A series of sandbox open world action games published by Rockstar Games.
The first game in the series was released in 1997. The release of Grand Theft Auto III in 2001 catapulted the franchise to massive mainstream success, eventually becoming one of the best-selling videogame franchise of all time.
Each game is set in a fictional city loosely based on a real life city. The games usually center around a criminal climbing through the ranks of the criminal underworld, while committing crimes such as carjacking, robbery, drugs, prostitution, etc. All of these elements made the series controversial.
