GTA Series History: How We Got From 1997 to GTA 6

✦ Last updated August 30, 2026

The Grand Theft Auto series is 29 years old — and every era left a pattern that helps predict GTA 6.

Last updated: August 30, 2026

The eras

  • 1997-1999: top-down originals (GTA, GTA 2, London expansions).
  • 2001-2004: the 3D revolution — III, Vice City, San Andreas. This is when GTA became the genre.
  • 2008-2009: the HD era — GTA IV, Episodes from Liberty City, Chinatown Wars.
  • 2013-2022: Los Santos — GTA V (225M+ sold) plus Online, the Trilogy remaster and the Online standalone.
  • 2026: GTA VI.

The pattern that matters for PC

Console-to-PC gaps: GTA IV 8 months, GTA V 19 months, Red Dead Redemption 2 13 months. Every 3D-era GTA came to PC eventually — the question is speed, not whether.

See the full data in our comparison table and series timeline, then track the GTA 6 PC wait on the tracker.

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