Grand Theft Auto III
-
Grand Theft Auto Complete Package
(2013) -
Grand Theft Auto: Collection
(2008) -
Grand Theft Auto: Complete Pack
(2010) -
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy
(2005) -
Grand Theft Auto: Trylogia
(2007) -
Rockstar Collection
(2008) -
Rockstar Games Double Pack: Grand Theft Auto
(2003)
Description official descriptions
After leaving San Andreas and going on a crime spree throughout the country, Claude Speed and Catalina head to Liberty City for a life of crime. During a bank heist, Claude is betrayed by Catalina and her Colombian friend Miguel, and he is shot by her just as they are leaving the scene of the crime. Claude fully recovers....in a prison cell. However, while being transported to a prison, Colombians ambush the prison van for an inmate riding with Claude. Claude and his friend, 8-Ball, escape in the process. Now it is time for revenge. Claude slowly rises through the ranks of the local gangs, gaining trust from local mob bosses and turning on others. Claude gains influence, trust, and most importantly, money along the way. It is time for Claude to rise from the dead and get revenge for what Catalina has done.
Grand Theft Auto III is similar in its concept to its predecessors: the player is cast in the role of a vicious (albeit novice) criminal, who performs tasks for crime lords and gradually raises his rank in the criminal world. Driving is the main gameplay element in the game, though the player can also fully explore the city on foot. For the first time in the series, the entire game is rendered in 3D. Different camera angles are available for driving, and free camera rotation is available when on foot.
As opposed to the previous games, Liberty City is the only city the player can explore in the game. The game puts more emphasis on the story, displaying cutscenes before each mission. In order to complete the game, it is necessary to perform all the main story missions; however, the player often has the choice between several missions at a given moment. The missions include chases, races, short third-person shooter sequences, as well as various mini-game-like activities. Outside of the missions, the player is free to explore the city and undertake sub-missions, for example working as a taxi driver, delivering sick people to the hospital in an ambulance car, etc.
Spellings
- δΎ η车ζ3 - Simplified Chinese spelling
- δΏ ηη΅θ»ζ3 - Traditional Chinese spelling
Groups +
- Gameplay feature: Game completion percentage
- Gameplay feature: House ownership
- Gameplay feature: Recordable replays
- Games involved in legal disputes
- Games pulled from digital storefronts
- Games referenced in movies
- Games with classical music
- Games with player's sound files support
- Genre: Open world / Free-roaming / Sandbox action and driving
- Genre: Truck racing / driving
- Grand Theft Auto series
- Green Pepper releases
- Middleware: RenderWare
- Physical Bonus Content: Poster
- Physical Bonus Content: World Map
- PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits releases
- PlayStation 2 Platinum Range releases
- Portability Engine: Cider
- Protagonist: Gangster
- Setting: 2000s
- Software Pyramide releases
- Sound engine: AIL/Miles Sound System
Screenshots
Promos
Videos
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Credits (PlayStation 2 version)
213 People (185 developers, 28 thanks) · View all
| Producer | |
| Art Director | |
| Technical Director | |
| Design | |
| Written by | |
| Characters | |
| Animation | |
| Auto Design | |
| 3D Artist | |
| Coders | |
| [ full credits ] | |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 92% (based on 102 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 456 ratings with 27 reviews)
this is the greatest game ever accept no substitutes EVER !!!!!!!
The Good
the entire game was and is great i bought the game last november 2001.
and i am still playing it to this day no other game has been as addictive to me like this one has the controls and game play are great simple and after about 5 or 10 minutes of cruising around town youll be at home with the controls.
i was kind of put off before i played it because i thought the other 2 sequels were and are cr*p but the look it had made me buy it and im glad i did .
the size of the areas you can explore in each part of the city is amazing (area 1) portland (area 2) staunton island (area 3) shoreside vale.
the best car to drive is the banshee (dodge viper) its fast and has great handling.
it can be found in area 1 at the car show room and in area 2 at the car park of kenji`s casino and at the car park of the building where you work for the japanese chick next to the water and in area three at the car park on the way down the snake like road to your hide out in shoreside vale(after you cross the bridge in the third area)or if you see one in the street (tax it - steal it).
the missions are fun and some of them are a challenge but if you keep at it youll figure out a way to get past it.
missions range from simple ones like picking someone up and droping them off to drive by shootings to assassinations basically everything all those mafia guys do and other criminals do its fun and addictive.
i have been playing this game since nov 2001 when it was released and i am still playing it today you dont know the meaning of the word addiction till you play this game .
the story has a kind of moovy feel to it it draws you in to it and makes you feel as if you are in a hollywood moovy which is partly to blame for it being so addictive.
i could go on and on about this game but i will not this is the best game ever and its the best game on the ps2 better looking than it`s pc version.
i hope the next one gta-vice city is as good as this little beauty.
The Bad
the radio stations were and are cr*p not one decent station.
they should have included a metal/rock station after all that is what you call driving music it gets you all worked up and ready to kick rearend.
and also makes you want to drive faster which in this game is exactly what you need.
the company are called - rockstar - so why did they not put a station on that was rock ?.
thank christ they gave you an option to turn the crp off if you did not like it .
it`s because they gave you this option that the game is still great .
if you never had this option then i would not have it in my collection.
The Bottom Line*
if you are looking for a decent game i.e not rpg or strategy or platform or sports then this is for you .
if you like a game that involves cars then look no further because this is one hell of a good game the handling of the cars is good unless you tax a bus or a bucket lorry(trash collector) :).
and you be kicking arse in no time at all controls are easy to get the hang of .
PlayStation 2 · by Iced Earth (9) · 2002
A great game, beaten only by Vice City
The Good
This game is fantastic, the possiblities are literally endless, you can walk, drive, and fly (a little) for hours on end. the whole mindless violence side of the game was very appealing. The fact that you can pick up a weapon, and just roam and kill was a right laugh. Doing the missions was great fun, organised mindless violence - muy bien!
The Bad
Although its not as big as Vice City, it is still a massive game, and I have gotten lost on several occassions, that was a bit time consuming when you've lost the map.
The Bottom Line
A fab game, topped only by its sequel.
PlayStation 2 · by David Lafferty (11) · 2003
You can have my controller when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers, mom.
The Good
This is the classic game paradigm. Not in any pedestrian sense of pushing back boundaries or anything like that, but by refining what exists, throwing in lots of extras, and creating a damn convincing illusion of a living, breathing world. You can forget the straightforward goal for hours and hours and find dozens of other things to do, both on foot and in vehicles. You can pick up fares in taxis, rescue injury victims in an ambulance, chase down felons in a cop car, attempt to fly a wingless plane, and even gain money performing stupid aerial stunts, complete with the old Dukes of Hazzard slow-mo pan shot. It's hard to do this game justice in a simple review, and it's impossible to justify enjoying the extremely antisocial and politically incorrect goals. So I won't try. I'll just say I like it and you can deal with that. What I'm saying is that this game is a subtle return to the ideal that YOU affect the game, a freedom that's been severely cramped ever since 3D became the new standard and made games smaller. This one feels like it's bursting at the seams, with a city, weather, day cycle, pedestrians, traffic, operating shops, and trashable environments. Just walk out and pick a fight. Cops around? You'll be chased. Use lethal resistance and they'll step up their efforts likewise. Do a few more bad deeds and in come the choppers, then the FBI, then the tanks. Steal a boat and find another island. Watch as you abuse your car and the section that gets hit or scraped takes the abuse, windows smashing out and trunks and hoods flying off. Just TRY it. And the biggest accomplishment is possibly that even with this foray into 3D, the gameplay remains largely unchanged, but greatly enhanced.
The Bad
Well, like any other game, if you look hard enough cracks start to show in the virtual world presented. Cars and pedestrians will sometimes appear in the distance by magic, and a lot of the time the ones out of your line of sight vanish by the time you look back over at them. On foot, it can be really hard to target the particular target you want in a crowd of pedestrians, and in a hectic situation this can be fatal. I could gripe about the later missions being REALLY HARD, but maybe I'm just a whiner.
The Bottom Line
Lock the kids in the basement and indulge. If you describe "The Godfather" as "one of the great comedies of our times," you're not only really warped, but perfectly suited for this game.
PlayStation 2 · by Vance (94) · 2002
Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Pirates / unofficial cover | PavelDAS (1408) | Nov 22, 2021 |
| Terror attack date wrong in trivia. | CheerioDM (33) | May 7, 2014 |
| Holy crap! What just happened? | Deleted (197) | Nov 25, 2010 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Grand Theft Auto III appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Australian release
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.
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.
Cancelled port
A 2D driving-based version was in the works for a release for the GameBoy Advance, but it was ultimately cancelled.
Controversy in Japan
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.
Cut content
- A multiplayer mode was planned for the PC version, but later cut.
- Originally, the player had to solve missions for a homeless man named Darkel. There are many rumours about him being a terrorist with missions like blowing up a bus full of children or flying the dodo into a building (sometimes connected to Donald Love's sudden disappearance). Because of the last bit, it is rumored that the character was removed shortly before release because of the terror attacks of 11 September, 2001. The official line is that the mission rumors are baseless, the character was cut because he didn't fit into the game and his missions were sub-par, and he was removed several months before release.
Flashback radio
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.
German release
The German PC version is censored - no blood or gore is to be seen. Also missing are the rampage missions, the possibility to hurt people with melee weapons when they lie on the ground and money left behind by killed people.
Protagonist
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.
Radio stations
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'.
References
In one mission for Asuka Kasen you have to stop an undercover cop named Tanner. Tanner is also the name of the main character in the Driver games, where he is an undercover cop.
References to the game
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.
Sales
- 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.
- Grand Theft Auto III is listed by Guinness World Records as the first full sandbox action-adventure and the biggest selling game of 2001.
Secrets
- 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.
- In Staunton Island, look for the internet cafe, and go inside. Check out what's on the computers.
Stadium
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"
Windows version
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).
Awards
- 4Players
- 2001 - Game of the Year
- 2001 - Action Game of the Year
- Computer Games Magazine
- April 2003 (Issue #225) β Game of the Year (Editors' Choice)
- April 2003 (Issue #225) β Game of the Year (Readers' Choice)
- April 2003 (Issue #225) β Funniest Game of the Year
- March 2003 (Nr. 148) - #6 in the "10 Best Games of 2002" list
- Computer Gaming World
- April 2003 (No. 225) - Game of the Year 2002
- EGM
- February 2006 (Issue #200) - #9 on the "Greatest Games of Their Time" list
- Electronic Gaming Monthly
- April 2002 - Game of the Year (Readier's Voting)
- Game Developer's Choice Awards
- 2002 - Game of the Year
- 2002 - Excellence in Game Design Award
- Game Informer Magazine
- October 2004 (Issue #138) - One of the "Top 25 Most Influential Games of All Time"
- GamePro (Germany)
- 2011 - #3 Handheld Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)
- GameSpy
- 2001 β Game of the Year
- 2001 β PS2 Game of the Year
- 2001 β Most Offensive Game of the Year
- 2001 β Best Use of Radio of the Year
- 2002 β PC Action Game of the Year
- GameStar (Germany)
- Issue 01/2007 - One of the "Ten Most Influential PC-Games". It is the first action game that adopted free worlds from Role Playing Games. Grand Theft Auto III stands for the connection between game and pop culture and is the role model for a new kind of games where not only the player reacts to the world but the world also reacts to the player's actions.
- PC Gamer
- April 2005 - #12 in the "50 Best Games of All Time" list
- Retro Gamer
- September 2004 (Issue #8) β #95 Best Game Of All Time (Readers' Vote)
- The Strong National Museum of Play
- 2016 β Introduced into the World Video Game Hall of Fame
Information also contributed by Archagon, Big John WV, Bob Shand, Entorphane, jaXen, Kartanym, Macintrash, MegaMegaMan, PCGamer77, phlux, Ray Soderlund, Sciere and Zack Green
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Related Sites +
-
Capital Auto Sale$
Existing homepage mentioned ingame. -
GTA III at GTAGaming
Information site about all things GTA III. -
Grand Theft Auto III
Official website -
IGCD Internet Game Cars Database
Game page on IGCD, a database that tries to archive vehicles found in video games. -
PetsOvernight.com
Real existing homepage mentioned ingame.
Identifiers +
Contribute
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Syed GJ.
PlayStation 4 added by Flapco. PlayStation 3 added by Sciere. Macintosh, Android, iPad, iPhone added by Kabushi. Windows added by phlux.
Additional contributors: nullnullnull, Archagon, Unicorn Lynx, JL3001, phlux, Apogee IV, tarmo888, Alaka, Yoshy, formercontrib, Paulus18950, Patrick Bregger, Victor Vance, FatherJack, SoMuchChaotix.
Game added November 5, 2001. Last modified March 12, 2024.