GTA Timeline

This is a timeline of the GTA product, not of its storyline.

If you have reliable sources for any important dates not mentioned here then please use my contact details to let me know. This is an ongoing project which I will update occassionally.

Announcements & Releases

1987-??-??Dave Jones starts work on “Menace” which leads to the creation of DMA Design.
1995-02-20GTA 1 Cityscape Documentation written by Keith Hamilton.
1997-10-?GTA 1 released for PC (MS-DOS).
1998-02-28GTA 1 released for PC (Windows).
1998-06-30GTA 1 released for Playstation.
1999-04-31GTA London 1969 released for PC.
1999-04-28GTA 1+GTA London 1969 “Director’s Cut” double pack released for Playstation.
1999-05-10GTA London 1969 released for Playstation.
1999-09-30GTA 2 released for PC.
1999-10-25GTA 2 released for Playstation.
1999-11-29GTA 1 released for Gameboy Colour.
2000-05-08GTA 2 released for Dreamcast.
2000-12-19GTA 2 released for Gameboy Colour.
2001-10-22GTA 3 released for Playstation 2.
2002-05-20GTA 3 released for PC.
2002-05-21GTA Vice City announced for Playstation 2.
2002-10-15GTA Vice City goes gold, meaning it sold over 500,000 pre-ordered copies.
2002-10-29GTA Vice City released for Playstation 2.
2003-02-18GTA Vice City annouced for PC.
2003-05-13GTA Vice City released for PC.
2003-09-03GTA 3+GTA Vice City double pack annouced for Xbox.
2003-10-22Sony Computer Entertainment, Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games face $246 million lawsuit, which gets dismissed.
2003-10-22GTA 3+GTA Vice City double pack released for PlayStation 2.
2003-11-04GTA 3+GTA Vice City double pack released for Xbox.
2004-03-01GTA San Andreas announced for Playstation 2.
2004-10-26GTA San Andreas released for Playstation 2.
2004-12-16GTA San Andreas announced for Xbox.
2004-12-21GTA 2 re-released for PC via Rockstar Classics.
2005-04-15GTA Advance released for GBA.
2005-05-17GTA Liberty City Stories announced for Playstation Portable.
2005-06-07GTA San Andreas released for PC.
2005-06-07GTA San Andreas released for Xbox.
2005-09-05GTA Trilogy (GTA 3+GTA Vice City+GTA San Andreas) announced for Xbox.
2005-09-23GTA San Andreas Special Edition announced for Playstation 2, featuring extra media content.
2005-09-05GTA Trilogy (GTA 3+GTA Vice City+GTA San Andreas) released for Xbox.
2005-10-18GTA San Andreas Special Edition released for Playstation 2.
2005-10-24GTA Liberty City Stories released for Playstation Portable.
2006-04-18GTA Liberty City Stories announced for Playstation 2.
2006-05-09GTA 4 announced for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
2006-05-10GTA Vice City Stories announced for Playstation Portable.
2008-04-28GTA4 released for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Nearly all of the release dates are here.

Unknown Dates

?GTA 1 re-released for PC via Rockstar Classics.
?GTA London 1961 released for PC via Rockstar’s website.
?GTA 1+GTA London 1969 “Director’s Cut” double pack released for PC.

Bibliography (Sources)

Delfi
Archived many notable GTA sites and all official documentation.
IceyBoard Calendar
Includes GTA dates collected by Icey.
IGN
Dates for obscure editions, such as the GameBoy Colour ones.
The DMA History Site
Written by Mike Dailly, a former employee. DMA started the GTA series.
Rockstar Games’ GTA Website
Lists dates for the earliest release of old editions in the series.
Take2 Games Press Releases
Archive of the GTA series publisher and owner since 2000.

New Sources

I recently found GTAnet’s release dates for GTA 3.