Highlights

• The quality of Grand Theft Auto handheld games varies. Some are disappointing adaptations, while others are promising and capture the essence of the franchise.
• Despite its frustrating controls and lackluster soundtrack, Grand Theft Auto Advance was the first handheld game worth playing.
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars stands out as the best truly portable GTA game, offering fans of the series impressive graphics and entertaining gameplay.

With more than 400 million sales since its debut in the late 1990s, Grand Theft Auto is one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that there have been a number of handheld releases over the years, although not all of them have hit the mark.

The best handheld Grand Theft Auto Games manage to capture the excellence of the main titles, allowing players to satisfy their need for carnage and mayhem on the go. Others fall far short of their home console counterparts, but are still fondly remembered by many fans of the series.

Although the original was not originally developed as a handheld game,
GTA
The 3D trilogy is included on this list because all three games are now available on Nintendo Switch and a number of mobile devices.

9 Grand Theft Auto

Appearances can be deceptive

Given the limitations of the Game Boy Color, Tarantula Games managed to capture the world of Grand Theft Auto in 8-bit. Unfortunately, the praise has to end here. The gameplay is frankly awful, the music is repetitive and the lack of blood and brutality makes the game seem more like a cheap copy than a true handheld version of the first GTA Game.

8 Grand Theft Auto 2

Another disappointing port

Unfortunately, Grand Theft Auto 2 is just more of the same. It looks like a GTA game from a distance, but digging under the hood reveals another empty shell. One could perhaps argue that the Game Boy Color version of Grand Theft Auto 2 was even worse than the first handheld Grand Theft Auto game, but that would be like trying to judge a punch in the face and a punch in the gut. Both kind of suck.

7 Grand Theft Auto: The Movie

A step in the right direction

Grand Theft Auto: The Movie was the first portable GTA game that was actually worth playing, although that doesn’t mean it didn’t have its fair share of problems. The controls were incredibly frustrating and the soundtrack was pretty bad. Still, the team at Digital Eclipse deserves credit for their take on the franchise, because their creation at least feels like a Grand Theft Auto Play in the mind.

6 Grand Theft Auto 3

An ageing classic that came too late

Grand Theft Auto: The Movie was originally a handheld port of Grand Theft Auto 3. However, those plans changed at some point during development, and fans ultimately had to wait another seven years before they could play this hugely influential video game on the go. By that point, it was already starting to show its age, and while the definitive edition, which came out about ten years later, helped a little in that regard, it can still be a bit of a chore to play through due to its clunky controls and fragile vehicles.

5 Grand Theft Auto: Tales from Liberty City

A useful spin-off

Grand Theft Auto: Tales from Liberty City was originally released for the PlayStation Portable in 2005. By this time, Rockstar had already finished work on the original 3D trilogy, so they were able to incorporate everything they had learned into their new handheld game. GTA game. The result was a version of Liberty City that was just as good as the one in GTA3 and much smoother gameplay that really shows off the power of the PSP.

4 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

The almost perfect prequel to the PSP

Published the following year Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories The series returned to Vice City once again. The game is a prequel to Rockstar’s 2002 title, with players this time taking on the role of Victor Vance. As for the gameplay, Vice City Stories is not much better than the previous GTA Spin-off, but beats this one by far thanks to its better setting and story.

3 Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Top-class handheld gaming

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is probably the best GTA Game developed for handheld consoles. It was released for both Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable in 2009, with mobile versions added over the next few years. In the game, players control Triad member Huang Lee as he attempts to recover a stolen family heirloom. The impressive graphics and fun gameplay make this game a must-play for fans of the series.

2 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

The original gangster paradise

In many ways, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was the perfect sequel to the video game, improving on pretty much everything that had proven popular in the third installment in the series, while also giving players a far more exciting sandbox in which to wreak carnage. The 80s setting and gangster-movie-inspired narrative are perfectly executed, while the soundtrack is one of the best in the series.

1 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

An all-time classic that can now be played on the go

Given the long development cycles these days, it’s pretty crazy that the original 3D trilogy was released over the course of just three years. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the culmination of everything Rockstar had learned in that short but productive time, resulting in a highly polished masterpiece that holds up well to this day. Thanks to the release of the definitive edition on Switch and mobile, it is now also the best handheld GTA Play around.