A look at weapons through the series. These include guns, melee weapons, and miscellaneous items or weapons, like the camera, binoculars, parachute, and dildo. Melee without items is possible in all games, with kicks and punches being used. I usually talk about the guns top to bottom and left to right based on the pictures. Note: If I get any of the 'based on' guns wrong please point it out! Also, not all pictures represent the exact model in-game. I'm not including weapons only seen in artwork so far. I used icons for the top down games. Guns are not to scale compared to other guns.
GTA I
The first GTA has four weapons. The Pistol, Machine Gun, Rocket Launcher, and Flamethrower. Weapons are found in breakable crates around the cities. The Pistol is the weakest weapon, and fires slowly. The Machine Gun fires rapidly and is a much better choice for killing than the pistol. The Rocket Launcher is great for destroying vehicles, and fires a rocket that explodes on impact. The Flamethrower fires a stream of fire that burns people and damages vehicles. This is how the guns usually compare throughout the series.
GTA London
The London packs have the same weapons as I, but they look different, and represent older weapons. The pistols in I and London resemble the AMT Automag II and the Soviet Tokarev TT-33. The machine gun in London looks like a Sten MkII. I'm not sure what I's is based on. The Rocket Launcher is based on a Panzerschreck or bazooka in London. I'm not sure what the flamethrowers or other rocket launcher is based on.
GTA II
II has 18 weapons. These are the pistol, S-Uzi/machine gun, silenced S-Uzi/machine gun, dual pistols, shotgun, the ElectroGun, which fires lightning and causes great damage, the flamethrower, rocket launcher, grenade, Molotov cocktail, vehicle machine gun, vehicle mounted flamethrower, vehicle mounted machine gun/Land Roamer, water cannon, tank rocket turret, vehicle oil slick, vehicle bomb, and vehicle mine.
GTA III
III had 11 weapons and a detonator for bombs, which is present in most games, also. The only melee weapon is a baseball bat. The pistol is based on the Colt M1911A1, and shoots slowly and may be considered the worst gun. The Micro Uzi is based on the IMI Micro Uzi, and can be quite effective in combat. The Remington 700 is the sniper rifle of the game and gets the job done in one shot. The grenade and Molotov are thrown weapons and do spread damage. The grenade is good for blowing up cars while the Molotov is better for killing a group of people. The shotgun is based on the Remington 870 Folding Stock, and is deadly but slow to shoot. The AK-47 shoots quickly, but doesn't kill as fast as the M16. The flamethrower is good for groups of people and is more suited for close range. The M16 is an assault rifle and is one of the deadliest weapons, and the best gun. The M72 LAW is a rocket launcher and is very effective against vehicles and groups of people a good distance from you. These set the basis for how the weapons perform in later games.
GTA Vice City
There are 20 non-melee/misc. weapons, not counting remote grenades or the detonator. The usable camera makes its first appearance in VC. Grenades, tear gas (PS2), and Molotov cocktails are the thrown weapons. The pistol is based on the Colt M1911. Also present is a shotgun based on the Ithaca 37. The Kruger is based on the Ruger AC556F, and is like the other assault rifle but shoots slower. Other guns are the Colt Python based revolver, the stubby shotgun based on the Ithaca 37 "Stakeout", an assault rifle based on the Colt 733, the Mac 10, the SPAS 12, a sniper rifle based on the Remington 700, a laser sniper rifle based on the PSG-1, a micro SMG based on the IMI Uzi, the TEC-9, a machine gun based on the M-60, an RPG-7, an MP5, a M134 based minigun, and a flamethrower.
GTA Vice City Melee
11 melee weapons are available. These are the bat, brass knuckles, screwdriver, hammer, knife, meat cleaver, machete, nightstick, golf club, katana, and chainsaw.
GTA Advance
There are 11 weapons in Advance, along with car bombs and detonators. Weapons are: Assault rifle, bat, flamethrower, grenade, Molotov, katana, minigun, pistols, rocket launcher, shotgun, and Uzi. These perform similar to previous game's weapons.
GTA San Andreas
San Andreas has the most weapons and items. There are 21 non-melee/misc. weapons in SA. You are able to upgrade your weapon skill with most guns, and can dual wield a select few once you reach the highest skill level. Grenades, Molotov cocktails, and tear gas return, but a new addition to these type of weapons is the satchel charge. The TEC 9 makes an appearance, along with the pump action shotgun that resembles the Ithaca 37, the flamethrower, the Micro Uzi, a sawn-off shotgun, a pistol that looks like the Colt M1911, an MP5 looking SMG, a SPAS 12 combat shotgun, a silenced pistol, an AK-47, a Desert Eagle, an assault rifle based on the Colt 733, a rifle based on the Marlin Model 336, a sniper rifle based on the Remington 700, an M134 based minigun, and two rocket launchers. One is based on the RPG-7, while the other is based on the 9K38 Igla man-portable SAM and FIM-92 Stinger Man-Portable Air-Defense System, and can lock onto vehicles.
GTA San Andreas Melee
There are nine melee weapons in SA. They are the bat, shovel, pool stick, nightstick, knife, katana, golf club, chainsaw, and brass knuckles.
GTA San Andreas Miscellaneous
There are ten misc. weapons/items in SA. They are the thermal goggles, night vision goggles, spray can, dildo, parachute, camera, fire extinguisher, vibrator, cane, and flowers. The dildo, flowers, and vibrator are gifts you can give to your girlfriends.
GTA Liberty City Stories
There are 21 non-melee/misc. weapons in LCS. Not pictured is tear gas and remote grenades. Grenades and Molotov cocktails are back, and the pistol is based on the Glock 17. The Colt Python gun returns, also. Also present is the pump action shotgun, the AK-47, the flamethrower, the MAC-10, the stubby shotgun, which is based on the Serbu Super Shorty, and the assault rifle, based on the M4A1. The minigun is based on the M197 tri-barreled Gatling. The micro SMG is based on the IMI Uzi. The combat shotgun is based on the SPAS-12 and the sniper rifle is based on the Remington 700. The M60 is back from VC. The TEC 9 and MP5 are also in the game, along with the RPG-7 and the laser snipe rifle, based on the HK MSG90.
GTA Liberty City Stories Melee/Miscellaneous Weapons
There are 12 melee/misc. weapons in LCS, and they are the bat, ax, chisel, katana, brass knuckles, hockey stick, cleaver, chainsaw, camera, knife (not shown), which looks like the GTAIV knife but with no ridges, machete, and nightstick.
GTA Vice City Stories
There are 19 non-melee/misc. weapons in VCS, 20 if you count remote grenades, which are just remotely detonated grenades. The M9 is based on the Beretta 92. The Equalizer is based on the .357 Colt Python, and is deadly but has a slow rate of fire. The Scorpion is based on the Skorpion vz.61. The SMG is based on a mix of the SP89, MP5A3, MP5K, and MP5SD. The Micro-SMG is based on the IMI Uzi. Also in the game is the MAC-10, the pump action shotgun, and the stubby shotgun, based on a shortened Mossberg 500. The combat shotgun is based on the SPAS-12 with its folding stock folded back. The grenade and Molotov cocktail are back, and so is the AK-47. The assault rifle is based on the M16A1. The sniper rifle is based on the M21 and the laser sniper is based on the Dragunov, or SVD-1. The four heavy weapons are the M249, the minigun, based on the M134, the flamethrower, and the rocket launcher, based on the M72 LAW.
GTA Vice City Stories Melee/Miscellaneous Weapons
There are 13 melee weapons and miscellaneous items. They are the ax, bat, binoculars, butterfly knife, gaff hook, camera, golf club, katana, knife, brass knuckles, machete, nightstick, and chainsaw.
GTA IV
There are 15 weapons in IV. The melee weapons are the bat and knife. You can pick up some small objects and throw them at people. The combat pistol is based on the Desert Eagle .357. There is also the Molotov cocktail and grenade. The SMG is based on the SW MP-10. The pistol is based on the Glock 22. The micro-SMG is based on the Micro-UZI. The combat shotgun is based on the Remington 11-87. The sniper rifle is based on the Remington 700. The pump shotgun is based on the Ithaca Model 37 Stakeout. The combat sniper is based on the H&K PSG-1. The assault rifle is based on the AK-47. The carbine rifle is based on the M4A1. The RPG is based on the RPG-7.
The Lost And The Damned
Six new weapons were in TLAD, along with the IV bat with blood on it. They are the pool stick, the sawn-off shotgun, based on a sawn-off 12 Gauge Double-Barreled Shotgun, and the automatic 9mm, based on the CZ-75 Automatic, which has a fast rate of fire and good accuracy. Also new is the assault shotgun, based on the DAO-12, which has a good rate of fire and deals a good amount of damage. The pipe bomb is like the grenade but causes a bit more damage and emits smoke while thrown or rolled. The grenade launcher is based on the Heckler and Koch HK69A1 and can be used to shoot grenades farther than they can be thrown.
The Ballad Of Gay Tony
TBOGT features seven new weapons and the parachute. The grenade launcher from TLAD is also back, and the fuse has been shortened. If the player gets a direct hit on a vehicle or person, the shot grenade explodes on impact. The Pistol .44 is based on the AMP Automag Model 180 and has a low rate of fire but is accurate and powerful. The advanced sniper, based on the DSR-1, is a sniper rifle with a decent rate of fire for sniper rifles and good accuracy and range. The gold SMG, based on the IMI Uzi, is gold plated and has a great rate of fire but worse accuracy compared to other SMGs. Sticky bombs can stick to vehicles and surfaces and explode by either detonation, being shot, or not setting them of for 90 seconds. The assault SMG, based on the FN P90, is a fast firing, accurate, and silenced/suppressed SMG. The parachute is used in base jumps and to help you survive high falls. The advanced MG, based on the M249 SAW, is a powerful weapon that lacks a bit in stopping power and accuracy. The automatic or explosive shotgun, based on the AA-12, can be used with normal rounds or explosive rounds, which cause a good deal of damage.
Chinatown Wars
There are 23 weapons in CTW, not including fists, mission specific weapons (except the sniper rifle, which is based on a mix of the Remington 700 and the M21), and vehicle based weapons, which are the tank turret, machine gun, water spray, and torpedo. There are also car bombs, time bombs, and crates. Weapons are: Taser, bat, nightstick, sword, chainsaw, flash-bang, Molotov cocktail, grenade, proximity mine, pistol, dual pistol, revolver, micro-SMG, SMG, shotgun, stubby shotgun, double barreled shotgun, assault rifle, M4, sniper, minigun, flamethrower, and rocket launcher.
GTA V
The official number of weapons is not known. Molotov cocktails, flares, and smoke grenades are among the thrown weapons in the game. We will use a gas can to make oil trails and can also makes cars leak gas. An unknown pistol has also been seen. A possible Colt M1911 look-alike will appear, along with a pistol that looks based on the Beretta 92FS. The Desert Eagle is back, along with a Mini Uzi, a Serbu Super-Shorty, a possible Keltec KSG based bullpup shotgun, an IMI Tavor CTAR-21 look-alike "advanced rifle", a Norinco Type 56-2 based assault rifle, a PKM based machine gun, a Barrett M82A1 look-alike rifle, and an RPG-7 based RPG.
Going clockwise around the weapon wheel, we can see the "AP Pistol", which seems to be a fictional automatic pistol. A possible Mk 48 based gun is also seen, and has been shown modified. Another is a Heckler & Koch HK416 based "carbine rifle", as referred to in-game, and also an Accuracy International AWM L115A3 based gun. You can also see a shotgun based on the Mossberg 590A1 Tactical Tri-Rail, along with a rotary grenade launcher and C4.
The minigun is back and is based on the M134. Flash bangs and grenades will be in the game, along with a SIG Sauer P226 look-alike and what may be the Glock 17 or 18. The knife is back.
Other possible melee weapons include the tennis racket, bat, mallet, golf club, nightstick, and hammer. Also, I'm not sure if we've seen the mentioned Pistol .50 yet.
The binoculars and parachute return in V. We will be able to customize our weapons this time around, also.