Grand Theft Auto might be the most popular game series in the world, and Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected to be the biggest entertainment launch of all time when it's released on Nov. 19. So you would expect the whole of the GTA series to be easy to find and play, right? Rockstar Games seems to have an ambivalent attitude towards GTA's past, particularly the early 2D games and some spinoff titles, and its record in making these games available is decidedly spotty.
Below, we break down the current state of availability of every game in the series — where you can find it, and what the best way to play it is. The GTA series is often divided into three eras: the "2D universe," the "3D universe," and the "HD universe." As a broad rule of thumb, the games in the 3D and HD universes are mostly available, with some caveats, while the 2D universe games are unavailable unless you have old hardware or are prepared to get creative. If you're a GTA Online player, or even if you're not, the GTA Plus subscription service is a good-value shortcut to playing classic GTA games.
Access to a roster of classic Rockstar games is included, which naturally includes a few GTA titles. At the moment, the following GTA games are included: GTA Plus costs $7.99 per month. Access is limited to the platform you subscribe to GTA Plus on (console or PC) plus mobile versions of the games, where applicable.
Now let's run down every game in the series and where you can play it. The original 1997 game — played viewed from above, in 2D — predates Rockstar Games itself and is not officially available currently. For a while, it was available to download for free from Rockstar's website, but it was removed in 2013.
GTA can be considered abandonware at this point; whether this makes pirating a copy ethically acceptable is up to the individual. It won't run on a modern PC without modification though. If you have retro consoles, the Game Boy Color version is pretty rudimentary, and the PlayStation version has the benefit of a hardcopy map included.
This expansion for the original GTA, taking action back to swinging London, is also officially unavailable, and all the above applies: you'll need to source a modified version to run on a modern PC, or play it from a classic PlayStation disc. The PlayStation version was also sold as a standalone game called GTA: London — Special Edition. This second expansion for the original GTA was released as freeware, and on PC only.
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