An open city with a particular point of view
The GTA series lets players move between missions and activities in fictional cities. Maps, vehicles, radio, advertising and characters help tell the story of that world. Its freedom is constructed: the developer still decides what is possible, what earns rewards and whose lives are represented.
The series is also built around crime, violence and satire. Sexualised material, language, drugs and purchases differ between titles and editions. GTA V is rated PEGI 18. An interesting mechanic or a conversation with an adult does not change a rating. Check the specific edition before choosing a game.
What can you work on?
Actions in the games can provide a starting point for an activity: reading a map, choosing a route, sharing roles, following a plan and explaining a decision. These are actions within a particular situation. Completing a GTA mission does not itself demonstrate better concentration, intelligence, wellbeing or school performance.
Our suggestion is to work with a clear task and a discussion. Ask participants to explain their method, change roles and apply the idea to a new, neutral situation. Every activity on this page can be done without a game, account, purchase or adult material. For children, use paper, shared activities and invented examples.
Satire can be questioned
GTA uses exaggerated characters, radio shows and advertising to comment on society. Ask who the joke targets, what it asks us to reject and whose voice is missing. A story can criticise something while repeating a stereotype. Examine specific choices in language and representation rather than assuming satire makes every scene harmless.
Separate the player, protagonist and author too. A character’s words do not automatically express a player’s views. That does not make every scene suitable for everyone. You can examine a neutral written account without watching violent or sexualised scenes.
GTA Online needs its own agreements
An online session involves more than the story on the box. Other users, contact, cooperation, purchases and changing activities can affect the experience. Agree in advance who to play with, how to respond to unwanted contact and what can be bought. Check the platform’s current blocking, reporting and purchase controls.
Plan an ending that can be followed. A time, a warning and an agreed next activity are easier to review than a vague instruction to play less. Gaming & Screen Time can save an agreement and display a timer; the web app does not close GTA or other apps.
GTA VI: confirmed, interpreted or unknown?
As of 20 October 2026, Rockstar lists 19 November 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Its official presentation shows Jason and Lucia in the fictional state of Leonida. A PC date is not confirmed in the official information used here. We have not played or reviewed GTA VI.
A trailer selects scenes to create interest. It does not establish every feature, the game’s quality or its effects on players. We do not transfer GTA V’s European rating to GTA VI. Check GTA VI’s own rating at release and leave claims about unknown features unresolved.
1997 → 2026
From city maps to online worlds
Open a game for its content, mechanics and questions to discuss.
The first cities
Overhead views, short missions and a city map at the centre of play.
Grand Theft Auto
A top-down game of driving and missions across three open cities.
How the game works
The player reads a city map, chooses a route and moves on foot or in vehicles. Its simple presentation makes orientation and an overview of the streets central to play.
Something to examine
Compare a short route with an easy route. The game’s criminal objectives and scoring do not define a good action outside the game.
Publisher’s information about the gameA top-down game of driving and missions across three open cities.
GTA: London 1969
The first GTA moves to a stylised London in 1969.
How the game works
A different city changes routes, driving and place names while keeping the original game’s basic structure.
Something to examine
What makes a fictional city suggest a particular place and period? Separate historical context, visual style and invented events.
Publisher’s information about the gameThe first GTA moves to a stylised London in 1969.
GTA: London 1961
A historical supplement. Its original product page is no longer available.
How the game works
The old official address now redirects to London 1969. We include the title for completeness, without assigning a release year or details that we could not verify in an accessible primary source.
Something to examine
A missing source is information too. Write down what you know, what is missing and which evidence would make you more certain.
Publisher’s information about the gameA historical supplement. Its original product page is no longer available.
Grand Theft Auto 2
A top-down city game with rival groups and changing relationships.
How the game works
Mission choices affect relationships with different groups. The player has to keep track of both the map and the game’s rewards.
Something to examine
Who rewards an action, and who is affected? An advantage within a game system is not the same as an ethical decision.
Publisher’s information about the gameA top-down city game with rival groups and changing relationships.
The city becomes three-dimensional
Larger stories and handheld side stories introduce different perspectives.
Grand Theft Auto III
Liberty City becomes a 3D setting with traffic, radio and connected missions.
How the game works
The player switches between navigation, following instructions and controlling a vehicle within a moving city.
Something to examine
Consider how sound, camera position and the map give different information. Discuss what the game chooses to show or leave out.
Publisher’s information about the gameLiberty City becomes a 3D setting with traffic, radio and connected missions.
GTA: Vice City
A fictional 1980s city with music, media satire and a criminal main story.
How the game works
Music, architecture and colour create a distinctive setting. Missions and properties offer different objectives to prioritise.
Something to examine
Explore how a period is staged. Satire, stereotypes and violence still need critical discussion when presented as entertainment.
Publisher’s information about the gameA fictional 1980s city with music, media satire and a criminal main story.
GTA: San Andreas
A larger region with cities, countryside and varied activities.
How the game works
Different transport systems and activities make planning and prioritisation visible. Its story combines family, belonging and crime.
Something to examine
Who gets a voice, and who is portrayed through stereotypes? Separate the story’s perspective from your own.
Publisher’s information about the gameA larger region with cities, countryside and varied activities.
Grand Theft Auto Advance
A standalone Liberty City game viewed from above.
How the game works
The city-game format is adapted to a small handheld screen. Maps, symbols and concise instructions carry more of the information.
Something to examine
What should a small screen show first? Sketch a readable map with no more than five symbols and a clear key.
Publisher’s information about the gameA standalone Liberty City game viewed from above.
GTA: Liberty City Stories
An earlier Liberty City story, originally designed for handheld play.
How the game works
A familiar city is revisited through different characters and an earlier period. Recurring places can acquire a different meaning.
Something to examine
Compare two descriptions of the same place. Which details depend on the period or narrator?
Publisher’s information about the gameAn earlier Liberty City story, originally designed for handheld play.
GTA: Vice City Stories
A prequel to Vice City with a different main character.
How the game works
Its story, missions and management of activities create competing priorities. It is a separate story, not a re-release of Vice City.
Something to examine
Make a timeline that separates a game’s release year from the year in which its story is set.
Publisher’s information about the gameA prequel to Vice City with a different main character.
More perspectives and online play
Connected stories, an ongoing online world and the announced GTA VI.
Grand Theft Auto IV
A new Liberty City follows Niko Bellic through a darker story.
How the game works
Phone calls, relationships and choices form part of a connected narrative. The city is seen through one character’s limited perspective.
Something to examine
What do actions show about a character, and what are we only told? Support a claim with a specific example rather than an impression alone.
Publisher’s information about the gameA new Liberty City follows Niko Bellic through a darker story.
GTA IV: The Lost and Damned
Johnny Klebitz’s story shows Liberty City from a different social setting.
How the game works
A different lead character changes the relationships and mission structure within GTA IV’s city.
Something to examine
How does changing perspective alter our understanding of a conflict? Explaining an action does not necessarily justify it.
Publisher’s information about the gameJohnny Klebitz’s story shows Liberty City from a different social setting.
GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony
Luis Lopez’s story follows a different network of people in Liberty City.
How the game works
The story overlaps with other narratives from the city, allowing events and narrators’ knowledge to be compared.
Something to examine
Can two accounts differ without one being a lie? Separate information, interpretation and missing knowledge.
Publisher’s information about the gameLuis Lopez’s story follows a different network of people in Liberty City.
GTA: Chinatown Wars
An angled overhead view of Liberty City with Huang Lee as its protagonist.
How the game works
Touch-based activities and a compact map adapt the series for handheld play. A central economy mechanic involves illegal drugs.
Something to examine
A neutral practice budget can explore prices and uncertainty without copying that trade. Use materials for a shared activity instead.
Publisher’s information about the gameAn angled overhead view of Liberty City with Huang Lee as its protagonist.
Grand Theft Auto V
Three protagonists share a story in Los Santos and its surrounding area.
How the game works
The game switches among three characters and includes missions involving roles and preparation. GTA V is rated PEGI 18.
Something to examine
A neutral group activity can practise allocating roles and giving precise instructions. The game’s violence, sexualised content and satire do not make it a children’s game.
Publisher’s information about the gameThree protagonists share a story in Los Santos and its surrounding area.
Grand Theft Auto Online
An ongoing multiplayer world with shared activities and purchases.
How the game works
Players can coordinate roles and timing, but also encounter other users, purchases and changing content. Online is a different experience from GTA V’s story.
Something to examine
Agree on spending, contact with other people and an ending routine in advance. Online interaction and purchases need separate consideration from the story.
Publisher’s information about the gameAn ongoing multiplayer world with shared activities and purchases.
Grand Theft Auto VI
Rockstar lists 19 November 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
How the game works
The official presentation follows Jason and Lucia in the state of Leonida. Released material is marketing, not a completed review or evidence of learning outcomes.
Something to examine
Separate what Rockstar has confirmed from what a trailer suggests and what is rumour. A PC date is not confirmed in the official announcement used here.
Its US rating is ESRB Mature 17+. This is an American content rating; we do not assert a confirmed European PEGI rating here. ESRB
Status checked on 20 October 2026. We have not played or reviewed it. Dates and platforms may change.
Publisher’s information about the gameRockstar lists 19 November 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Re-releases are not new chapters
The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (2021) brings together new editions of GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas. Collections such as Episodes from Liberty City and ports to new platforms are separate from the list of individual stories. Online receives ongoing updates; each update is not a new GTA game. About The Definitive Edition
Paper, discussion and teamwork
Six activities without the game
Choose an activity. Each popup has a goal, three steps and a concrete outcome.
15 min · Maps and planning
Find a route
15 min · Maps and planning
Goal
Explain a choice using distance and constraints.
- Draw an invented neighbourhood with a school, park, station and library. Add six roads and a distance for each.
- Plan a route from the station to the library via the park. Close one road, then find a new route.
- Compare the shortest route with the easiest route to explain. Ask someone else to follow your written directions on the map.
A map, two routes and three sentences explaining your choices.
15 min · Teamwork
Share the roles
15 min · Teamwork
Goal
Give concise, useful instructions and change roles.
- Make a small paper or block model. One person sees it, one gives instructions and one builds without seeing the model.
- Agree on three words for direction and position. Describe one action at a time and let the builder ask questions.
- Change roles. Discuss which instruction helped and what to change next time.
A shared model and three agreements about clear communication.
20 min · Choices and money
Keep a budget
20 min · Choices and money
Goal
Prioritise choices and leave room for the unexpected.
- Plan a fictional activity day with 100 points: venue 30, materials 25, transport 20 and snacks 15. Use points, not real money.
- Decide what to spend and what to keep. Add an unexpected cost of 15 points.
- Adjust the plan without exceeding 100. Explain what you removed and why.
A before-and-after budget with a reason for each trade-off.
20 min · Narrative and ethics
See an event from two sides
20 min · Narrative and ethics
Goal
Separate observation from interpretation.
- Use this fictional situation: a bicycle falls over and someone runs away. One witness saw the beginning; another only heard a crash.
- Write four lines from each witness’s perspective. Mark what they actually saw and what they assume.
- Write three questions that could clarify the situation without deciding in advance who is responsible.
Two short accounts and three open questions.
15 min · Sources and advertising
Check a claim
15 min · Sources and advertising
Goal
Examine news without treating advertising as proof.
- Read the GTA VI card on this page. Then find the date and platforms in Rockstar’s official written information. There is no need to watch a trailer.
- Make three columns: confirmed, interpretation and unknown. Sort these claims: 19 November 2026; the game improves planning; a confirmed PC date.
- Write the source and checking date beside what you could confirm. Leave unanswered questions open.
A source sheet with three categories and your checking date.
10 min · Play and agreements
Plan a good ending
10 min · Play and agreements
Goal
Agree on an ending that the player and other people can understand.
- Choose an activity everyone is already allowed to use. Agree on an ending time and a warning five minutes before.
- Decide what happens if a round cannot stop immediately. Agree on the next activity too.
- Try the agreement with a board game or another shared activity. Change one thing afterwards.
An agreement with an ending time, a warning and a specific next activity.
Save agreed games and time in Gaming & Screen Time. Age ratings and content still need to suit the player.
Editorial review: . An interpretation of game mechanics and content, not evidence of improved wellbeing, intelligence or school performance.
Sources
- Rockstar: Game catalogue and editions
- Rockstar: GTA VI – date, platforms and presentation
- Rockstar: GTA Online
- Rockstar: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition
- PEGI: GTA V – PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series
- ESRB: GTA VI – US content rating
- Take-Two: Historical catalogue including GTA and London 1969
- Take-Two: GTA V and GTA Online in 2013