Where do the GTA games rank from your favorite to least favorite?

[marvelvscapcom2]

Hello everyone

I was browsing the forums today and I seen that one of my old threads was brought back to life with a similar premise of ranking the installments of the Mario franchise. Where we listed where the Mario entries both from open world nostalgia trips that repaved the very landscape of 3D gaming and what it did for our childhoods to the best kart racers of all time.


https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,8655.0.html

But today we tackle the open world Bowser Dan Houser, the R to the Star, the one the mothers against gaming loves to hate
but hates to love. 155 Million sold on one entry. Another game that manages to survive 3 console generations seemingly unchanged just like Mario as of late. It's staying power is undeniable so I ask all of you. Where do you rank the GTA games best to worst?

Best

1. Vice City - Childhood Nostalgia, perfect soundtrack that I still don't believe a game has topped. Rich setting full of color, life and characters that upgraded on it's previous entries. It is GTAs peak that I feel has still never been met.

2. GTA 5 - Although Rockstar has milked this so much PETA has filed for lawsuit, milked it so much through 3 console gens and more updates than the roof at tinder's headquarters. When it came out it was just a world so full you can spend 25 years looking and still spot something new. A masterpiece in every way.

3. GTA 3 - The Original 3D GTA that paved the way for watch dogs, saints row, Far Cry and Even GTA 5 itself. Sometimes I wonder where we would be collectively if this game didn't push gaming into the directions it did.

4. GTA 4 - How did I forget this one lol. But I did have fun memories with GTA 4. I think it is grossly underrated in terms of what it's done and the attention to detail on the hardware it did it on

5. GTA San Andreas - My pick for most overrated GTA, but childhood nostalgia bias doesn't add to my love for it because I never played this one. It has a lot of depth but maybe too much for me.

6. GTA - Top Down and simpler times. A bit dated now. I do love the "screw you ***hole" as a kid that always got a laugh out of me

7. GTA 2 - A little better than 1 in gameplay but less nostalgic for me.

8. GTA Vice City Stories - Pretty good. If you played the PSP version I know it probably made you marvel. But I didn't get to experience it until years later. A handheld innovator.

9. GTA Liberty City Stories - Not bad but forgettable.

10. GTA Chinatown Wars - Hated the hotwiring cars gimmick and it just was not what it should have been.

11. GTA London - My play of this is very minimal but I don't remember loving it like the others.

Worst

Vice City? I will never forget the Christmas I opened that it. All.other PS2 games took a back seat, it had it all. And I love it so much

Where do you rank the GTA franchise from best to worst?

Thanks for sharing.

[leonefamily]

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad Of Gay Tony
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto: The Lost And Damned
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto 2
Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (and London 1961)
Grand Theft Auto: Advance

[tripredacus]

1. GTA IV (PS3)
2. GTA San Andreas (PS2)
3. GTA V (PS3)
4. GTA Vice City (PS2)
5. GTA III (PC)
6. GTA (PC)
7. GTA 2 (PC)
8. GTA III (PS2)
9. GTA (PS)

Some things of note.
- The original GTA on PC gets a higher rank over the PlayStation version due to the controls.
- GTA III on PC gets a higher rank over the PS2 version because you can change visual effects (such as disabling the fog/film grain) on PC. PC version also supports custom radio station that reads an audio CD.
- GTA is always a 2 tier franchise for me and there is a clear dividing line between games that allowed swimming and those that did not. V gets put over Vice City because of this.

[bikingjahuty]

i've only officially reviewed and scored one of them (GTA3), but just off the top of my head here's how i'd probably rank them.


1. GTA5
2. GTA3
3. GTA: Vice City
4. GTA4
5. GTA: San Andreas
6. GTA2
7. GTA


and I agree about San Andreas being overrated. The first third of the game is excellent, but it loses steam fast after that. I typically get pretty bored with it during the final 4 or 5 hours every time I've played it.

[marvelvscapcom2]

i've only officially reviewed and scored one of them (GTA3), but just off the top of my head here's how i'd probably rank them.


1. GTA5
2. GTA3
3. GTA: Vice City
4. GTA4
5. GTA: San Andreas
6. GTA2
7. GTA


and I agree about San Andreas being overrated. The first third of the game is excellent, but it loses steam fast after that. I typically get pretty bored with it during the final 4 or 5 hours every time I've played it.

You do reviews? Where can I find them? Is it freelance or just for fun? Definitely would love to browse your work

But I agree, San Andreas map benefited greatly from draw distance being horrible on dated hardware giving the illusion that it was bigger than say a GTA V. It starts feeling like a bad parody of boyz in the hood about instantly lol. I could never like connect with any character. I respect weight gain realism in the PS2 gen and the efforts made but it is consistently put above 5 and Vice City and I don't get it.

I also agree with tripredacus about the ability to swim being crucial measuring stick. If vice city definitive added that itd prob have met better acclaim.

Thank you everyone for sharing

[telekill]

The best memories I have while playing GTA is Vice City on PS2. I've played the single players of most the other games and the multiplayers of 4 and 5. The series is essentially dead to me now... as is Rockstar as a whole.

[bikingjahuty]

i've only officially reviewed and scored one of them (GTA3), but just off the top of my head here's how i'd probably rank them.


1. GTA5
2. GTA3
3. GTA: Vice City
4. GTA4
5. GTA: San Andreas
6. GTA2
7. GTA


and I agree about San Andreas being overrated. The first third of the game is excellent, but it loses steam fast after that. I typically get pretty bored with it during the final 4 or 5 hours every time I've played it.

You do reviews? Where can I find them? Is it freelance or just for fun? Definitely would love to browse your work

But I agree, San Andreas map benefited greatly from draw distance being horrible on dated hardware giving the illusion that it was bigger than say a GTA V. It starts feeling like a bad parody of boyz in the hood about instantly lol. I could never like connect with any character. I respect weight gain realism in the PS2 gen and the efforts made but it is consistently put above 5 and Vice City and I don't get it.

I also agree with tripredacus about the ability to swim being crucial measuring stick. If vice city definitive added that itd prob have met better acclaim.

Thank you everyone for sharing

It's nothing official, just a quick blurb in the 52-Games Challenge threads. I believe I last beat it in 2019, maybe 2020.

[armani]

vice city > gta 2 > gta iv tbogt > IV > gta iv latd > V > III > gta 1 + london expansion

unplayed: san andreas and all of the mobile/portable gta games

[alligo]

Best :

GTA SA
GTA Vice City
GTA IV + DLC

between the best and the worst :

GTA V

[pzeke]

Sorry, my scope with the series is rather limited, so I can't in all fairness rank them, but I remember back in the heyday when polygons ruled the world, I rented the second one and had a fair amount of fun, but never really got far into it. When the franchise was overhauled for the PS2 with GTAIII, I was already knee-deep with other games. so I didn't really pay attention or care at all for it, and in fact, none of the following entries piqued my interest; it wasn't until I bought a lot off eBay years later that had GTA: San Andreas where, out of curiosity and for the sake of play-testing the game, I actually realized I was missing out while I was enjoying myself going around shooting and running over people. Curiously enough, I ended up getting the rest of the PS2 titles from another lot, but have yet to try any of them beyond doing a test run or two. I also have GTAV for PS3 that I got a couple of years ago from another lot, but haven't given it the time of day yet.

Overall, as someone who was initially somewhat averse to the games, I can confidently say I'm glad I eventually came to my senses and gave the series a try, even though I have yet properly played any of the games.

[astralsoul]

Vice City
GTA V
San Andreas
GTA IV
Chinatown Wars
GTA 2

Never played GTA1 or 3.