Rockstar. It'sಌ a word that when uttered either triggers memories of your favoriꦗte 70s rock band, or if you're a gamer, it reminds you of one of the best, if not the best video game publishers to ever do it. Regardless of what comes to mind first, Rockstar is one of the most prolific and important video game publishers ever, and much of that has to be attributed to their eclectic library of games.
Before I ever picked up a controller for the first time, Rockstar had already become a household name with classics like GTA III, Max Payne, and Midnight Club. But with a library so vast, and so perfect, one must wonder what game stands atop all 🌞the oဣther masterpieces.
Rockstar started out in the late 1990s, and before the decade even ended they released the first Grand Theft Auto and a slew of other games that put them on the map. Sure, most of them are practicꦜally eye-sores now, but little did any of us know thﷺat this was just the first taste of something truly special to come.
The groundwork was there even in the first GTA; the soundtrack was bumping and the personality was lively, but Rockstar didn't really start perfecting it all until the early to mid-2000s. Max Payne, Bully, The Warriors... the list could truly go on and on.
But you aren't here for a history lesson; instead, we're going to rank every important Rockstar game the company has ever released. And sorry in advance but we're leaving those god-awful Austin Powers games out, though we're sure none of you ar𓆏e complaining. Well with all that build-up🐻 out of the way, let's jump in.
28 Smug🍬gl🧜er’s Run
Rockstar doesn’t have a lot of bad games, but Smuggler’s Run might be the worst. The game came out in 2000 and the game sees you take the role of a smuggler who happens to make runs. From there, you tak꧋e on an array of missions with a variety of different vehicles.
Think Excite Truck, or a really, really stripped back version of any of the Forza Horizon games.
Despite coming last, it’s not all too bad as it had some pretty in🎉novative elements for the time, but it’s definitely in tꦿhe bottom-half of Rockstar’s library.
27 🌠 Italian Job
Probably another game that many of you might be unfamiliar with, The Italian Job was a game based on the film. While both released in 2003, the movie wa❀s likely the only one that people wanted to remember that year.
The game was broken up into a few different modes giving players a good amount of content, but it was more or less a good amount of bad content.
This squeezes by Smuggler’s Run only because the story-based missions play out like Crazy Taxi and the world had a lot mo𒆙re personality. Still a pretty bad game, tho✤ugh.
26 𓃲 Wild Metal Country
Possibly the most obscure and truly out there game that Rockstar has ever released, Wild Metal, or Wild Metal Country as it was known after Rockstar acqu꧑ired the franchise, is a game that many would probably gawkജ at today.
It’s like one of those free but very broken games that you play to pass the time in computer class.
But if you get past the 🌄awful graphics, then there’s definitely fun to be had here, as taking on your friends in tank-combat is a good time no matter what.
25 ෴ 🀅 Beaterator
Despite this game ending up so low, it’s probably one of the best examples of Rockstar trying something really out of their comfort zone. Beaterator isn’t really a game, it’s more a utility for tไhose looking to produce music on their PSP.
It’s the type of game that one of your producer/DJ friends might’ve messed around with if they happened to own a PSP. 🐬Rockstar collaborated with rapper and producer Timbaland on the game, and despite this game being quite niche, it’s great in the sense that it offered so many practical tools.
24 Grand Theft Auto ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ
This game was definitely something at the time. I wouldn’t say revolutionary by any means, but definitely an important game for Rockstar. The sad truth of it all is that Grand Theft Auto just doesn’t really hold up at all today. The camera is absolutely nauseating, the controls were frustrating, and the story is pretty trit🤪e.
However, while this game didn’t stir up the controversy 🌄or gaming-buzz that later entries would do, the idea of this game was interesting enough to help it sell rather well. And you just can’t forget the soundtrack that thꩵis game boasted.
23 Rockstar Game🌱s Presents Ta🌳ble Tennis
Rockstar might’ve ended well with the last gen consoles with the releases of Red Dead Redemption and GTA V, but they started off a little flat with the surprising release of a...꧋ ping-pong game.
Perhaps it was the best table tennis game ever made, but you and me both know that isn’t really saying much.
Being a ping-pong fan (or table tennis for the professionals) I do have a guilty pleasure for this game but it was nothing more than Rockstar testing their ♈brand new engine on a slightly significant game. Still, they poured their hearts into it.
22 🌠 Grand Theft Auto II
Grand Theft Auto II was the next mainline game in the franchi♕se and like most good sequels, it improves upon most of the shortcomings of the first entry. The top-down view makes a return but it was never much of a gripe for me in the first place, so if you get past that you’re in for a pretty good time.
T🌄he controls are simple, the camera was thankfully fixed, and while this game sold rather well it didn’t do enough differently from the first to truly make it a great game.
21 Smug🐠gler's Run II: Hostile Territory ܫ
Smuggler's Run II essentially polished all the rough spots of the first game and delivered a game that was a💝 lot more enjoyable than the first. While it was received well from a critical standpoint, it didn’t really have any staying power.
The game finally had a personality and a world that felt fun to explore, yet it still fell꧑ short compared to Rockstar’s other racಌing franchise. Really, the only thing noteworthy about this game today is that it was relocated due to the attacks on the WTC.
20 Midnight Club: Street Racing 🐼
So about that other Rockstar racing game... well, growing up I wasn’t the biggest Midnight Club fan, as I always preferred the much more fast-paced and hectic Burnout series. But with that being said, the influence this fra𝄹nchise has had is beyond ridꦓiculous at the point.
Without this game, there just wouldn’t be a Need For Speed: Underground, and even games like Burnout might’ve been altered down to the core. This game introduced the world to Fast and the Furious-style♑d racing games and the game offered🦩 the framework for future racing games to come.
19 Red 🏅Dead Revolver
This is a game that might’ve proved to be completely insignificant if it weren’t for the later entries that we've all come to love, but now it’s something you just can’t ignore. Red Dead Revolver is okay at best, and that might be bei💯ng a little generous.
Take Red Dead Redemption and make it a lot more cartoony and arcade-like, and you more or less get Red Dead Revolver. This game has moments, but you’r🔥e not missing much by avoiding it.