'Community-based relay game' isn't something I'd immediately associate with Grand Theft Auto. It's just not very gangster, is it? It hardly evokes Trevor Phillips forcibly removing a hostage's teeth with pliers, nor does it reflect Niko Belic delivering harvested organs to the Black Market. When I think of the wider GTA timeline, I picture Tommy Vercetti storming Ricardo Diaz's Vice City mansion, leaving him in a bullet-strewn pool of his blood; and Carl Johnson murdering his way to the top of San Andreas' gangland underworld. I don't immediately think of a non-real-time version of multiplayer where players take it in turns to progress a single save file, back and forth, round after round, until each game hits 100% completion. That is exactly what the GTA Chain Game is all about, therefore this community-based relay game, in actual fact, brushes up against all of the above—something it's now been doing for several years, now across several Grand Theft Auto classics.(Image credit: Rockstar Games)"It’s crazy to us," says GTAKid, the Chain Game's long-serving commander-in-chief, "to think that we're still going in 2026. "We are very aware of the increasing age of the games we play and know that while many of us regard these games as some of the greatest of all time, finding and maintaining an active player base can be difficult. We couldn’t be more appreciative that in 2026 we are continuing to welcome new players to our community."Assisted livingWhen I first spoke to GTAKid about the Chain Game for PC Gamer's sister site GamesRadar+ back in 2021, the community was in the throes of 100%-ing Grand Theft Auto 3. At the time, the GTA Trilogy—Definitive Edition was just around the corner, as was the Dr Dre-starring The Contract update for GTA Online. GTA 6 was but an enduring spec on the horizon, and we were years away from the leaks, the show-stopping Tom Petty trailer, and the string of delays that have since marked the incoming crime sim series entry's long, long road. In the meantime, mastering everything that's come before is the Chain Game's natural focus—but how important keeping things simple in the midst of this process needs to be, graduating to games with more moving parts poses its own challenges. Most recently, for example, GTAKid and co. have taken to the graffitied streets of GTA 4.(Image credit: Rockstar Games)"It’s been great fun being back in Liberty City," says GTAKid. "GTA 4 has always been a favourite of mine and it has really grown in popularity with our community over the years. The beauty of playing through the more modern games is that they are feature-packed and add a lot of choice—it means that no two rounds we play are the same. Since we last spoke, we now also play through Episodes From Liberty City, and it has been great to replay those stories too."Looking at the bigger picture, what started as a simple save passing exercise is now an international community playing multiple games, hosting online events, and sharing conver

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