GTA School Years
What grade were you in when each Grand Theft Auto came out? Enter your date of birth to find out exactly which school year you were in for every GTA release — from GTA 1 in 1997 all the way to GTA 6.
Your school years, GTA by GTA
Enter your date of birth and pick a school system — everything is calculated in your browser.
The GTA nostalgia yardstick
Every GTA release is a little time capsule. Ask someone what grade they were in when GTA San Andreas came out in October 2004 and you'll usually get an "I was in 4th grade?!" — because the games map so neatly onto the school years that shaped us.
This tool lines up all seven mainline Grand Theft Auto releases — GTA 1 (1997), GTA III (2001), Vice City (2002), San Andreas (2004), GTA IV (2008), GTA V (2013) and the upcoming GTA 6 — and tells you exactly what school year you were in for each one. Switch between US grades and UK school years with a tap, and any game that landed before you were born is flagged so you can see which GTAs are genuinely older than you are.
The mapping uses the common rule of thumb that a US grade is roughly your age minus five (age 5 is Kindergarten, 6 is 1st grade, all the way to 12th grade / Senior at 17–18), while the UK lines up Reception at age 4 and then Year 1 through Year 13. Because school years start in the autumn and cutoff dates differ, treat these as close approximations rather than exact records.
Frequently Asked Questions
🏫 What grade was I in when GTA San Andreas came out?
GTA San Andreas launched on October 26, 2004. Enter your date of birth above and this tool works out your exact age that day and maps it to your US grade or UK school year — for example, a 9‑year‑old was in 4th grade in the US, or Year 5 in the UK.
🎮 What grade was I in when GTA 5 came out?
GTA 5 (GTA V) came out on September 17, 2013. Pop in your birthday and you'll see the grade or school year you were in when it dropped, alongside every other GTA release from 1997 to GTA 6.
📏 How are the grades worked out?
For the US system we use the common rule that your grade is roughly your age minus 5 (age 5 = Kindergarten, 6 = 1st grade … 17/18 = 12th grade / Senior). For the UK we use Reception at age 4, then Year = age minus 4 up to Year 13. These are approximations based on a typical autumn school‑year start, so your exact grade can shift by one depending on your birthday and local cutoff dates.
🇬🇧 Can I use this for UK school years instead of US grades?
Yes. Use the system selector to switch between US grades, UK school years, or a generic life‑stage label. The whole timeline re‑maps instantly without re‑entering your date of birth.
👶 What if I wasn't born yet when a GTA game released?
No problem — any game that came out before your date of birth is simply marked "Not born yet," so you can see exactly which GTA titles predate you.