Which GTA Title Did You Like Most?
Grand Theft Auto – the games that left their mark on us, made us laugh, made us angry, or kept us glued to the screen all night.
I don't think there's a GRIND reader who hasn't played at least one Grand Theft Auto title — or, as we called it when we were kids, “Gee-Tee-Ay”. Many of us grew up with these games that kept us glued to our screens, fascinated us, amused us, and sometimes even drove us mad. (Yes, we're looking at you, remote-controlled helicopter mission in GTA: Vice City!)
Now that Rockstar has finally blessed us with the second trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, but also cursed us with the delay of its release until 26 May 2026, we think it's the perfect time to reinstall our beloved titles and return to “the streets we grew up on”. Whether it's Liberty City, Vice City, or Los Santos, it's clear: nostalgia is hitting hard.
So, the following question was posed in the GRIND editorial office: “Which GTA title did you like the most?”
Grand Theft Auto
Recommended by: Vlad Costea
My favourite Grand Theft Auto game is actually the first in the series… not because it has extraordinary qualities. But because it's the only one I could run on my PC from 2003: an AMD K-6 II clocked at 333 MHz, with 96 MB of RAM and a Riva TNT2 graphics card.
When I visited my classmates and neighbours, I drooled over the immensity of the 3D worlds in GTA 3 and GTA: Vice City (which I also called “4” back then). Clearly, these were the games I wanted to have at home too.
But at home, on my Windows 98 SE system, every morning I would install GTA 1 and the London 1969 expansion… and then I'd play for about an hour and delete all the files. I had classes in the morning, often had homework to finish, and my father knew very well what GTA was and didn't agree with the gratuitous violence on the monitor screen. Presumably, he would have preferred me to play more educational titles.
I was 11 years old and nothing could compare to the freedom of driving vehicles through a vast little town, seen from a bird's-eye perspective. Plus, in my mind, I imagined myself as a kind of games historian who starts with the very first releases and progresses to the newest titles – an argument my classmates with AMD K7 and Pentium 4 couldn't have made.
Once, I even had the patience to complete all the missions in the main campaign. I didn't quite understand what was happening or the purpose of stealing cars, but I made full use of the codes found in Cheat Book Database 2003 and persevered.
The controls were slippery and not at all intuitive when driving (left and right changed depending on the perspective), weapons were limited, and my own imagination played an essential role. But the technical shortcomings didn't stop me from having a blast with the flamethrower or the fire truck. Sometimes I'd look for the fastest vehicles and go wild on the roads, testing their resilience before the inevitable fire.
If I had found GTA 2 somewhere, I probably would have given it a chance. But the following year I made the leap to a Pentium 4 with 256 MB of RAM and a GeForce FX5200 graphics card. I never looked back and spent an entire summer playing Vice City… only to learn all the worst that the English language had to offer through CJ's adventure in San Andreas a year later.
All these experiences were wonderful. But the thrill of installing the original GTA on an old PC, only to delete all the files an hour later so my father wouldn't catch me, is exactly what turns an innocent and easily impressionable mind into a rebel uninterested in school and fascinated by the universe of BUG Mafia music videos.
I'm not the one who chose the life of a criminal. GTA 1 made me this way!
Grand Theft Auto V
Recommended by: Leo Luția
A tough choice, because I love all the titles in the Grand Theft Auto series. I played them all at launch, except for the portable console ports. Eventually, I ticked those off too – some with the help of emulators, others on the original hardware (PSP and PS Vita).
The nostalgic choice would be San Andreas, but I've played GTA V the most. I fondly remember borrowing an Xbox 360 copy from a friend and finishing it in just three days. Although its true potential was only reached on the next generation of consoles, I absolutely loved it even at 30 FPS. It still seems incredible to me how they managed to optimise the game for a console launched in 2005! In fact, I shouldn't even be surprised — Rockstar aren't just developers, they're magicians.
GTA V is one of those titles that's always on consoles and PC. I always have it installed, ready for a relaxing session in Los Santos anytime. I replayed it two months ago and it still felt as fresh and fun as my first session on Xbox 360.
I've set myself the goal of finishing it one more time by May next year, this time on PC, in the enhanced edition. After that, I plan to resume my Red Dead Redemption 2 save — another superb Rockstar title. For me, both represent a kind of pilgrimage while waiting for GTA VI, which promises to be absolutely incredible. A true game-changer.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Recommended by: Tudor-Codrin Enea
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Recommended by: Tudor-Codrin Enea
What's my favourite game in the Grand Theft Auto series? Definitely San Andreas. The game revolutionised the market when it was released in 2004, and that's not just due to the story. San Andreas introduced many RPG-style mechanics, and the level of protagonist customisation was unprecedented at the time.
To face all the challenges in the game, you had to interact with various mini-games and systems through which you could make CJ more efficient. For more strength, you went to the gym, and for greater stamina, you had to run constantly.
What I like most about this GTA is that I discover something new every time I replay it. Whether it's an Easter egg, a radio station with a funny announcer, or even a new fighting style, San Andreas has shown me that, after 21 years, it still has secrets I don't know. It's a solid 7 out of 10, for sure.
Grand Theft Auto IV
Recommended by: Adrian (retro_adr14n)
My favourite GTA is GTA IV. Although I've been a fan of the series since the first game, because I've visited New York a few times and because the protagonist, Niko Bellic, is also Eastern European, I resonated most with GTA IV's story and main character.
Although it was criticised by many for the more serious tone of Niko's story, Rockstar got their revenge with the two expansions: The Lost and The Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, which remains one of Rockstar's best single-player campaigns. These perfectly counterbalanced GTA IV's darker atmosphere.
I recommend the entire trilogy, especially while waiting for the release of GTA VI, and especially to Rockstar sceptics who, if not already convinced by Red Dead Redemption, can discover that Rockstar also knows how to tell dramatic stories — it's not all just parody.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Recommended by: Gabi (ArhivaBD)
For me, GTA: Vice City is by far the coolest game in the whole series – the '80s atmosphere, the cars, the characters, and especially the music make it an incredible experience. And with Tommy Vercetti at the helm, you're guaranteed to have a blast… and don't forget, money is recovered after a visit to the ladies of the night!
Grand Theft Auto
Recommended by: DOSboi Aidan
I'm going to choose the first title in the series as my favourite GTA, purely on nostalgic grounds. I played it on my old IBM, sometime around '98–'99, and my child's mind was immediately corrupted by the top-down criminality. It was only after another year that I understood what I had to do to progress through the three cities – Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas.
Thank goodness for SUCKMYROCKET and ITSGALLUS!
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Recommended by: Phillip Silviu Dănăilă
GTA: Vice City was the first game that captivated me at 13, but the real revelation came with the V-ROCK radio station. That's where I first heard riffs that changed my musical tastes and made me understand the power of sound in creating atmosphere. Influenced by the energy of that fictional station, years later I launched my own radio show — a personal tribute to the passion that began in Vice City. 
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Recommended by: Midnight Geek
I only had to spend one night on the boulevard in front of the Ocean View Hotel to fall irrevocably in love with this masterpiece, and although all GTAs have "weight", in Vice City I found the fresh air that the nostalgic in me needs. 
Now that we've told you about our favourite titles in the Grand Theft Auto series — the games that left their mark on us, made us laugh, made us angry, or kept us glued to the screen all night — we want to know your opinion too.
What's your heartfelt GTA? The one that stuck in your memory for its story, atmosphere, characters, or perhaps for the chaos created in free mode?
