Play Grand Theft Auto Advance - GBA Handheld Action Online Free

Grand Theft Auto Advance, released by Rockstar Games in 2004, is a standalone entry in the GTA series designed specifically for the GBA. Set in Liberty City, the game serves as a prequel to GTA III. Players take control of Mike as he navigates the city's dangerous streets, working for various gangs to climb the criminal ladder. The game features an open-world environment, a wide range of weapons, and the classic 'stolen car' mechanic. With its engaging mission-based gameplay and impressive sound and graphics for the platform, it successfully delivers the core GTA experience on a handheld device, complete with localized text support.

Game Overview

Grand Theft Auto Advance is the only mainline GTA entry on GBA. It takes place in Liberty City, the setting of GTA III, with a prequel story that fills in the city's history before the events of that game. You play a low-level thug climbing the ladder through gang warfare — taking jobs, driving, shooting, and dodging the police, with all the standard GTA ingredients intact. Rather than porting a console version, Rockstar built an original game with a city redesigned from the ground up for the handheld.

Core Gameplay

Hardware limits mean a 2D top-down view instead of the console games' 3D. None of the freedom is lost, though: the entire city map is open from the start, and you can abandon a mission at any moment to go steal cars, cause chaos, or lead the cops on a chase. Dozens of vehicles are drivable, ranging from sedans and sports cars to garbage trucks and even tanks, while the arsenal covers pistols, submachine guns, flamethrowers, and more. Alongside the main storyline, classic side activities like rampages, firefighting, and paramedic runs all make the cut.

Mayhem on a Handheld

What surprises most people is the level of polish. The physics behind collisions, the vehicle damage modeling, and the shifting daylight all push past what you would expect from GBA hardware. It drops the 3D and the voiced cutscenes, but it keeps intact the specific GTA feeling that you can simply do whatever you want. For anyone after an open-world crime game on a handheld, this is an essential part of the GBA library.

• The only mainline GTA on GBA, with a Liberty City prequel story
• Fully open city map — drop any mission and explore whenever you want
• Dozens of drivable vehicles from sedans and sports cars to garbage trucks and tanks
• Broad arsenal including pistols, submachine guns, and flamethrowers
• Classic side activities: rampages, firefighting, paramedic runs
• Solid physics and vehicle damage despite the 2D top-down view
• Shifting daylight that pushes past expectations for GBA hardware