Boxart

The latest installment in the series, Grand Theft Auto Online, released in October 2013.

A box art refers to artwork or illustrations found in front of video game packaging, usually keep cases, that is often used for advertising and as an identity for the video game itself.

The Grand Theft Auto series is notable for having a consistent box art style starting from Grand Theft Auto III (2001), with artwork from each respective game spliced together into uneven frames that surround the Grand Theft Auto game's logo.

Description

The first few Grand Theft Auto games, being Grand Theft Auto (1997), London 1969/London 1961 (1999), and Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999), had varied box art styles with no consistency whatsoever. But as Rockstar Games began its first foray into a three-dimensional Grand Theft Auto game, they employed a box art style that has become a trademark of their series.

Grand Theft Auto III's (2001) box art featured the different artworks of the game spliced together in the background with the game's logo in the foreground, which used the Pricedown typeface. This style was then used by Rockstar Games in all of their future installments (with the exception of Grand Theft Auto Advance (2004)).

The box art is composed of individual pieces of official Rockstar artwork separated by thick black lines, which individually create a netting of boxes, wrapping around the main Grand Theft Auto logo centered on the cover.

Box Arts

Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Autos cover art features a "fisheye lens" view of skyscrapers in New York City, with the Trump Tower in the center superimposed by the game's logo which uses a yellow/orange color scheme with the original wanted stars placed beside "Grand" and "Auto" and fire emanating from the left of "Theft". The base of the box art features taxi cabs, pedestrians, and a 1970's Dodge Diplomat used by the New York Police Department.

Grand Theft Auto: London 1969

The Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 mission pack cover art features a red, blue and white color scheme based around the flag of the United Kingdom (the main setting of the game) and an entirely new typeface for the logo of the game. The "GTA" logo is contained within the center of a circle with an arrow facing east, based around a blue and red color scheme as well.

Grand Theft Auto: London 1961

The Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 cover art shares the same cover art with London 1969 as it is the second mission pack.

Grand Theft Auto 2

Grand Theft Auto 2's cover art appears to be from a sniper's point of view, with a sniper reticle aiming at a taxicab (which appears to be in the process of being hijacked) from high up. Several cars join the taxicab in traffic along with pedestrians crossing the road, but these details appear to be distorted and are blurred out to focus on the taxicab. The logo, now at the center-top of the cover art, uses another different typeface contained within an oval where the main "GTA" text is white while the "2" is red.

Grand Theft Auto III

Grand Theft Auto III's cover art was the first to introduce the box art style which the series has become known for. It contains game artwork by Rockstar and black, mostly even lines separating them into smaller images. The Pricedown typeface for the logo was also introduced here, which Rockstar has continued to use for the next installments in the series. European countries received a different box-art.

The artworks featured in the cover art are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• A helicopter (possibly a beta Police Helicopter) with a red background.
• A close-up of Joey Leone's face with a green color scheme.
• Misty with a red color scheme.
• 8-Ball, with Miguel behind him, with a light blue color scheme.
• Ray Machowski with another, although lighter, red color scheme.
• A Stallion with a white/orange color scheme.
• Salvatore Leone with a light blue color scheme.
• An unidentified car with a white/orange color scheme.
• El Burro with a green color scheme.
• A mafia member appears separated into two boxes with a red color scheme.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's cover art revamps the color scheme of the box art. Instead of solid, two-tone colors (mostly red and black), Vice City adds multiple colors into each of its artwork.

The artworks featured in the cover art are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• A Maverick (possibly a Police Maverick) firing its guns.
• Sonny Forelli pulling his glasses down in front of a mansion.
• A red PCJ-600 on a dark blue background with a building partially visible on the right.
• One of the twins turning around, holding a martini glass with a pink bikini on.
• A yellow Infernus with a pink building in the background.
• Ricardo Diaz with an unlit match in his mouth.
• A Squalo driven by Sonny Forelli at high speed.
• An unidentified red car and a police car displaced by an explosion.
• Lance holding a pistol across his upper body with sunglasses on.

Grand Theft Auto Advance

Grand Theft Auto Advance's cover art differs from those of III and Vice City with only a plain, gray background and the logo in the center.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' cover art features a more vibrant color scheme and detailed artwork

The artworks featured in the cover art are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• A Police Maverick beaming its police search light in a sunset-orange sky.
• A gangster holding an AK-47 with a green rag covering half of his face.
• Rochell'le holding her sunglasses with her tongue out.
• Carl Johnson on a BMX.
• A close-up of some gambling chips on a gambling table.
• A Tram on the streets of San Fierro.
• A close-up of The Truth's face.
• Sweet Johnson, Big Smoke, and Ryder doing a drive-by shooting.
• Cesar Vialpando on the hood of a red Savanna holding a pistol.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories' cover art features thicker borders in between artworks.

The artworks featured in the cover art are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• A Maverick (possibly a Police Maverick) which appears to have either departed from or about to land on a helipad.
• Maria Latore holding a gun up beside her head.
• An unseen character donning a gray suit and holding a pistol.
• Kazuki Kasen
• A red Kuruma speeding away from an explosion in the background.
• A close-up of Salvatore Leone's face.
• A side view of Ray Machowski's face while holding a pistol.
• A green Freeway.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories' cover art features white borders and softer edges for the artwork it envelops.

The artworks featured in the cover art are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• A Maverick with a door gunner.
• A member of the Vice City Bikers on an Angel.
• A close-up of Umberto Robina's face.
• Diego Mendez holding a sub-machine gun.
• A female character leaning against an Infernus.
• Mystique in a red bikini.
• A Reefer with Gonzalez and two unidentified people aboard.

Grand Theft Auto IV

Grand Theft Auto IV's cover art returns to thinner borders and more detailed artworks.

The artworks featured in the cover art are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• A Maverick with Niko Bellic as the main door gunner inside the helicopter that he's flying in.
• A close-up of Niko Bellic's face.
• A red and black NRG-900 with a subway car passing overhead.
• Lola Del Rio licking a lollipop.
• An unidentified person looking down the sights of a sniper rifle while crouched on a rooftop.
• Mikhail Faustin holding a cell phone to his ear while armed with a combat pistol.
• A Skycar passing beside the suspension tower of the Algonquin Bridge.
• Niko Bellic inside a Schafter being pursued by an LCPD Police Cruiser.
• Little Jacob appears holding a pistol in front of his face with the Broker Bridge in the background.

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City

The Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City expansion pack contains The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, which has their own dedicated cover art. However, a "neutral" cover art is available which contains artworks from both games.

The artworks featured in the "neutral" cover art are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• A Swift from which Luis Lopez just skydived from.
• A close-up of a combat pistol (taken from Jim Fitzgerald's official artwork).
• Billy Grey with an unidentified biker on the left and Brian Jeremy on the right.
• A close-up of Tony Prince's face
• Luis Lopez adjusting his cufflinks.
• Joni pouring champagne on a drinking glass.
• A Bullet GT speeding away from an explosion in the background.
• Johnny Klebitz holding an assault shotgun with Ashley Butler.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars' cover art features only one vehicle and the rest are characters and an object,

The artworks featured in the cover art are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• Huang Lee on a yellow NRG 900.
• Chan and Hsin Jaoming.
• The Yu Jian Sword.
• A close-up of Wu Lee's face with a smoking pistol in front.
• Ling Shan with her sword.
• Huang Lee kicking an armed man in the face.
• Wade Heston with a combat pistol.

Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V's cover art features artwork in the same vein as IV's, which are detailed, but uses a more vibrant color scheme due to the change of theme.

The artworks featured in the cover art are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• A Buzzard Attack Chopper flying in Downtown Los Santos firing its guns during the mission Three's Company.
• A robber equipped with a gas mask outside the Blaine County Savings Bank.
• Franklin on a Sanchez, holding a Micro-SMG, riding down the Los Santos Storm Drain during The Jewel Store Job.
• A woman in a bikini holding up her iFruit phone at Vespucci Beach.
• Michael on a Seashark near the Del Perro Pier.
• Trevor holding a sniper rifle with the Vinewood Sign in the background.
• Chop barking with a chain lead attached to him.
• Franklin holding a pistol in front of his face.
• A 9F being pursued by an LSPD Police Cruiser on Vinewood Boulevard.

Some artworks from the boxart had been released officially or simply seen before the boxart release. Four of these were changed for the boxart:

• The robber in the gas mask is originally from the very first GTA V artwork to be released officially, Pest Control. The background for the boxart was changed from Little Portola to the Blaine County Savings Bank.
• The girl with the iFruit smartphone is originally from the second GTA V artwork released officially, Beach Weather. The background for the boxart was changed from Del Perro Beach to simple yellow to orange gradient. Additionally, the hand holding the smartphone was moved just below the girl's face. On top of that, the artwork was mirrored to be featured on the left side of the boxart properly.
• Trevor holding the sniper rifle is originally from the artwork Trevor. The background was changed to the one from the artwork Vinewood. Additionally, the background was extended and colored purple.
• Chop is originally from the artwork Franklin and Chop. It uses the same background, however, it was painted purple.

Grand Theft Auto Online

Unlike other Grand Theft Auto cover arts, Grand Theft Auto Online's is landscape since it was not released on physical media to warrant a keep case. Because of this, its cover art features more wider artwork.

The artworks featured in the cover art are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• Two P-996 LAZER's dogfighting.
• A player holding up a store clerk.
• A female player about to hit a male player carrying a rifle over the head with a baseball bat.
• A player looking down the sights of a Carbine Rifle near a Rumpo which another player uses to take cover.
• A player parachuting.
• A player with a sniper rifle aiming at another playing shooting from behind a crate.
• Two players racing on Blazers.
• Several players drive-by shooting from a Cavalcade.
• Two players in Jetmax boats.
• A player on a PCJ-600 ride-by shooting a player in a Coquette.

However, with the release of a standalone version of GTA Online on March 15, 2022, the game features a new box art that is portrait and more similar to its predecessors.

The artworks featured in the cover art are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• An Akula stealth helicopter firing its guns in Cayo Perico.
• A female player outside of The Diamond Casino & Resort.
• A male player on a Galaxy Super Yacht.
• Roulette in The Diamond Casino & Resort.
• A female player holding a Pistol customized with a LSPD tint.
• Gold bars from the Diamond Casino Heist.
• The Kosatka surfacing in the North Dock of Cayo Perico.
• A Vectre in the LS Car Meet. Hao is seen in the background.
• A player part of an MC holding a Compact Grenade Launcher from behind.
• Players rappelling down an elavator shaft during the Casino Heist finale.

Most artworks from the boxart had been released officially or simply seen before the boxart release. Three of these were changed for the boxart:

• The Akula stealth helicopter is originally from The Doomsday Heist boxart. The background for the boxart was changed to Cayo Perico landcape from The Cayo Perico Heist collage.
• The male player on a Galaxy Super Yacht is originally from the Executives and Other Criminals update artwork. The background was recolored to gold for the boxart.
• The MC member is originally from the Bikers update artwork. The background was recolored to purple for the boxart.

Though not all of GTA Online's updates have a boxart design, most of the major ones do.

Heists

The artworks featured in the cover art of the Heist Update are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• Lester sitting by his computer.
• A player with a mask on.
• Two players with ski masks on.
• Two players taking money from a vault.
• A police car chasing after a van.

Lowriders

The boxart for Lowriders is unique, as it features one part overlapping the others and it is an image separated into four boxes of:

• Lamar sitting on a Voodoo Custom with other lowriders in the background behind Benny's Original Motor Works.

The Doomsday Heist

The artworks featured in the cover art of The Doomsday Heist are as follows (from left to right, top to bottom):

• An Akula shooting missiles over the desert.
• A player in a tactical mask holding a suppressed pistol.
• Two players in position holding rifles.
• A Stromberg shooting torpedoes underwater.
• A player in a jetpack.
• A TM-02 Khanjali crushing cars with two FH-1 Hunters behind it.

After Hours

The boxart for After Hours feature as followed (from left to right, top to bottom):

• Dixon
• Solomun
• A "V" shape in the middle featuring Gay Tony.
• Tale of Us
• Black Madonna

The Diamond Casino & Resort

The boxart for The Diamond Casino & Resort feature as followed (from left to right, top to bottom):

• A tanker truck being blown up.
• A diamond shape in the middle featuring Tao Cheng, Agatha Baker, Tom Connors, Vincent and Avery Duggan.
• A woman sitting by the balcony.
• A casino game.
• A highway chase with a biker pointing a gun at a Truffade Thrax, with the casino in the background.

The Diamond Casino Heist

The boxart for The Diamond Casino Heist feature as followed (from left to right, top to bottom):

• Three players shimmying down.
• A circular shape in the middle featuring three players in masks holding guns, with the casino in the background.
• A player drilling a vault.
• Golden bars being picked up by a player.
• A car chase.

The Cayo Perico Heist

The boxart for The Cayo Perico Heist feature as followed:

On the top left:

• The world's most notorious narcotrafficker Juan "El Rubio" Strickler in the center.
  • Behind his artwork, a view of his compound and a watchtower.
  • Artwork of Keinemusik DJs: Rampa, &Me and Adam Port (from left to right)
• The protagonist flying a Sparrow.
• Two protagonists parachute jumping from a RO-86 Alkonost.

On the bottom left:

• The beach party area in West Beach.
  • Two guards on Veruses chasing the protagonist, who's driving a Winky.
  • English Dave and an unnamed female party guest.
• The protagonist driving a Toreador
• The Panther Statue inside the glass case.
• Two guards holding Assault Rifles.

On the bottom right:

• Landscape of the island of Cayo Perico.
• The protagonist's Kosatka heading to Cayo Perico.
• A Weaponized Dinghy.

Trivia

• The European box-art for GTA III might be based on the cover art for the 1970 neo-noir action comedy film Cotton Comes to Harlem.
• Nearly all of the box arts have a helicopter at the top left corner.