The Greatest Grand Theft Auto Mission Of All Time

Few video game series offer as much mission variety as Grand Theft Auto. Rockstar Games’ beloved franchise is one that deftly combines epic, cinematic set pieces with deeply personal stories, and plenty of WTF moments. 

One moment you could be chasing a talent show judge down the highway in a truck, the next you could be stealing a jetpack from a military base called Area 69 (nice). Say what you will about the GTA games, but you can never quite predict what’s coming next. 

With so many strange and wonderful adventures to choose from, it can be a daunting task attempting to name the greatest Grand Theft Auto mission of all time. Thankfully, I’ve combined the power of the internet with my own overwhelming sense of self assuredness to provide you with the definitive answer. Or, at the very least, the name that just keeps coming up. But first, a couple of honourable mentions.

Rockstar Games

The Big Score - Grand Theft Auto V

The heists in Grand Theft Auto V were an undeniable highlight, and the game’s final story job does not disappoint. The Big Score is a ridiculously ambitious robbery, with plenty of freedom to choose your preferred method. 

While going in for the “obvious” option makes for all kinds of chaotic fun, pulling off the “subtle” approach really makes you feel like you’re in the middle of a big-budget heist movie. Whatever your choice, The Big Score paves the way for the game’s final mission, and a tricky three-way choice for Franklin. 

Rockstar Games

End Of The Line - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grove Street. Where it all begins - and ends. Rockstar’s beloved 2004 masterpiece reaches its heartbreaking denouement in a challenging and emotional final battle against friend-turned-enemy Big Smoke. He’s following the damn train in the sky now. 

The stakes are intimate, but the scope is truly ambitious as CJ fights his way through riots and hordes of enemies for the final showdown with Officer Tenpenny on Grove Street. There are high-speed chases, tense shootouts, and satisfying conclusions for nearly all of the main characters. A masterclass in how to wrap up your game. 

Rockstar Games

Three Leaf Clover - Grand Theft Auto IV

Three Leaf Clover is the greatest Grand Theft Auto mission of all time, and to disagree is to risk the wrath of the entire internet. Take a look through the many, many Reddit discussions or best-of listicles - they all say the same thing: this GTA IV mission is the best the franchise has ever seen. And you know what? They’re absolutely right. 

Three Leaf Clover sees Niko and the McReary brothers attempt to rob the Bank of Liberty in broad daylight, which obviously goes about as well as you’d expect. As soon as things inevitably go off the rails after a shocking death, the heist descends into a pulse-pounding fight with the police as the would-be robbers desperately make their escape through the winding alleys and side streets of the city, before ultimately stumbling on a getaway vehicle for a good-old-fashioned car chase. GTA IV is a much quieter game compared to other entries in the series, and having this mission turn everything on its head in an explosion of noise and carnage was a masterstroke. 

Not only did Three Leaf Clover lay the groundwork for the heists that would go on to become so popular in GTA V and GTA Online, it’s representative of everything that we’ve come to love about the GTA franchise: great writing, combined with beautifully designed action set pieces, gut-wrenching twists, and a whole lot of mayhem. 

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