The 18 Best Rockstar Games

Highlights

• Rockstar Games revolutionized gaming with Grand Theft Auto 3, setting a standard for open-world titles and storytelling.
• Though criticized for some online practices, Rockstar remains a top-tier development company with an impressive game pedigree.
• Their games like Red Dead Redemption and GTA Online continue to captivate players with immersive worlds and engaging gameplay.

Rockstar is arguably one of the greatest video game development companies in the world. They single-handedly changed gaming forever with Grand Theft Auto 3, redefined what was possible with gaming storytelling, and consistently kept creating great open-world titles. While they have suffered some controversy as of late for their online business practices, they remain a top-tier development company.

Rockstar Games has been around since 1998, and since that time, they’ve created some of the greatest video games out there. It’s hard to pick the best Rockstar Games from the bunch, given that pretty much every game they’ve touched has turned into gold in the eyes of many. Still, there are some games that are better than others, with players adoring the sheer amount of love and effort put into making these titles come to life in the best way possible.

Updated on February 20, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Rockstar Games are known as a master of their craft, developing a wealth of amazing games that fans can’t get enough of. Their release schedule may have slowed down in modern times, but there’s no denying that this studio has a ton of things up their sleeve, and developers aren’t afraid to flex their mastery over open-world gaming whenever they’re poised to release a new genre-defining title. The pedigree of this studio is truly impressive, featuring a wealth of iconic games that boast immense polish and quality across the board.

18 Red Dead Online

Metascore: N/A

It’s a shame that the launch of Red Dead Online was a huge mess that Rockstar took way too long to address. Clearly, their unwavering focus on GTA Online meant that this project would take a hit in terms of quality, but no one expected this effect to be so severe. Despite a fairly decent story campaign that fans loved, the content drip for Red Dead Online was so barebones that fans eventually lost interest in this title.

Even after staging in-game protests and lambasting this game in reviews and online discussions, Rockstar never really did what people expected and let the online portion of Red Dead Redemption 2 languish in mediocrity for far too long. It’s a shame since Red Dead Online is still a great game worth anyone’s time, but players can only enjoy this game for so long before the mediocre content ends up being a bit too grating.

17 Manhunt

Metascore: 76

Most people know Manhunt for its controversial gameplay that was lambasted by mainstream media outlets for fetishizing violence. This outcry was part of the usual negative rhetoric surrounding video games at the time, and players are finally glad to see that this unnecessary hatred has died down since the game’s release.

The stealth gameplay of Manhunt was truly riveting, and fans loved controlling James Earl Cash as he took out the many enemies trying to hunt him down. The story is easily one of Rockstar’s finest narrative offerings and serves as one of the many reasons to check out this cult classic.

16 Grand Theft Auto Online

Metascore: 80

Grand Theft Auto Online is one of the greatest multiplayer games that any fan can check out. The launch of this online mode was a bit rough, but Rockstar’s efforts to turn this game into one of their highlights have clearly worked out. The sheer number of ways players can immerse themselves in this open world is immense, with the single-player campaigns being pretty decent in their own right.

Players can team up and perform a bevy of unique heists or compete against each other in races that can be very creative if gamers put their minds to it. The sheer number of ways players can entertain themselves in this sandbox is immense and makes it infinitely clear why GTA Online continues to be Rockstar’s major focus, despite the annoyances of some long-time Rockstar fans who miss the quick turnaround this studio used to boast of when it came to developing unique single-player experiences.

15 Midnight Club 3

Metascore: 85

Midnight Club 3 is a street racing game that puts players in the driver’s seat of some of the world’s most exotic cars and bikes. Featuring a massive open-world environment, customizable vehicles, and fast-paced action, Midnight Club 3 was praised for its exhilarating racing mechanics and stunning graphics.

The game’s focus on arcade racing paid off in dividends, with the soundtrack being pretty brilliant in its own right. It’s a shame that Rockstar hasn’t decided to build up on this series despite the games being amazing to play through. While these hopes will never become a reality, most fans would be elated if Rockstar would announce a new Midnight Club game.

14 Max Payne 3

Metascore: 86

The third installment in the Max Payne series, Max Payne 3 sees the titular character battling his way through a gritty and violent underworld and shooting up bad guys across a host of locations. With cinematic storytelling, intense gunplay, and the signature bullet-time mechanic, Max Payne 3 was praised for its mature storytelling and innovative gameplay mechanics.

While some people found this title to be weaker than the other games in the series, the gameplay had definitely taken a turn for the better in every way. It was rather odd that the aiming for a game tailored towards consoles required immense precision, but fans could easily work around this issue by either perfecting their aim on controllers or using a mouse for pinpoint headshots.

13 Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

Metascore: 87

An expansion pack to the critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption, Undead Nightmare takes the game’s Western setting and adds a supernatural twist, with players battling hordes of zombies across the frontier. The game features a new storyline, new weapons, and a variety of supernatural enemies to battle.

It also allows players to play as Zombie Marston after completing the game, which makes for a great reason to revisit the open world and see the hilarity of this undead character dealing with the many threats in this game. The title’s unique spin on Red Dead Redemption‘s gameplay makes Undead Nightmare one of the best DLCs ever made.

12 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

Metascore: 88

Set in the same universe as Grand Theft Auto 3, Liberty City Stories is a prequel to the classic game that takes place three years prior. Players take on the role of mobster Toni Cipriani as he navigates the seedy criminal underworld of Liberty City.

The game features a vast open world with a wide variety of missions, vehicles, and weapons to explore and was pretty impressive on the PSP. It helps that rising through the ranks of the Leone crime family is pretty satisfying as well.

11 Grand Theft Auto 4: The Ballad Of Gay Tony

Metascore: 89

• Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
• Released: October 29, 2009
• Genre: Action, Adventure

Grand Theft Auto 4 contained what are arguably the two greatest pieces of DLC ever released. One of these pieces was The Ballad of Gay Tony, an expansion pack that saw people playing as Gay Tony’s bodyguard, Luis Fernando Lopez. The game was an enormous critical success, and many critics saw it as better than most full-price AAA video games.

The story was intriguing and wrapped up the events of GTA 4, it was filled with memorable characters, and the gameplay and lighthearted tone hearkened back to the sillier GTA days of old. When it comes to DLC, it doesn’t get much better than this.

10 L.A. Noire

Metascore: 89

Developed in collaboration with Team Bondi, L.A. Noire is a detective-themed open-world game where players take on the role of detective Cole Phelps as he investigates a series of interconnected crimes. A huge part of the gameplay is utilizing the game’s unique facial recognition technology to read the emotions and reactions of suspects and witnesses, which was truly groundbreaking at the time.

The game features a meticulously recreated 1940s Los Angeles, complete with historically accurate cars, fashion, and music. Fans of detective games will have a great time with this title, even if some people feel like the open world is a lot more barren compared to the offerings of Rockstar’s first-party offerings.

9 Grand Theft Auto 4: The Lost And Damned

Metascore: 90

• Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
• Released: February 17, 2009
• Genres: Action, Adventure

The Lost and Damned was Grand Theft Auto 4‘s first expansion pack and saw players taking on the role of a biker named Johnny Klebitz. Like the main game, this was a morose story that took itself far more seriously than prior GTA games, and it contained the glorious open-world gameplay everyone had all come to love.

It was just more of GTA 4, but that certainly wasn’t a bad thing. However, it’s interesting to note that the user score sits at just 8.0, as some people didn’t care for the story or characters, while others thought that it was too short to justify its price.

8 Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Metascore: 93

Chinatown Wars was originally released for the Nintendo DS. This game forgoes the traditional ground camera and instead employs a rotatable camera angled down at the action reminiscent of the earlier GTA games.

The game was instantly praised as a worthy addition to the GTA canon, and it remains the highest-rated Nintendo DS game on Metacritic. When it comes to portable GTA, it really doesn’t get much better than Chinatown Wars.

7 Red Dead Redemption

Metascore: 95

Rockstar was on an unbelievable high after finishing GTA 4, and everyone was practically praising them as the Gods of gaming. Their follow-up game was Manhunt 2, but that was a smaller project in comparison. So, what did the studio do for its next open-world opus? Go way back in time to the early 20th century and do a Western.

Most players are glad they did because Red Dead Redemption quickly became the quintessential Western video game. The characters, story, and open world were all praised, and it was called a more-than-worthy follow-up to GTA 4.

6 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Metascore: 95

Even to this day, Vice City remains many fans’ favorite Grand Theft Auto title. Tommy Vercetti made for a fantastic protagonist (and was wonderfully played by Ray Liotta), Vice City made for a colorful, exuberant, and exciting setting, the ’80s aesthetic was both nostalgic and fun, and the soundtrack remains one the greatest soundtracks in the history of gaming.

Put simply, it’s a masterpiece of gaming, and it will make older gamers nostalgic as few other games can. There’s just nothing like driving down Ocean Drive at night while listening to “Billie Jean.”

5 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Metascore: 95

The Grand Theft Auto series deals with a truly great debate – Vice City or San Andreas? This game took a more serious approach to the story, portraying a hood gang in turmoil and a man looking to find and redeem himself after returning home following his mother’s death.

While some people prefer Vice City, San Andreas was arguably the better map, as it was enormous, filled with interesting things to do, and served as a brilliant copy of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. It’s also interesting to note that the user score sits at 9.2, 0.4 better than Vice City‘s 8.8, indicating that many people have given a slight edge to San Andreas.

4 Grand Theft Auto 3

Metascore: 97

The game that started it all, Grand Theft Auto 3 is a historic title and is rightfully considered one of the GOATs. There was simply nothing like this game at the time. Not only was the open-world spectacular and unimaginably intricate, but the gameplay was so complex, responsive, and imaginative that it gave critics conniptions, with many calling it the greatest game ever made.

GTA 3 served as a major influence on gaming as a whole, and most people would be hard-pressed to find a critic who doesn’t place it in their top five. It’s an all-timer.

3 Grand Theft Auto 5

Metascore: 97

Speaking of all-timers, Grand Theft Auto 5 is a prime example of one. This game didn’t do a whole lot different from GTA 4, but it’s remembered more for what it accomplished than how it was.

Not only did it receive nearly unanimous perfect scores, but it became the fastest-selling entertainment product in history, broke numerous industry records, and has since become one of the highest-selling video games ever. It’s a bonafide cultural phenomenon, and it remains just as relevant today as it was back in the autumn of 2013.

2 Red Dead Redemption 2

Metascore: 97

It had been five years since Rockstar’s last game, as they were busy swimming in their pools of cash. But they were actually busy creating one of the most immersive video games of all time – Red Dead Redemption 2.

This game was considered even better than the first, with many critics drawing attention to its lifelike animations and physics, incredible sense of realism, and engrossing story that is often considered one of the best in gaming history. Meanwhile, the user score sits at a surprisingly low 8.8, as a lot of people took umbrage with the slow pace of the game, problematic bounty system, and outdated mission mechanics.

1 Grand Theft Auto 4

Metascore: 98

A game many people consider to be Rockstar’s magnum opus is Grand Theft Auto 4. This game did for the seventh generation what GTA 3 did for the sixth, as it wonderfully updated the open-world mechanics and presented a gorgeous, lifelike, and absolutely massive world unlike anything seen in gaming at the time.

Add in the surprisingly deep, rich, and complex story, and here’s a recipe for what is arguably the greatest video game ever made. That being said, many people didn’t like the slow pace (again) and more serious and downbeat tone. When it comes to the general audience, the series and Rockstar as a whole seemed to peak with San Andreas.