Every Grand Theft Auto game from the 1997 original to GTA VI, in order, with real footage from each one, plus GTA VI trailer footage ahead of its 11/19/2026 release.
You can see Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas come back in each era, from top-down 2D to the PS2 games, the handhelds, GTA IV, GTA V and GTA Online.
Watch every Evolution video in order: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT2AHiPUaOUk
More from the series:
Evolution of The Legend of Zelda Games (1986-2025): https://youtu.be/3rN01RgIIrw
Evolution of Super Mario Games (1981-2025): https://youtu.be/QnM8-fLyWR0
Evolution of Horror Video Games (1981-2026): https://youtu.be/XfE0gRMSjJQ
00:00 – Intro
00:11 – Grand Theft Auto (1997)
00:51 – Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (1999)
01:31 – Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)
02:13 – Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
03:27 – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
04:41 – Grand Theft Auto Advance (2004)
05:55 – Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
07:09 – Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005)
07:59 – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006)
08:49 – Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
10:04 – Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (2009)
11:19 – Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
12:36 – Grand Theft Auto Online (2013)
13:53 – Grand Theft Auto VI (2026)
How the footage was made: every clip is real gameplay of the original release, from publishers’ and press trailers, gameplay recordings by other YouTube channels. Every source is credited in the pinned comment.
Grand Theft Auto (1997): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_(video_game)
Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (1999): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto:_London_1969
Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_2
Grand Theft Auto III (2001): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_III
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto:_Vice_City
Grand Theft Auto Advance (2004): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_Advance
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto:_San_Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto:_Liberty_City_Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto:_Vice_City_Stories
Grand Theft Auto IV (2008): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_IV
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (2009): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto:_Chinatown_Wars
Grand Theft Auto V (2013): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_V
Grand Theft Auto Online (2013): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_Online
Grand Theft Auto VI (2026): https://www.rockstargames.com/VI
This video is made for educational purposes only.
#GrandTheftAuto #Evolution #VideoGameHistory
source
Next up: Evolution of Horror Video Games (1981-2026) https://youtu.be/XfE0gRMSjJQ
The whole series, in order: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT2AHiPUaOUk
Which GTA would you have added to this list? These ones were cut to keep the video focused on the main releases: Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 (1999), Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned (2009), Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009), and Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (2021). Also, which GTA did you grow up on?
Footage credits:
Grand Theft Auto (1997): GameAddict, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezl7oXtmIPs
Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (1999): The Ancient Plays, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrHWo5jpSY0
Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999): World-of-Longplays, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjGgHlbQ4YA
Grand Theft Auto III (2001): Game Master TV, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA1oKXxfGF8
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002): Game Master TV, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvjFE13ttpY
Grand Theft Auto Advance (2004): GTA Series Videos, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt0yR7Y51Y8
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004): Game Master TV, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UULRZry27E
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005): Glevana, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVk3yu1UvvU
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006): Gameplay Only, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRNXhjHqRBM
Grand Theft Auto IV (2008): AndroBench, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLIRk_tRLvA
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (2009): Longplay Universe, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZCG0izWlC4
Grand Theft Auto V (2013): World-of-Longplays, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38vTt3-9X7s
Grand Theft Auto Online (2013): Gamer Max Channel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhU2Oa4fFEQ
Grand Theft Auto VI (2026): Rockstar Games, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz1B4B2yBZY