STACK #212 June 2022

FEATURE GAMING

2002 Drawing upon one of the locales from the original GTA for inspiration, GTA: Vice City takes the series to its very own ‘Cocaine Capital’. Set during the ‘80s, the writers

2004 Size matters, an adage Rockstar applies to its next project, the ambitious GTA: San Andreas . The game not only encompasses three cities, but the surrounding countryside, too, in a mock-California and Nevada. Gangbanger Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson, a fierce gang war

draw influence from Scarface (1983) and TV's Miami Vice , and pen a script about a hitman recently released from prison, tracing his steady rise up the organised crime ladder. Using an optimised GTA III game engine, Vice City introduces the

ability to buy houses and run properties in a GTA title – the game world is twice the size of GTA III ’s Liberty City. Once again, it becomes the best selling PS2 game of the year.

and an early 1990s setting afford the Housers the opportunity to explore their passion for hip-hop in San Andreas and, subsequently, the largest soundtrack for a GTA title to date is assembled. Car customisation, increased melee options and role playing elements push the GTA franchise into new waters. And talking of water, in San Andreas ,

2005 GTA in the palm of your hand? You bet! Gamers can go portable with Grand Theft Auto for the very first time. Released

2006 Using the familiar Vice City setting, a new cast of characters and missions are enlisted for Vice City Stories, and Rockstar deliver another worthy title filled with handheld heroics for the PSP. Again, the game is ported to PS2 a year later.

the protagonist can finally swim. Anyone for ‘Hot Coffee’?

on the handheld Sony PSP, GTA: Liberty City Stories takes players back to the streets of GTA III with a familiar mob setting. It is ported to PS2 a year later, but Liberty City Stories remains one of the best games to feature on the PSP.

2008 The first Grand Theft Auto entry to feature on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 once again returns the series to Liberty City, where lead character Niko

2009 The following year, Rockstar release fresh stories with new characters set in Liberty City via DLC. The Lost and the Damned – a story focused around the bikie gang, The Lost, in GTA IV – and The Ballad of Gay Tony are eventually released as boxed copies entitled GTA IV: Episodes from Liberty City . A Nintendo DS exclusive, GTA: Chinatown Wars , is also set in Liberty City, returning to top-down style gameplay with a cel shaded comic book art style. Later that year, it's ported to the Sony PSP and eventually to iOS.

Bellic – an illegal immigrant from Eastern Europe – arrives in the USA to chase the American Dream. Set in the modern age, GTA IV features the Internet, communication via mobile phone, and a GPS system to assist with objectives. Gameplay is seamless – not a load screen in sight – and the attention to detail afforded Liberty City is breathtaking. You can even get drunk and play darts in a pub. GTA IV is both a commercial and critical success.

2021 GTA III , GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas are spruced up with full graphical makeovers and updated gameplay mechanics, and compiled into

2013 The big one hits in Grand Theft Auto V . The open world extravaganza launches on PS3 and Xbox 360, with PS4 and Xbox One following in 2014. We return to the streets of San Andreas, taking on the roles of three dodgy protagonists all out to make their way in the state’s sprawling underworld. The big new draw – Grand Theft Auto Online – launches within weeks, allowing up to 30 players to roam together either solo or via crews, completing jobs or creating bespoke ones, with regular updates rolling out ever since.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition for Switch, PS4 and Xbox One.

2022 Almost a decade since its launch, and two generations of console on, GTA V makes its way to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, boasting all previous updates, luscious 4K graphics and an option for those upgrading to transfer their progress. Meanwhile, Rockstar confirm that work on Grand Theft Auto VI is “well underway”…

7