It's easy to sink countless hours into any Grand Theft Auto game. Simply roaming around those big expansive cities causing havoc is such a fun way to kill time. And that's exactly what most players do between missions, which greatly elongates the time they spend with the game.
However, this begs the question, how long are the actual campaigns? It's something the games themselves don't show as they only track total playtime, not solely the hours spent on missions. Thankfully, there are resources which show how long (and how short) each Grand Theft Auto game really is.
Updated January 27th, 2021 by Ben Jessey: Few gaming franchises have had the longevity of Grand Theft Auto. Since the late '90s, the open-world series has been releasing a constant stream of highly-regarded games, and each fan has their own personal favorites.
Previously, this list highlighted the longest and shortest ones. However, that meant leaving out some popular titles. So, to make this a more comprehensive look at the size of GTA games, we've added them all. Now, you can know the length of each one, and how they compare to one another. Individual expansions have been excluded as they're naturally smaller than the typical game; therefore, it isn't fair to compare them.
12 Grand Theft Auto Advance (7 Hours)
Back in 2004, handheld consoles were still very limiting and couldn't yet house giant, detail-filled games. So it's no surprise that GTA's Game Boy Advance title is a little short, clocking in at around seven hours.
Yet, the title still manages to tell a story in that time about a criminal who aims to find out the truth behind his friend's death. It's not the most complex tale of the series, but it's serviceable. Plus, most of your time is spent wreaking havoc around the city anyway.
11 Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (9 1/2 Hours)
This spin-off handheld title harkens back to the early games in the series due to its brief campaign and use of a top-down perspective. However, unlike the first few entries, Chinatown Wars does include a significant story.
It's a tale about a member of the Triads who wants to retrieve a family heirloom that was taken from him. The narrative does lack some depth, which explains why the game lasts less than ten hours.
10 Grand Theft Auto 2 (12 Hours)
In the first few GTA games, there isn't really a story. Instead, they contain a set of individual levels, and you need to earn a certain amount of points on each one to progress to the next. The points are achieved by creating carnage and completing challenges.
It's a gameplay loop that would've grown very tiresome in a 20+ hour title. So, the more modest length of this title is actually to its benefit. However, no main GTA game will ever be this short again.
9 Grand Theft Auto (12 1/2 Hours)
Despite being the original game in the series, the first Grand Theft Auto is not among the franchise's best. And the thought of playing it for 12+ hours isn't too appealing these days.
Yet, those hours used to breeze by. In fact, few things were more fun than tormenting the people of the game's fictional cities. But like its successor, the enjoyment would've faded if it took too long to beat. Plus, it's only short by GTA standards. Many other popular games have lasted less than 12 hours.
8 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (14 1/2 Hours)
Once the series entered into the 3D era, the games started to put more focus on storytelling. The inclusion of fully cinematic cutscenes added several hours to each games' length.
In Liberty City Stories, these scenes are used to tell the story of Toni Cipriani re-joining the Leone Family. The protagonist has to work his way back up the organization by completing all sorts of missions. It all takes just under 15 hours to beat, which isn't too bad for a title that isn't a part of the mainline series.
7 Grand Theft Auto 3 (16 Hours)
No installment changed the franchise as much as GTA 3. It removed the top-down perspective, switched to 3D, and made the map significantly bigger. And there's no point having a huge world if the game only lasts a short time, so 16 hours was needed to allow you to experience it all.
Plus, unlike its predecessors, the game actually includes a deep story filled with cutscenes. It sees the silent protagonist, Claude, attempt to hunt down the former lover who betrayed him. Although, as this is GTA, he gets involved in a lot of criminal activity in the process.
6 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (16 1/2 Hours)
As everyone enjoyed their time in Vice City during the 2002 game, Rockstar decided to take players there again for Vice City Stories. Although, they didn't do it through a small expansion. They gave everyone a full 16+ hour game to experience all of the bright colors and '80s music again.
Only this time, Tommy Vercetti isn't involved; instead, you play as Victor Vance. He's a former soldier who tries to find his place in the colorful yet dangerous city.
5 Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City (19 1/2 Hours)
This collection contains both of GTA IV's story DLCs, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. The former focuses on the biker gang known as the Lost, more specifically one of the main members, Johnny.
As for The Ballad of Gay Tony, it follows the adventures of Luis and his boss, Tony, as they try to increase their standing in the perpetually interesting Liberty City. Individually, both of the narratives feel short, which is unsurprising for expansions. But together, they make for a decent-sized game.
4 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (19 1/2 Hours)
Vice City doesn't just have an abundance of style; it has plenty of substance too. All of the bright colors and upbeat music are complemented by fun gunplay and strong storytelling.
You control Tommy Vercetti as he falls back into a life of crime after being released from prison. It's a deep and captivating narrative that required plenty of time to be told properly. And Rockstar provided that by creating 19+ hours of fun missions.
3 Grand Theft Auto IV (28 Hours)
While narratives had already become a bigger focus of the series before GTA IV was released, this game takes it up a notch. The story of Niko Bellic coming to America in hopes of making it big and finding those who wronged him is a complex tale.
It's also filled with a massive cast of characters that the protagonist either helps out or kills. So it's no surprise that the game is lengthy. That said, the story remains engaging throughout, even if some things don't get resolved.
2 Grand Theft Auto V (31 1/2 Hours)
GTA V's map is gigantic as it covers lovable Los Santos and the beautiful Sandy Shores. That large sandbox comes in handy during the 30+ hour story about a group of criminals and their endless list of enemies.
Although it's not simply the big map that necessitates the long campaign as there are also three protagonists. Each has their own life with their own problems, and throughout the story, the trio's issues intertwine. In a smaller adventure, it would've been impossible for Rockstar to explore each character fully.
1 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (31 1/2 Hours)
The longest game in the series is the popular San Andreas. In this title, players are put into the shoes of CJ as he returns to the place he grew up, getting involved with the local gangs in the process.
The story has gang warfare, betrayal, and plenty of shootouts. And the missions have so much variety that the 30+ hours fly by. Although, most fans continue roaming around the beautiful city long after the credits have rolled – likely with several cheats activated.