Even if you haven’t been one of the millions of people glued to their keyboards for the last few years for so much as a sniff of an update on the most highly anticipated video game sequel ever, chances are, you’re aware that Grand Theft Auto VI is finally, finally mere months from release.
Two and a half years since the first trailer dropped, Rockstar Games finally made pre-orders available this week, with the game’s much-delayed release date of November 19 surely set to stick.
The GTA series has a long history of absolutely smashing it when it comes to its soundtracks, with rock, metal, hip hop, pop, dance and even classical all richly represented at various points throughout the franchise. In that spirit, ranking every main entry Grand Theft Auto soundtrack from worst to best seems a nigh-on impossible task. But you know what? We’re gonna try and do it anyway.
7. Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)
Just like the original, Grand Theft Auto 2 features a brilliant, diverse array of original compositions, building on its parent game by adding in more radio stations that can be accessed depending on which area of the game you’re driving through. The reason it’s bottom of this particular list? Despite expanding the soundtrack size of the first GTA, the sequel still feels like a slight step back because of the outstanding soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto: London 1969, an expansion to the original that was released just a few months before. That bolt-on featured licensed music in a GTA title for the first time, so the hop backwards to a 100% original soundtrack felt like a missed opportunity. Still, GTA 2‘s music is hella decent in its own right.
6. Grand Theft Auto (1997)
Every great gaming franchise has a thoughtful, immersive soundtrack to match, and the original Grand Theft Auto‘s was a game-changer in every sense of the term. Introducing the ingenious idea of having an interactive, in-car radio that could switch between stations and, therefore, genres gave the game’s open-world-ish feel extra depth and personality. It also added a hilariously unhinged layer to the game’s controversial violence; gleefully smashing into cop cars while playing propulsive 70s funk jams felt like the kind of cheekily subversive chaos that was destined to be lapped up by a generation weaned on South Park and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. Rockstar would innovate even further as the series wore on.
5. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
Featuring three hours of music that included both real world and fictional artists, GTA III‘s soundtrack felt like as much of a leap forward for gaming as its namesake’s much anticipated jump into 3D. From lush instrumental tracks like Scary Movies to classical cuts from the likes of Mozart and Verdi, it packed in an impressively diverse selection of songs in its runtime. Plus, it gave many hip hop fans an introduction to Royce Da 5’9″, who’d later find fame as one half of hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, also featuring some fella named Eminem. GTA III‘s music would inevitably pale in comparison to what followed, but this was as forward-thinking as gaming soundtracks got in 2001.
4. Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
After some 80s and 90s detours, GTA IV brought the series screeching back into the present day, and had a soundtrack to match. This was rarely as prevalent as with the introduction of the radio station Electro-Choc, which brought with it glitchy EDM cuts from the likes of Simian Mobile Disco, Deadmau5, Justice and K.I.M. There were plenty more fresh strokes being added, too: Liberty City Hardcore brought the rage courtesy of punk rock killers like Bad Brains, Sick Of It All, Cro-Mags and Murphy’s Law (whose frontman Jimmy Gestapo presented the station). There were also rock anthems from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, plus a ton of hip hop, indie, pop, jazz and reggae. It lacked the stand-out anthems that felt title-defining like those offered by Vice City and San Andreas, but on a purely musical level, GTA IV still delivered the goods.
3. Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
GTA V did a particularly great balancing act that both tipped a cap to the nostalgic soundtracks of the sixth gen GTA titles while injecting a huge dose of contemporary, cutting edge whoppers. As well as getting stuck into the West Coast Classics Station and jamming Dr. Dre, N.W.A. and and Snoop, you could also switch on Radio Los Santos and enjoy fresh cuts by the likes of A$AP Rocky, The Game, Freddie Gibbs and Future. If rap wasn’t your thing, you could still get stuck into old school hardcore, classic rock, modern electronica, millennial pop and much, much more. For sheer variety, it’s hard to look past the latest entry into the series, and on that front, GTA VI certainly has its work cut out.
2. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
Much like the game itself, San Andreas‘s soundtrack took the blueprint of its predecessor and built on it spectacularly. While the game’s vastness and crazy amounts of character customisation/upkeep was a little too much for some, what was in no doubt was that its music absolutely slapped. Adding lashings of r’n’b, soul, country and reggae, San Andreas also made the most of its 90s setting courtesy of ringing in tracks from decade-defining heavyweights including 2Pac, Cypress Hill, Rage Against The Machine, Faith No More, Jane’s Addiction, Soundgarden, Bobby Brown, Boyz II Men and many more. It made for an incredibly eclectic, bulletproof soundtrack that could appeal to music fans across the board.
1. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
Capturing the feel of its mid-80s setting magnificently, Vice City doesn’t just boast the best soundtrack of any GTA game, but one of the single best video game sountracks of all time. Anyone who picked it up at the time will never forget that first moment they jumped onto a moped and parped along blasting Billie Jean. With over nine hours of music across seven unique radio stations, players could hear heavy metal classics from Twisted Sister, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest or Iron Maiden on V-Rock, switch over to Wave 103 for some synth pop bangers courtesy of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Tears For Fears and Blondie and then have a listen to Wildstyle for foundational hip hop anthems by legends like Grandmaster Flash and Run DMC.
All at the tap of an L1 button. GTA soundtracks have got even more diverse since then, but for creating the perfect soundtrack to a game set in a particularly iconic era for pop culture – as well as providing countless hits perfect for heists and high speed chases – Vice City remains GOATed. Oh, plus: that main theme is an absolute worldie.
Grand Theft Auto VI releases November 19. Pre-orders are available via Playstation and Xbox
