3 January 2026

How Long It Takes to Beat Every GTA Game Before GTA 6 Releases

By newsgame

It’s officially 2026, and that hopefully means that Grand Theft Auto 6 is right 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. However, the game appears to be on track, but even if it’s delayed once more, that would at least leave plenty of extra time to revisit the entire series ahead of its launch. The GTA franchise has been going strong for nearly 30 years now, and for those curious about jumping into the whole series to be fully prepared for GTA 6, there are a few things to take into consideration, with one of the most important being how long it takes to finish each title.

The time it takes to beat every GTA game varies greatly. When the franchise first started in the late 90s, the entries were a lot shorter than what they’re known for now. Over the years, Rockstar has gone bigger and bolder with each new game, and as the franchise has evolved, so has the length of each story. Main stories, side missions, and extra content offer hours of gameplay, and if gamers want to complete every game before GTA 6 arrives, getting started early in the year may be key.

The Definitive List of How Long it Takes to Beat Every Grand Theft Auto Game

The list below excludes expansions.

Games	How Long to Beat	Platforms
Grand Theft Auto	Main Story – 14 hours With Side Missions – 14 hours Completionist – 16 hours	PC, PlayStation, Game Boy Color
Grand Theft Auto 2	Main Story – 12.5 hours With Side Missions – 21 hours Completionist – 26 hours	PC, PlayStation, PS2, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color
Grand Theft Auto 3	Main Story – 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 Story – 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 Story – 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 Story – 7 hours With Side Missions – 11.5 hours Completionist – 16.5 hours	Game Boy Advance
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories	Main Story – 14 hours With Side Missions – 23 hours Completionist – 41 hours	PS2, PSP, Mobile
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories	Main Story – 15.5 hours With Side Missions – 24 Completionist – 41	PS2, PSP, Mobile
Grand Theft Auto 4	Main Story – 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 Story – 9.5 hours With Side Missions – 13.5 hours Completionist – 24.5 hours	PSP, Nintendo DS, Mobile
Grand Theft Auto 5	Main Story – 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 taking on all of these games is too daunting a task, then embracing the highlights may be a better fit. The GTA franchise officially became a 3D third-person series with GTA 3, and while it’s a solid change to its previous formula that defined how future games would look, Vice City and San Andreas are the games that solidified 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 showcased just how compelling and deep the franchise could really go with its narratives.

These five games feature some of the most iconic moments from the franchise. Whether it’s beloved actor Ray Liotta voicing Vice City protagonist Tommy Vercetti, San Andreas‘ stellar final mission, or Trevor’s wild introduction in GTA 5, these core entries remain essential games to play ahead of GTA 6. Granted, the rest of the games are still great in their own rights, but they’re more like fun extra chapters instead of must-play essentials.

Grand Theft Auto 6 Could Be Rockstar’s Biggest Game Yet

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

Right now, it’s unclear how long GTA 6 will be, but based on Rockstar’s pattern, it has the potential to be the developer’s longest game yet. With each new chapter, Rockstar has expanded the size of the main stories and side content. Its most recent game, Red Dead Redemption 2, had a main story that averages around a whopping 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 amount of time it has taken Rockstar to develop the game, it has the potential to at least be on par with Red Dead Redemption 2‘s story length.

The first GTA 6 trailer is now two years old.

Only time will tell how long GTA 6 takes to beat, but once it’s here, it will be fascinating to see how it stacks up against the rest of the franchise. This year hopefully doesn’t bring another GTA 6 delay. The anticipation for this game has been building for years at this point, so pushing it back a third time would ignite a big wave of frustration. All gamers 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.