Summary
Grand Theft Autois one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. It started as an entertaining arcade action game full of crime in an open world with aggressive cops. There was a ton of potential in this gameplay format that Rockstar wanted to capitalize on.
They eventually did with the 3D Universe trilogy that boasts some of the greatest open-world games ever made. The fact that these games are still a ton of fun to play through shows just how magicaleveryGTAgame was, with fans finding it hard to wait for the next mainline entry to take over their lives once again.
Grand Theft Auto 3was a huge step in the right direction for Rockstar Games and open-world gaming as a whole. It’s impressive to see just how many things the developer got right with this title, withthe open world ofGTA 3being full to the brim with details and compelling locations.
It was a massive success for Rockstar, turning it into one of the biggest video game developers of all time and a hotbed of controversy because of the title’s adult nature. This would become a recurring theme with the studio as Rockstar started embracing this free PR to attract more eyes toward their offerings.
Fans were floored when they saw justhow massive and jam-packed with contentSan Andreaswas. Players could keep track of stats that shaped CJ in their image (quite literally, at times) and take part in an epic story where players would travel all over the world and complete numerous action-packed missions.
This need to integrate a ton of detail in the simplest portions of the game is something that Rockstar is known for, with later titles being privy to the same meticulous treatment.San Andreas' high-stakes plot, massive world, and immersive gameplay have aged like a fine wine and helped the franchise evolve in a promising direction.
With the advent of a new generation of consoles, it was clear that theGTAfranchise needed to evolve too. They did so in impressive fashionwithGrand Theft Auto 4, a title with gameplay that shook off most of the arcade trappings of previous titles to move things in a realistic direction. This was an approach that many fans appreciated, and it helped that Niko Bellic’s story was a captivating one that players couldn’t get enough of.
The revamped wanted system and reactive world feel incredible to this day and ushered in the dawn of the HD Universe forGrand Theft Auto4. While the incredible DLCs for this game could’ve marked another shift in the franchise that fans would’ve appreciated, the next mainline entry in the series didn’t receive any single-player story DLC, which didn’t sit right with many fans who thought that Rockstar had a good thing going with this approach.
Grand Theft Auto 5is one of the greatest and most ambitious video gamesever made that is brimming with technical polish and immersive design. The idea of letting players control three unique protagonists was a stroke of genius that let Rockstar flex the capabilities of the new engine. While the story faltered on many fronts, fans didn’t care because of the sheer polish of the gameplay coupled with excellent motion-captured performances and voice action.
What made this title so much more impressive was that the PS3 and Xbox 360 weren’t powerful enough to showcase its full potential. The game was updated and released on newer consoles with a bevy of new features to push the engine to its very limit, letting players check out this game in first-person if they wanted.
No one expectedGrand Theft Auto Onlineto become such a massive revolution, especially since this mode was pretty lean in terms of content back when it came out. However, Rockstar knew that they had a gold mine on their hands and went to work, releasing update after update that added a ton of unique content toGTA Onlineand turned it into one of the most impressive multiplayer experiences fans could check out.
Over time,Grand Theft Auto Onlinebecame so popular that it turned into Rockstar’s biggest priority, with this mode increasing their revenue considerably as they axed any plans foranyGTA 5single-player DLC. This approach frustrated many long-time fans of the series, even if the launch ofRed Dead Redemption 2meant that Rockstar hadn’t lost the skill to craft tantalizing single-player experiences that fans could fall in love with.
