4 GTA games you need to play before GTA 6

GTA 6 will be the 15th GTA game when it releases in May 2026. While the wait is long, you can keep yourself busy by playing Grand Theft Auto 5 or Grand Theft Auto Online. However, playing the same games repeatedly can become tedious at times. That's why you should try other titles from the series as well.

We’ve listed four GTA games that you should play before Grand Theft Auto 6 releases.

4 interesting GTA games to try before Rockstar drops GTA 6

1) GTA Vice City (2002)

Vice City is currently the GTA title everyone should play. The primary reason is that GTA 6 is the modern-day iteration of Vice City, at least in terms of its map. The upcoming game’s trailers showed many references to the 2002 title. Therefore, we can presume that there will be many Easter eggs and throwbacks to GTA Vice City.

Rockstar is known for its attention to detail and hidden references. If you don’t want to miss out on them, you should complete the 2002 GTA title before May 2026.

Vice City is a relatively small GTA game that has 59 story missions, which tell the story of Tommy Vercetti. You can also take part in a handful of side activities and unlock all GTA Vice City trophies.

2) GTA Vice City Stories (2006)

Players should not miss Vice City Stories at any cost (Image via Rockstar Games)

After completing Vice City, you should play Vice City Stories as it is a prequel, and knowing the lore will be useful for GTA 6. Vice City Stories tells us about the events before Tommy arrived in the city.

Here, you play as Victor Vance and get to meet various other characters who are also part of the original game. Even though the game uses the same map, you will get to know about various important events from different perspectives.

The 2006 GTA game has 59 story missions and 10 different types of side activities. However, you’ll need a PlayStation 3 to access the game.

3) GTA Chinatown Wars (2009)

If you are into handheld gaming and want to enjoy GTA games on your smartphone, then Chinatown Wars is the best choice. It's perfectly optimized for a handheld experience, and you’ll find many mechanics that are not present in the mainstream Grand Theft Auto titles.

Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars has 65 missions and tells the story of Huang Lee, one of the unsung heroes of the series. The visuals of the game are a mix of 2D and 3D objects that provide a unique experience.

The cutscenes play like comic book strips you can read on the screen. These factors make GTA Chinatown Wars worth playing in 2025.

4) GTA Liberty City Stories (2005)

Another GTA game you can play on mobile is Liberty City Stories. While Vice City Stories is a prequel to the 2002 title, this one is the prequel of Grand Theft Auto 3. The prequels are criminally underrated and are not known by many new-age fans.

However, they are important for the lore of the series, and you should play them before Grand Theft Auto 6 drops. Liberty City Stories features Toni Cipriani as the protagonist and tells us the story of Liberty City before the arrival of Claude and Catalina.

Rockstar Games included 70 story missions that are very intriguing. If you get bored with them, you can also engage in nine different types of side activities. In short, Liberty City Stories is a feature-packed GTA game that everyone should play.

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About the author

Mridul completed his post-graduation in Mass Communication, Journalism, and Media Studies. His career as a journalist began at Sportskeeda, and he has been associated with the Esports & Gaming division for over 1.5 years. He has produced 1600+ articles on Grand Theft Auto, his favorite gaming franchise of all time.

Mridul writes detailed and well-researched articles, relying solely on official sources and reputable insiders for credible information. His immense love for the GTA series shines through in his work, which resonates with readers, with five of his articles having crossed the 100,000 reads mark each. Overall, his reads count stands at close to 8 million.

GTA: Vice City served as Mridul's introduction to Rockstar Games, and he has dedicatedly made his way through the publisher's catalog since then. If given a chance, he would love to drop into the world of Bully and relive his school days. However, he would like to recommend Grand Theft Auto 4 to beginners due to the depth of its narrative and in-game mechanics.

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Edited by Ripunjay Gaba