Game Introductions

Introductions refer to the first missions or cutscenes the players see as soon as a new Grand Theft Auto game is started.

The feature first entered prominence in Grand Theft Auto III; as soon as a new game is started - a cutscene introduces the main characters, and may set up the game's storyline. After the cutscene, the player takes control of the protagonist, and is introduced to gameplay with tutorial consisting of a very basic set of targets, such as enter a vehicle and drive to the first safehouse.

In contrast, the player has immediate control in Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2, and is free to explore the city. They can then activate any available mission or sub-mission in the normal way - by entering a marked location.

Introductory Missions and Cutscenes
These are the compulsory first missions which begin at the start of the game since GTA III.

Introductory missions are not always titled. The appearance of mission names can occur partway through the compulsory introductory mission, which can lead to confusion and inaccurate naming of the missions.


 * GTA III: Untitled cutscenes, covering the bank robbery that Claude and Catalina committed, Catalina's double crossing, Claude's arrest, Claude's and 8-Ball's escape from a police convoy, and the destruction of Callahan Bridge. The cutscenes are followed by the mission "Give Me Liberty", although the code reveals the title of "In The Beginning...".
 * GTA Vice City: "In The Beginning...", covering an informal meeting at Saint Mark's Bistro, where Sonny Forelli discusses dispatching Tommy Vercetti to Vice City, as well as the botched deal that proceeded the mission An Old Friend.
 * GTA San Andreas: "In the Beginning", depicting Carl Johnson's departure from Liberty City, arrival in Los Santos, detention by C.R.A.S.H., abandonment in Ballas territory, and Carl's eventual return to his old home. The cutscenes and short ride to CJ's old home are followed by the mission "Big Smoke".
 * GTA Advance: "Jump Start", depicting Mike's and Vinnie's intentions to complete one more job before they have enough money to leave Liberty City. The mission has Mike driving Vinnie to a meeting and returning to their hideout to await further instructions.
 * GTA Liberty City Stories: Untitled cutscenes, depicting Toni Cipriani's arrival in Chinatown, his meeting with Salvatore Leone, and revelation that his position in the ranks has been given away to Vincenzo Cilli. The cutscenes are followed by the mission "Home Sweet Home".
 * GTA Vice City Stories: "Soldier", covering Victor Vance's first order from Sgt. Jerry Martinez upon arriving at Fort Baxter to obtain and stash some drugs from a local drug dealer.
 * GTA IV: "The Cousins Bellic", depicting Niko Bellic's arrival in Liberty City on a ship, Niko's reunion with his cousin Roman Bellic, and their arrival at Roman's apartment.
 * The Lost and Damned: "Clean and Serene", depicting The Lost MC riding to a hospital in north Alderney to pick up Billy Grey, as well as the retrieval of Billy's bike.
 * The Ballad of Gay Tony: "I Luv LC", depicting Luis Fernando Lopez being held hostage in the Bank of Liberty, then walking the streets of Algonquin to Gay Tony's home. The opening cutscene of this mission takes place during the events of the mission "Three Leaf Clover" in GTA IV, followed by an altercation with Rocco Pelosi and Uncle Vince. Luis then takes Tony to Hercules and Maisonette 9, where he ends up taking his friends Armando Torres and Henrique Bardas home, only to finally reach his apartment later that night.
 * GTA Chinatown Wars: "Yu Jian", showing Huang Lee's arrival in Liberty City, the ambush which sees him trapped in a car trunk that is dumped into a river, and his escape and meeting with Wu Lee. This mission also includes basic training for the use of the dual screen.
 * GTA V: "Prologue", showing a flashback of a bank robbery in Ludendorff, North Yankton involving Michael Townley, Trevor Philips, and Brad Snider. This mission is followed by the mission "Franklin and Lamar", which takes place in Los Santos 9 years after the events of this mission.
 * GTA Online: "Introduction", showing the player arriving at the Los Santos International Airport in 2013, where they meet up with Lamar Davis, who is friends with the player on Lifeinvader. The two enter Lamar's Emperor, and the player is given a pistol by Lamar. He drives the player through Los Santos, informing them about the city and some of the people the player can interact with, such as Hao at the Los Santos Customs and Simeon Yetarian at his car dealership. The two head to Hao's place, where they also race against each other.

Image Gallery
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