Grand Theft Auto III

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Craig Conner & Stuart Ross - ""Theme from Grand Theft Auto III""

Grand Theft Auto III Main Theme

“One of the most influential and successful games ever made.”

—The New York Times

Grand Theft Auto series chronology of events

1961 – GTA London 1961

1969 – GTA London 1969

1997 – GTA

1999/2013 – GTA 2

1984 – GTA Vice City Stories

1986 – GTA Vice City

1992 – GTA San Andreas

1998 – GTA Liberty City Stories

2000 – GTA Advance

2001 – GTA III

2008 – GTA IV

2008 – TLAD

2008 – TBOGT

2009 – GTA Chinatown Wars

2013–present – GTA Online

2013 – GTA V

? – GTA VI

“Welcome to Liberty City. Where it all began. The critically acclaimed blockbuster Grand Theft Auto III brings to life the dark and seedy underworld of Liberty City. With a massive and diverse open world, a wild cast of characters from every walk of life, and the freedom to explore at will, Grand Theft Auto III puts the dark, intriguing, and ruthless world of crime at your fingertips.
With stellar voice acting, a darkly comic storyline, a stunning soundtrack, and revolutionary open-world gameplay, Grand Theft Auto III is the game that defined the open-world genre for a generation.”

—Official Description

Grand Theft Auto III (also shortened into GTA III or GTA 3) is a 2001 action-adventure videogame developed by Rockstar North (then known as DMA Design) and published by Rockstar Games. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 console, but also saw ports for the PC and Xbox. It is the third main game of the Grand Theft Auto series and the fifth overall installment.

Set in the fictional Liberty City in 2001, Grand Theft Auto III begins a new continuity separated from its prede cessors. The game's narrative follows the adventures of Claude, a silent criminal who was betrayed by his girlfriend Catalina during a bank heist. Claude begins to work for different factions in the crime-riddled Liberty City, including the Mafia, Yakuza and corrupted figures.

Set in an open-world environment, Grand Theft Auto III is the first game in the series to be presented in a fully 3D world, shifting away from the top-down perspective that characterized previous games in the franchise. Development was handled by DMA Design, and it was the final game developed by the company before its rename into Rockstar North.

Grand Theft Auto III was universally acclaimed upon its release in October 2001. Critics praised the game for its presentation, game design, freedom, sound design and ambition, though it was a subject of controversy due to its violent nature. Multiple publications deemed it a revolutionary title for its advancements in game design and open-ended gameplay, and it was awarded a variety of end-year accolades. A commercial success, GTA 3 sold over 14 million copies.

In 2011, the game was re-released on iOS and Android devices for its 10-year anniversary under the title Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition. It was met with positive responses, with gaming publications praising its visuals, though criticism was directed at the port's controls.

On November 11, 2021, the game was re-released on 8th and 9th generation consoles for its 20-year anniversary under the title Grand Theft Auto III - The Definitive Edition, included in the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition bundle.

Storyline

“LIBERTY CITY, USA. The Worst Place in America.
You've been betrayed and left for dead. Now you're taking revenge, unless the city gets you first. Mob bosses need a favor, crooked cops need help and street gangs want you dead. You'll have to rob, steal and kill just to stay out of serious trouble. Anything can happen out here.”

—From the official site

Chronologically following the events of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Catalina leaves with her boyfriend Claude to Liberty City. At the start of the game, the two are seen robbing a bank with Miguel, a Colombian Cartel member and their getaway driver, and another unnamed man. Amidst the chase, Catalina tells Claude that she is an ambitious girl and doesn't need him anymore, shooting him, killing the unnamed man, and leaving with Miguel and the money. Claude survives, and is arrested for the robbery. While crossing the Portland Island bridge in a police convoy, the Colombian Cartel ambushes them by blowing up the Callahan Bridge (isolating Portland from the rest of the city) and then kidnap an Old Oriental Gentleman. Claude and another prisoner named 8-Ball free themselves while the convoy is ambushed and leave.

8-Ball introduces Claude to Luigi Goterelli and Claude works for him to prove himself useful. Luigi orders him to drive Joey Leone's favorite prostitute, Misty, to Joey's Garage, and earns Joey's trust by performing missions against the Triads and the Forelli Crime Family. Joey introduces him to Toni Cipriani, who Claude begins working for to exact revenge on the Triads after a failed assault attempt in a laundry shop. After proving himself, Claude is introduced to Joey's father and the head of the Leone Family, Salvatore Leone. Claude is not powerful enough to stay for Joey, Toni, and Salvatore's meeting, so he is instructed to drive around Salvatore's trophy wife, Maria Latore, and saves her from a drug raid in a warehouse party she attended.

Salvatore begins trusting Claude, and confides in him that he believes that a bartender named Curly Bob is selling information about the Leone's to the Cartel in exchange for SPANK, an illegal drug. Claude follows Curly Bob and finds out that Catalina and Miguel are now leaders of the Cartel. Claude kills Curly Bob, but Catalina and Miguel escape. Salvatore has Claude, with the help of 8-Ball, blow up the Cartel Ship with their supply of SPANK.

For his last mission, Salvatore asks Claude to get rid of a car filled with murder evidence. However, as Claude nears the car's location, Maria pages Claude, saying that the car is a trap, and to meet her at the docks. Should Claude enter the car, it will explode. At the docks, Maria admits that she lied to Salvatore and said she was having an affair with Claude, which caused his rage. Maria introduces him to a Yakuza leader Asuka Kasen and they move to Staunton Island to escape the Leone's.

Asuka wants Claude to prove that his ties with Leone's are completely broken by assassinating Salvatore as he is leaving Luigi's club. Claude works for Asuka against the Leone's and the police. She soon introduces Claude to her brother and waka-gashira Kenji Kasen and a corrupt cop Ray Machowski. Claude works for Kenji against the Uptown Yardies and the Cartel while he also works for Ray to keep his connections with the Yakuza secret by making him do his dirty work.

Ray introduces him to billionaire mogul Donald Love and Claude begins working for him. He rescues the Oriental Gentleman from the Cartel, after Love tells him that they are holding him hostage for a ransom. To lower the real estate price of the city, Claude starts a war between the Yakuza and the Cartel by running over Kenji with a Cartel vehicle. He also collects the packages from a plane hangar, however, the Cartel have taken it back to their construction site headquarters, and finds Miguel and Catalina there. Miguel attempts to negotiate with Claude, but Catalina shoots him in the back and escapes. Thinking that the Cartel killed her brother, Asuka arrives to assist Claude and tortures Miguel for information. After helping Love by providing a distraction, Claude returns to the penthouse and finds that he and the Oriental Gentleman have disappeared. He returns to the construction site and finds Asuka and Miguel both dead, with a note from Catalina saying she has kidnapped Maria and will kill her unless he brings $500,000 to the Cartel Mansion.

Upon arriving, it is revealed that the exchange was an ambush and Catalina takes Maria away in a helicopter and orders them to kill Claude. Claude escapes and follows the helicopter to the dam. Catalina flies away, leaving Maria on the dam with her men. Claude kills all the men and shoots down the helicopter, killing Catalina. Leaving the dam, Maria begins babbling, and after the screen fades to black, a gunshot is heard. It is unknown if Claude shot Maria or merely fired into the sky in order to shut her up.

The protagonist of *Grand Theft Auto III*, Claude.

Voice Cast

City

Main article: Liberty City (3D Universe)

The game takes place in Liberty City, which is loosely based on a series of East Coast and mid-western cities, including New York City, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago and Pittsburgh, but without being any one in particular ^[1]^[2] There are different districts in Liberty City. It consists of three islands - Portland, Staunton Island, and Shoreside Vale. The three islands are comparatively similar to Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, respectively.

Portland

Main article: Portland

This is the first area the player will interact with in the game.

“Here you will find the docks, the Red Light District, warehouses, factories, markets, garages as well as some useful suppliers. The area is populated with hookers, pimps, laborers, dockworkers, politicians and general scum. Crime is rife in Portland and it has a long history of Mafia control. But this is being challenged by the Triads. A bloody turf war has been underway for several months. A delightful district with something for everyone.”

—The manual's description

This is the old industrial district, consisting largely of workmen in old cars, the Leones, Triads, and Diablos.

Staunton Island

Main article: Staunton Island

Staunton Island is the second of the three districts the player will see in the game.

“This is the central business district. This is where all the big business takes place in Liberty City and is dominated by the rich, powerful and corporate. During the day the area is bustling with businessmen doing their 9-5 thing - insider trading, taking bribes and selling their grandmothers for ten bucks. At night it is dark, desolate and very dangerous.”

—The manual's description

This is the business district. Lots of rich people can be found here, along with their nice cars. The resident gangs are the Yakuza, the Yardies, and Colombian Cartel.

Shoreside Vale

Main article: Shoreside Vale

This is where the ending of the game takes place.

“Suburban bliss and tranquility Liberty City style. Home to many of Liberty City's more affluent gangsters, Liberty City's commuter-belt is a patchwork of swimming pools, picket fences, backyards, basketball nets, street gangs and five car garages. It's littered with ostentatious mansions paid for with blood money, protected by high security guards and gates to keep out gangs of bored teenagers looking for something to do to bring some excitement to their middle class existence. The designer dogs and the station wagons give a shallow serenity to suburbia, but don't be fooled. Violence and corruption are at the heart of every home.”

—The manual's description

This is the suburban area of Liberty City. The wealthy live here, along with the middle-class residents and gangs. The Francis International Airport is also located here. The local gangs are the Southside Hoods and the Colombian Cartel.

Development

Main article: Grand Theft Auto III/Credits

The core development team of GTA III consisted of about 23 people at DMA Design in Edinburgh, Scotland, who worked closely with publisher Rockstar Games in New York City. The original prototype for the game was created on the Dreamcast around the end of development on the previous game Grand Theft Auto 2, which led to it being greenlit.^[3] By early 2001, the team had designed the city, cars and some weapons.^[4] An online multiplayer mode was initially planned for the game, but was ultimately dropped due to time and resource limitations. Producer Leslie Benzies described Grand Theft Auto III as a "crime simulation game".^[5] Rockstar originally offered it to Microsoft Game Studios as an Xbox exclusive, but Microsoft declined due to the game's adult nature and its poorly-performing predecessors.^[6]^[7]

Open World Design

Grand Theft Auto III is considered to be the first 3D game in the series, using Criterion Games' RenderWare game engine.^[8] Executive producer Sam Houser had always wanted the series to move to 3D; the development team of Grand Theft Auto 2 had performed some similar tests, and DMA Design had experimented with 3D worlds with games like Body Harvest and Space Station Silicon Valley.^[9] With the release of the PlayStation 2, the team felt that a large 3D world was possible. Art director Aaron Garbut felt that other video games at the time "were a thing you played", wanting Grand Theft Auto III to be "a place you lived in".^[10]

When designing the game, the development team expanded upon concepts introduced in the previous Grand Theft Auto games. Benzies stated that the intention was to recreate the "freedom and diversity" of the previous games in a "living, breathing 3D world", using the power of the PlayStation 2 to do so. The console's ability to use DVDs, an improvement over the PlayStation's limit to CDs, allowed the team to store more data, such as animations, music and environments. Despite this, the team found it difficult to fit the game into the PlayStation 2's 32 megabytes of RAM, due to the scale. The game's size also created difficulties for the testers, due to the variety of options.^[11] Benzies felt that creating a living city was the "underlying principle" of the game's concept during development. Sam Houser felt that the game's 3D element allowed the "chemistry of the team [to come] together perfectly for the first time".^[12]

A major difficulty the team encountered was converting all game elements into a fully 3D world, including the sound and radio stations, as well as designing and voicing the non-player characters, due to the amount that existed within the open world.^[13] Producer Dan Houser said there were about 8,000 lines of recorded dialogue in the game, while audio programmer Raymond Usher estimated about 18,000.^[14] The basic technical elements of the game began to work together in mid-2000, with a carjacking mechanic prototype and stable streaming model.^[15] Streaming was initially intended to be reserved for music and map geometry, but other elements were eventually included when it became apparent to the team as more data was entered.

When designing the game world, the team initially created a "hybrid city", which Dan Houser described as "a post industrial Midwest slash east coast generic" city. Upon developing within this game world, the team realized that basing the design on a real location meant "you have a lot of things you can say about it". As a result, they redesigned Liberty City, which had been previously featured in the first Grand Theft Auto, basing it loosely on New York City. DMA Design worked with a team at Rockstar in New York for cultural references; the Rockstar team would regularly work long hours for full weeks, ensuring that the references, such as in-game car manufacturers, were appropriate to the city.

The city is broken into three islands: an industrial section, a commercial center, and the suburbs, similar to the district separation from the previous game. The islands unlock as the story progresses; the team wanted players to "start out feeling poor and work to being richer".^[16] Dan Houser described Liberty City as a "hybrid of a generic American city", including Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, New York, and Philadelphia; he felt that the parallel realism of the world allowed the team to make more social commentary than previously. Sam Houser cited films and shows like Heat (1995) and The Sopranos (1999–2007) as inspiration for the setting, and wanted to emulate them in the game. He also cited the influence of The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario 64 and the 1990 film Goodfellas, describing Grand Theft Auto III as "a cross between a gangster movie and an RPG".^[17]^[18]

Story and Characters

The team developed the story and design simultaneously. Dan Houser said, "we use the story to expose the mechanics, and we use the mechanics to tell the story"; however, he found it difficult to create the narrative, as the game is so strongly focused on player freedom. He wanted the story to be more nuanced and interesting than the generic "rise and fall and rise again of a superhero bad guy". The game's script was also focused on mission objectives, attempting to implement high amounts of interactivity. Dan Houser felt that each mission is "its own short story", and part of an "overarching story". Dan Houser and co-writer James Worrall drew influence from mob films and the mafiosi featured in films by Martin Scorsese; the team also "paid a lot of attention" to shows like Miami Vice and The Sopranos. When writing the story, Dan Houser and Worrall regularly met with the designers, and filled a room with post-it notes to reconstruct the story components to shape the game.

Many of the game characters were animated using motion capture, filmed at a rented studio at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, though this was limited by technical constraints. The character movement was also treated as being cinematic, though limited polygons heavily inhibited this. Animating non-player characters entering and driving cars proved to be difficult for the team, due to the variety of vehicle designs. "It involved chaining together dozens of different animations and altering key frames in code", recalled software engineer Alan Campbell. The team used varying camera angles when animating the game's cutscenes in order to evoke different emotions.^[19] For the voice acting, the team wanted "natural, subtle performances", which proved difficult as many of the actors "had in their head the idea that because video games are animated, their performances needed to be animated", explained motion capture director Navid Khonsari.

The playable protagonist is unnamed in the game,^[20] and his name is not officially revealed as Claude until his appearance in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He is a silent protagonist, never speaking throughout his appearances; the team decided upon this primarily because it "did not seem like a major issue", due to the other challenges faced during development, and also partly to allow players to identify with the character, as he would be who the players want him to be. The developers did not have "any one single inspiration" for Claude; they liked the idea of a "strong, silent killer, who would be juxtaposed with all of these neurotic and verbose mobsters".

Sound and Radio Design

Grand Theft Auto III features about three-and-a-half hours of in-game radio material. For the music, the team sought a broad diversity to recreate the real sensation of skipping through radio stations, reflecting the gangster movie culture invoked by the game. The team used the talk radio stations to add character to the city and provide a "unique take on American life";^[21] Sam Houser described it as "a very iconoclastic look at America". The team used real DJs to portray those on the radio. In doing so, they wrote unusual dialogue for the DJs, seeking the effect of "high production values and absurd content". Music director Craig Conner assembled the assets of the radio station—music, advertisements, DJ dialogue, and station imaging.

Chatterbox FM, one of the game's radio stations, is entirely talk radio hosted by a fictionalised version of Lazlow Jones, who met Rockstar's managing director Terry Donovan in 2001 as they were both preparing to travel to Los Angeles for E3. Donovan invited Jones to Rockstar's offices in Manhattan, where he met the development team, including Dan and Sam Houser and producer Jamie King, and they invited him to work on the game. The writing sessions took place at Dan Houser's apartment, and the entire process, including editing and recording, took around four to five months. With the station's guests and callers, the writers wanted to satirize American lifestyles, focusing on fictional stories as opposed to quickly outdated stories based on recent news. Jones found the conversations to be natural, having worked in radio for several years. The roles of the guests and callers were performed by Jones' friends and neighbors, including his father, and were recorded in New York.^[22]

Influence

Dan Houser and co-writer James Worrall cite the mob films of Martin Scorsese; the team also "paid a lot of attention" to shows like Miami Vice and The Sopranos. Sam Houser also cited Michael Mann's Heat. The strongest influence on Grand Theft Auto III are GoodFellas and The Sopranos.

Other influences and references in Grand Theft Auto III include:

Salvatore Leone's appearance and surname is heavily influenced by Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
The splitting of the city into readily recognisable gangs in unique outfits is influenced by The Warriors.
The inclusion of the Scarface soundtrack on Flashback FM is a reference to that film's influence on the plot.
Toni Cipriani, a heavy-set powerful Mafia figure who is berated by his critical mother, is influenced by Tony Soprano's relationship with his mother, Livia Soprano in The Sopranos.

Reception

Upon release, Grand Theft Auto III was met with near-unanimous critical acclaim. Various critics praised the game for its story, gameplay, and the near unlimited freedom given to the player; GTA III was touted as revolutionary by several game review websites and publications.

GTA III holds a 97/100 on Metacritic, making it (along with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3) the highest rated PlayStation 2 game on the website. The game holds a 95% on GameRankings, making it the highest rated PlayStation 2 game on the website, as well the second highest rated game of its year, behind Halo.

Eurogamer gave the game a perfect 10, calling it "A luscious, sprawling epic of a game and one of the most complete experiences I have ever encountered. If this is what I've waited a year to see on my PS2, then I would have waited ten. Magnificent".

IGN heavily praised the game, giving it a 9.6/10, calling it "a massive scale operation that just gets better and better as players dig into it, even though it gets ridiculously difficult at points."

1Up.com gave the game an A+, saying "The best game of the year? Maybe the best game ever".

GameSpot gave the game a 9.6/10. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot stated in his review: "While the violent nature of the game will surely turn some people off and kids simply shouldn't be allowed anywhere near it, GTA III is, quite simply, an incredible experience that shouldn't be missed by anyone mature enough to handle it".

Game Informer gave it a 9.5/10, stating "The environments of Liberty City are stunning in scope and detail, dwarfing anything I've ever seen, and your choices are endless".

GameSpy awarded the game with 9.4/10 stating "A fantastically designed and fun game that's one of the most absorbing, entertaining titles released in a while. It gets better and better with every single day, as you continue discovering new little features here and there."

Game Revolution gave the game a perfect score, stating "Just about the best game yet released on the system and one of the most impressive console titles we've ever seen. And I ain't blowing smoke up your tailpipe".

GamePro gave the game a 5/5, stating "Greatly improved in GTA III is the stunning visual and sound package."

GamesRadar gave the game a perfect 10, stating "Almost immediately after your first play you'll realize that underneath the cloak of controversy that will forever shadow GTA3 sits a truly special, groundbreaking and brilliant game. You'll love it."

Edge was less favorable, rating the game 8/10.

The PC version of the game received less positive, yet strong, reception. The PC version has been criticized for performance problems, especially in light of the much smoother performance of Vice City. This was due to technical issues. IGN gave the PC version a 9.4/10, while GameSpot gave it a 9.3/10.

In 2014, WatchMojo placed GTA III at the #5 spot in their "Top 10 Grand Theft Auto Games" list countdown, as well as in their "Every Grand Theft Auto Game Ranked" video over on their sister channel MojoPlays in 2021.

Sales

GTA III emerged with an US$49.95 price, becoming the #1 selling game of 2001 in the United States. The game was later discounted to the price of $19 after becoming one of Sony's "Greatest Hits". The game has become the second most best-selling game of 2002, behind its sequel, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. As of March 26, 2008, Grand Theft Auto III has sold 14.5 million units according to Take-Two Interactive.

GTA III is the fifth best-selling game of the series, behind Grand Theft Auto V, Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Accolades

Date	Award	Category	Recipient(s) and Nominee(s)	Result
24 March 2001	2nd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards	Game of the Year	Grand Theft Auto III	Won
December 2001	GameSpot Game of the Year 2001 Awards	Game of the Year	Grand Theft Auto III	Won
December 2001	GameSpot Game of the Year 2001 Awards	Best PlayStation 2 Game	Grand Theft Auto III	Won
December 2001	GameSpot Game of the Year 2001 Awards	Best Action Game	Grand Theft Auto III	Won
December 2001	GameSpot Game of the Year 2001 Awards	Most Innovative	Grand Theft Auto III	Won
2001	GameSpy Game of the Year Awards 2001	Game of the Year	Grand Theft Auto III	Won
2001	GameSpy Game of the Year Awards 2001	Best PlayStation 2 Game	Grand Theft Auto III	Won
2001	GameSpy Game of the Year Awards 2001	Most Offensive	Grand Theft Auto III	Won
2001	GameSpy Game of the Year Awards 2001	Best Use of Radio	Grand Theft Auto III	Won
2001	GameSpy Game of the Year Awards 2001	Best Artifical Intelligence	Grand Theft Auto III	Tied 1st
14 January 2002	IGN's Best of 2001	Best PlayStation 2 Game	Grand Theft Auto III	Won
14 January 2002	IGN's Best of 2001	Best Action Game	Grand Theft Auto III	Won

Editions

Main article: Grand Theft Auto III/Editions

10th Anniversary Edition

The 10th Anniversary Edition was announced by Rockstar Games during October 2011. The edition was released for mobile phones and tablets, such as iPod, iPhone and Android. The game was released in fall 2011.

A limited edition of Claude action figure was available for pre-order for $149.99; only 1,500 pieces were made.

The iOS version of GTA III has received favorable reception, with IGN rewarding it with a 7.5/10.

The Definitive Edition

Main article: Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition

The Definitive Edition was announced by Rockstar on October 8th, 2021, as part of the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition pack. The edition was released on November 11, 2021, for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|}}S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC; and was released on December 14, 2023, for Apple iOS and Android.

The edition features across-the-board upgrades including graphical improvements and modern gameplay enhancements, while still maintaining the classic look and feel of its original version.

*Grand Theft Auto III - The Definitive Edition*.

September 11 Terrorist Attacks

Grand Theft Auto III was changed significantly due to the real-world 9/11 terrorist attacks. The game was originally intended to be released on October 3, 2001, however the release was pushed back three weeks, until the 22nd, while Rockstar combed through the game's files.^[23] Dan Houser claimed that the main reason the game's release was postponed was due to how close Rockstar Games's head office was to the World Trade Center, and work that had to be done was made impossible due to the circumstances during that period. Dan also claims that, at the time, he came close to cancelling the game's release altogether due to the circumstances; "This beautiful city has been attacked, and now we're making a violent crime drama set in a city that's not unlike New York City". Despite this, he claims that it was his duty to release the game, especially considering how close they have come to releasing it.

Several changes were made to the game, however Rockstar claims that the changes made to the game only make it about 1% different.^[24] For example, the Police car and Enforcer's color scheme which resembled those of the NYPD's in the early 2000s was changed to an entirely new black and white color scheme, similar to Californian-style police vehicle color schemes. Several aspects of the map were changed. The Airtrain at Francis International Airport was made un-solid, to prevent the player from firing rocket launchers at it, and aircraft flight paths that flew through the city were changed. One mission was removed from the game as it referenced terrorism. Certain radio and pedestrian dialogue was also removed.

The game's cover art was changed, too. The original artwork was replaced with an entirely new style of artwork, which is still used to this day - comprising of sections displaying individual pieces of artwork from the game, spread around the box, and the Grand Theft Auto wordmark situated in the center of the box. The original artwork was still used for the European release of the game.

Alternate Artwork

In some PAL territories, Grand Theft Auto III was released with different cover artwork, despite there being no major differences in the game itself. Below are examples of several box arts.

European Box Art with the DMA Design Logo (see trivia).

Gallery

Screenshots

Main article: Grand Theft Auto III/Screenshots

The Definitive Edition

Original Versions

Artworks

Main article: Grand Theft Auto III/Artwork

Trailers

E3 2001 Trailer

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

Xbox Trailer

10-Year Anniversary Trailer

10-Year Anniversary Launch Trailer

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Trailer

Other

Trivia

Grand Theft Auto III was the first Grand Theft Auto title to feature a first-person perspective, when looking around, aiming the M16 or the Sniper Rifle, and when driving.
This is the only game in the 3D Universe to include the ability to switch to a top-down camera view in third-person perspective.
This game is unique for being the only game in the series where the deuteragonist, tritagonist, and main antagonist are all females.
This is the last game from the main series to have the box-art not be a collage of the game's artworks (though only for Europe (excluding Germany), Australia, and New Zealand).
Some early copies of Grand Theft Auto III still feature the logo of DMA Design, the original name of Rockstar North, during the opening credits.
This is the only game in the 3D Universe to be set during the same year of its release.
The cash in Grand Theft Auto III is multiplied ten times compared to the succeeding titles in the series. This is evident when the cost of healthcare and Pay 'n' Spray stations are compared, which both cost $1000 in Grand Theft Auto III but only $100 in later games, and the reward for collecting Hidden Packages, which are worth $1000 each in Grand Theft Auto III, but only $100 in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and onwards.
In Grand Theft Auto III, when the player bumps into cars, there is a small variable cash bonus, like in previous Grand Theft Auto games. Destroying a vehicle gives the player a bigger bonus.
Grand Theft Auto III is the only game in the series where the Pay 'n' Spray and Ammu-Nation icons are not displayed on the radar during regular free-roam.
Rockstar celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the game's release by releasing several Grand Theft Auto III themed toys, as well as porting the game to mobile devices.
This is the only game in the 3D Universe where the "Mission Passed" jingle is not derived from the main theme of the game.
A port was in development for the Sega Dreamcast, but due to the interest in the console steadily declining, the Dreamcast version was scrapped and never released, making Grand Theft Auto 2 the only game in the GTA series to be released on the console.
This is the first game in the Grand Theft Auto series to feature the motion blur effect "trails".
Grand Theft Auto III was released on the same day as the PlayStation port of Grand Theft Auto 2, just 2 years later.
There was originally going to be a cheat to urinate on walls, as seen in some cheat code books, but it doesn't appear to work if the player attempts to use the cheat code. It was most likely scrapped.
Grand Theft Auto III was initially banned in South Korea through the Korea Media Rating Board, but the 10th Anniversary version is available for purchase, even with localization. This is because rating games through KMRB was replaced by rating games through the Game Rating Board, its subsidiary, in which GTA III was subsequently lifted.
- This makes it the very first 3D Universe game to be officially translated into Korean.
The sounds used for the game's Rockstar Games and Rockstar North introduction logo originate from scrapped item pickup sounds from an early prototype build of Rockstar North's Manhunt (v0.69).

Official Site

Rockstar Games Grand Theft Auto: III Website

External Link

Grand Theft Auto III on Facebook

References

↑ "Asked & Answered: Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V" - Rockstar Newswire, July 12, 2012
↑

“That Liberty City was not particularly meant to be New York. That was meant to be a hybrid of a generic American city: Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, New York, Philly. An old, post-industrial American city. [GTA III] was America, whereas Vice City was clearly Miami.”

—Dan Houser. Source: "'Grand Theft Auto III' anniversary: Co-creator Dan Houser speaks!" by Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, October 21 2011
↑ 20 years later, Rockstar reflects on how GTA 3 "showed us the first glimpse of what was possible"
↑ Dan Houser Opens Up About Grand Theft Auto III
↑ Grand Theft Auto 3: Interview with DMA
↑ Microsoft turned down GTA III
↑ Microsoft recalls time it rejected Rockstar's pitch to put GTA3 on the original Xbox
↑ Grand Theft Auto V Benchmarked: Pushing PC Graphics To The Limit
↑ The legacy of Grand Theft Auto 3: Grown-up video games and a template for the open world
↑ GTA III’S ART DIRECTOR REVEALS HOW ROCKSTAR INVENTED OPEN-WORLD GAMING
↑ An Interview With DMA's Les Benzies
↑ Sam Houser Interview
↑ Dan Houser Talks Grand Theft Auto III
↑ Interview with Raymond Usher
↑ How Grand Theft Auto III Was Made
↑ 'Grand Theft Auto III' anniversary: Co-creator Dan Houser speaks!
↑ Rockstar's Sam Houser Mouths Off
↑ Americana at its Most Felonious
↑ The Cinematic Touch of Grand Theft Auto III
↑ The Characters of Grand Theft Auto III
↑ The Pet Sounds of Grand Theft Auto III, Part 3
↑ The Story Behind Grand Theft Auto 3’s Ground-breaking Radio Station Chatterbox FM
↑ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-18-rockstar-how-9-11-changed-grand-theft-auto-3
↑ https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19981/grand-theft-auto-iii-your-questions-answered-part-two-911-the-gh.html

[1] "Asked & Answered: Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V" - Rockstar Newswire, July 12, 2012

[2] 

“That Liberty City was not particularly meant to be New York. That was meant to be a hybrid of a generic American city: Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, New York, Philly. An old, post-industrial American city. [GTA III] was America, whereas Vice City was clearly Miami.”

—Dan Houser. Source: "'Grand Theft Auto III' anniversary: Co-creator Dan Houser speaks!" by Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, October 21 2011

[3] 20 years later, Rockstar reflects on how GTA 3 "showed us the first glimpse of what was possible"

[4] Dan Houser Opens Up About Grand Theft Auto III

[5] Grand Theft Auto 3: Interview with DMA

[6] Microsoft turned down GTA III

[7] Microsoft recalls time it rejected Rockstar's pitch to put GTA3 on the original Xbox

[8] Grand Theft Auto V Benchmarked: Pushing PC Graphics To The Limit

[9] The legacy of Grand Theft Auto 3: Grown-up video games and a template for the open world

[10] GTA III’S ART DIRECTOR REVEALS HOW ROCKSTAR INVENTED OPEN-WORLD GAMING

[11] An Interview With DMA's Les Benzies

[12] Sam Houser Interview

[13] Dan Houser Talks Grand Theft Auto III

[14] Interview with Raymond Usher

[15] How Grand Theft Auto III Was Made

[16] 'Grand Theft Auto III' anniversary: Co-creator Dan Houser speaks!

[17] Rockstar's Sam Houser Mouths Off

[18] Americana at its Most Felonious

[19] The Cinematic Touch of Grand Theft Auto III

[20] The Characters of Grand Theft Auto III

[21] The Pet Sounds of Grand Theft Auto III, Part 3

[22] The Story Behind Grand Theft Auto 3’s Ground-breaking Radio Station Chatterbox FM

[23] ttp://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-18-rockstar-how-9-11-changed-grand-theft-auto-3

[24] ttps://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19981/grand-theft-auto-iii-your-questions-answered-part-two-911-the-gh.html

[1]

Grand Theft Auto III

Contents

Storyline

Voice Cast

City

Portland

Staunton Island

Shoreside Vale

Development

Open World Design

Story and Characters

Sound and Radio Design

Influence

Reception

Sales

Accolades

Editions

10th Anniversary Edition

The Definitive Edition

September 11 Terrorist Attacks

Alternate Artwork

Gallery

Screenshots

The Definitive Edition

Original Versions

Artworks

Trailers

Other

Trivia

See Also

Further Reading

Official Site

External Link

References

Navigation

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