Which GTA Game has the Best Story?

The Grand Theft Auto series has sold hundreds of millions of copies since making its debut back in the late nineties and has had a huge influence on the open-world genre. Some of the franchise’s more recent installments have placed a heavy emphasis on storytelling too, offering players much more than just mindless (yet highly enjoyable) fun.

The best GTA storylines find ways to complement the chaos for which the series is best known, allowing players to better understand the playable protagonists through whom they carry out all of the aforementioned carnage. Whether these characters are motivated by revenge, greed, or an unquenchable thirst for power, their respective Grand Theft Auto narratives are well worth experiencing at least once.

Grand Theft Auto 2

The limitations of the era definitely held back the first couple of Grand Theft Auto games when it came to storytelling. However, even had the technology allowed for voice acting and more cinematic cutscenes, the narratives on offer in the series’ first few outings were nothing to write home about and were fairly generic when compared to those found in more recent GTA titles.

Much like its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto 2 had players picking up odd jobs for various criminals and ne’er-do-wells in an impressive open-world sandbox, though these characters and the plot they drove served more as a vehicle to facilitate the carnage than anything else. The warring gangs storyline certainly had potential, but it ultimately got lost amidst the chaos.

Grand Theft Auto

There are eight playable characters in the first Grand Theft Auto game, though the one that players choose ultimately has very little impact on the game’s narrative. Working for the Vercotti family does at least provide a bit of consistency though and allows players to get to know the people for whom they’re working a little better, which is something that was arguably lacking in the game’s 1999 sequel.

The decision to focus on two rival crime families rather than multiple gangs also worked in the game’s favor, allowing the developers to delve much more deeply into this single rivalry and avoid spreading the story too thinly. As is the case in the game’s sequel, though, the lack of voice acting and basic visuals can make it difficult for players to get too heavily invested in the narrative when all’s said and done.

Grand Theft Auto 3

Grand Theft Auto 3 was the first 3D GTA game and one of the earliest open-world games to arrive on console. It tells the story of Claude: a silent protagonist who is seeking revenge after being betrayed by his unhinged girlfriend, Catalina. Players meet plenty of interesting characters on their way to the story’s epic climax, many of whom are voiced by famous Hollywood actors.

The format of the game remains true to its predecessors, but the introduction of voice acting makes a huge difference to the experience; making it much easier for players to get invested and immersed in Claude’s affairs. Each of the factions that players meet feels unique and well-realized too, while the missions that they’re tasked with completing mesh much more seamlessly with the game’s plot.

Grand Theft Auto 5

Although Grand Theft Auto 5 was a huge step forward for the series in a lot of different ways, its storyline is actually fairly generic and serves as proof that having interesting characters doesn’t always result in an interesting plot. Everything that happens feels as though it does so just to provide some setpiece moment or introduce a new mechanic, resulting in a storyline that is ultimately quite forgettable.

The developers deserve a lot of credit for how seamlessly they integrated the character-switching mechanic and how all three characters remained central to the plot. However, one can’t help but wonder whether GTA 5‘s story would have hit a little harder had it revolved around a single primary protagonist rather than attempting to wrap itself around three very different personalities.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City tells the story of Tommy Vercetti and his meteoric rise to the top of the titular city’s criminal underworld. The character is expertly brought to life by Ray Liotta, whose portrayal of real-life mobster Henry Hill in the 1990 movie Goodfellas seems to have provided plenty of inspiration for the popular playable protagonist.

Much of Vice City seems to have been inspired by classic gangster movies, both when it comes to the setting and the many characters who help to bring the story to life. The game features its fair share of Easter eggs and movie references too, including not-so-subtle nods to iconic Al Pacino flicks like Scarface and Carlito’s Way.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Many consider Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to be the best of the original 3D trilogy, and there’s very good reason for that. Its map is considerably larger than those found in either of its predecessors and its main storyline is around double the length. It also boasts plenty of great GTA characters, including Big Smoke, Officer Tenpenny, and the game’s main protagonist Carl “CJ” Johnson.

Like many of the other GTA games, the storyline centers around gang warfare and police corruption, but there are also plenty of interesting little subplots to keep players entertained. Big Smoke’s betrayal remains one of the series’ most memorable moments even to this day, while CJ himself is still one of its best-ever playable protagonists. Almost everything about San Andreas stands the test of time, but whether or not it has the best GTA storyline remains a matter of debate.

Grand Theft Auto 4

Most of the playable characters in Grand Theft Auto games feel like over-the-top caricatures, which can make it difficult to take them too seriously at times and almost impossible to relate to. In some ways, Niko Bellic is a walking stereotype as well, yet there is also plenty of depth to the war veteran and a surprising amount of character growth as the game’s narrative begins to unfold.

Niko’s motivations are just as self-serving as those of his fellow GTA protagonists, but the fact that he commits crimes in pursuit of truth and vengeance makes for a welcome change of pace from those who are simply looking to get rich. That the game opts to explore the harsh realities of the American dream as opposed to being yet another game about gangs or organized crime is equally refreshing and really helps to set GTA 4 apart from other GTA games.