{"id":180185,"date":"2021-11-20T13:44:16","date_gmt":"2021-11-20T12:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=180185"},"modified":"2025-07-01T21:00:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T04:00:52","slug":"what-is-grand-theft-auto-and-how-it-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/what-is-grand-theft-auto-and-how-it-works\/","title":{"rendered":"What is GRAND THEFT AUTO and how it works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Also known as GTA1, Grand Theft Auto<\/a> reached popularity quickly when it hit PCs in 1997 and 1998 in various countries. For its time, the gameplay was easy to learn and players had fun stealing vehicles and mastering crime. Of course, it\u2019s nothing like modern titles today, especially GTA V<\/a> and the latest remastered GTA The Trilogy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve never managed to play it and you\u2019ve recently gotten your hands on a copy, here\u2019s a guide on what Grand Theft Auto is and how it works<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Grand Theft Auto?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Grand Theft Auto is a top-down role-playing crime action game<\/strong> where you take the role of one of the eight characters that only differ in appearance. You\u2019ll start in Liberty City, but you\u2019ll make your way across other locations as you progress in the story. The main objective is to complete missions for gang lords and NPCs, and steal vehicles while you\u2019re at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Grand Theft Auto works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, explaining what Grand Theft Auto is becomes an oversimplification. The real meat is discussing how it works. Here are the primary aspects you need to know before getting started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Different cities <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

GTA has several locations in the game, but you\u2019ll need to start in Liberty City<\/strong>. You\u2019ll meet Robert “Bubby” Seragliano, initiating the Gangsta Bang and Heist Almighty. There are several missions you need to complete, ending with a need to escape the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll end up in San Andreas<\/strong> for the second portion of Grand Theft Auto. Here, Uncle Fu will discuss quests for Mandarin Mayhem while El Burro will talk to you about Tequila Slammer. Both require you to perform several tasks to gain their favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, you\u2019ll receive a call from Samuel Deever, a cop in Vice City<\/strong> who needs your help. While you\u2019re there, you\u2019ll also hear from Brother Marcus who sends you on killing sprees. This location is the final one for the last quests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weapons and items<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s in the first Grand Theft Auto where the theme is set for the weapons<\/strong> in the entire franchise. You\u2019ll see many of the firearms that became staples in future titles. They included fist, pistol, machine gun, rocket launcher, and flamethrower. There was only one type of each and not different variations like in GTA 5. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Completing levels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The basic gameplay of how Grand Theft Auto works consists of levels<\/strong>. You can view each of the cities as levels, and you\u2019ll have five lives to reach a specific score limit. The score is also a money meter, so you can use it to buy items in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you reach the score target<\/strong>, you\u2019ll need to drive to a specific point to complete the level and move to the next one. You\u2019re free to run around and do as you wish, but the missions are the main source of points. You\u2019ll also have a multiplier that increases whenever you complete quests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damage and limited lives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are two mechanics that you\u2019ll only find in the first two GTAs. The first is that you\u2019re basically killed as soon as you are hit by a bullet. Secondly, you only have limited lives<\/strong>, after which you\u2019ll have to restart the level. It made the game so intense, and you feared any NPC killing you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Grand Theft Auto tips and tricks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know what Grand Theft Auto is and how it works, we have a few tips to offer. These tricks are minor, but understanding them will go a long way in completing the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earning points<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, you\u2019ll need points to complete the levels<\/strong>. There are many actions you can take towards increasing your score meter. For instance, you can ram cars and kill the police. Another way is to steal vehicles and sell them. However, you\u2019ll earn the most from completing missions, and they add multipliers that make the smaller actions more valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Completing missions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are a few ways in which you\u2019ll receive missions<\/strong>. The most common one is via telephone calls at booths you\u2019ll pass. The other is entering specific vehicles and letting the occupant know if you\u2019re accepting the quest. You won\u2019t be able to leave the mission unless you pass or fail it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most missions have no time limit, so you can take as much time<\/strong> as you need to complete them. You can even go do other things so long. However, there are a few that involve police chases or have time limits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wanted dead or alive<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No, we\u2019re not referring to the infamous Bon Jovi song. One of the most captivating elements in all the Grand Theft Auto games is the wanted level<\/strong>. If you make a transgression, you\u2019ll obtain one star. There are four wanted levels, which is where the police force pulls out all the stops to get you. The only way to clear your record is at a spray shop or with a cop bribe token.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multiplayer action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even though it was early days for the franchise, Grand Theft Auto has a multiplayer component<\/strong>. Gamers would connect PCs over LAN and find weapons to kill each other. It was a fun way to pass the time when done with the missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GTA DLCs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1999, Rockstar Canada released Grand Theft Auto: London 1969<\/strong> as an expansion to the first game. It added 32 new missions and brought new vehicles and weapons. It was followed by its own expansion later that year called Grand Theft Auto: London 1961<\/strong> with even more content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Other GTA Guides<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you enjoyed this guide, you may want to take a look at these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n