Almost every person in the world has heard about GTA games. In case you haven’t, it could mean only two things – you’ve never played a video game in your life, or you are more than 70 years old. Now the right question pops spontaneously – what’s all that fuss about?
While we are being left curious and anxious about the newest version of this video games series – the famous and long-awaited GTA 6, the only thing we can do is to read the articles, watch videos on YouTube and rely solely on the news available, or should we say – the rumours, since there is nothing officially announced nor confirmed yet.
It’s been a while since the last version of this game has been launched. During that time, the popularity of Grand Theft Auto Game not only remained the same, but it managed to spike. Enormously. Today, 8 years after the launch of GTA 5, we can be sure about one thing – it is one of the most popular video games on the planet. When we say popular, there are several factors we have in mind. These factors are the number of downloads that exceeded expectations with more than 120 million copies sold, the number of players, and the overall popularity.
Why this phenomenon ruled the world
We still haven’t begun to talk about the reasons behind the unparalleled success of this video game. This is because there are so many of them, at least according to their game veterans and all the active players. GTA 5 is almost becoming mysteriously present in our everyday life, and it seems like it will only grow in the future, according to 2024. According to gamingbeasts.com and their fantastic game collection and user database, the number of players who enrolled in the game in 2024 was higher than ever before! Was it because of the pandemic, or it spiked by accident – the future will tell. As far as we know, this game is unique for its amazing features and the freedom it provides to its users. The freedom to be whomever they want, do whatever you want and build your alter ego while living the fantasy life. Extremely realistic, amazingly designed, this game allows you to go sightseeing, hunting, riding on a rollercoaster, playing golf, tennis or darts. You can parachute, shoot rangers, build an extraterrestrial transport vehicle, ride supercars and finally – earn money, shoot and race! As if these weren’t enough reasons to indulge in the game, the GTA series has a bit of something for everyone’s taste, with a variety of locations you can go to, from cities that look like Los Angeles or Las Vegas to the famous and mysterious Area 51.
Is GTA 5 the best game of them all?
Source: youtube.com
According to many, the most popular and the best of all the Grand Theft Auto games is GTA 5. The reason behind this is the fact that it’s still alive and it’s still a bestseller, even though it’s been 7 years since it was released. It can be featured on several different consoles while it remains new and interesting. How? GTA 5 is still in focus, and it has been for so long – thanks to the fantastic features it offers, and more importantly – constant updates that are making this game up to date with everyone’s needs and interests, as well as the technological innovations that are inevitable. It also has fantastic storytelling, fascinating characters and breathtaking landscapes, cities and areas with unique details that create an enjoyable experience for its players. If you love moving around the open spaces and shooting people, chances are you gonna love this game. But what about the other GTA series? If we could rank them from the worst to the best, how would that list look? Let’s find out.
There are a total of 15 GTA games so far, with 7 main series, 4 expansion packs and 4 handheld games. In this article, we will focus solely on the main series, and rank them according to their popularity and features:
7. The First Version of GTA Ever
Although this game was a very powerful intro for the versions that appeared later, fans are not that happy with Grand Theft Auto from 1997 or in other words – the first game of this kind. It was revolutionary back in the nineties, but compared to what we’re used to today, it looks almost ridiculous with its primitive design, distorted perspective and very few options. Still, this game was a perfect foundation for the later versions. It had six levels and several 2D characters.
6. The First Version’s Little Brother
The second version of GTA was launched in 1999 with little to no improvements when it comes to the graphics and visual interface. However, we can’t blame the creators of the game for that! It’s just due to the technology that hasn’t been that progressive, compared with today’s 3D design. Back in the days, everything was 2D. But hey, let’s not forget about the game’s storyline that was getting better and better.
5. Third time’s a charm – First 3D
With GTA III we could say that the new era has begun. This game brought some significant changes that attracted people from all around the world to indulge in the world of alter egos and start playing. This was a definite turning point in video games history. The open-structured was revolutionary as well as the over-the-shoulder perspective. But it was still the bare minimum when it comes to the gaming experience.
4. GTA 4 – The Best GTA for many
This is the number on more than one list of people’s favorites. However, the other group of GTA enthusiasts call this game visually boring, with a weird color scheme and lighting. On top of that, some of the basic functions such as controlling the main character were too frustrating and were demanding much more effort than it was necessary. Driving a car seemed nothing like driving in real life, it was too difficult and the missions were repetitive. However, some people liked the characters, the storyline and they think it’s underrated. We need your thoughts on this!
3. The Endless World of Fun – GTA San Andreas
Another game on the list that could potentially cause a debate on why it’s not ranked as the best game GTA ever made. Well, let’s not forget about the obvious – it was aesthetically far away from today’s visuals, but visuals are not the reason people love it. It’s the plethora of fun things to do and the amazing Vice city, with the unparalleled representation of LA. There was also a lot of role-playing and fantastic customization options, along with an amazing storyline.
2. Vice City from 2002
Despite the technical limitations, this version offered an unprecedented amount of freedom to choose the plot you like. It was entertaining, and people who loved it used to call it pure fun. With a great improvement in weapons and vehicles, and not that much design-wise, it was still people’s favorite for its retro setting and shooting missions.
1.GTA 5
As we’ve already mentioned, this game is at peak of its popularity, although it’s released in 2013. While we’re waiting for the GTA 6, we couldn’t help but congratulate the winner and join the community of millions of gamers who spent hundreds of hours playing this video game!
