From GTA 3 to GTA 5 After Never Finishing San Andreas: Inside Kai Cenat's Full GTA Twitch Marathon Ahead of GTA 6
The final countdown to Rockstar's return to Vice City just found its biggest livestreaming centerpiece. During a crowded Just Chatting broadcast on Twitch, Kai Cenat officially announced a massive Grand Theft Auto marathon. The New York creator plans to beat the single-player campaigns of five foundational 3D and HD mainline entries live on stream ahead of the global launch of Grand Theft Auto VI on November 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Five Mainline Campaigns in Chronological Order Before November 19
Rather than casually messing around in open lobbies to pass the time, Kai Cenat laid out a strict chronological checklist covering every core entry since the franchise made the leap to 3D in 2001:
- Grand Theft Auto III
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Grand Theft Auto V
Speaking directly to his chat, the streamer emphasized that these broadcasts will be tightly focused, story-driven playthroughs rather than aimless free-roaming sessions. The marathon serves as the ultimate warm-up just as GTA 6's massive 210 GB install size and November 12 pre-load window prepare to take over console storage drives worldwide.
The San Andreas Confession and a 130-Hour Race Against the Clock
What instantly turned the announcement into a viral talking point was Kai Cenat's candid confession about his history with the series. While he shared that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was the very first entry he ever played after his stepdad introduced him to it as a kid, he admitted that he never actually finished the classic PlayStation 2 campaigns.
"I promise you, I don't even remember how the storyline even went. My first-ever GTA was Vice City, bro. And I'm going to be honest, I've only free-roamed in San Andreas. I've never, ever played the actual story, so I don't even know how it actually goes."
Clearing all five campaigns before November 19 is a serious endurance test. Even sticking strictly to main story missions without getting sidetracked, rolling credits across all five games requires roughly 125 to 140 hours of pure gameplay: around 15 hours for GTA III, 18 hours for Vice City, 30 hours for the sprawling map of San Andreas, nearly 28 hours for Niko Bellic's gritty journey in GTA IV, and over 30 hours for the three-protagonist heist campaign of GTA V. Viewers are already bracing for how he will handle notorious difficulty spikes like the Demolition Man RC helicopter mission in Vice City, Big Smoke's train chase in Wrong Side of the Tracks, and the mandatory Desert Flight School in San Andreas.
Why Skipping the Stories Spin-Offs Makes Sense for His Marathon Format
On X, several longtime fans pointed out that the lineup leaves out PSP and PS2 prequels Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, as well as the two Episodes from Liberty City expansions for GTA IV. With barely three weeks left before November 19, however, trimming the side entries is the only realistic way to reach the finish line on time, especially since the original Vice City remains the essential cultural touchstone before returning to Leonida.
High-stakes gaming marathons have become Kai Cenat's signature spectacle on Twitch. After turning full playthroughs of Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and Red Dead Redemption 2 into massive interactive broadcasts, he enters the final stretch of 2026 at the peak of his viewership power. As highlighted in the Q3 2026 global creator events report, his Streamer University broadcast alone generated 53.4 million hours watched. Watching him experience Grove Street's betrayals and Liberty City's underworld for the first time live with hundreds of thousands of viewers is poised to dominate the platform right up to launch night.
My Take
Love or hate Kai Cenat's high-octane delivery, his confession about San Andreas is about as relatable as gaming gets. Half a generation grew up typing weapon and jetpack cheat codes on PlayStation 2 for hundreds of hours without ever seeing the second half of CJ's storyline. Watching him wrestle with the unforgiving mission design of GTA III, the timed chaos of Vice City, and the heavyweight writing of GTA IV live in front of a relentless Twitch chat is brilliant counter-programming for the final wait. If his sanity survives the Verdant Meadows flight school, this marathon is going to be electric.
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.
