Best Grand Theft Auto games to play before GTA 6, ranked

GTA 6 might just be the most highly anticipated gaming release of all time, and if you want to make sure that you’re completely caught up on the series before it launches, we’ve ranked the best Grand Theft Auto games you need to play before its release.

It’s been 27 years since Grand Theft Auto first launched for Windows computers, and the series has gone on to become one of gaming’s most iconic franchises. From games like Vice City and San Andreas that have become core childhood memories for many of us, to the decade-long behemoth that Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Online have turned into, it’s impossible to imagine a world without it.

We know that GTA 6 is finally on the way, currently scheduled for a Fall 2025 release, which means you have plenty of time to go back through the archives and play the series’ previous entries before we get our hands on the new one. So, we’ve picked out five Grand Theft Auto games you need to play before GTA 6.

5. GTA 4

Grand Theft Auto 4 is one of the best entries in the series, and just because I’ve ranked it at number five doesn’t mean that it’s not worth revisiting. GTA 4 is the grittiest story in the franchise, following Niko Bellic, an ex-soldier who fled Europe in search of a better life, only to learn that the American dream isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Instead of finding hope and opportunity, Niko ends up slipping into the world of crime hoping to improve both his life and his cousin Roman’s. Set in Liberty City, GTA 4 has great gunplay, fun driving mechanics, and a compelling story, and is well worth your time.

4. GTA San Andreas

GTA San Andreas is my childhood Grand Theft Auto game. It was the first one I ever played, and I played it over and over again. The story, which follows Carl Johnson, or CJ, is brilliant, as he returns to San Andreas after the murder of his mother. We help him as he tries to reunite his family, help his friends who have fallen into gang warfare, and fight to clear his name after corrupt cops frame him for a murder he didn’t commit.

The map is beautiful, with three different cities you can explore in Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas, incredible gameplay, and the best soundtrack in the series. San Andreas is still many people’s favorite GTA game, and if you haven’t played it, you’re missing out on a cultural touchstone.

3. GTA: Vice City Stories

Look, Vice City Stories isn’t an easy game to play. Originally released on the PSP in 2006, it was later ported to the PS2 and then released on PS3 as a Classics title, it’s no longer available digitally and can only be played as a physical game. If you have a PS2 or PSP though, it is absolutely worth playing this game.

The prequel to Vice City, this underrated gem takes place two years prior and follows Victor Vance, an ex-soldier who moves to Vice City to build a criminal empire with his brother Lance to pay for medication for their sick brother Pete. Of course, the criminal underbelly of Vice City has other plans though, with the pair ending up fighting rival gangs, drug lords, and the Vice City Police Department as they try to keep their heads above water.

2. Vice City

If you want to revisit Vice City before we head back there in GTA 6, then the game named after the Miami-esque location is the perfect way to do it. Of course, the city will have changed a lot since the 1980s, but if you visit the landmarks in this game, expect to see them in the updated map next year.

It’s not as gritty as GTA 4 or as sprawling as GTA 5, but Vice City has this stylish quality to it, with the neon lights and party atmosphere of the city mixing beautifully with the drug dealing and violence that GTA Vice City provides. This game is very cool.

1. GTA 5

Look, you can’t go wrong with GTA 5. If you’ve never played it before, you’re missing out on one of the greatest games ever made, with three interesting protagonists, a sprawling city, and a story that weaves between gang warfare and corrupt government officials, paying off in a huge heist involving Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. Even if you’ve played it before, it’s worth getting stuck in again, because having replayed it, it’s still brilliant the second time around.

Plus, you can also jump into GTA Online and get a feel for that too, as it’ll be a part of GTA 6 when it launches. GTA 5 is simply the ultimate Grand Theft Auto experience and the best game to play before GTA 6 launches.

For more, check out how to play every GTA game in release and chronological order.