When Grand Theft Auto was still 2D

Now available as a free download as part of Rockstar’s GTA classic series, GTA 2 is set in a futuristic metropolis, controlled by warring gangs.

Before the seminal GTA 3 brought the series into glorious 3D, Grand Theft Auto was a pseudo 3D, top down arcade game. The first two entries were cult games for a reason – filled with puerile humor and extreme violence, they were 18 rated affairs, and GTA 2 still warrants that.

GTA 2 sticks to the basic formula of the first game. You are free to roam the city, stealing cars, mowing down pedestrians and picking fights with the cops. The story of the game revolves around you going to pay phones, and doing jobs for the various gangs around the city. You need to earn their respect before you work for them, and can do this by killing their rivals.

GTA 2’s controls are pretty simple, although connecting a game pad is probably the best way to play. Gameplay is fast and arcade-like, with scores popping up as you kill people and damage vehicles. It is still fun to play today, though mainly due to the freedom the 2D sandbox gives you. There are plenty of problems with the game, though. The graphics have not aged well at all, considering it was released in 1999, and the lack of an in-game map in GTA 2 makes orientation a pain.

GTA 2 is a fun arcade game, but more of a curiosity than a classic, as it features none of the depth or subtlety that the series went on to achieve.

In 1999, Rockstar Games and Rockstar North (then known as DMA Design) furthered the groundbreaking gameplay concepts established just two years prior in the original Grand Theft Auto – with the release of GTA2. GTA2 expanded on the top-down, open-ended crime world gameplay formula with a host of new features including the advent of multiple rival gangs; seven, to be exact, including the Yakuza, Scientists, Looneys, Rednecks, Zaibatsu, the Russian Mob and Hare Krishnas. Earn your respect with each gang. Reap the benefits with all manner of shady work-for-hire gigs contracted your way. And climb your way to the top of the criminal pile.

Now, longtime Grand Theft Auto fans can revisit this classic entry in the series – and new jacks who missed out on this early franchise title can further discover Grand Theft Auto�s roots – absolutely free. GTA2 has been completely optimized for play on modern PCs and is available gratis for all registrants to the Rockstar Games mailing list (rest assured your information will not be shared with any third parties, you will only receive information from Rockstar). Simply fill out the form below and check your email for a direct link to the file (353 MB .zip file, includes install .exe, readme .txt file, and a .pdf of the original PC game manual).