How Long Does It Take to Beat Every GTA Game?

With GTA 6 coming out late next year, a lot of players are diving back into the older games to relive the chaos, the storytelling, and the open world design that defined multiple generations of gaming. The Grand Theft Auto series has grown massively since its top-down beginnings on PC and PlayStation, and every entry offers a different scale, tone, and level of complexity. If you are planning a series replay or trying to figure out where each game fits in terms of time commitment, this guide breaks down how long it takes to beat every GTA game.

These times reflect the average player completing the main story, with notes on how long full completion usually takes. Some games are quick, some are huge, and a few are surprisingly long for how old they are.

Grand Theft Auto (1997)

Main Story: 10 to 12 hours
Completionist: 20 to 25 hours

The original GTA is a very different experience from what the series would become, but it still laid the foundation for everything that followed. The top-down missions are quick, chaotic, and often brutally unforgiving. The game is structured around completing criminal jobs across three cities, and the open world design was groundbreaking for its time. Missions often require precision and memorization, which can stretch the playtime. It is shorter than the modern games, but still feels substantial for a 90s open world title.

Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)

Main Story: 7 to 10 hours
Completionist: 15 to 20 hours

GTA 2 expands on the original by adding gang reputation systems, branching job options, and more complex mission structures. It is still top-down and plays very differently than the 3D games, but it remains fun in a retro way. Missions move quickly, and if you are familiar with the old-school design, it is possible to complete the game faster than the original. Full completion takes longer because of the gang mechanics and the challenge spikes later in the story.

Grand Theft Auto III (2001)

Main Story: 15 to 18 hours
Completionist: 40 to 50 hours

GTA III was a revolution. Liberty City felt alive in a way open worlds never had before. The story is more linear compared to later games, and the mission structure is straightforward, which helps keep the playtime consistent. Driving and combat are dated today, but the narrative pacing is solid. The game becomes longer if you spend time on side missions like vigilante runs, taxi driving, hidden packages, and rampages. Those optional activities make the full completion path much more demanding.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)

Main Story: 18 to 22 hours
Completionist: 45 to 60 hours

Vice City builds on GTA III with style, personality, and a stronger story. The pastel colors, 80s soundtrack, and memorable characters help the world stand out. Missions are more varied, businesses offer additional objectives, and the map is larger and more playful. The main story is not overly long, but completionists will spend a lot of time buying properties, completing asset missions, hunting for hidden packages, and finishing side content tied to each district.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)

Main Story: 30 to 35 hours
Completionist: 75 to 100 hours

San Andreas is still one of the most ambitious open world games ever created. The map spans three major cities and entire rural regions. The story is longer, deeper, and filled with memorable characters. You also have RPG elements like skills, stats, customization, gyms, and diet mechanics. The game’s sheer size is the reason the playtime jumps so dramatically. Even the main story alone can stretch past 35 hours because of the mission count and travel distances. Completionist players will spend dozens more hours finishing collectibles, territory control, races, and optional side stories.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005)

Main Story: 12 to 18 hours
Completionist: 30 to 40 hours

Liberty City Stories was originally a PSP game, but it still offers a fairly large campaign. It revisits Liberty City before the events of GTA III and gives players a new storyline that has a surprising amount of depth. Missions are snappier and the overall difficulty curve is smoother than the earlier games. The world is familiar, but new mission layouts and new districts help it feel fresh. Completionists will have plenty to do with hidden packages, side missions, rampages, and the extra content added in the PS2 version.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006)

Main Story: 15 to 20 hours
Completionist: 40 to 60 hours

Vice City Stories expands on the formula of Liberty City Stories and introduces one of the best crime-empire management systems in the series. Taking over businesses and converting them into criminal fronts adds a strategic layer that increases playtime. The story missions are longer and more cinematic, and the world feels busier than it did in the original Vice City. The main story is very manageable, but going for full completion requires taking over every empire site, completing side activity tiers, and collecting everything spread across the map.

Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)

Main Story: 25 to 30 hours
Completionist: 60 to 80 hours

GTA IV shifted the tone of the series. Liberty City is darker, heavier, and more grounded. The story is slower paced than San Andreas, with more emotional weight and character-driven missions. The playtime is longer because of the attention to detail in mission setups, cutscenes, and character arcs. There are fewer side activities than San Andreas, but the existing ones take longer and are more methodical. If you choose to complete every optional relationship event, stunt jump, police mission, and collectible, the total time nearly doubles.

GTA IV: The Lost and Damned (2009)

Main Story: 6 to 8 hours
Completionist: 14 to 18 hours

The Lost and Damned is a tightly paced story expansion that focuses on the biker gang lifestyle in Liberty City. Missions are more action heavy and less cinematic, making the pace snappy. It is shorter than a full GTA campaign, but longer than many DLCs released around that time. Side content adds a few extra hours, especially if you engage with races, gang wars, and optional objectives.

GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009)

Main Story: 7 to 10 hours
Completionist: 15 to 20 hours

The Ballad of Gay Tony is flashier, more explosive, and more playful than the rest of GTA IV. It brings back the over-the-top energy of GTA’s earlier years with big set pieces, colorful characters, and ridiculous mission design. The campaign is short but very memorable. Completionists have a good amount of work if they chase 100 percent by clearing all side missions, club management tasks, and mission scoring challenges.

Grand Theft Auto V (2013)

Main Story: 30 to 32 hours
Completionist: 70 to 90 hours

GTA V remains one of the most replayed open world games ever made. The three-protagonist system keeps the story moving quickly, and Los Santos is one of the most well crafted maps in the genre. The mission variety is outstanding and contributes to the overall length. Players who focus on the core story can finish it in about 30 hours, but completionists who chase gold medals, strangers and freaks missions, collectibles, races, and property objectives will nearly triple their playtime. GTA Online is endless, so its hours cannot be meaningfully measured.

Grand Theft Auto VI (Coming Late Next Year)

Main Story: Unknown, but expected 40 to 50 hours
Completionist: Unknown

Rockstar is aiming for their most ambitious open world yet. While no official playtime numbers exist, the scope suggested by the trailers and early previews indicates a campaign longer than GTA V. Based on Rockstar’s trajectory, a 40 to 50 hour main story seems likely, with full completion reaching well beyond 100 hours. As more information releases, these estimates will become more accurate.

Closing Thoughts

The Grand Theft Auto series has grown from simple top-down city maps to massive open worlds filled with detailed stories and extensive side content. With GTA 6 coming late next year, now is a great time to revisit the series. Whether you want something quick like GTA 2 or something massive like San Andreas or GTA V, there is a game in the franchise that fits your schedule and play style. No matter where you start, each GTA offers a unique feel and a distinct snapshot of how the open world genre evolved over the years.