How to Play GTA London 1969 and 1961 Today (PC and PS1)

Short answer: neither London pack is sold anymore, and Rockstar doesn't offer them as downloads (checked 29 October 2026). To play legally you need original discs: London 1969 plus the original GTA on PC or PlayStation, the Director's Cut bundle, or the standalone UK PlayStation London – Special Edition. London 1961 is PC-only and needs London 1969 installed.

For the history and story, see our London 1969 guide and London 1961 guide. This page is the practical part.

Are the London packs sold anywhere?

Before you buy: a quick checklist

1. Decide PC or PlayStation. Only the PC route gives you both London 1969 and London 1961; PlayStation only ever had London 1969.

2. Check what's in the box. A London 1969 disc on its own isn't enough unless it's the UK Special Edition; you also need the original Grand Theft Auto.

3. Check the region. PAL or NTSC must match your PlayStation; PC discs work anywhere.

4. Check the condition. Ask for photos of the disc's playing surface and avoid deep scratches.

5. Keep the receipt. Buy from a seller who accepts returns in case the disc doesn't load.

Step 1: pick the right copy

Step 2a: play on PlayStation

1. With the regular London 1969 disc, you start from the original GTA disc and swap to London 1969 when asked; the UK Special Edition starts directly.

2. Use a memory card to save; the PlayStation has no internal storage.

3. Most PS2 consoles and early “backward compatible” PS3 models also run PS1 discs. Check your exact model before buying a disc. PS4 and PS5 can't play PS1 discs.

The disc-swap step on the regular version is reported by Wikipedia without a citation, so treat the exact procedure as unconfirmed and follow the on-screen prompts.

Step 2b: play on PC

1. Install the original Grand Theft Auto from its CD-ROM, then install London 1969. Install London 1961 last, only if you already have a copy from a trusted source.

2. The games are from 1997–1999 and were made for Windows 95/98 and MS-DOS, so modern 64-bit Windows may refuse the original installers. Running the installer in Windows compatibility mode can help; this varies by PC, so we can't promise it will work.

3. Copy your save files somewhere safe once you're playing.

Avoid “repack” downloads of these games on unofficial sites. They aren't distributed by Rockstar, and installers from unknown sources are a common way to spread malware.

Getting London 1961 specifically

London 1961 was a free download from the GTA 2 website in July 1999 and was never sold on disc. Rockstar no longer hosts it, and its Rockstar Classics free-download service, which offered GTA 1 and GTA 2, has closed. That means there is no current official source for London 1961. If you kept a copy from 1999, it needs London 1969 for PC to run.

PlayStation hardware checklist

• Original PlayStation or PSone: plays PS1 discs from its own region; you need a memory card for saves.

• PlayStation 2: plays PS1 discs, uses PS1 memory cards for PS1 saves, and outputs a sharper picture than most PS1 models through component cables.

• PlayStation 3: all PS3 models play PS1 discs, unlike PS2 discs, and save to a virtual memory card on the hard drive.

• PS4 and PS5: can't play PS1 discs.

Check that the disc's region matches your console: a PAL disc from the UK or Europe needs a PAL console, and a US NTSC disc needs an NTSC console.

Looking after old discs

Discs from 1999 are now more than twenty-five years old. Hold them by the edges, keep them in their cases out of sunlight and heat, and clean light marks with a soft, lint-free cloth wiped from the centre outwards, not in circles. If a disc skips or freezes at the same point every time, deep scratches are the likely cause, and replacing the disc is usually easier than repairing it.

What we couldn't confirm

• The exact disc-swap procedure on the regular PlayStation London 1969 (Wikipedia reports the need for the GTA disc without a citation).

• Whether the PC versions run on every modern Windows 10 or 11 PC.

• Any official re-release or download: Rockstar has not announced one as of 29 October 2026.

India: buying advice

There is no official way to buy these packs in India. If you buy an imported copy, a PC CD-ROM is the safest choice because it has no region lock and runs on a Windows PC. For PlayStation, match the disc to your console's region: UK and European discs are PAL, US discs are NTSC. Buy from sellers with returns, ask for photos of the disc surface, and check that the jewel case contains the right disc.

Alternatives on modern platforms

If you want classic GTA on current hardware, the closest official option is GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, which covers GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas. It doesn't include either London pack or the original GTA.

Cheats

Once you're playing, see the London 1969 cheats and London 1961 cheats pages.

Related NextPlayIntel pages

• GTA London 1969 game page and London 1961 game page

• London 1969 guide and London 1961 guide

• Grand Theft Auto (1997)

Image credits: cover photo by Evan-Amos / Wikimedia Commons (public domain).