The 10 Best Rockstar Games

Yes, GTA 6 whitethorn inactive beryllium a portion away, but that gives america plentifulness of clip to spell backmost and replay each of those Rockstar games we’ve loved from the past, oregon adjacent cheque retired immoderate that we whitethorn person missed. But which parts of the famed Grand Theft Auto developers’ room should you prioritise first?

Well, we’ve gone up and ranked our favourite Rockstar games. From school-yard antics to tragic tales connected the American frontier, present are the 10 champion Rockstar games.

10. Manhunt

For a workplace that’s nary alien to causing contention owed to the contents of its games, arguably nary of Rockstar’s antagonistic property surrounding GTA has travel adjacent to the furore that followed Manhunt. A stealth-action fearfulness crippled successful which you play arsenic a decease enactment inmate forced into partaking successful a bid of snuff films for the disembodied dependable of a pre-Succession Brian Cox, it possibly shouldn’t person been a astonishment that it garnered horrified reactions from the mainstream media, resulting successful it being banned successful respective countries.

But the contention lone tells fractional of the story, due to the fact that Manhunt is simply a bully game, and a singular 1 successful Rockstar’s room (although we don’t speech astir its inferior sequel). A disturbing satire of the USA’s fascination with violence, it's undeniably gnarly, but smartly intelligence successful its approach. Linear hallways make a precise circumstantial benignant of hostility that truthful galore of the studio’s different works simply can’t owed to their open-world nature. The effect is tight, focused, and brutal enactment that works to horrifying effect. Well implicit 20 years aged now, Manhunt has stuck agelong successful the memory… though possibly that’s mostly owed to however its stark container creation staring retired from store shelves frightened the implicit crap retired of maine arsenic a child.

9. GTA 3

Very fewer games person charted the aboriginal of crippled improvement rather similar Grand Theft Auto 3. The unfastened satellite of Liberty City plays big to a twisting communicative of pack warfare, cause running, and betrayal successful the series' archetypal 3D entry. To accidental it broke caller crushed is an understatement, and the further magnitude and displacement to a street-level camera is lone the commencement of it. The PlayStation 2 had seen thing of the similar successful presumption of an immersive metropolis sandbox afloat of opportunity. Its bounty of broadside missions and minigames blended with a main communicative that allowed for Rockstar to flex its storytelling chops similar ne'er before, telling the communicative of Claude’s hunt for the information done a cinematic lens and an all-star formed to lucifer the story’s mob movie-inspired ambition (The Sopranos alumni Frank Vincent and Joe Pantoliano included).

GTA 3’s portion of fictional New York whitethorn look similar a tiny representation to rotation astir successful these days, but gradually unlocking its 3 islands, each with its ain East Coast flavouring, felt similar a occurrence astatine the time. Yes, the repetitive, simplistic ngo plan and less-than-desirable conveyance handling whitethorn not person aged thing adjacent to gracefully since its 2001 launch, but an engaging communicative and compelling (if archetypal) characters are inactive determination to beryllium seen. It’s inactive worthy playing contiguous to spot wherever the roots of what GTA (and a twelve different open-world games) sprouted from.

8. Bully

Bully has often been described arsenic “GTA, but successful a school”, and to an extent, that’s precisely what it is. By substituting shotguns for slingshots and musculus cars for go-karts, it hits the close spot for anyone looking to wreak havoc astatine a backstage New England boarding schoolhouse alternatively of moving drugs crossed a fictional Miami oregon Los Angeles. The root of that havoc is Jimmy Hopkins, a troubled 15-year-old with a past of acquisition expulsions. Tasked with navigating a twelvemonth astatine Bullworth Academy, a assortment of schoolroom minigames, assorted clique quests, and hallway authorities each service to archer Bully’s communicative – 1 afloat of teenage charm and emblematic Rockstar societal commentary.

Skating oregon cycling astir the academy and its suburban surroundings is simply a delight, with memorable landmarks similar a colourful funfair oregon the looming Happy Volts Asylum filling a sizable representation that changes temper with the seasons arsenic the communicative unfolds. This satellite is the effect of Rockstar adapting the GTA look for an unfamiliar, unconventional mounting – look a small closer, and you’ll spot well-worn mechanics twisted to acceptable schoolhouse beingness (for example, attending lessons precocious risks the fury of teachers and prefects, which is Bully’s mentation of the Wanted system).

Bully is admittedly a small janky to play today, acknowledgment to a less-than-robust camera and over-reliance connected quicktime events, but it's inactive a precise amusive time. And possibly if we’re truly lucky, erstwhile Rockstar is done with GTA 6, we’ll get that sequel we’ve each wanted for astir 20 years now.

7. GTA 4

There’s a beardown statement for Niko Bellic being the strongest of each the GTA protagonists – thing I’d apt hold with. Whether each of GTA 4 stands arsenic gangly astir him is up for further debate. 2008’s instrumentality to Liberty City took connected the amazingly bleak issues of the American Dream and what it means to beryllium an migrant successful the modern Western world. It’s a communicative that delivers for the astir part, providing a astonishing magnitude of mature extent for a workplace whose tales person historically been approached from a much pulpy angle. The metropolis itself was a revelation for the time, packing a varied magnitude of elaborate sights and sounds, adjacent if successful hindsight its visuals replicate the brown-grey blur that truthful galore games from the Xbox 360 epoch endure from.

It’s successful nonsubjective plan and wide gameplay that GTA 4 is fto down, though, which, for the astir part, is simply a batch of driving radical from A to B and assassinating azygous targets. Well, speech from the fantastic Three Leaf Clover slope heist mission, that is, which would spell connected to animate the cardinal hook of GTA 5. There’s nary denying the longevity of Niko arsenic a character, though, and the precise real, grounded struggles helium battles passim his story. We surely recognize wherefore he’d truly alternatively spell bowling with his cousin…

6. GTA Vice City

There are fewer video crippled locations arsenic iconic arsenic Vice City. Its neon-drenched roads, soundtracked by an all-timer postulation of ‘80s hits, served arsenic the mounting for galore people’s halfway memories of the PS2. Rockstar’s time-traveling travel backmost to the 1980s is anchored by protagonist Tommy Vercetti, played fantastically by Goodfellas’ Ray Liotta. Released lone a twelvemonth aft the game-changing GTA 3, it’s singular however overmuch of a measurement up Vice City achieved successful conscionable 12 months, not conscionable successful its star-studded formed and characterful storytelling, but besides successful the mode its plan injected beingness into each country of its proxy Miami.

An engaging communicative filled with Scarface parallels brought with it a caller consciousness of excess, which lent a blockbuster benignant to a bid that was, successful galore ways, inactive uncovering its feet. Those aboriginal days are evident successful the comparatively shonky controls and dated ngo plan – during the campaign’s twilight hours, your attempts to wrestle power of businesses and equilibrium money-making plates crossed the metropolis don’t rather enactment the much ballistic ambition of the story. That doesn’t instrumentality distant from Vice City’s wide charm, though; it remains a landmark portion of Rockstar history. And we can’t hold to spell backmost to those beaches and clubs adjacent twelvemonth successful GTA 6.

5. Max Payne 3

Rockstar decided to instrumentality Max Payne in-house for its 3rd entry, having published the archetypal 2 Remedy-developed games. Perhaps unsurprisingly, leaving Max’s Finnish creatives down resulted successful an wholly antithetic tone, but 1 that is arsenic arsenic thrilling. Gone are the pulpy comic publication panels, melodramatic monologues, and moonlit greys of neo-noir New York, replaced by sensory overload acknowledgment to blinding sunlight, dancefloor slug ballets, and a now-synonymous soundtrack composed by Health. Building connected the bullet-time foundations that propelled the bid to occurrence successful a post-Matrix world, Max Payne 3 transports the tortured ex-NYPD serviceman to Brazil successful the midst of a gritty pack warfare that leads to a larger conspiracy that’s bleaker than thing Sam Lake would person cooked up.

The determination to people societal ills reflects the quality betwixt Rockstar and Remedy arsenic developers – the erstwhile is ever consenting to instrumentality swipes astatine nations and their ingrained home problems, whereas the second looks inwards for much cerebral tales of idiosyncratic struggle. Both are valid, and some enactment successful the satellite of Max Payne, which means each 3 entries are fantastic successful their ain way. They each stock 1 happening successful common, however: that unrivalled powerfulness travel of triggering that slug time, leaping backwards done the air, and raining dual Uzi occurrence down connected anyone lasting successful your way. Delicious.

4. GTA San Andreas

If the leap betwixt GTA 3 and Vice City was big, past the chasm betwixt Vice City and San Andreas requires concern machinery to measure. In conscionable 2 years, Rockstar had taken each of its erstwhile Grand Theft Auto learnings, positive respective immense swings, and blended them each unneurotic to concoct its archetypal mentation of California. This immense (at slightest by PS2 standards) authorities is location to aggregate cities that steadily unlock arsenic you advancement done its story. The roadworthy travel betwixt them conveys a large consciousness of scale, arsenic does the incredibly varied ngo plan and extended formed of characters you conscionable during your tenures successful each metropolis.

It isn’t conscionable the sheer size that’s impressive, but besides the gambles Rockstar took erstwhile it came to gameplay. San Andreas features elements pilfered from the RPG and life-sim genres, allowing you to sculpt your quality and customise their appearance, adjusting their physique depending connected however galore weights you assistance oregon Cluckin’ Bell buckets you feast on.

And then, of course, there’s CJ himself, a protagonist who lives connected beyond the meme that follows him similar a shadow. Authentically brought to beingness by rapper Young Maylay, his communicative is 1 of redemption and endurance that pits him against immoderate of the series' astir memorable adversaries, main among them being Samuel L. Jackson’s despicable Officer Tenpenny. It each comes unneurotic to marque 1 of Rockstar’s top games, and the champion GTA of the PS2 era.

3. Red Dead Redemption

Rockstar had been displaying cinematic ambitions for galore years earlier Red Dead Redemption’s accomplishment successful 2010, truthful it was lone earthy that it would 1 time tackle 1 of the astir fundamentally filmic of genres: the western. Taking dense power from the likes of The Wild Bunch, Red Dead’s cross-continent communicative of an outlaw coming to presumption with being the past of his benignant takes fan-favourite John Marston to Mexico and backmost arsenic helium hunts down his erstwhile mentor, Dutch Van Der Linde. It’s a much agrarian mounting than we’d antecedently travel to expect from a Rockstar open-world, allowing for those cinematic flourishes to instrumentality clasp and contiguous an awesome creator achievement. Bustling metropolis streets made mode for dusty canyons, and a stunning Woody Jackson people filled the abstraction erstwhile dominated by changeless vigor chatter.

Red Dead Redemption’s slower gait allows for the communicative to play retired elegantly, with Marston’s near-invisible foe hanging menacingly successful the background, patiently awaiting their memorable snow-covered face-off. Then there’s the ending, which I’d ne'er spoil present for those who’ve ne'er had a accidental to witnesser it, but harmless to accidental it's lived agelong successful the representation arsenic 1 of video games’ astir impactful finales successful the 15 years since.

The roadworthy to that constituent is paved by immoderate admittedly reasonably regular ngo plan and a batch of equine riding, but there’s inactive capable property successful its dead-eye shooting strategy and endlessly amusive minigames (liar’s dice, here’s looking astatine you) to let for Red Dead Redemption to property precise gracefully. It lives connected arsenic 1 of Rockstar’s 3 finest achievements.

2. GTA 5

Grand Theft Auto 5 is simply a blockbuster successful each consciousness of the word. Not conscionable due to the fact that of the colossal fig of copies it’s sold, nor the magnitude of wealth it outgo to make, but due to the fact that of each facet of its design. It wears excess proudly connected its sleeve, reflected successful the thrust for wealth displayed by each of its 3 protagonists. This greed – itself Rockstar’s clearest disapproval of capitalism and the obnoxious characters it produces – comes to a caput successful GTA 5’s signature heist missions, each a bid of audacious enactment acceptable pieces battling to upstage 1 another. These run highpoints blend successful seamlessly with a Los Santos representation bustling with beingness and teeming with charm – Rockstar’s signature humour oozes retired of each show and sound, from thoroughfare country billboards to vigor presumption ramblings.

This sandbox has kept fans entertained ever since its operation successful 2013, and acknowledgment to the summation of GTA Online, it has expanded and improved consistently to this day. It’s created a full caller ecosystem for players to unrecorded in, instrumentality connected progressively analyzable heists, and adjacent physique contention tracks that agelong and loop into the sky. It genuinely is its ain ridiculous beast. But portion it whitethorn beryllium that expansive multiplayer mode that led to GTA 5’s tremendous success, it’s Michael, Franklin, and Trevor’s communicative that has proven to person the astir staying power, astatine slightest for us. It’s the champion that a Grand Theft Auto run has ever been, and that has america excited to spot however Rockstar volition effort to apical it with GTA 6.

1. Red Dead Redemption 2

The culmination of each Rockstar’s enactment to date, Red Dead Redemption 2 took living, breathing video crippled worlds to the adjacent level erstwhile it was released successful 2018. The level of item successful its sprawling frontier is extraordinary, with each creature, some carnal and human, reacting authentically to your each movement. This makes each enactment with these integer personalities consciousness astonishingly lifelike. This expertly crafted, turn-of-the-century occidental America is the signifier for a full big of memorable characters, some quirky and dangerous, but nary instrumentality successful the caput arsenic firmly arsenic protagonist Arthur Morgan.

His travel represents the highest of Rockstar storytelling, displaying a level of complexity and nuance simply not contiguous successful immoderate of the studio’s different games. The Van Der Linde gang’s trials and tribulations pb to a memorable acceptable of unsafe missions acknowledgment to the expanding desperation of its leader, Dutch. It’s a communicative laden with standout chapters – a turf warfare betwixt the Gray and Braithwaite families leads up to a manor location siege, a blockbuster slope heist successful the large metropolis of Saint Denis leads to an unexpected sojourn to the land of Guarma, and tensions betwixt the autochthonal Wapiti Indians and American Army pb to flame-soaked shootouts. It would beryllium hard to prime a azygous favourite from that list. Red Dead Redemption 2 is simply a vast, epic tapestry steeped successful cinematic style, and the champion crippled Rockstar has fixed america yet.

Simon Cardy is simply a Senior Editor astatine IGN who tin chiefly beryllium recovered skulking astir unfastened satellite games, indulging successful Korean cinema, oregon despairing astatine the authorities of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him connected Bluesky astatine @cardy.bsky.social.