left him for Claude and went on a nine-year journey toward Liberty City. Seeking revenge, Claude ended up entangled with the Leone family, the Yakuza, the Colombian Cartel, and other factions whose influence is built up in other entries. His rise through — and the destruction of — Liberty City’s underworld brings the 3D Universe timeline to its final chapter.

The GTA HD Universe Timeline

For players preparing specifically for GTA 6, this is the timeline that matters most.

1. 2008 – Grand Theft Auto 4 (Released in 2008 | PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
2. 2008 – Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned (Released in 2009 | Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
3. 2008 – Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Released in 2009 | Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
4. 2009 – Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Released in 2009 | Nintendo DS, PSP, Mobile)
5. 2013 – Grand Theft Auto 5 (Released in 2013 | PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
6. 2013-2026 – Grand Theft Auto Online (Released in 2013 | PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
7. 2026 – Grand Theft Auto 6 (Released in 2026 | PS5, Xbox Series X/S)

The HD Universe begins in 2008, when Niko Bellic, an immigrant and war veteran from Eastern Europe, arrives in Liberty City at the invitation of his taxi-driving cousin Roman, hoping to leave his troubled past behind and start a new life in America. Instead, the pair become entangled in the city’s criminal underworld, crossing paths with biker gang member Johnny Klebitz, nightclub associate Luis Lopez, a host of dangerous criminals — and ultimately the man Niko has been hunting since his days in the military.

Interestingly, the events of The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony occur alongside GTA IV, with all three protagonists witnessing many of the same incidents from different perspectives. At the tail-end of those conflicts, Chinatown Wars follows Huang Lee, a spoiled Triad boss’s son, as he attempts to restore his family’s standing among Chinese mobsters of Liberty City.

Five years later, the timeline shifts to San Andreas’s Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto V, where retired bank robber Michael De Santa, ambitious street hustler looking for a mentor Franklin Clinton, and Michael’s volatile former partner Trevor Philips are brought together by a series of increasingly audacious heists. The trio’s actions reshape the criminal landscape of Southern San Andreas and have consequences that reach beyond Los Santos itself. Trevor even encounters Johnny, revealing what became of the Lost MC after Liberty City and effectively bringing his story to a brutal end while scattering much of the biker gang. The events of GTA 5 also establish several of the characters who later become central to GTA Online.

Although GTA Online originally began shortly before GTA 5’s main campaign, years of story updates have steadily advanced the timeline beyond the events of the single-player mode. After the conclusion of the main game’s Ending C, Trevor continues operating Trevor Philips Enterprises and occasionally recruits players for various criminal ventures across Blaine County. Franklin leaves much of his street-level life behind and establishes F. Clinton and Partner, a successful agency that caters to Los Santos’ rich and famous. Meanwhile, Michael retires from criminal activity and fully embraces his Hollywood ambitions, establishing his own film production company, De Santa, and becoming one of Vinewood’s most prominent film producers.

Players also work alongside returning characters such as Lamar Davis, Ron Jakowski, and GTA 4’s Yusuf Amir while building criminal enterprises across San Andreas. These updates effectively serve as Rockstar’s bridge between GTA 5 and the franchise’s future, eventually leading to GTA 6, which returns players full circle to Vice City. Although Rockstar Games hasn’t specified it yet, the game seems to be set years after the events of GTA 5 and the later parts of GTA Online. The game follows Jason and Lucia, a criminal duo whose rise through the State of Leonida’s underworld.

Should You Play GTA in Chronological Order?

Not necessarily. After all, most GTA games were designed to be experienced independently, and Rockstar released them in an order that gradually expanded not just the gameplay, but also the world. Still, for first-time players looking to experience everything the series has to offer, release order is a perfectly valid approach. However, playing chronologically can make certain character appearances, references, and events easier to appreciate. Seeing Vice City’s criminal underworld evolve before San Andreas, or experiencing what happened to the Lost bikers before GTA 5, offers a different perspective on Rockstar’s world-building.

Best GTA Play Order Before GTA 6

If you’re short on time and only want the essentials before GTA 6 arrives, we’d recommend playing through the following games:

1. GTA: Vice City.
2. GTA 4
3. GTA 5.
4. GTA Online.
5. GTA 6.

Basically, play Vice City for the atmosphere, nostalgia, and any potential references Rockstar may carry forward into GTA 6. Then move on to GTA 4, which lays the foundation for the HD Universe. Many of GTA Online’s story missions can be difficult to tackle solo, but they also contain the latest developments in the timeline,  setting up the clearest bridge between GTA 5 and GTA 6.

Whether you’re revisiting Vice City’s neon-soaked streets or experiencing Liberty City for the first time, there’s never been a better moment to catch up on Grand Theft Auto’s history before Rockstar’s biggest release yet. We also have a list of other recommended games to play while waiting for GTA 6, don’t forget to check them out!