One of the most popular gaming franchises to ever exist, Grand Theft Auto, or as fans might call it, GTA, has been around since 1997. The original title, made by DMA Design (now Rockstar North), which started as a top-down open-world action game, has evolved into a billion-dollar franchise, with the upcoming title, GTA 6, already being the most anticipated title of 2026. As Rockstar recently revealed the official GTA 6 cover art and opened pre-orders, let’s take a look back at all the GTA cover box arts till now, starting from the very first Grand Theft Auto title to the upcoming game.
The game that started it all, the original Grand Theft Auto, or GTA 1, came out in October 1997 and put you in the shoes of a small-time crook completing jobs like theft, robbery, and so on, all viewed from a top-down perspective. What set it apart from other games at the time was the freedom of open-world exploration from the usual run-of-the-mill missions.
When it comes to its cover art, it is a real photograph of the New York City skyline shot through a fisheye lens, giving it a wide, curved look with skyscrapers stretching across the image. The iconic Trump Tower sits right at the center with the game’s logo smacked on top in a bold yellow and orange color scheme.
The classic wanted stars also sit beside the text, with flames shooting out of “Theft” signifying speed and getaways. At the bottom of the image, the scene gets more street-level, showing taxis, pedestrians, cop cars, and setting the gritty tone of the city perfectly.
The second ambitious title in the franchise, GTA 2, released in October 1999 and dropped players into a retrofuturistic city where the setting felt stuck between past and future. It kept the same top-down gameplay but introduced an intriguing gang reputation system.
The cover art for GTA 2 is also an actual photograph, but it takes a slightly different approach. The picture puts you in the perspective of a sniper looking down from a great height with his reticle locked onto a taxi that appears to be in the middle of a hostile situation. Other cars and pedestrians on the cover are blurred out to signify chaos and escalation of the situation. The logo used a new typeface and sat on top of the image with the main text “GTA” in black and “2” in red.
The breakthrough title in the series, GTA 3, was released in October 2001, and it ditched the top-down view and threw players into a fully rendered 3D Liberty City for the first time. The cover art for GTA 3 marked the franchise’s first reinvention of how the series presented itself. Rather than a photo like the first two games, this was a fully original artwork, which was a grid of smaller images, divided by clean black lines, each panel showcasing a different character or feature from the game with its own unique colored tile.
When it comes to the tiles, on the left you get a police helicopter in red, one of the main characters Joey Leone’s face in green, Misty in red, 8-ball with Miguel behind him in light blue, Ray Machowski in a lighter red, a Stallion muscle car in white and orange, Salvatore Leone in light blue, an unidentified car in orange, El Burro in green, and a mafia member split across two panels in red. The cover also introduced the Pricedown typeface for the logo and the Roman numeral for the game number, which Rockstar continued to use for all of its GTA covers to date.
GTA Vice City was released in October 2002 and threw players into a sun-soaked, neon-drenched version of 1980s Miami as Tommy Vercetti, who is a gangster fresh out of prison, who gets caught up in a botched drug deal and claws his way to the top of the city’s criminal empire. The game was heavily inspired by movies like Miami Vice and Scarface, and it slowly became one of the most popular GTA games.
Coming to the box art, it is a step up from the usual two tone red and black color and this one uses multiple colors throughout the artwork, making it more vibrant. It is basically a collage of different scenes from the game. You’ve got a Maverick helicopter firing its guns, Sonnty Forrelli pushing his sunglasses down outside a mansion, and a red PCJ-900. Then, the GTA bikini cover girl is shown holding a martini glass, and there’s a yellow Infernus with a pink building behind it.
Ricardo Dias appears with an unlit match in his mouth, and Sonny shows up again driving a Squalo boat at high speed, which is also one of the GTA 6 vehicles. There’s an explosion, throwing a red car and a police car into the air, and finally, Lance holding a pistol with sunglasses on.
GTA San Andreas was a breakthrough hit in the Grand Theft Auto series and quickly gained critical and global acclaim. Released in 2004, the game follows Carl “CJ” Johnson, who returns to his hometown of Los Santos after years away, only to find his mother murdered and his old gang falling apart.
GTA San Andreas box art ditches the simpler colors of earlier entries and gives a more detailed cover. The signature GTA collage returns, and the cover features a Police Maverick shining its searchlight against a sunset-orange sky, and a gangster with a green rag over half his face holding an AK-47. Rochelle appears with her tongue out (the game’s cover girl), and wearing sunglasses, while CJ is shown riding a BMX.
A close-up of gambling chips sits alongside a tram rolling through the streets of San Fierro. The Truth gets a close-up of his face, and Sweet, Big Smoke, and Ryder are shown mid-drive-by. Cesar Vialpando rounds things off, sitting on the hood of a red Savanna with a pistol in hand.
GTA Liberty City Stories, released in 2005, was originally a PSP exclusive before making its way to PS2. You play as Toni Cipriani, a mobster returning to Liberty City after lying low for a while. The game is set in 1998, before the events of GTA III, and follows Toni as he fights to restore the Leone crime family’s grip on the city.
The box art, however, features a collage of characters and vehicles from the game. A Maverick helicopter, like previous GTA games, sits in the top left, either landing on or taking off from a helipad. Maria Latore is shown holding a pistol in front of a red background. An unidentified character is seen holding a shotgun in a grey suit. Kazuki Kasen appears alongside a red Kuruma speeding away from an explosion. There’s a close-up of Salvatore Leone’s face, Ray Machowski holding a pistol, and finally a green Freeway motorcycle at the end.
GTA Vice City Stories came out in 2006, first on PSP and then PS2. The game is set in 1984, so it actually takes place two years before the events of Vice City. You play as Vic Vance – yeah, Lance’s brother – who gets dishonorably discharged from the army and basically has no choice but to get tangled up in Vice City’s criminal scene.
GTA Vice City Stories’ box art features a white border from the traditional black one and softer edges, giving it a slightly different personality compared to other entries. The cover features the signature Maverick helicopter, but this time with a door gunner and a Vice City Biker on an Angel. Umberto Robina gets a close-up of his face, while Diego Mendez is shown holding an SMG. There’s a female character leaning against an Infernus, Mystique in a red bikini, and finally a Reefer with Gonzalez and more people on board.
GTA 4 came out in 2008 and follows Niko Bellic, an Eastern European war veteran who moves to Liberty City after his cousin Roman convinces him it’s full of opportunities. Spoiler alert: it’s not. The game is a lot darker and grittier than its predecessors, with Niko constantly trying to escape his past while getting pulled deeper into the city’s criminal underworld.
Coming to the box art, it goes back to thinner borders and more detailed artwork. The cover features the protagonist Niko Bellic twice: once as the door gunner in a Maverick helicopter, and again in a close-up of his face. Then, there’s a red and black NRG-900 motorcycle with a subway train passing overhead and Lola Del Rio licking a lollipop. An unidentified person is shown sniping from a rooftop, while Mikhail Faustin is seen talking on the phone, armed with a pistol.
A skycar passes the Algonquin Bridge’s suspension tower, Niko is seen in a Shafter being chased by an LCPD cruiser, and Little Jacob finally appears holding a pistol with the iconic Broker Bridge behind him.
GTA 4: Episodes from Liberty City, released in 2009, is a standalone package that bundles both GTA 4 DLC episodes together, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. The good thing is you didn’t need the original GTA 4 to play it. Both episodes are set in the same Liberty City but follow completely different characters and stories.
The box art, on the other hand, brings together characters and scenes from both DLCs. Luis Lopez is shown skydiving from a Swift helicopter, and there’s a close-up of a combat pistol taken from Jim Fitzgerald’s official artwork. Billy Gret appears flanked by an unidentified biker on his left and Brian Jeremy on his right. Tony Prince gets a close-up of his face, while Luis shows up again, adjusting his cufflinks. Joni could be seen pouring champagne, a Bullet GT speeds away from an explosion, and Johnny Klebitz is seen holding a shotgun next to Ashley Butler.
GTA Chinatown Wars came out in 2009, originally on the Nintendo DS before landing on PSP, iOS, and Android. You play as Huang Lee, a spoiled rich kid who travels to Liberty City to deliver a family heirloom after his father’s murder. What starts as a simple errand quickly spirals into a full-blown story of betrayal, corruption, and revenge within Liberty City’s Triad underworld.
The box art is unique as it follows a more vivid panel approach than GTA 4. Huang Lee appears twice, once on a yellow NRG 900 motorcycle and again kicking an armed man in the face. Chan and Hsin Jaoming are shown together, and the Yu Jian Sword, which is an essential plot item, gets its own spot on the cover. Wu Lee appears in a close-up with a smoking pistol in front of his face. Ling Shan is shown with her sword, and finally, Wade Hudson holds a combat pistol in the end.
GTA 5 came out in 2013 and is set in Los Santos, a fictionalized version of Los Angeles. The game follows three protagonists: Michael, a retired bank robber living a hollow suburban life, Trevor, a completely unhinged career criminal, and Franklin, a young hustler trying to move up in the world. Their paths cross, and they end up pulling off increasingly dangerous heists together. Check out GTA 5 cheat codes if you’re looking to grab some in-game bonuses.
Coming to its iconic box art, it is quite similar to GTA 4 in terms of detail but uses a much more vibrant color scheme. The cover features a Buzzard Attack Chopper firing its guns over Los Santos, and a robber in a gas mask outside a bank. Franklin is shown riding a Sanchez with a Micro-SMG in hand, and a woman in a bikini holds up her iFruit phone at the beach.
Michael appears on a Seashark, and Trevor holds a sniper rifle with a Vinewood sign behind him. Franklin’s dog Chop is shown barking on a chain lead, and Franklin appears again holding a pistol. Finally, a 9F car is shown being chased by an LSPD cruiser on Vinewood Boulevard.
GTA Online is the multiplayer component of GTA V, launched in 2013. You start as a small-time criminal in Los Santos and work your way up by doing jobs, heists, races, and missions with other players. Over the years, Rockstar has kept expanding it with new content, like the GTA Online Mansions Update, businesses, and storylines, turning it into a massive, ever-growing world that’s still active today.
When it comes to the box art, it pulls together a range of content added over the years to GTA 5. There’s an Akula stealth helicopter firing its guns over Cayo Perico, and a female player outside The Diamond Casino & Resort. A male player is shown on a Galaxy Super Yacht, and there’s a shot of roulette inside the Casino.
Another female player appears holding a pistol, and gold bars from the Casino Heist make an appearance. The Kosatka submarine is shown surfacing at the dock, a Vectre sits in the LS Car Meet with Hao in the background, an MC member holds a compact grenade launcher, and players are shown rappelling down an elevator shaft.
Finally, GTA 6 is releasing on November 19, 2026, and is one of the most anticipated games of the decade. The game follows two protagonists, Jason and Lucia, who find themselves caught up in a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida. Check out our GTA 6 characters guide to know more about who’s in the game.
The cover art of GTA 6 goes back to the roots, with once again, a helicopter on the top left frame, which is said to be a Sea Sparrow. Then Jason and Lucia appear, where Lucia holds a gun. A biker hitting a wheelie on a pink Principe Alvino V1 motorcycle appears. Then a woman with a tattoo ‘Vice Baby’ appears, holding a can of Thaw and wearing a bikini and a crop top. Next up, an Alligator appears with Boobie Ike smoking next to it.
Then, players will be able to spot a yellow supercar that resembles a Lamborghini on the frame next to Raul Batista, holding an Assault Rifle and wearing a heist suit. Finally, a pink flamino appears flying over a Clarion speedboat.
With over 28 years of GTA history, fans have seen tons of these covers on rotation, either on the internet or in their favorite gaming stores while buying a copy of the game. Which cover art is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below!
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