Here is the shortest and longest GTA playtime ranked from release. It’s wild to think that we used to wrap up a Rockstar title in a single weekend.
Back in the PS2 era, you could see the credits roll before you even needed a haircut. But as the maps got bigger, our social lives got smaller.
We looked at the data and our own scary Steam logs to see how GTA has evolved from tight stories to lifestyle commitments with their playtime.
Grand Theft Auto III
Main Story: ~15 Hours
The game that defined the 3D era is surprisingly brief by modern standards. You play as Claude, you don’t say a word, and you rampage through Liberty City in roughly 15 hours. It was short, punchy, and chaotic.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Main Story: ~17 Hours
This is the sweet spot for a lot of us. You get the neon-soaked streets, the 80s soundtrack, and the Tommy Vercetti empire building, all in under 20 hours. It respects your time, even if the RC helicopter mission didn’t.
Grand Theft Auto IV
Main Story: ~28 Hours
Niko Bellic brought physics and grit to Liberty City. The story was longer, the driving was heavier, and the bowling invites were constant. Clocking in near 30 hours, it felt like a prestige TV drama compared to the arcade action of the earlier games.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The Grind: ~300 Hours
Here is where the scale broke. Sure, the main story is technically around 30 hours, but nobody played it that way. Between the gym, the turf wars, the jetpack hunting, and the sheer size of the state, San Andreas became a second life. For many of us, this was the first true 300-hour grind.
Grand Theft Auto V
Playtime: Infinite
The campaign is a solid 30 to 50 hours depending on how much yoga you do. But let’s be honest, GTA Online broke the clock. We stopped counting after the first year. Between heists and stunt races, this isn’t a game you beat. It’s a place you live.
Rumors suggest the next entry might aim for a tighter 50-hour narrative. But we all know better. With a new map to explore and likely a new version of Online to consume our evenings, we are probably looking at another decade-long obsession.
Which era held your attention the longest?