🧩 The Complete Timeline of the GTA Universe Explained

🎮 Introduction

The Grand Theft Auto series spans decades of chaotic storytelling, criminal escapades, and open-world evolution. With multiple cities, protagonists, and storylines, it can get confusing to track events. In this post, we’ll break down the complete GTA universe timeline, connecting every major game and spin-off into a clear chronological order. 🕰️🚗💥

1️⃣ GTA: London 1969 & 1961

Timeline placement: The earliest events in the GTA universe.
Setting: London streets in the late 1960s.
Significance: Early crime simulation with top-down gameplay; introduces the concept of organized chaos.

2️⃣ GTA 1 & GTA 2

Timeline placement: Early 1990s for GTA 2; GTA 1 set in the late 1980s.
Cities: Liberty City, Vice City, San Andreas (fictionalized versions).
Significance: Introduced criminal underworlds, gang wars, and chaotic missions.

3️⃣ GTA: Vice City (1986)

Setting: Vice City, inspired by 1980s Miami.
Protagonist: Tommy Vercetti.
Significance: Expansion of story-driven gameplay; rise of organized crime in a sunny, neon-lit city.

4️⃣ GTA: San Andreas (1992)

Setting: San Andreas, including Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas.
Protagonist: Carl “CJ” Johnson.
Significance: Deep RPG elements, gang wars, and massive open world; explores urban and rural criminal enterprises.

5️⃣ GTA: Liberty City Stories & Vice City Stories

Timeline placement: Prequels to GTA 3 and Vice City, respectively.
Significance: Provide backstory to iconic characters and events, filling gaps in the universe’s lore.

6️⃣ GTA III (2001)

Setting: Liberty City.
Protagonist: Claude (silent protagonist).
Significance: First 3D GTA game; introduces cinematic storytelling and open-world exploration.

7️⃣ GTA IV (2008)

Setting: Liberty City (modernized version).
Protagonist: Niko Bellic.
Significance: Darker, realistic tone; explores immigrant struggles and crime in a modern city.

8️⃣ GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony & The Lost and Damned

Timeline placement: Parallel to GTA IV.
Significance: Side stories with overlapping events, showcasing nightlife and gang culture in Liberty City.

9️⃣ GTA V (2013)

Setting: Los Santos and Blaine County.
Protagonists: Michael De Santa, Trevor Philips, Franklin Clinton.
Significance: Multi-protagonist storytelling, massive open-world, heists, and GTA Online expansion.

🔟 GTA Online

Timeline placement: Post-GTA V events; continuously updated.
Significance: Expands the universe with new heists, vehicles, and characters; integrates with GTA V world.

🧠 Key Connections in the Timeline

Cities are reused and reimagined across games (Liberty City, Vice City, San Andreas).
Some characters appear across multiple games as cameos or Easter eggs.
Themes of crime, betrayal, and chaos remain constant throughout the series.

💬 Final Thoughts

The GTA universe is rich, complex, and interconnected. Understanding the timeline helps fans appreciate the evolution of cities, characters, and storytelling.

From London’s streets in the 1960s to Los Santos’ modern chaos, GTA has crafted a universe that spans decades while remaining consistently thrilling, hilarious, and chaotic. 🧩🔥

🧩 The Complete Timeline of the GTA Universe Explained