How long will it take to beat all GTA games before GTA 6 is released

It's officially 2026, and hopefully that means it Grand Theft Auto 6 is just around the corner. The highly anticipated project from developer Rockstar has already been delayed twice, which has shrouded Grand Theft Auto 6 in a cloud of caution. The game seems to be on track though, but even if it's delayed once more, it would at least leave plenty of extra time to revisit the entire series before launch. The GTA franchise has been going strong for almost 30 years now, and for those curious to jump into the entire series to be fully prepared for GTA 6there are a few things to consider, with one of the most important being how long it takes to finish each title.

The time it takes to beat each GTA the game varies a lot. When the franchise began in the late 90s, the entries were much shorter than what they are known for now. Over the years, Rockstar has gotten bigger and bolder with each new game, and as the franchise has evolved, so has the length of each story. Main stories, side quests, and extra content offer hours of gameplay, and if players want to complete each game before GTA 6 will, it may be important to get started early in the year.

The definitive list of how long it takes to beat every Grand Theft Auto Game

The list below excludes expansions.

Game	How long to beat	Platforms
Grand Theft Auto	Main thing – 14 hours With side missions – 14 hours Completionist – 16 hours	PC, PlayStation, Game Boy Color
Grand Theft Auto 2	Main subject – 12.5 hours With side missions – 21 hours Completionist – 26 hours	PC, PlayStation, PS2, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color
Grand Theft Auto 3	Main thing – 14 hours With side missions – 20.5 hours Completionist – 36 hours	Nintendo Switch, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Mobile
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City	Main subject – 17 hours With side missions – 24 hours Completionist – 38 hours	Nintendo Switch, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S. Mobile
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	Main subject – 30 hours With side missions – 45 hours Completionist – 71.5 hours	Nintendo Switch, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Mobile
Grand Theft Auto Advance	Main subject – 7 hours With side missions – 11.5 hours Completionist – 16.5 hours	Game Boy Advance
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories	Main thing – 14 hours With side missions – 23 hours Completionist – 41 hours	PS2, PSP, mobile
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories	Main subject – 15.5 hours With side missions – 24 Completionist – 41	PS2, PSP, mobile
Grand Theft Auto 4	Main subject – 27 hours With side missions – 40.5 hours Completionist – 73.5 hours	PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One (backwards compatible)
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars	Main subject – 9.5 hours With side missions – 13.5 hours Completionist – 24.5 hours	PSP, Nintendo DS, Mobile
Grand Theft Auto 5	Main thing – 32 hours With side missions – 51.5 hours Completionist – 88 hours	PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Grand Theft Auto Online	GTA Online is an ongoing game, so there isn't really a set time it takes to beat.	PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.

There are five must-play Grand Theft Auto games

GTA 3
GTA: Vice City
GTA: San Andreas
GTA 4
GTA 5

If tackling all these games is too much of a task, it might be better to take in the highlights. The GTA franchise officially became a 3D third-person series with GTA 3and while it's a solid change from its previous formula that defined what future games would look like, Vice city and San Andreas are the games that strengthened the overall tone and gameplay. This trio remains some of the most influential open-world games of the 21st century, and GTA 4 and GTA 5 introduced even more well-rounded storytelling that showed just how compelling and deep the franchise could really go with its stories.

These five games contain some of the most iconic moments from the franchise. Whether it's beloved actor Ray Liotta doing the voiceover Vice city protagonist Tommy Vercetti, San Andreas' fantastic last mission, or Trevor's wild introduction in GTA 5these core items remain important games to play before GTA 6. Sure, the rest of the games are still great in their own rights, but they're more like fun extras instead of essentials.

Grand Theft Auto 6 may be Rockstar's biggest game to date

GTA 6 is currently set to launch November 19, 2026.
The game will be available for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Right now it is unclear how long GTA 6 will be, but based on Rockstar's pattern, it has the potential to be the developer's longest game to date. With each new chapter, Rockstar has expanded the size of the main stories and side content. Its latest game, Red Dead Redemption 2had a main story that averages a full 50 hours to beat, and it's not impossible for GTA 6 to surpass this. Of course, this is purely speculation at the moment, but with the time it has taken Rockstar to develop the game, it has the potential to at least be on par with Red Dead Redemption 2s story length.

The first GTA 6 trailer is now two years old.

Only time will tell how long GTA 6 takes a beating, but once it's here it'll be fascinating to see how it stacks up against the rest of the franchise. Hopefully there won't be another one this year GTA 6 delay. Anticipation for this game has been building for years at this point, so pushing it back a third time would ignite a huge wave of frustration. All players can do right now is wait and see what Rockstar decides, and thankfully the developer has already made plenty of great games to spend hours with until the new chapter is ready.