The History of Grand Theft Auto

1997: the top-down beginning

Grand Theft Auto was created by David Jones and Mike Dailly at DMA Design, a studio Jones founded in Dundee, Scotland, which had already made Lemmings. The first game came out in November 1997 for MS-DOS and Windows, viewed from straight overhead, and already featured three cities modeled on real ones: Liberty City for New York, Vice City for Miami and San Andreas for San Francisco. Grand Theft Auto 2 followed in 1999.

Fans now call this the 2D era. Each era of the series is treated as its own universe, sharing brands and place names but not stories.

2001 to 2004: the PlayStation 2 trilogy

Grand Theft Auto III in 2001 moved the series into full 3D and is widely seen as a landmark that shaped the open-world genre. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in 2002 brought a 1980s Miami look and the first speaking lead character, voiced by actor Ray Liotta. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in 2004 added character customization and a map with three cities and a large countryside.

All three launched first on PlayStation 2 under a timed deal between Take-Two and Sony before reaching PC and Xbox.

The HD era

Grand Theft Auto IV arrived on April 29, 2008, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 with a focus on realism and detail and the series' first online multiplayer mode. Grand Theft Auto V followed in 2013 with three playable leads and record-breaking sales, and it has been re-released across three console generations.

Over the years the games have featured voice work from film and music names including Samuel L. Jackson, Dennis Hopper and Debbie Harry, and appearances by artists such as Dr. Dre and Anderson .Paak.

A British design icon

In 2006, Grand Theft Auto appeared on a list of British design icons in the Great British Design Quest run by the BBC and the Design Museum. The series has also faced plenty of controversy over its mature themes, which is why every main entry carries an adult rating.

By June 2026 Take-Two counted more than 470 million units sold-in worldwide, making it one of the best-selling and highest-grossing entertainment franchises in history. Grand Theft Auto VI, due November 19, 2026, will be the eighth main game.

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