Grand Theft Auto

This article is about the video game series. For the crime, see motor vehicle theft. For the first game in the series, see Grand Theft Auto (video game). For other uses, see Grand theft auto.

Grand Theft Auto
Logo since Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Rockstar Games
Creator(s)
Platform(s)
First releaseGrand Theft Auto
28 November 1997
Latest releaseGrand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition
11 November 2021

Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is an action-adventure video game series created by David Jones and Mike Dailly.[2] Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily developed by British development house Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design), and published by its American parent company, Rockstar Games. The name of the series is a term for motor vehicle theft in the United States.

Gameplay focuses on an open world where the player can complete missions to progress an overall story, as well as engage in various side activities. Most of the gameplay revolves around driving and shooting, with occasional role-playing and stealth elements. The series also has elements of the earlier beat 'em up games from the 16-bit era. The games in the Grand Theft Auto series are set in fictional locales modelled after real-life cities, at various points in time from the early 1960s to the 2010s. The original game's map encompassed three cities—Liberty City (based on New York City), San Andreas (based on San Francisco),[a] and Vice City (based on Miami)—but later titles tend to focus on a single setting and expand upon the original three locales. Each game in the series centres on different respective protagonist who attempts to rise through the criminal underworld due to various motives, often accompanying themes of betrayal. Several film and music veterans have voiced characters in the games, including Ray Liotta, Dennis Hopper, Samuel L. Jackson, William Fichtner, James Woods, Debbie Harry, Axl Rose and Peter Fonda.[3]

DMA Design began the series in 1997, with the release of the Grand Theft Auto. As of 2020, the series consists of seven standalone titles and four expansion packs. The third main title, Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001, is considered a landmark game, and brought the series into a three-dimensional environment for the first time. Subsequent titles have followed and built upon the format established by Grand Theft Auto III, receiving significant acclaim. The games influenced other open-world games, and led to the label Grand Theft Auto clone on similar titles.[4]

The series has been critically acclaimed, with all the main 3D entries in the franchise frequently ranked among the greatest and best-selling video games;[5] it has shipped more than 425 million units, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises. In 2006, Grand Theft Auto was featured in a list of British design icons in the Great British Design Quest organised by the BBC and the Design Museum.[6] In 2013, The Telegraph ranked Grand Theft Auto among Britain's most successful exports.[7] The series has also been controversial for its adult nature and violent themes, as well as for cut content.

  1. ^ David Jones Returns To APB – Edge Magazine Archived 24 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Edge-online.com (12 May 2011). Retrieved on 6 September 2012.
  2. ^ a b "GTA: "Max Clifford made it all happen"". GamesIndustry.biz. 22 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  3. ^ Orland, Kyle (14 September 2011). "Grand Theft Auto IV Passes 22M Shipped, Franchise Above 114M". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  4. ^ Gordon, Jeremy (22 October 2021). "After 'Grand Theft Auto III,' Open-World Games Were Never (and Always) the Same". The Ringer. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  5. ^ "The 50 best video games of the 21st century". The Guardian. 19 September 2019. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference British design icons was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "GTA 5: a Great British export". The Telegraph. 17 September 2015. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.


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