PlayStation 2

Grand Theft Auto III

Trivia

A 2D driving-based version was in the works for a release for the GameBoy Advance, but it was ultimately cancelled.

Game Informer Magazine (Issue #138, Oct. 2004) named it one of the "Top 25 Most Influential Games of All Time".

It was named #9 out of 200 of the "Greatest Games of Their Time" by EGM Issue #200 (Feb. 2006).

Grand Theft Auto III is listed by Guinness World Records as the first full sandbox action-adventure and the biggest selling game of 2001.

Contributed by Sciere (119182) on Apr 29, 2008.

In August 2006, Coca Cola launched a new TV commercial inspired by the scenery and gameplay of GTA III. At first, you seem to witness car chases, robbery and theft, but the tables are turned and the main character pays for his products, helps old ladies, and extinguishes fire. The link to the video can be found in the related links section.

Contributed by Sciere (119182) on Aug 13, 2006.

Shortly after several Japanese prefectures planned to legally ban GTA III's sale to minors, a 17-year-old Japanese fan of the game stabbed his parents. The coincidence of these two events sparked an effort in the Japanese game industry to work on an ESRB/PEGI-style rating system.

The silent main character formerly known as "Fido" (among various other aliases) is actually named Claude. This is discovered if you listen carefully during one of the phone calls in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.. It is rumored that Claude is the same Claude as Claude Speed, from GTA2.

Grand Theft Auto III was ranked # 12 in the 50 Best Games of All Time list published by PC Gamer Magazine in its April 2005 issue.

Contributed by PCGamer77 (3025) on Mar 19, 2005.

The playlist for Flashback radio is:

Rush Rush - Deborah Harry
Shake It Up - Elizabeth Daily
Scarface (Push It To The Limit) - Paul Engemann
She's On Fire - Amy Holland
I'm Hot Tonight - Elizabeth Daily

If it sounds familiar, that's because all five songs come from the 1983 movie "Scarface".

GTA 3 was named "Game of the Year" for 2002 by Computer Gaming World (225, April 2003).

Contributed by PCGamer77 (3025) on Feb 22, 2003.

Grand Theft Auto III was named #6 overall in the "10 Best Games of 2002" by Computer Games Magazine (No. 148, March 2003).

Contributed by PCGamer77 (3025) on Feb 10, 2003.

Grand Theft Auto III claimed top honors at the 2nd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, winning both 'Game of the Year' and 'Excellence in Game Design' awards.

The Playstation 2 version of Grand Theft Auto III has sold over seven million copies, and is now known as the highest selling game ever for the console. Sony has signed a deal with Rockstar making sure all future GTA games are PS2 exclusive until 2004.

A multiplayer mode was planned for the PC version, but later cut.

The German PC version is censored - no blood is to be seen.

Contributed by phlux (4157) on May 23, 2002.

The PC version allows players to use their own MP3 files for ingame music. You can copy the files to a directory in the game directory, the game will then add the radio station "PLAYER'S MP3" which will be automatically used in random cars (or can be selected with the change radio button).

Contributed by phlux (4157) on May 22, 2002.

'Grand Theft Auto III' was voted Game of the Year by the readers of Electronic Gaming Monthly in the April 2002 issue.

A toned down version of Grand Theft Auto 3 has finally found itself on Australian game shelves. After lengthy talks with the Office of Film and Literature Classification, DMA removed certain sexual content and the final version has been approved. However, many people are asking for an R18+ rating to be added to the games rating system (which currently only goes up to MA15+, meaning restricted to over 15) so this will not happen again.

Contributed by Kartanym (9909) on Mar 06, 2002.

It is impossible to enter the stadium via normal means. Although by using several cheats you can get the tank to fly over the stadium.

If you look at the layout of the seats within the stadium the different colours spell out "Cocks"

Grand Theft Auto III has been banned in Australia due to displays of graphic acts of violence. Rockstar/Take-Two are working in conjunction with the Office of Film and Literature Classification in Australia to release a revised version of the game in January 2002. A few copies of the game were sold there before the ban was put in place.

Contributed by Macintrash (2535) on Dec 13, 2001.

A number of the fake radio advertisements that fill the game's wonderful made up radio stations have real websites registered by the designers.

For example, www.pogothemonkey.com will take you to a small website where you can play with Pogo and listen to all the 'reviews' of his new 'game'.

In Staunton Island, look for the internet cafe, and go inside. Check out what's on the computers.

If you look hard around the city, you'll find little notes pasted on walls or signs like the infamous 'You weren't supposed to be here you know' sign on the wall, or the secret website links.