Events concerning the Grand Theft Auto series in 1998

Game World

2D Era

• Johnny Zoo is alleged to have a cocaine and amphetamine smuggling operation, along with arms theft and dealing.
• Danny Zoo is linked to a gambling racket and more gambling den murders.
• Jerkov is suspected of disemboweling rival gang figures.
• Sunbeam is suspected of large scale grand theft auto.
• Tortoise kidnaps an entire stadium of people, and there is no witness.
• Tetsuo is suspected of numerous shootings and tortures.
• Lodov is suspected of kidnapping an entire convent, for an unknown reason.
• Kov-Kov is suspected of a car bomb attack on a rival porn dealer.

3D Era

• Events of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories takes place.

• Mayor R.C. Hole assassinated by Toni Cipriani.
• Miles O'Donovan is elected in a special election after defeating Donald Love.
• Los Santos is given an award for 'city where you were most likely to be eaten by an animal'.
• Liberty City is given an award for the 'city where you were most likely to fail'.
• Lazlow Jones is arrested for forcible touching.
• Avery Carrington is murdered by Toni Cipriani.

HD Era

• Niko Bellic was almost killed when the fifteen man unit he was in were ambushed, with twelve of his friends killed in the attack. Only he, Florian Cravic and Darko Brevic survived, the latter having betrayed the unit. The bodies were buried in a mass grave.  
• Mallorie Bardas is arrested for joyriding.
• Willy Valerio is arrested for grand theft auto.
• Oscar Gomez is arrested for possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.
• Fredo Volpe becomes a police informant.
• Jermaine Andrews is arrested for hijacking.
• Heathcliff Waterstreet is arrested for identity theft.
• Tyler Dixon is arrested for possession of crack cocaine.
• Roman Bellic moves to Liberty City because of of the Yugoslav wars.
• Lazlow Jones is arrested for forcible touching.
• Mikhail Faustin is arrested for extortion.
• Roman Bellic immigrates to America during the Bosnian War
• Wu Lee is arrested for petit larceny.
• Gordon Sargent is arrested for possession stolen property.
• Patrick McReary is arrested for grand larceny.
• Dimitri Rascalov is arrested for extortion.