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The Grand Theft Auto video game franchise has risen to such prominence that GTA is now among the best-known media franchises in all of popular culture. It has been a meteoric rise for the games developed and produced by Rockstar Games.
It wasn’t an easy or direct path for the GTA franchise to become what it is today, with games that are hotly-anticipated for years and make such an impact that no other publisher wants to schedule a major release within GTA’s vicinity. So how did the GTA games make such a mark, and what comes next?
Grand Theft Auto series transcends 2D roots
Many modern players don’t even realize that the Grand Theft Auto series got its start with 2D games first published for the original PlayStation console. While these titles bear some of the basic hallmarks that are still associated with the franchise to this day, the differences are severe. Gameplay was experienced from a top-down experience, and the game’s narrative and characters were of far less importance relative to later games in the series.
Following the 1999 release of Grand Theft Auto 2, the GTA series would take a marked turn towards three-dimensional gameplay. This resulted in the release of Grand Theft Auto 3 in 2001 for the PlayStation 2.
GTA 3 was an instant hit. More than that, it was a transformative experience. Rockstar had brought to life an open, three-dimensional world in a way that few developers ever had before. The scale of the game and the potential for urban chaos drew millions of players and generated major revenues for the game’s creators.
This trend would only continue with the release of Grand Theft Auto IV for the next generation of consoles. Refining the experience of GTA3 and adding more ways to connect to the in-game world, this title solidified Rockstar’s place at the forefront of modern developers.
GTA Online breaks new ground for the franchise
As successful as GTA3 and GTA4 had been, and as well-received as the franchise’s many smaller spin-off titles would prove to be, nothing would compare to the eventual success of Grand Theft Auto V and its online-only component release, Grand Theft Auto Online.
Published in 2013, GTA5 pushed the franchise’s narrative successes to even further heights with a story that revolved around three separate playable characters who could be switched between by the player at will. It also featured an even more lively and realistic open world waiting to be explored by players.
GTA Online allowed players to explore that open world together, and this is where Rockstar found itself enjoying even greater levels of success. Players came together in droves to have the GTA experience together, whether that meant cooperating in elaborate heists, competing with each other on the streets, or even engaging in long-form role-playing exercises.
While it was the RP action that brought further attention the series by way of popular streamers and the content they created independently, it was the overall online experience that brought greater revenues to Rockstar Games. Rather than just enjoying major sales for its newest game, Rockstar could now bring in repeated revenues month after month. More than a decade after its original release, GTA Online continued to make money for its creators.