French gaming media jeuxvideo uses the telephone as a thread to review the Grand Theft Auto series, suggesting that Grand Theft Auto VI will continue its satire of digital culture through smartphones. In this series, which observes contemporary American society, phones have evolved with the times, gradually shifting from mere tools for accepting missions to integral parts of characters' daily lives.
The original Grand Theft Auto, released in 1997 and developed by DMA Design, required players to visit street payphones to receive mission instructions related to local criminal activities. These payphones linked calls to urban spaces and mission progression, reflecting an era when people had to go to fixed locations to make phone calls.
In Grand Theft Auto London, pagers and walkie-talkies were already used to convey information. By the time of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, set in 1986, Tommy Vercetti carries a bulky mobile phone designed after the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x. Critics note that such early mobile phones were also symbols of wealth and status at the time.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas further allows Carl Johnson to use a flip phone. Plot-driving calls can be received directly by the character, eliminating the need for players to travel to fixed payphones to answer calls.
In Grand Theft Auto IV, the phone becomes an interactive interface. Niko Bellic starts with an older model before upgrading to the more feature-rich Whiz. Players also use the phone to manage social activities, such as responding to cousin Roman's bowling invitations; ignoring these invites can lower friendship levels. Critics have interpreted the phone as a way for the game to depict the intrusion into personal time.
Grand Theft Auto V equips its three protagonists with different smartphones: Michael uses an iFruit, Trevor's phone has a cracked screen, and Franklin's phone features a distinct design. Critics connect these designs to real-world phone products and consumer groups, viewing them as carrying the series' consistent social satire. Following this trajectory, critics anticipate that Grand Theft Auto VI will further use phones to depict how people present themselves and view the world through images.