Complete Grand Theft Auto Timeline: The Canon Guide to All 3 Universes Before GTA 6

With Grand Theft Auto VI gearing up for its November 2026 launch, returning to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City has sparked a recurring question among millions of players. Many fans still wonder whether Lucia and Jason might cross paths with an aging Tommy Vercetti along Ocean Beach or break into the old Vercetti Estate on Starfish Island. According to the official canon rules established by Rockstar Games, however, such a crossover is impossible. To understand how nearly three decades of open-world crime connect from 1997 all the way to the state of Leonida, you have to understand the foundational rule dividing Grand Theft Auto history into three separate continuities: the 2D Universe, the 3D Universe, and the HD Universe.

Rockstar Games’ Golden Rule: Why the 3 Canon Universes Never Cross Over

Unlike franchises that stack every sequel onto a single unbroken timeline, Rockstar Games formally confirmed during the tenth anniversary of Grand Theft Auto III that its catalog is split into three self-contained universes. Every generational leap in hardware, from top-down 2D sprites to the 3D open worlds of the PlayStation 2 era and then to the high-definition RAGE engine introduced in 2008, required a complete reboot of geographical scale and narrative continuity.

Under this official framework, iconic cities like Liberty City, Los Santos, and Vice City exist in all three realities, alongside satirical in-game brands such as Sprunk, eCola, Pißwasser, Cluckin’ Bell, and Ammu-Nation. However, physical characters and historical events from one era do not carry over into the next. That is why Niko Bellic’s Liberty City in 2008 bears no trace of the Leone crime family or Claude, and why the modern-day Vice City showcased in the spectacular GTA 6 launch trailer introduces a completely redesigned map spanning the state of Leonida.

1. The 2D Universe (1961 - 1999): Top-Down Foundations

The franchise’s earliest continuity encompasses the top-down titles created by DMA Design (now Rockstar North). While its arcade presentation belongs to the late 1990s, this universe actually contains the earliest chronological settings in the entire series:

• 1961 - Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 (Released in 1999): Released as a free PC expansion, this entry marks the earliest chronological point in franchise history, dropping players into London’s criminal underworld eight years prior to the main expansion pack.
• 1969 - Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (Released in 1999): Rockstar’s only official foray outside the United States follows an ambitious enforcer working for the Crisp twins at the height of Swinging London.
• 1997 - Grand Theft Auto (Released in 1997): The original classic that started it all. Taking orders from ringing payphones, players were introduced for the very first time to the franchise’s core geographical trinity: Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City.
• Near Future / 2013 Dystopia - Grand Theft Auto 2 (Released in 1999): Starring Claude Speed in the retro-futuristic metropolis of Anywhere City, the final 2D installment revolved around a dynamic respect meter pitting seven rival syndicates, including the Zaibatsu Corporation, against one another.

2. The 3D Universe (1984 - 2001): The Interconnected PlayStation 2 Golden Age

With the jump to fully realized 3D environments in 2001, Rockstar Games wove a tightly interconnected crime saga spanning seventeen in-game years. Across the 3D Universe, major protagonists and recurring side characters constantly cross paths from coast to coast:

• 1984 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Released in 2006): Sitting at the chronological start of the 3D era, this prequel follows Victor “Vic” Vance. Dishonorably discharged from the military after being framed by his corrupt superior Jerry Martinez, Vic builds a sprawling criminal syndicate alongside his brother Lance in 1984 Vice City.
• 1986 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Released in 2002): Two years later, the opening ambushed drug deal claims Vic Vance’s life and thrusts Tommy Vercetti into the spotlight. Sent south by Sonny Forelli after serving fifteen years in prison, Vercetti teams up with neurotic lawyer Ken Rosenberg to seize total control of the city.
• 1992 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Released in 2004): Returning home to Los Santos after his mother’s murder, Carl “CJ” Johnson fights to rebuild the Grove Street Families against the betrayal of Big Smoke and Ryder and the corrupt C.R.A.S.H. unit led by Officer Frank Tenpenny. His journey across San Fierro and Las Venturas bridges the entire 3D Universe: CJ races against Claude and Catalina, works alongside Ken Rosenberg at Caligula’s Palace, and clashes with Don Salvatore Leone’s syndicate.
• 1998 - Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Released in 2005): Six years after the events of San Andreas, Toni Cipriani returns to Liberty City after four years in hiding, rising through the ranks for Salvatore Leone amid a brutal three-way war between the Leone, Sindacco, and Forelli families.
• 2000 - Grand Theft Auto Advance (Released in 2004): Set one year before GTA III, this portable entry follows small-time criminal Mike as he investigates the staged death of his partner Vinnie alongside explosives expert 8-Ball and Yakuza leader Asuka Kasen.
• 2001 - Grand Theft Auto III (Released in 2001): Serving as the chronological finale of the 3D Universe, the story opens with a Liberty City bank heist where Claude is shot and betrayed by Catalina, who has partnered with the Colombian Cartel. His relentless revenge brings the PlayStation 2 continuity to a close.

3. The HD Universe (2008 - 2026): The Direct Continuity Leading Into GTA 6

For anyone preparing to step into Leonida, this is the timeline that directly matters. Launched in 2008 with the RAGE engine, the HD Universe is the exact same world, sharing the same federal agencies (the FIB and IAA), corporations, and living characters as Grand Theft Auto VI.

• 2008 - Grand Theft Auto IV & Episodes from Liberty City (Released in 2008 and 2009): The HD era begins in 2008 as Eastern European war veteran Niko Bellic arrives in Liberty City chasing the American Dream promised by his cousin Roman. Rockstar’s interlocking narrative unfolds simultaneously across three perspectives: Niko’s underworld jobs directly intersect with Johnny Klebitz and The Lost MC in The Lost and Damned, as well as nightclub impresario Tony Prince’s bodyguard Luis Lopez in The Ballad of Gay Tony during the city’s notorious blood-diamond feud.
• 2009 - Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Released in 2009): One year after Niko’s story, spoiled Triad heir Huang Lee lands in HD-era Liberty City following his father’s murder to recover the ceremonial Yu Jian sword and uncover a betrayal at the top of the Triad syndicate.
• 2013 - Grand Theft Auto V (Released in 2013): Five years later, the focus shifts west to a completely reimagined Los Santos and Blaine County. Retired bank robber Michael De Santa, street hustler Franklin Clinton, and volatile outlaw Trevor Philips pull off a string of high-stakes heists. Direct links to 2008 Liberty City abound: Trevor kills Johnny Klebitz in his very first scene, while veteran Liberty City gunman Packie McReary can be hired for Los Santos heists, recounting his 2008 bank job with Niko Bellic.
• 2013 to 2026 - Grand Theft Auto Online: Originally set a few months prior to the 2013 single-player story, Rockstar’s persistent online world eventually progressed in real time. From The Doomsday Heist (explicitly set in 2017) to The Contract (2021), which reunited players with an older Franklin Clinton running a celebrity solutions agency alongside Lamar Davis and Dr. Dre, GTA Online pushed the HD timeline right up to the present day while bringing back Liberty City veterans Tony Prince and Yusuf Amir.
• November 2026 - Grand Theft Auto VI: Standing as the newest chapter of the HD Universe and the centerpiece of the November 2026 game release calendar, the sixth mainline entry marks the very first time Vice City appears in the high-definition canon. Following Lucia and Jason across the state of Leonida, from the tropical Leonida Keys to the Grassrivers wetlands and Port Gellhorn, players will experience a modern-day Florida steeped in viral social media culture. While Tommy Vercetti remains locked in the 3D Universe, every syndicate, federal agency, and surviving character introduced across GTA IV, GTA V, and GTA Online exists in this exact reality and could cross paths with our new duo.

Complete Grand Theft Auto Canon Timeline Summary Table

My Take: Twenty-Nine Years on the Run, From Top-Down Chaos to Leonida’s Neon

Having worn out my first keyboards on the original 1997 Grand Theft Auto, steering pixelated cars from a bird’s-eye camera before being completely blown away in late 2002 when I first cruised down Ocean Drive in Vice City, I have always admired Rockstar Games’ discipline in keeping its three universes strictly separate. Had the studio forced itself to preserve the compact layout of 1986 Vice City or lean on aging 3D-era nostalgia around Tommy Vercetti, Grand Theft Auto VI would have been boxed in by PlayStation 2 limitations. Bringing Vice City and the wider state of Leonida into the HD Universe for the very first time gives Rockstar a clean canvas to satirize modern America through Lucia and Jason, while still rewarding long-time players who have followed every thread linking Liberty City and Los Santos since 2008.

Written by Charles "Grimtag" Ronchain

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

SEO consultant for over 20 years and digital entrepreneur, Charles 'Grimtag' Ronchain is the founder of Pro-Gamer.gg, Retrocharting.com, and Gamescharting.com. A competitive gamer, streamer, and retro game collector, he has worked in the video game industry for over 15 years, notably as a consultant for leading game price comparison platforms. Passionate about real-time performance data and gaming technology, he analyzes competitive esports, gaming hardware benchmarks, and creator workflows on Pro-Gamer.gg with an authentic player perspective.

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