How Long Does It Take to Complete the Longest GTA Games?

The journey through a GTA game isn’t just about reaching the finish line, it’s about savoring the endless possibilities along the way.

One of the most popular games today is Grand Theft Auto (GTA) due to its unique setting, exciting missions, and the freedom it offers players. There are many things to look at when talking about the longest GTA game: the length of the story, how many side missions are included, and the number of worlds you can explore.

In this article, we’ll compare the total gaming time for each GTA game, starting with the main story and finishing with 100% completion. We will discuss the elements that make the game work and how these contribute to the time players spend in Grand Theft Auto.

What Makes a GTA Games Long?

Gameplay Elements That Affect Length

One of the key reasons why GTA games can take a long time to complete is the variety of activities they offer. Unlike many other games, where the goal is simply to finish the story, GTA games encourage players to dive deeper into the world. Here’s how they do it:

1. Main Story Missions: Every Grand Theft Auto (GTA) game features a primary storyline, which typically involves completing a series of missions that advance the plot. These story missions can range from driving and shooting to complex heists and strategy-based objectives.
   
2. Side Activities and Missions: Grand Theft Auto games are filled with side activities that can significantly extend gameplay. These can include racing challenges, random events, collecting hidden items, or completing tasks for various non-playable characters (NPCs). These side quests add significant replay value and help build the game’s world.
   
3. Exploration and Map Size: The size of the game world is another factor. GTA games feature vast open-world maps filled with cities, countryside, hidden secrets, and places to explore. The larger the map, the more time players can spend just wandering and discovering new areas.
   

Replay Value

Another reason why GTA games tend to be long is their replay value. Once you finish the main story, there’s often a lot more to do. For example:

• Collectibles: In GTA games, players can often collect hidden items scattered across the map, such as special cars, hidden packages, or unique weapons. This drives players to go back and explore every nook and cranny of the world.
  
• Side Missions: Although many side missions are optional, they offer rewards that are essential for 100% completion. These tasks range from helping a local business to collecting rare items, and they make the game last much longer.
  
• Modding Communities: Some PC versions of GTA games allow for mods (modifications), which are fan-made additions to the game that can change its appearance, add new missions, or even introduce new storylines. This further extends the game’s lifespan.
  

The Main GTA Games

The Grand Theft Auto franchise has produced several titles, each offering a unique experience. Let’s briefly examine the most significant games in the series and the typical completion time for each one.

1. GTA III (2001): The game that revolutionized the open-world genre. It introduced the concept of free-roaming in a 3D world. Though the map is smaller than later games, the story missions and side activities still offer plenty of content.
   
2. GTA Vice City (2002): Set in the vibrant 1980s, Vice City offered players a much larger world to explore compared to GTA III. The game had more missions and side activities, making it longer than its predecessor.
   
3. GTA San Andreas (2004): This game elevated the series to the next level by introducing a massive open world, multiple cities, and a diverse range of side activities. It remains one of the longest games in the series due to its depth.
   
4. GTA IV (2008): While the world of Liberty City wasn’t as large as San Andreas, GTA IV focused on realistic details and a deeply immersive story. The game’s side activities, such as bowling and darts, also added to its length.
   
5. GTA V (2013): Arguably the longest and most expansive GTA game to date, GTA V has a massive open world, an engaging story, and a thriving online component. Its length can vary depending on how much side content you decide to explore.

The Longest GTA Games by Story Playtime

When it comes to how long a GTA game takes to complete, one of the first factors to consider is the main story missions. Every game in the series has its approach to storytelling, and that impacts how long you spend on the main missions. But that’s just part of the picture. Side missions and other activities also play a significant role. Let’s take a closer look at some of the longest GTA games:

GTA V

Estimated Playtime for Story Missions
GTA V is known for its vast, open-world design, and its story missions alone can take anywhere between 25 to 35 hours to complete, depending on your playstyle and how much time you spend exploring or engaging in side activities. The game features three protagonists, each with their narrative arcs, which keeps the gameplay fresh and varied.

Influence of Side Content
However, the actual length of GTA V comes from its side content. The game includes:

• Heists: Heists constitute a significant part of the story, but they also serve as side activities that can be replayed for different outcomes and rewards.
  
• Collectibles: From hidden packages to spaceship parts, there are tons of collectibles scattered throughout the map.
  
• Sports and Challenges: You can play golf, tennis, go scuba diving, or try your hand at street racing and parachuting.
  

For a 100% completion, players can expect to spend 80 to 100 hours, depending on how much they engage with all the side activities.

GTA San Andreas

Estimated Playtime for Story Missions
GTA San Andreas offers one of the largest maps in the series, featuring a vast amount of content. Completing the main story missions will likely take around 25 to 30 hours. This may vary based on how much you focus on story-driven tasks rather than exploring or completing other objectives along the way.

Vast World and Side Missions
San Andreas is renowned for its vast world, featuring multiple cities, rural areas, and even the countryside. The sheer number of side activities is a significant factor in how long the game takes:

• Driving School and Flying School: These mini-games add an extra challenge and extend gameplay.
  
• Gang Wars: You can participate in gang wars and claim territory in the game’s world.
  
• Unique Vehicles: Unlocking special vehicles and completing challenges adds hours to the game.
  

For 100% completion, GTA San Andreas can take around 80 to 120 hours, making it one of the longest in terms of total playtime.

GTA IV

Estimated Playtime for Story Missions
GTA IV took a more realistic and grounded approach compared to its predecessors, focusing on Niko Bellic’s journey in the city of Liberty. The main story missions alone can take around 25 to 30 hours. While the map may seem smaller than that of San Andreas or GTA V, the game is packed with detail, and the pacing of the missions feels more substantial.

Side Activities and Realism
In addition to the main story, GTA IV also includes:

• Random Encounters: Random events can occur, adding a dynamic layer to the gameplay.
  
• Mini-Games: Activities such as darts, bowling, and pool are available, adding some light-hearted distractions from the intense storyline.
  

Reaching 100% completion in GTA IV requires about 50 to 60 hours because of the side activities and collectibles.

Comparing Length Across Titles

When we compare these three games, we notice a pattern:

• GTA V stands out as the most expansive game with the most content, thanks to its multiple protagonists, vast world, and the inclusion of GTA Online.
  
• GTA San Andreas is also very extensive, offering a massive world with multiple cities and numerous activities. The sheer variety of things to do in San Andreas makes it a considerable time investment.
  
• GTA IV, although slightly shorter in length compared to the others, still offers a highly immersive world with a deep narrative, especially for those who enjoy exploring every aspect of Liberty City.
  

In terms of pure story length, GTA V takes the crown, but San Andreas is very close, especially when considering the side activities and collectibles.

What About GTA Online?

One aspect of GTA V that can significantly extend the game’s playtime is GTA Online. Launched alongside GTA V, the online component has continued to evolve over the years, adding new missions, heists, and activities that can keep players busy for countless hours.

GTA V Online

How the Online Component Affects Game Length
GTA Online has no defined end, unlike the main story. With constant updates and new content, players can return for fresh experiences. This mode includes:

• Heists: Players can team up to pull off heists, just like in the main game, but with new locations and different objectives.
  
• Vehicles and Customization: Players can collect and customize vehicles, airplanes, and even yachts.
  
• Jobs and Races: Competitive and cooperative modes keep the gameplay exciting and varied, ensuring a dynamic experience.

How Long Can GTA Online Be Played?

Given that GTA Online is an ever-expanding world, there’s essentially no limit to how much time you can spend in it. Many players have spent hundreds or even thousands of hours in GTA Online, as new content is constantly added. This makes GTA V one of the longest games to play, especially for players who enjoy the online component.

Time to Complete: Main Story vs. 100% Completion

When you play a GTA game, you’re typically given two main paths to follow: completing the main story or going for the 100% completion. Let’s break down how long it takes to complete each path in some of the longest GTA games.

Main Story Completion

As we’ve seen, the time it takes to finish just the main story missions varies from game to game. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect:

• GTA V: Completing the main story alone will take around 25 to 35 hours.
  
• GTA San Andreas: The main story typically takes around 25 to 30 hours to complete.
  
• GTA IV: Niko Bellic’s journey in Liberty City typically lasts around 25 to 30 hours.
  

For most players, the main story is the core experience, and it’s easy to get lost in the game’s narrative without engaging too much with side content. These times can vary depending on how much exploration you do while progressing through the story.

100% Completion

However, if you’re a completionist who likes to tick off every box, then you’ll be aiming for 100% completion. Achieving 100% means finishing every main and side mission, collecting all hidden items, completing all mini-games, and generally doing everything the game has to offer. This adds a significant amount of playtime, and it’s an actual test of a player’s dedication.

Here’s how long it takes to get 100% completion in some of the longest GTA games:

• GTA V: For 100% completion, you’ll need around 80 to 100 hours. This includes finding collectibles, completing challenges, finishing all side missions, and, of course, exploring GTA Online’s extensive activities.
  
• GTA San Andreas: San Andreas is notorious for its massive world and tons of side activities. Achieving 100% completion will take you about 80 to 120 hours, thanks to the numerous mini-games, collectibles, and territory control missions.
  
• GTA IV: While not as vast as the others, GTA IV still offers plenty of side activities. Reaching 100% completion in GTA IV will take around 50 to 60 hours, which is shorter than the others, but still a significant commitment.
  

The time commitment required for 100% completion means that if you want to experience a GTA game fully, you’ll be investing a lot more time than just finishing the main storyline.

Which GTA is the Longest Based on Personal Experience?

When it comes to which GTA game feels the longest, personal experiences from players vary widely. While some players might prefer the depth of GTA V, others may find themselves spending hours in GTA San Andreas because of the game’s numerous activities. Let’s take a look at what players have said:

Player Feedback

From community discussions, here’s what many players have said about the longest GTA games:

• GTA V: Many players agree that GTA V feels like the longest game due to the sheer amount of content available. Not only does the game feature a sprawling open world, but it also offers multiple playstyles, thanks to its three protagonists. GTA V’s online mode is another major factor that players often find themselves going back to participate in new heists, challenges, and events.
  
• GTA San Andreas: Some players believe that San Andreas holds the record for the longest game, mainly because of the game’s sprawling world and the sheer variety of things to do. The game has multiple cities, extensive customization options, and numerous side quests that can keep players entertained for hours. Many consider it a timeless classic because of its length and depth.
  
• GTA IV: While GTA IV may be shorter than the others in terms of pure playtime, players have noted that its realism and attention to detail make the game feel more immersive. The world of Liberty City is dense with activities. Still, it doesn’t feel as vast as the maps in San Andreas or GTA V. For players who prefer a more grounded, narrative-driven experience, GTA IV offers a lot to enjoy, but it doesn’t quite match the time investment of other games.
  

Factors That Make a Game Feel Longer

Several factors influence how long a game feels. For example, a massive open world might seem like it’s endless, but if it’s filled with fast-travel options, the game might feel shorter. Similarly, if a game is packed with engaging content that makes you want to explore every nook and cranny, it will feel longer, even if the map isn’t the biggest.

Tips for Enjoying a Long GTA Game

A long GTA game can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to balance main missions, side activities, and exploration. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your playtime:

Managing Your Time

1. Pace Yourself: Don’t try to finish everything in one go. Take your time and enjoy the journey.
   
2. Set Goals: Focus on completing smaller objectives rather than aiming for 100% right away. Completing side activities or finding collectibles can be a fun way to break up the main story.
   
3. Take Breaks: If the game feels too long, take a break. Come back refreshed and ready to dive back into the action.
   

Using Mods or Cheat Codes for a New Experience

1. Mods: On PC, mods can significantly alter the gameplay experience, introducing new features or making the world feel fresh.
   
2. Cheat Codes: While cheating isn’t always encouraged, using cheat codes can help speed up specific tasks. For example, you can use cheats to get vehicles, lower your wanted level, or skip some tedious sections.
   

Mods and cheats can help you experiment with different playstyles and keep the game fun, even after hours of play.

Conclusion

Grand Theft Auto is renowned for developing some of the most extensive and most detailed open-world games. For the record of having the longest game, GTA V and San Andreas compete at the forefront of the list, thanks to their large worlds and many things to do. You will need to invest a lot of time playing, whether you want to complete everything or experience the story. When you are looking for a game to really get into, try a Grand Theft Auto title. All that content, side activities, and places to explore make sure you’ll get good value for your money.