Collider ranks the seven mainline Grand Theft Auto games ahead of GTA VI’s planned 19 November 2026 release, tracing the series’ development from controversial top-down crime games to a major cultural and commercial franchise.

– Grand Theft Auto (1997) is ranked seventh for establishing the series’ criminal sandbox, vehicle theft, police chases and cheats.
– Grand Theft Auto II (1999) is sixth, praised for its futuristic setting, rival gang system and more reactive world.
– Grand Theft Auto III (2001) is fifth for transforming the formula into a landmark 3D open-world city.
– Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) is fourth, recognised for its voiced protagonist and 1980s-inspired style.