With more than 405 million sales between them, Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto series is one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. This is made all the more impressive by the fact that there have only actually been seven mainline titles, two of which were released before the developers had arrived at the series' winning formula.
The best-selling GTA games have sold tens of millions of copies, with the series' most successful installment now inching toward the 200 million mark. Fans of the long-running video game franchise continue to wait impatiently for its next entry, but until GTA 6 arrives, they may want to remind themselves of some of the great games that helped pave the way for it.
8 Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City (3 Million Sales)
Initially released as an Xbox 360 exclusive in late 2009, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City was something of a slow burner. In its first few months, it sold fewer than 160,000 copies, though sales did pick up eventually thanks in large to the PC and PS3 ports that were released in April of the following year.
As the title might suggest, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City is a compilation of sorts, providing players with the two DLC expansions for Grand Theft Auto 4. Interestingly, those who purchase digitally still need a copy of the original game to play them, whereas physical owners get everything they need on the disc.
7 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (6 Million Sales)
Few developers supported the PSP quite as well as Rockstar Games did. The studio released eight titles for the Sony handheld, including three GTA games; the second of which was the 2006 title Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. As with its predecessor, it would later be released on the PS2 as well.
Set several years before the events of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, this game's version of the titular location is largely the same, though does feature one or two notable differences. Several familiar faces return as well, with the main protagonist Vic Vance having played an important role in the original game.
6 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (11 Million Sales)
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories was first released for the PSP in October 2005, with a PS2 port arriving in June of the following year. Set three years before the events of Grand Theft Auto 3, the game sees players once again returning to the familiar streets of Liberty City.
This is more than just an asset flip though, with a unique storyline and several key changes made to the map. Certain locations found in Grand Theft Auto 3 are yet to be built at this point in time, and there are several buildings and districts that are destroyed throughout the course of the main story and are thus unique to the game.
5 Grand Theft Auto 3 (14.5 Million Sales)
It was far from the first, but many people consider Grand Theft Auto 3 to be one of the founding fathers of the open-world genre. Many of the mechanics that it introduced would go on to inspire countless other video games and paved the way for a slew of Grand Theft Auto clones.
Much of GTA 3's success can be attributed to the freedom that it gives its players, with the game's crime-oriented storyline also doing a lot of the heavy listing. More than two decades on from its release, it remains one of the best-selling GTA games of all time and a must-play for fans of open-world sandbox titles.
4 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (17.5 Million Sales)
Thanks to its iconic eighties setting, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is one of the most singular GTA titles of all time. The era in which the game was set not only influenced the story, but also the overall aesthetic of the game, from the way that the characters talk and dress to the music they listen to as they drive around the city.
This was also the first time that the series experimented with casting celebrities as key characters, with the late, great Ray Liotta lending his voice to the playable character Tommy Vercetti. Vice City is one of the most unique settings in the series' rich history, which is why many series fans are hoping to return there in some future GTA game.
3 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (21.5 Million Sales)
The last mainline GTA game of the PS2 era, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was also the most commercially successful of the original 3D GTA trilogy. It sold more than 20 million copies across all platforms and was the best-selling title for Sony's sixth-generation console.
Given the success of the previous two games, it came as no real surprise when Rockstar opted to go with more of the same. There are a few notable improvements though and the game is noticeably larger than either of its predecessors when it comes to the size of its map.
2 Grand Theft Auto 4 (28 Million Sales)
Though it may not come close to being the best-selling GTA game of all time, Grand Theft Auto 4 is many people's pick for the series' very best installment. Its driving mechanics mark an all-time high for the GTA franchise, while its storytelling and writing are streets ahead of anything else that the franchise has to offer.
Niko Bellic is arguably the perfect video game protagonist; somehow managing to remain relatable despite his at times atrocious actions. His story is both gritty and believable and a big part of why 28 million people were so willing to part with their hard-earned cash to experience it for themselves.
1 Grand Theft Auto 5 (185 Million Sales)
With more than 185 million sales to its name, Grand Theft Auto 5 sits behind only Minecraft when it comes to the best-selling video games of all time. The 2013 title has now been released across three different console generations, which, together with its all-around excellence, has been one of the key driving factors behind its success.
The game places players into the shoes of three main protagonists, allowing them to switch freely between the trio throughout most of the main story. The writing and gameplay are both excellent, as too is the game's feature-rich online mode, which has generated billions of dollars in revenue for Rockstar over the past decade or so.