History Videogame / GrandTheftAuto

The game was a massive success, [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity almost entirely on the basis of the controversy it generated]]. This was deliberately contrived by the game's publishers: they hired publicist Max Clifford to create a furore in the media, which resulted in a huge demand for the game.

''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' was an entirely different ball game. It's probably not a coincidence that DMA were now working on a new console and attached to a new publisher: the wealthy Rockstar Games division of Take Two Interactive. First and foremost, the overhead view was done away with, bringing the game into three dimensions instead (an overhead camera could be selected for those who liked the old way, but only in that particular game. ''Vice City'' and onwards did away with the option).

Also, an actual story was implemented, about a thug who escapes from a prison van, and plots revenge against his traitorous partner in crime/ex-girlfriend while establishing himself in the underworld of [[BigApplesauce Liberty City]]. Voice actors were brought in for the first time -- not just any actors, but respected character actors such as Michael Madsen, Joe Pantoliano, and Michael Rapaport. The number, variety, and complexity of the missions were raised. The radio stations started using licensed material and send-ups of radio commercials and DJ chatter.

* GoddamnedBats: Not literally, but Taxis and Police cars apply. The former can occupy the whole road at times (especially annoying during races). While tiny scratches on Police cars can make them onto your ass immediately.

-->'''Ken Rosenberg:'''It looks like you ruined your suit! And Tommy, that was a beautiful suit!

* LimitedWardrobe: In ''III'', Claude wears only two outfits -- a prison uniform (which he only wears in the first mission, or after you enter the proper cheat code), and a black leather jacket with olive drab cargo pants. In later games, the player character has a wide variety of outfits, but most other characters still wear the same outfit whenever you see them.\\

The cutscenes in ''Vice City'' seem to assume that you are always wearing the default outfit; for example, the first time you meet Big Mitch Baker he tells you "You don't look like the law, so that's bought you a minute," ''even if you are wearing the police uniform''.

Except the last Cut scene which assumes your wearing the Mr Vercetti Suit
Ken Rosenberg:It looks like you ruined your suit! and Tommy,that Was a beautiful suit!

* ShoutOut: Mainly to classic crime films, like ''{{Scarface}}'', ''{{Goodfellas}}'' and ''BoyzNTheHood''.\\
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The games occasionally make offhand mentions to Carcer City, where ''{{Manhunt}}'', another Rockstar game, was set.

\\
The cutscenes in ''Vice City'' seem to assume that you are always wearing the default outfit; for example, the first time you meet Big Mitch Baker he tells you "You don't look like the law, so that's bought you a minute," ''even if you are wearing the police uniform''.

* LimitedWardrobe: In ''III'', Claude wears only two outfits -- a prison uniform (which he only wears in the first mission, or after you enter the proper cheat code), and a black leather jacket with olive drab cargo pants. In later games, the player character has a wide variety of outfits, but most other characters still wear the same outfit whenever you see them.\\

** In Chinatown Wars' case, the girl on the cover ''does'' appear in the game. [[spoiler: She just dies like five minutes after she first appears.]]

* HollywoodCalifornia: The state of San Andreas.

* {{MIB}}: Mike Toreno in ''San Andreas'' certainly qualifies. In ''IV'', there is a shadowy government agency using a paper company as a front (a possible ShoutOut to ''Series/{{Heroes}}'') that gives Niko work and ultimately [[spoiler:helps him find the man who betrayed him in the Balkans. Niko's first girlfriend, Michelle (or Karen, or whatever her name is), also turns out to be working for them, as Niko finds out when she takes down a drug deal he was involved in.]]

* FromNobodyToNightmare / NotSoHarmless: A lot of the protagonists, particularly in the ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII III]]''-era games start out as small time thugs but end up becoming some of the most notorious crime lords in their respective cities

* CityOfAdventure: Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas. [[SequelDisplacement And Anytown, USA.]]

* AntiHero: Just about every main character in every GTA game falls into this trope, along with plenty of side characters. In the SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes it is Type V, though CJ can be considered to be a type the IV.

* RatedMForMoney

* BodyArmorAsHitPoints

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Grand-Theft-Auto.jpg

Compare ''{{Mafia}}'', ''SaintsRow''. Also, there's ''RedDeadRedemption'' and ''LANoire'', both considered to be {{Spiritual Successor}}s to the ''GTA'' franchise.

* '''''Grand Theft Auto V'' (2012)'''

* MurderSimulators: Only because it's hard to disassociate this game from the idiocy of JackThompson. Thanks to him, it ''is'' the TropeNamer in a roundabout fashion.

Rockstar has confirmed that the next major installment in the series (currently called ''GrandTheftAutoV'') is currently under development, though they said that there is no chance of it coming out in 2011. After a long period of speculation and numerous sightings of Rockstar developers around Hollywood, the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBIZL13eVl0 announcement trailer]] (released on November 2, 2011) has confirmed that ''V'' will be set in [[AndTheFandomRejoiced San Andreas]], or at least in and around Los Santos.

* IFoughtTheLawAndTheLawWon: Since ''GTAIII'', 5 wanted stars is usually the death knell (at least on land). Later sequels gave the FBI hulking (and fast) black [=SVU=]s, which means you can't even evade them.

* ParkingProblems: Very subtly. Cars spawning in a parking lot seldom spawn directly within the lines of a parking stall. The developers could've been to lazy to line the cars up with the stalls, but knowing Rockstar it's more likely an extremely subtle way of mocking American drivers.

In 1997, when controversy was still running high over the "immoral" content of games such as ''{{Doom}}'', ''MortalKombat'', and ''{{Carmageddon}}'', Scottish games studio DMA (of ''{{Lemmings}}'' fame) came out with a game to top them all. Called ''[[GrandTheftAutoClassic Grand Theft Auto]]'', it allowed the player to take the role of a ruthless criminal working his way up the ladder of organised crime. The game offered an overhead view of a city, through which your character could walk or drive; the basic objective was to gain enough points -- or rather, in the context of the game, earn enough money -- to progress to the next level. The lowest-paying activity was damaging cars by fender-benders or by shooting them; more money was earned by stealing cars, destroying cars, and running down pedestrians; more still by selling the stolen cars down at the docks and by killing police officers.

''GrandTheftAutoIII'' was an entirely different ball game. It's probably not a coincidence that DMA were now working on a new console and attached to a new publisher: the wealthy Rockstar Games division of Take Two Interactive. First and foremost, the overhead view was done away with, bringing the game into three dimensions instead (an overhead camera could be selected for those who liked the old way, but only in that particular game. ''Vice City'' and onwards did away with the option).

* '''''GrandTheftAutoII'' (1999)'''
* '''''GrandTheftAutoIII'' (2001)'''
* '''''[[GrandTheftAutoViceCity Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'' (2002)'''

* FromNobodyToNightmare / NotSoHarmless: A lot of the protagonists, particularly in the ''[[GrandTheftAutoIII III]]''-era games start out as small time thugs but end up becoming some of the most notorious crime lords in their respective cities