An US University will be offering a Grand Theft Auto history course starting in early 2026. The class will be the first time that a history college course has been built upon Grand Theft Auto, but not the first time that a Rockstar Games title has been the focus.
Over the course of Grand Theft Auto's series, the games have featured different time periods, ranging from as far back as the 1960s to the present era. Grand Theft Auto Vice City brought players to the 1980s, while San Andreas was set in the 1990s. This puts Grand Theft Auto in an interesting place, where players can play the series and get a glimpse into a semi-realistic fictional depiction of what life was like in those given decades. It seems it's this aspect of the franchise that made one college professor think it was a good fit for a history course.
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Accredited History Course Featuring GTA Will Be Offered at University
In January 2026, the University of Tennessee will begin offering a course called "Grand Theft America: U.S. History Since 1980 through the GTA Video Games". The course will be taught by history professor Tore Olsson, who previously offered a similar course looking at American history through the lens of Red Dead Redemption. According to Olsson, in a chat with IGN, the course will "take seriously" GTA's version of US history, which will serve as a framing device for a history course spanning the last 45 years. The course is described as using the GTA games as a "window for understanding the social, political, economic, and cultural transformations that remade the US since 1980."
Olsson explained that American history has gone through distinctive eras, and that the GTA games serve as a sort of snapshot of what life was like at any given time. He acknowledges that the games get a lot wrong, as they're satirical and often parody real life, but that he can appreciate what they got right, and will incorporate that into the course. This includes things like the series' radio stations becoming more polarized over time, and the end of San Andreas referencing the L.A. Riots of 1992. Players won't be required to play or own the games, with the class utilizing recordings and screenshots from GTA. The professor notes that he may occasionally play the game himself for the class to make a point.
Unfortunately, this GTA course will leave out Grand Theft Auto 6, as the game won't be out yet at that time. Olsson noted that he started planning the class to include GTA 6, as it was slated to launch in late 2025, but that plan had to change when GTA 6 was delayed to May 2026. However, he plans to update the course once the game has released to incorporate it into the curriculum.
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- November 19, 2026
- ESRB
- Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
