Most of the gameplay revolves around driving and shooting, with occasional role-playing and stealth elements.

Gameplay focuses on an open world where the player can complete missions to progress an overall story, as well as engage in various side activities. The name of the series references the term 'grand theft auto', used in the United States for motor vehicle theft.

It is primarily developed by British development house Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design), and published by its parent company, Rockstar Games. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. Grand Theft Auto ( GTA) is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones and Mike Dailly.