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Topic — 64 articles

Classics

Every Classics story, guide and update from GTA Intel.

A Liberty City street enforcer with baseball bat near a police cruiser in GTA III

ClassicsMay 21, 2026

Salvatore Leone: The Don Who Connects Every 3D-Era GTA Game

Three different Grand Theft Auto protagonists worked for Salvatore Leone at three different points in his life. Toni Cipriani in 1998. CJ in 1992. Claude in 2001. The Leone don is the single connective thread holding the 3D-era timeline together, and Frank Vincent's voice is the reason it works.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 7 min read

Red Light District at night in Grand Theft Auto III

ClassicsMay 21, 2026

Liberty City Through the Years: GTA III to GTA IV, How Rockstar's Fictional New York Changed

Liberty City has been Rockstar's go-to fictional New York since 2001. But the GTA III version and the GTA IV version are different cities sharing a name, in different fictional universes, with rebuilt geography and different mafia families. Here's the full mapping.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 7 min read

A motorcycle speeds through neon-lit Vice City at night

ClassicsMay 21, 2026

Vice City's 1986 Meets GTA 6's Leonida: What Carries Forward 40 Years On

Rockstar is returning to Vice City in November 2026, forty in-fiction years after Tommy Vercetti's empire. Here's what the original 1986 setting established, what GTA 6's trailers show that's clearly carried forward, and where Rockstar has made a deliberate break.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 7 min read

Tommy Vercetti in his iconic Hawaiian shirt outside a Vice City nightclub

ClassicsMay 21, 2026

Tommy Vercetti and Ray Liotta: How One Actor Made the Original GTA Villain a Legend

Vice City's Tommy Vercetti was the first speaking protagonist in Grand Theft Auto history. Ray Liotta gave him a voice that, twenty-four years later, still defines what a Rockstar protagonist sounds like. Here's the partnership behind one of gaming's most iconic performances.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 7 min read

Vinewood Hills mansion at sunset in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

ClassicsMay 21, 2026

Big Smoke's Betrayal: The San Andreas Story Arc, Decoded Mission by Mission

Melvin 'Big Smoke' Harris is one of the most infamous traitors in video game history. The signs were there from the first hour. Here's every clue Rockstar planted before The Green Sabre, who he was actually working with, and what his final monologue really says.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 8 min read

Verona Mall at night in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

ClassicsMay 21, 2026

Hot Coffee: The San Andreas Mod That Changed Video Game Ratings Forever

In the summer of 2005, a Dutch modder unlocked hidden sexual content inside Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Within six weeks the ESRB had revoked the game's rating, three retailers had pulled it from shelves, and a US senator had filed a bill aimed at the games industry. Here's exactly what happened, and why the games industry is still living with the consequences.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 7 min read

ClassicsMay 21, 2026

Lester Crest: The Man Who Runs Every GTA V Heist

Lester Crest never pulls a trigger, never picks up a duffel bag of cash, and never sets foot inside the buildings he plans the jobs against. He's also the single most important NPC in the entire HD-era Grand Theft Auto universe. Here's everything the games confirm about him.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 6 min read

Trevor Phillips walking through downtown Los Santos in GTA V

ClassicsMay 21, 2026

Mastering Lester's Stock Market Assassinations in GTA V: The Complete Money Guide

Done correctly, Lester's five assassinations in GTA V can push each protagonist's bank balance past a billion dollars. Done incorrectly, you leave hundreds of millions on the table. Here's the exact play, in order, with the right stock and the right market for each.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 6 min read

Niko Bellic taking cover during a Liberty City gunfight

ClassicsMay 21, 2026

GTA IV's Two Endings: Deal vs Revenge, What Each Means, and Which One Is Canon

Grand Theft Auto IV closes on a single choice: take the deal, or take revenge. Roman dies in one path. Kate dies in the other. Eighteen years on, the cross-references in later Rockstar games quietly settle the question of which ending counts.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 7 min read

ClassicsMay 21, 2026

Niko Bellic: The Most Complex Protagonist in GTA History

Eighteen years after Grand Theft Auto IV's April 2008 launch, Niko Bellic still reads as the most layered protagonist Rockstar has ever written. A Yugoslav war veteran chasing a cousin's lie about the American dream. Here's everything the game actually tells you about him, and what the dialogue gets right that most players miss.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 7 min read

Grand Theft Auto V trio — Michael, Trevor, Franklin — Rockstar Games press kit

ClassicsMay 20, 2026

Every GTA Protagonist, Ranked: From Claude to Lucia

Nine playable mainline GTA leads, one ranking, plenty to argue about. CJ at the top. Niko right behind. The GTA V trio splits in places that will start fights. And the two we can't rank yet.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 7 min read

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas — Rockstar Games press kit

ClassicsMay 20, 2026

Big Smoke's Order, Decoded: Everything in That Cluckin' Bell Drive-Thru

Two number 9s. A number 9 large. A number 6 with extra dip. A number 7. Two number 45s — one with cheese — and a large soda. Twenty-plus years later, we know exactly what Big Smoke was ordering.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 5 min read

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas — Rockstar Games press kit

ClassicsMay 19, 2026

The Hardest Mission in GTA San Andreas, Explained

"Hardest" is subjective, but San Andreas has a near-unanimous answer — and it isn't the one everyone memes about. Supply Lines vs Wrong Side of the Tracks, and the real contenders.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 4 min read

A SA-MP server in GTA San Andreas — players with name tags and chat on Grove Street

ClassicsMay 17, 2026

GTA San Andreas Multiplayer in 2026: SA-MP, open.mp, and MTA:SA

SA-MP froze a decade ago, open.mp picked it up, and MTA:SA never stopped. Here's the factual state of GTA San Andreas multiplayer in 2026 — and whether you can still play it.

Adi - GTA Intel Newswire 6 min read

Liberty City — GTA IV

ClassicsApr 4, 2026

GTA IV's Liberty City: A Story Primer

Niko Bellic, the McReary family, the Pegorino mob, and the betrayer hunt — Grand Theft Auto IV's full plot, primed for replay.

Theo Yáñez 3 min read

San Andreas — completion screen

ClassicsApr 3, 2026

San Andreas 100% Completion: The Complete Checklist

The 100% completion flag in San Andreas requires every mission, every collectible, every school. Here's the complete checklist for the most ambitious GTA completion run.

Theo Yáñez 3 min read

Liberty City — GTA III screenshot

ClassicsApr 1, 2026

GTA III's Story Primer: 2001 Liberty City Revisited

Coming back to GTA III in 2026? Here's the full story — Claude's revenge arc, the gang chart, the betrayals, and how 2001's Liberty City set up everything that followed.

Helena Park 4 min read

Blaine County — GTA V

ClassicsMar 31, 2026

Blaine County: A Tour of GTA V's Rural Backlands

Sandy Shores, Paleto Bay, Mount Chiliad, the Alamo Sea — Blaine County is GTA V's rural backlands and one of Rockstar's most-detailed open-world regions.

Helena Park 4 min read

GTA V driving

ClassicsMar 29, 2026

GTA V Cheat Codes: PC, PlayStation, Xbox Canonical Guide

Every Grand Theft Auto V cheat that still works in 2026 — typed codes on PC, button combos on console, plus phone-number alts. PAINKILLER, TURTLE, BUBBLES.

Marc Reyes 3 min read

GTA V heist planning

ClassicsMar 28, 2026

GTA V's Heists: The Complete Crew Guide

Each GTA V heist gives you crew slots — gunmen, drivers, hackers. Here's who to hire for each heist, what they cost, and which crew composition pays out the most.

Marc Reyes 4 min read

GTA V hidden vehicle

ClassicsMar 26, 2026

GTA V's Hidden Cars and Rare Spawns

Some of GTA V's best vehicles spawn rarely, in specific locations, at specific times. Here's the canonical hidden-car list — Z-Type, Adder, Truffade Adder.

Marc Reyes 3 min read

GTA V supercar

ClassicsMar 25, 2026

GTA V's Iconic Vehicles: A Buyer's Guide

From the Adder to the Banshee 900R to the Pegassi Zentorno — every iconic Grand Theft Auto V vehicle, what to buy, and which ones are worth the GTA$ investment.

Mara Kovac 3 min read

GTA V three protagonists

ClassicsMar 23, 2026

Michael, Trevor, Franklin: Which GTA V Protagonist to Play First

GTA V's three-protagonist system lets you switch between Michael, Trevor, and Franklin. Here's who each one is, what makes each playstyle distinct, and which one to lead with.

Theo Yáñez 4 min read

GTA V driving

ClassicsMar 22, 2026

GTA V's Radio Stations, Ranked

Eighteen radio stations and the West Coast Talk Radio / Blaine County Radio talk programs — every Grand Theft Auto V station ranked.

Helena Park 3 min read

GTA V random encounter

ClassicsMar 20, 2026

GTA V's Random Events: A Complete List

GTA V's 57 Random Events scatter across the map, triggered by your protagonist driving past specific spots. Here's the complete list with reward and replay value.

Theo Yáñez 4 min read

GTA V Strangers and Freaks mission

ClassicsMar 19, 2026

Every Strangers and Freaks Mission in GTA V, Ranked

GTA V's optional Strangers and Freaks side missions add 60+ hours of content and some of the campaign's best-written setpieces. Here's the ranking.

Theo Yáñez 4 min read

GTA V finale

ClassicsMar 17, 2026

GTA V's Three Endings, Explained

Kill Trevor, kill Michael, or save them all — GTA V offers three distinct endings. Here's what each one delivers, which is canonical, and how to unlock the Deathwish path.

Helena Park 4 min read

GTA IV friendship event

ClassicsMar 16, 2026

GTA IV's Friendship Mechanics: Roman, Brucie, Jacob and More

Niko's friend list isn't just contacts — each friendship gates real gameplay rewards. Here's how the GTA IV friend system works and which relationships matter most.

Theo Yáñez 3 min read

GTA IV mission scene

ClassicsMar 14, 2026

The 10 Most Iconic GTA IV Missions, Ranked

Three Leaf Clover, Snow Storm, Holland Nights — the ten Grand Theft Auto IV missions every fan can quote on cue, and why each one still works.

Theo Yáñez 3 min read

GTA IV vehicle

ClassicsMar 13, 2026

GTA IV's Iconic Vehicles and Bikes

Comet, Infernus, Sultan RS, NRG-900 — every iconic Grand Theft Auto IV vehicle, what it's based on, and where to find it in 2008 Liberty City.

Marc Reyes 3 min read

GTA IV multiplayer scene

ClassicsMar 11, 2026

GTA IV's Multiplayer: The Lost Era of Liberty City Online

Before GTA Online, GTA IV had its own multiplayer — 16-player free-roam, deathmatch, race modes. Here's the history, the modes, and why the servers eventually closed.

Helena Park 3 min read

Niko Bellic — GTA IV

ClassicsMar 10, 2026

Niko Bellic's Character Arc: GTA IV's Quietly Devastating Lead

Niko Bellic is the GTA series's most morally weighted protagonist. Here's the full arc — Eastern European backstory, Liberty City decline, and the choices that close the campaign.

Helena Park 4 min read

Liberty City driving — GTA IV

ClassicsMar 9, 2026

GTA IV's Radio Stations, Ranked

Eighteen radio stations and the WKTT/PLR talk programs — every Grand Theft Auto IV station ranked, with the Liberty City driving picks worth bookmarking.

Helena Park 3 min read

Ballad of Gay Tony — Liberty City clubs

ClassicsMar 7, 2026

The Ballad of Gay Tony: GTA IV's Second Expansion, Explained

Luis Lopez, Tony Prince, and Liberty City's club scene — The Ballad of Gay Tony is GTA IV's brightest expansion and its most fun on first run-through.

Helena Park 3 min read

The Lost and Damned biker scene

ClassicsMar 6, 2026

The Lost and Damned: GTA IV's Biker Gang Expansion, Explained

The Lost and Damned puts you in Johnny Klebitz's leather jacket — leading a Liberty City biker gang through the same 2008 timeline as Niko's main campaign.

Marc Reyes 4 min read

GTA IV Three Leaf Clover bank chase

ClassicsMar 4, 2026

Three Leaf Clover: GTA IV's Bank Heist, Frame by Frame

Eighteen years after release, Three Leaf Clover remains the high-water mark of Rockstar mission design — a *Heat*-influenced bank heist with one of the best foot chases in any game.

Mara Kovac 3 min read

San Andreas casino heist

ClassicsMar 3, 2026

San Andreas Casino Heist Arc: A Complete Walkthrough

The Las Venturas Caligula's Casino arc is the first proper Rockstar heist sequence — predating GTA V's by nearly a decade. Here's the full walkthrough.

Theo Yáñez 4 min read

Cesar Vialpando — San Andreas

ClassicsMar 1, 2026

Cesar Vialpando's Arc: San Andreas's Most Underrated Character

Cesar Vialpando is San Andreas's most morally consistent character — Kendl's boyfriend, an Aztecas leader, and CJ's most reliable ally across all three acts.

Helena Park 4 min read

San Andreas girlfriend mission

ClassicsFeb 28, 2026

San Andreas Girlfriends: All Six, Ranked by Gameplay Payoff

Denise, Millie, Helena, Katie, Barbara, Michelle — all six San Andreas girlfriends, what they unlock, and the dating mechanics in 2004's most ambitious romance system.

Helena Park 3 min read

San Andreas vehicle

ClassicsFeb 26, 2026

San Andreas's Iconic Vehicles, Ranked

From the Phoenix to the Bullet to the Hydra — every iconic Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas vehicle, the rare spawns, and the unique cars worth hunting.

Marc Reyes 3 min read

Johnson family — San Andreas

ClassicsFeb 25, 2026

The Johnson Family: Sweet, Kendl, and CJ

Three Johnson siblings drive San Andreas's emotional core — Carl, Sweet, and Kendl. Here's the family chart, the deaths that bookend the campaign, and the resolution.

Mara Kovac 4 min read

San Andreas pilot school

ClassicsFeb 23, 2026

San Andreas Pilot, Driving and Bike School: The Complete Guide

Three vehicle schools — pilot, driving, bike — gate the most useful late-game vehicles in San Andreas. Here's the complete walkthrough for each.

Marc Reyes 3 min read

Grove Street territory — San Andreas

ClassicsFeb 22, 2026

San Andreas Territory War Mechanics, Explained

Grove Street vs Ballas territory wars — how the system works, when it activates, what each captured zone earns CJ, and the complete strategy for full Los Santos control.

Marc Reyes 3 min read

San Andreas gang territory

ClassicsFeb 20, 2026

The Vagos and Ballas: San Andreas's Gangs, Fully Explained

Eight named gangs operate across San Andreas — Grove Street, Ballas, Vagos, Aztecas, Triads, Mafia, Loco Syndicate, San Fierro Rifa. Here's the complete chart.

Theo Yáñez 4 min read

San Andreas radio

ClassicsFeb 19, 2026

San Andreas's WCTR Talk Shows, Ranked

Lonely Hearts, Entertaining America, Area 53 — every Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas WCTR talk-radio show, ranked by writing quality.

Helena Park 4 min read

Vice City driving — original 2002

ClassicsFeb 17, 2026

Vice City Cheat Codes: PC, PlayStation, Xbox Canonical Guide

Every Grand Theft Auto: Vice City cheat that still works in 2026 — typed text codes on PC, button combos on PlayStation and Xbox. Plus PANZER, COMEFLYWITHME, and other classics.

Marc Reyes 3 min read

Vice City — original 2002

ClassicsFeb 16, 2026

Vice City's Easter Eggs and Secrets

Hidden packages, the Apartment 3C, the Ghost Town, the Domestobot — Vice City's twenty-two-year-old secrets, what's real, and what's twenty-two years of fan myth.

Marc Reyes 3 min read

Vice City mission scene

ClassicsFeb 15, 2026

The 10 Most Iconic Vice City Missions, Ranked

From the bank job to the mall shootout to Keep Your Friends Close — the ten Grand Theft Auto: Vice City missions every fan can quote on cue.

Theo Yáñez 4 min read

Vice City Cheetah on the strip

ClassicsFeb 13, 2026

Vice City's Iconic Vehicles: Cheetah, Stinger, Stretch and More

The Cheetah, the Infernus, the Hotring Racer, the Sea Sparrow — every iconic Grand Theft Auto: Vice City vehicle, what it's based on, and where to find it.

Marc Reyes 3 min read

Vice City character — Lance Vance

ClassicsFeb 12, 2026

The Lance Vance Subplot: Vice City's Most Memorable Betrayal

Lance Vance — voiced by Philip Michael Thomas — is Tommy's mid-game ally and third-act betrayer. Here's the full Lance arc and why it still works.

Theo Yáñez 4 min read

Vercetti Estate, Starfish Island

ClassicsFeb 10, 2026

Tommy's Empire: Every Property Worth Buying in Vice City

Vice City introduced the buyable-property system that defined the modern GTA. Here's what each property does, how much it earns, and the order to acquire them in.

Mara Kovac 3 min read

Vice City sunset drive

ClassicsFeb 9, 2026

Vice City's Nine Radio Stations, Ranked

V-Rock, Flash FM, Wave 103, Fever 105 — every Grand Theft Auto: Vice City radio station, ranked, with the iconic 1986 tracks each one made famous again.

Helena Park 4 min read

Vice City — original 2002

ClassicsFeb 7, 2026

Vice City Stories vs Vice City: How the 1984 Prequel Changed the Canon

The 2006 prequel Vice City Stories is set two years before the original, follows Victor Vance, and quietly retconned several Vice City character arcs. Here's the comparison.

Helena Park 4 min read

Vice City beachside — original 1986

ClassicsFeb 6, 2026

Vice City's 1986 Map: A District-by-District Tour

From Ocean Beach to Starfish Island to the Malibu Club — every district of Vice City's 1986 map, what it's modelled on, and what to do in each.

Theo Yáñez 3 min read

Tommy Vercetti in Vice City

ClassicsFeb 4, 2026

Tommy Vercetti: Vice City's Ray Liotta Lead, Profiled

Tommy Vercetti is the GTA series's first voiced protagonist — and Ray Liotta's only video-game lead role. Here's the full Tommy primer: backstory, arc, and legacy.

Helena Park 4 min read

Liberty City skyline — GTA III

ClassicsFeb 3, 2026

GTA III's 3D Revolution: Why It Still Matters in 2026

Twenty-five years after release, Grand Theft Auto III remains the foundational text of the modern open-world genre. Here's what it invented, what it perfected, and what every GTA since owes it.

Helena Park 4 min read

Liberty City — GTA III screenshot

ClassicsFeb 1, 2026

Catalina, Asuka, and the Women of GTA III

GTA III's three named women — Catalina, Asuka Kasen, Maria Latore — drive most of the campaign's actual plot. Here's how each one reshapes the story.

Helena Park 3 min read

Liberty City street — GTA III

ClassicsJan 31, 2026

GTA III Cheat Codes: The Canonical Guide for PC, PlayStation, Xbox

Every Grand Theft Auto III cheat that still works in 2026 — typed text codes on PC, button combos on PlayStation and Xbox. Plus what each one breaks.

Marc Reyes 3 min read

Liberty City — GTA III screenshot

ClassicsJan 29, 2026

Claude: GTA III's Silent Protagonist Explained

Claude is the only fully-silent protagonist in mainline Grand Theft Auto. Here's what we know about him — name, history, what GTA III tells you and what GTA San Andreas later confirmed.

Theo Yáñez 3 min read

Liberty City mission scene — GTA III

ClassicsJan 28, 2026

The 10 Most Iconic GTA III Missions, Ranked

Twenty-five years on, these are the GTA III missions every fan still remembers — bank heists, betrayals, the dam finale, and the boat ride that introduced 8-Ball.

Theo Yáñez 4 min read

Liberty City vehicle — GTA III

ClassicsJan 26, 2026

GTA III's Iconic Vehicles: The Pre-Customisation Era

Banshee, Stinger, Patriot, Cartel Cruiser — the vehicles that defined Grand Theft Auto III in 2001, before customisation, before BMX bikes, before motorcycles.

Marc Reyes 3 min read

Liberty City Portland Island — GTA III

ClassicsJan 25, 2026

GTA III's Liberty City: The Three Islands Explained

Portland, Staunton Island, Shoreside Vale — the three islands of GTA III's Liberty City split the campaign into three distinct acts. Here's what defines each.

Theo Yáñez 3 min read

Liberty City gang territory — GTA III

ClassicsJan 23, 2026

GTA III's Gang Chart: Mafia, Triads, Yardies, Cartel

Liberty City's seven gangs in 2001 — who runs what, who's allied with whom, and how the campaign rewrites the entire balance of power by the end.

Theo Yáñez 3 min read

Liberty City night drive — GTA III

ClassicsJan 22, 2026

GTA III Radio Stations, Ranked

Nine in-game radio stations and the talk-radio masterpiece Chatterbox FM — every Grand Theft Auto III station, ranked, with the standout tracks worth seeking out.

Helena Park 3 min read

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