Grand Theft Auto, better known as GTA 1, is a 2D action-adventure video game developed by DMA Design and released in November 1997. As the first title of the worldwide famous Grand Theft Auto series, GTA 1 features innovative gameplay possibilities through total freedom of action, a unique atmosphere, and thrilling missions and challenges.

Plot

Over the past years, you had a life full of criminal cases in various gangs and criminal organizations such as the Vercotti Crim Family in Liberty City, a Chinese crime syndicate in San Andreas, had to deal with a corrupted cop who threatened you to reveal your previous crimes, and did some jobs for Brother Marcus to help his gang.

But this time, Brother Marcus calls you one last time, asking you to meet him to collect your retirement pay and end your successful criminal career.

Gameplay

Cities: You will travel across three main cities inspired by real-life cities in the USA, including Liberty City (New York City), San Andreas (San Francisco), and Vice City (Miami). Each one is composed of two levels. The progression is linear, so completing a level or a city will unlock the next one.
Do the job: To progress through levels, you need to score points and reach a higher target number as you complete one level after another. You can do everything you want to earn points, like completing notable challenges, stealing and selling cars for profit, causing death and destruction amid the traffic, or even completing jobs for the local crime syndicate. As you complete tasks, you will also be rewarded with a multiplier bonus that will increase the value of the points you earn afterward.
Arsenal: You will find 4 types of weapons you can obtain by breaking crates scattered around the game, including Pistol, Machine Gun, Rocket Launcher, and Flamethrower. Those weapons will be the expression of your willingness and help you achieve your mission and cause death and destruction across the cities.

Drive and explore: You can drive dozens of vehicles around the three cities. However, it is said that you can tame the fastest cars only if you're the best, that the shortcuts will be revealed if you're the smartest, and that the world will kneel to you if you are the toughest.
Beware the police: The more crime you commit, the higher your wanted level will be. Police officers will pursue you no matter what and try to arrest or kill you unless you drive your vehicle to a spray shop or pick up a cop bribe. Remember that you will lose all your equipment if you get killed or arrested and have your multiplier bonus reset. If you lose all your lives, you need to restart the level.

Graphics and sound

GTA 1 graphics were not recognized as excellent, but that was not the point of the game, as it offered new kinds of gameplay experiences. About sound, you will enjoy listening to different radio stations composed by 3 DMA members (Colin Anderson, Craig Conner, and Grant Middleton) while driving around the city. Also, the main theme is "Gangster Friday", a song composed by Conner. The graphics and sound offer an excellent experience acclaimed by everyone.

Duration and game modes

As you try to become a crime lord, you are likely to play about 13 hours in a solo experience to finish the game, and maybe up to 16-20 if you want to explore everything. On PC, the game was released with networked multiplayer gameplay using the IPX protocol.

What do the reviews say?

GTA 1 has been rated 78.50/100 on GameRankings (Metacritic did not exist when the game was released). Grand Theft Auto has been a true success.