Grand Theft Auto is a top-down crime sandbox where you rack up points by completing mob jobs and committing freelance mayhem across three open cities. Each level sets a score threshold you'll hit through carjackings, deliveries, hit-and-runs, and contract kills—whatever pays. You've got five lives to reach the target, then drive to a marked exit to advance. The twist: your score is also your cash, spendable on respray jobs and gear, but every dollar spent pushes the goal further out. It's a risk-reward loop of chasing numbers while the cops close in. The structure is mission-based rather than freeform story, cycling you through urban zones as you climb the criminal ladder. Expect repetition and dated controls, but the formula that launched the franchise is here.
