Referring to GTA Versions
The titles of some games in the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series are very long. The online community, the games publishers and the press frequently shorten the titles by using initials. However, there is no standard manner in which to shorten the titles and so it can be difficult to be sure exactly which title is being referred to. Further problems arise due to the GTA have so many titles, available on so many platforms, with some having several releases for the same platform.
To try and overcome this, GTAmodding has created this page for the public to develop a standardised method of referring to games in the GTA series. It is not yet clear what format will be settled upon but one has to start somewhere.
Referring to the Entire Series
The first game in the series was simply called "Grand Theft Auto" without any number or other identifying marks. This usage is ambigious as it could mean the first edition or be a reference to the entire series. To resolve this problem, some authors do the following:-
- When referring to the entire series, use "Grand Theft Auto" or "GTA".
- When referring specifically to the first edition, use "Grand Theft Auto 1" or GTA1".
Creating Shorter Titles
The simplest way to shorten the titles is to use the first letter of each word the title is made from. One edition uses a number (Grand Theft Auto 2) while another uses Roman Numerals (Grand Theft Auto III). Numbers are preferable to numerals in this context as the purpose is to create a shorter version.
A Format for Shortened Titles
Below is a standard which has been developed by some authors to shorten any reference to games in the GTA series. This format is not authoritive and is likely to be incomplete. GTAmodding welcomes responsible additions and amendments to any section.
Titles are grouped by edition and not by the date they were released. This is to keep the different versions of each edition next to each other. Where an edition has several versions, using the edition name alone indicates that all versions are being referred to. Authors can use the exact title when referring to specific versions.
| Full Title | Shortened Title |
|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto (entire series) | GTA |
| Grand Theft Auto (first edition) | GTA1 |
| Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 | GTAL 1969 |
| Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 | GTAL 1961 |
| Grand Theft Auto 2 (and all its versions) | GTA2 |
| Grand Theft Auto 2 version 9.6 | GTA2 v9.6 |
| Grand Theft Auto 2 version 9.6 Free Edition from R* Classics | GTA2 v9.6f |
| Grand Theft Auto 2 version 10.3 | GTA2 v10.3 |
| Grand Theft Auto 2 version 10.5 | GTA2 v10.5 |
| Grand Theft Auto III (and all its versions) | GTA3 |
| Grand Theft Auto III version 1.0 | GTA3 v1.0 |
| Grand Theft Auto III version 1.01 | GTA3 v1.01 |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (and all its versions) | GTAVC |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City version 1.0 | GTAVC v1.0 |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City version 1.01 | GTAVC v1.01 |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (and all its versions) | GTASA |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas version 1.0 | GTASA v1.0 |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas version 1.01 | GTASA v1.01 |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas version 2.0 | GTASA v2.0 |
| Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories | GTALCS |
