GTA 1 Guide: Story, Characters, Missions, Vehicles and Cheats
This GTA 1 guide covers Grand Theft Auto, the first game of the series, developed by DMA Design and published by BMG Interactive. It launched on November 28, 1997 for PC and on December 14, 1997 for PlayStation, and it is set in 1997 across three American cities.
Key facts
- Developer and publisher: DMA Design and BMG Interactive.
- Platforms: PC and PlayStation in 1997, plus a Game Boy Color port from Tarantula Studios in 1999.
- Cities: Liberty City (with New Guernsey), San Andreas and Vice City.
- Playable criminals: eight silent protagonists, four men and four women.
- Working title: Race’n’Chase.
Story and setting
You pick one of eight silent criminals and work your way up the ladder of organized crime. The game is split into levels, one per city, and each level gives you a target score and five lives to reach it. Liberty City is modeled on New York, San Andreas on San Francisco and Vice City on Miami. The places section of the lexicon lists the boroughs, neighborhoods and landmarks of all three cities.
Main characters
The playable criminals (protagonists) never speak, so the story belongs to the bosses who hire them. Bubby connects you to the Vercotti Crime Family, Uncle Fu runs the Chinatown syndicate and El Burro leads a Mexican gang in San Andreas. In Vice City you face the corrupt cop Samuel Deever and meet Brother Marcus, the Rasta leader. Our profiles of Brother Marcus and Uncle Fu go deeper into the missions each boss gives you. For the complete cast, open the characters section.
Missions and walkthroughs
Most jobs start by answering a ringing payphone. Each chapter has its own walkthroughs on this site, and the GTA 1 missions category collects them all.
- Gangsta Bang (Liberty City): Phone 1 in South Park and the Beast GTS job.
- Heist Almighty (Liberty City): the starting mission, the Penetrator job and the 4 x 4 job at the New Guernsey docks.
- Mandarin Mayhem (San Andreas): Phone 1 in Central Market and Phone 1 in North Sunview.
- Tequila Slammer (San Andreas): Phone 1 in Northwest Telephone Hill.
- Bonus: the Kill Krishna trick.
Vehicles, gangs and places
Stealing cars is a key way to earn points, because you can sell them at the docks of each city. Browse every car, truck and bus in the vehicles section, where you will find the Penetrator, the Itali GTO and the Tank. Rival crews appear in the gangs section, from the Brotherhood of Jah Army of Love to the Vercotti Crime Family. The weapons section covers the pistol, the rocket launcher and the flamethrower.
Cheats and tools
If you want an easier run, our GTA 1 cheats page lists the codes for the game. Points are the real currency here: crimes, car sales and mission payments all raise your score, and each completed mission also increases your score multiplier.
Other GTA editions
GTA 1 is the start of the series, and the next stop is the GTA 2 guide. The original disc is also required to play the London expansion packs, covered in the GTA London guide. To compare all games, visit the GTA lexicon.
FAQ
When was GTA 1 released?
Grand Theft Auto came out on November 28, 1997 for PC and on December 14, 1997 for PlayStation. The Game Boy Color port followed on November 22, 1999.
Which cities are in GTA 1?
The game takes place in Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City. Liberty City also includes the neighboring state of New Guernsey on the same map.
Does the character you choose matter?
No. Whichever of the eight criminals you pick, the plot stays the same, and none of them speak.
How do you finish a level?
Reach the target score for the city, then drive to a certain location. Missions are the main source of points, since each payment is often around 50,000 points before multipliers.
How many lives do you get?
Each level gives you five lives, so careless driving or fights cost you progress quickly. A hit can kill you outright unless you wear body armor.