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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Infobox video game
{{Infobox video game
| title = Grand Theft Auto III
|title = Grand Theft Auto III
| image = GTA3boxcover.jpg
|image = GTA3boxcover.jpg
| caption = [[North America]]n cover art for ''Grand Theft Auto III'', which features a style that became the standard for all regions with future games.
|caption = [[North American]]n cover art design for ''Grand Theft Auto III'', which features a style that became the standard for all regions in future games.
| developer = [[DMA Design]]{{efn|After the game released for [[PlayStation 2]], DMA Design was reformed into [[Rockstar North]] and was credited as such in future releases. [[Rockstar Vienna]] ported the game to [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]],<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/take-two-closes-rockstar-vienna/1100-6150769/ | title = Take-Two closes Rockstar Vienna? | last = Sinclair | first = Brendan | date = 11 May 2006 | website = [[GameSpot]] | publisher = [[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate = 13 November 2015}}</ref> and [[War Drum Studios]] ported the ''10th Anniversary Edition'' to [[iOS]] and [[Android (operating system)|Android]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.wardrumstudios.com/wds2/index.php/projects?id=74 | title = Grand Theft Auto III | website = [[War Drum Studios]] | accessdate = 13 November 2015}}</ref>}}
|developer = [[DMA Design]]{{efn|Following the game's initial release, DMA Design was reformed into Rockstar North.<ref name="DMA"/> [[Rockstar Vienna]] ported the game to [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]],<ref name="Vienna"/> and War Drum Studios ported the ''10th Anniversary Edition'' to mobile devices.<ref name="Destructoid Mobile Review"/>}}
| publisher = [[Rockstar Games]]
|publisher = [[Rockstar Games]]
| distributor = [[Take-Two Interactive]]
|distributor = [[Take-Two Interactive]]
| series = ''[[Grand Theft Auto (series)|Grand Theft Auto]]''
|series = ''[[Grand Theft Auto (series)|Grand Theft Auto]]''
| producer = [[Leslie Benzies]]
|producer = [[Leslie Benzies]]
| programmer = {{Unbulleted list|Obbe Vermeij|Adam Fowler}}
|programmer = Obbe Vermeij<br />Adam Fowler
|artist = Aaron Garbut
| designer = {{Unbulleted list|Chris Rothwell|William Mills|Craig Filshie|James Worrall}}
|writer = James Worrall<br>Paul Kurowski<br>[[Dan Houser]]
| artist = Aaron Garbut
|engine = [[RenderWare]]
| writer = {{Unbulleted list|James Worrall|Paul Kurowski|[[Dan Houser]]}}
|platforms = {{Collapsible list |title=[[PlayStation 2]] |titlestyle = font-weight:normal;background:transparent;text-align:left |[[Android (operating system)|Android]]<br />[[Fire OS]]<br />[[iOS]]<br />[[Microsoft Windows]]<br />[[OS X]]<br />[[Xbox (console)|Xbox]]}}
| composer = {{Unbulleted list|Craig Conner|Stuart Ross}}
|released = {{Collapsible list |title=22 October 2001 |titlestyle = font-weight:normal;background:transparent;text-align:left |'''PlayStation 2'''{{vgrelease|NA=22 October 2001|EU=26 October 2001|AUS=26 October 2001}}'''Microsoft Windows'''{{vgrelease|NA=21 May 2002|EU=24 May 2002|AUS=24 May 2002}}'''Xbox'''{{vgrelease|NA=31 October 2003|EU=2 January 2004|AUS=2 January 2004}}'''OS X'''{{vgrelease|EU=12 November 2010|NA=22 November 2010}}'''iOS''', '''Android'''{{vgrelease|WW=15 December 2011}}'''Fire OS'''<br>{{vgrelease|WW=15 May 2014}} }}
| engine = [[RenderWare]]
|genre = [[Action-adventure game|Action-adventure]]
| platforms = {{Unbulleted list|[[Android (operating system)|Android]]|[[Fire OS]]|[[iOS]]|[[Microsoft Windows]]|[[OS X]]|[[PlayStation 2]]|[[PlayStation 3]]|[[PlayStation 4]]|[[Xbox (console)|Xbox]]}}
|modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
| released = {{Collapsible list|title=22 October 2001|titlestyle=font-weight:normal;font-size:inherit;background:transparent;text-align:left|'''PlayStation 2'''{{Video game release|NA=22 October 2001|EU=26 October 2001|AUS=26 October 2001}}'''Microsoft Windows'''{{Video game release|NA=20 May 2002|EU=24 May 2002|AUS=24 May 2002}}'''Xbox'''{{Video game release|NA=31 October 2003|EU=2 January 2004|AUS=2 January 2004}}'''OS X'''{{Video game release|EU=12 November 2010|NA=22 November 2010}}'''iOS''', '''Android'''{{Video game release|WW=15 December 2011}}'''PlayStation 3'''{{Video game release|NA=25 September 2012|EU=26 September 2012}}'''Fire OS'''{{Video game release|WW=15 May 2014}}'''PlayStation 4'''{{Video game release|WW=5 December 2015}}}}
| genre = [[Third-person shooter]], [[Action-adventure game|action-adventure]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
}}
}}


'''''Grand Theft Auto III''''' is an [[open world]] [[Action-adventure game|action-adventure]] video game developed by [[DMA Design]] and published by [[Rockstar Games]]. It was released on 22 October 2001 for the [[PlayStation 2]] console, on 20 May 2002 for [[Microsoft Windows]], and on 31 October 2003 for the [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] console. It is the fifth title in the [[Grand Theft Auto (series)|''Grand Theft Auto'' series]], and the first main entry since 1999's ''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]''.
'''''Grand Theft Auto III''''' is an [[open world]] [[Action-adventure game|action-adventure]] video game developed by [[DMA Design]] and published by [[Rockstar Games]]. It was released on 22 October 2001 for the [[PlayStation 2]], on 20 May 2002 for [[Microsoft Windows]], and on 31 October 2003 for the [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]]. It is the fifth title in the [[Grand Theft Auto (series)|''Grand Theft Auto'' series]], and the first main entry since 1999's ''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]''. Set within the fictional Liberty City, based on [[New York City]], the game follows [[Claude (Grand Theft Auto)|Claude]] after he is left for dead and quickly becomes entangled in a world of gangs, crime and corruption.


The game is played from a [[Third-person view|third-person perspective]] and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. The open world design lets players freely roam Liberty City, consisting of three main islands. Development was shared between DMA Design in Edinburgh and Rockstar in New York. Much of the development work constituted transforming popular series elements into a 3D world. The game was delayed following the [[September 11 attacks]], to allow the team to change references and gameplay deemed inappropriate.
''Grand Theft Auto III'' is played from a [[Third-person view|third-person perspective]] in an open world [[Single-player video game|single-player]] environment, allowing the player to interact with the game world at their leisure. The game is set within the fictional city of [[Liberty City (Grand Theft Auto)|Liberty City]], which is loosely based on [[New York City]].{{efn|Games in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series are grouped into distinct [[fictional universe]]s, which share interconnected plots and characters. The "3D universe" consists of ''Grand Theft Auto III'', ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City|Vice City]]'' (2002), ''[[Grand Theft Auto (Game Boy Advance)|Advance]]'' (2004), ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|San Andreas]]'' (2004), ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories|Liberty City Stories]]'' (2005), and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories|Vice City Stories]]'' (2006). The Liberty City in ''Grand Theft Auto III'' is different from the rendition in ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'' (2008).<ref name="RockstarGTAUniverses">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19861/grand-theft-auto-iii-your-questions-answered-part-one-claude-dar.html|title=Grand Theft Auto III: Your Questions Answered – Part One (Claude, Darkel & Other Characters) |author=R*Q |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |accessdate=23 November 2013}} '''Rockstar:''' "The “universes” are the worlds interpreted at different definitions, 2d, 3d and high definition, so we felt brands and radio / back ground characters would exist in both, but 3 dimensional characters would not."</ref>}} The story features a mute, nameless protagonist, although he is later referred to as [[Claude (Grand Theft Auto)|Claude]] in his cameo in the prequel ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]''.{{efn|Players have also discovered that the name Claude exists internally within the text files of ''Grand Theft Auto III''.}} Claude is a bank robber who is left for dead by [[Catalina (Grand Theft Auto)|his girlfriend]], and quickly becomes entangled in a world of gangs, crime, and corruption.


Upon its release, the game was acclaimed by many reviewers who praised its concept and gameplay, which was coupled with the use of a [[3D computer graphics|3D]] [[game engine]] for the first time in the series. However, the game's violent and sexual content has been the source of much public concern and controversy. It became the best-selling video game of 2001, and has sold over 17 million copies as of 2011. The game is cited as a landmark in video games for its far-reaching influence within the industry. The success of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was a significant factor in the series' subsequent popularity; as of 2008, five prequels set before the events of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' have been released, particularly ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]'' which revisits the Liberty City setting just three years prior.
Upon release, the game received universal critical acclaim, with praise particularly directed at its concept and gameplay. However, the game also generated controversy, with criticism directed at the game's depiction of violence and sexual content. ''Grand Theft Auto III'' became the best-selling video game of 2001, and has sold over 17 million copies. Considered one of the most significant titles of the [[Sixth generation of video game consoles|sixth generation]] of video games, and by many critics as one of the [[List of video games considered the best|greatest video games of all time]], it won year-end accolades, including [[Game of the Year]] awards from several [[Video game journalism|gaming publications]]. Since its release, it has received numerous ports to many gaming platforms. Its successor, ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'', was released in October 2002.


== Gameplay ==
Its successor, ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'', was released on 27 October 2002, and also received critical acclaim. In December 2011, in celebration of the game's tenth anniversary, a mobile version of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released for [[iOS]] and [[Android (operating system)|Android]]. The game has also been ported to various other platforms and services, such as [[Mac OS X]] and the [[PlayStation Network]].
''Grand Theft Auto III'' is an [[action-adventure game]] played from a [[third-person view]]. Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story.<ref name="IGN Review"/> It is possible to have several active missions running at one time, as some missions require players to wait for further instructions or events.<ref name="IGN Benzies DMA"/> Outside of missions, players can [[Nonlinear gameplay|freely roam]] the game's [[open world]], and have the ability to complete option side missions. Liberty City is composed of three boroughs: Portland, Stauton Island, and Shoreside Vale; the islands are unlocked to players as the story progresses.<ref name="IGN Benzies"/>


[[File:Gta3-pc-walking.jpeg|left|thumb|Players can freely roam the game's world, and have the ability to use weapons]]
==Gameplay==
''Grand Theft Auto III'' inherits and modifies much of the [[gameplay]] mechanics from its predecessors, ''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto 2]]'', combining elements of a [[third-person shooter]] and a [[driving game]] in a new 3D game engine. The idea of using a 3D game engine in such a genre was however not new: the first game to combine elements of action, shooting, and driving various vehicles in a [[Sandbox game|sandbox]]-style 3D world was ''[[Hunter (computer game)|Hunter]]'', released in 1991 for the [[Commodore Amiga]] and [[Atari ST]] home computers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hare |first=James |url=http://realityglitch.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/amiga-classic-reviews-hunter |title=Amiga Classic Reviews: Hunter|publisher=Reality Glitch Online |date= |accessdate=23 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Fahs |first=Travis |url=http://retro.ign.com/articles/861/861550p3.html |title=IGN: The Leif Ericson Awards |publisher=IGN |date=24 March 2008 |accessdate=23 September 2010}}</ref> The first developed by DMA Design was ''[[Body Harvest]]'' (1998), for the [[Nintendo 64]]. Publicly debuted in 1995 at [[Nintendo]]'s [[Nintendo Space World|SpaceWorld]] video game trade show, ''Body Harvest'' was revolutionary for its time, but despite above average reviews,<ref name="review Body Harvest">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamerankings.com/n64/196796-body-harvest/index.html | title= ''Body Harvest'' Reviews | work = Game Rankings | accessdate= 14 October 2006}}</ref> the game sold poorly.<ref name="Body Harvest sales">{{cite web | title = Extreme M&A&nbsp;– Part One | work = www.gamesinvestor.com (first appeared in Develop) | url = http://www.gamesinvestor.com/Research/Thinkpieces/M_A_Part_1/m_a_part_1.html |date=June 2007 | accessdate = 22 September 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071006195223/http://www.gamesinvestor.com/Research/Thinkpieces/M_A_Part_1/m_a_part_1.html |archivedate = 6 October 2007}}</ref> ''Grand Theft Auto III'' takes the gameplay elements of ''Body Harvest'' and combines them with the open-ended game design of the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series to create a level of freedom and detail that was unprecedented in 2001.<ref name="GTA3 Greatest"/>


Players may run, jump or use vehicles to navigate the game's world.<ref name="IGN Cars"/> In combat, [[auto-aim]] can be used as assistance against enemies.<ref name="GameSpot Hands-On"/> Should players take damage, their health meter can be fully regenerated through the use of health pickups. [[Personal armor|Body armour]] can be used to absorb gunshots and explosive damage, but is used up in the process.<ref name="p12"/> When health is entirely depleted, gameplay stops, and players [[Spawning (video game)|respawn]] at the nearest hospital, at the expense of losing all weapons and armour, and an amount of money.<ref name="GameRev Review"/>
On foot, the player's character has the additional ability to sprint and jump (but is incapable of climbing or swimming), as well as use weapons and perform basic [[hand to hand combat]]; he is also capable of driving a variety of vehicles, (with the addition of [[watercraft]] and a [[fixed-wing aircraft]]).<ref>{{cite web|first=Douglass|last=Perry|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/359/359321p1.html|title=The Cars of Grand Theft Auto III - PC Feature at IGN|publisher=IGN|date=13 May 2002|accessdate=27 September 2011}}</ref>


If players commit crimes while playing, the game's law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a "[[Fugitive|wanted]]" meter in the [[HUD (video gaming)|head-up display]] (HUD). On the meter, the displayed stars indicate the current wanted level<ref name="AllGame Review"/> (for example, at the maximum six-star level, efforts by law enforcement to incapacitate players become very aggressive).<ref>{{harvnb|DMA Design|2001|p=11}}</ref> Law enforcement officers will search for players who leave the wanted vicinity. The wanted meter enters a cooldown mode and eventually recedes when players are hidden from the officers' line of sight.<ref name="AllGame Review"/>
[[File:Gta3-pc-walking.jpeg|left|thumb|A screenshot of the game's protagonist, Claude, running with a pistol in hand]]


The game lets players control the mute criminal [[Claude (Grand Theft Auto)|Claude]].<ref name="Q-A"/> During the story, Claude meets various new characters from gangs. As players completes missions for different gangs, fellow gang members will often defend players, while rival gang members will recognise players and subsequently shoot on sight.<ref name="IGN Gangs"/> While free roaming the game world, players may engage in activities such as a [[vigilante]] minigame, a [[fire fighting]] activity, and a [[taxi cab]] service.<ref name="AllGame Review"/><ref name="IGN Hood"/> Completion of these activities grants players with context-specific rewards; for example, completing the vigilante mission allows players to [[bribe]] police after committing a crime.<ref name="1UP Essential"/>
Criminal offences, such as [[carjacking]], [[homicide]] and [[violence]] will result in increasing levels of resistance from the authorities. If the player's "wanted" level reaches certain levels, the police, [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]], and army will respond accordingly.<ref>{{cite web|first=Scott|last=Marriott|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=34181&tab=review|title=Grand Theft Auto III - Review|publisher=[[Allgame]]|accessdate=1 October 2011}}</ref> When the player character collapses from his injuries or is arrested, he will re-spawn at a local hospital or police station respectively, at the expense of losing all weapons and armour and an amount of money for medical expenses or bribes. While this is similar to previous ''Grand Theft Auto'' games, the player character is essentially offered unlimited "lives", as opposed to the limited number of lives in the original ''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]'' and [[Grand Theft Auto 2|its sequel]]. This allows the player's character to "die" as many times as he/she pleases, and render it impossible to [[Game over|indefinitely lose in the game]].


[[File:GTAIII PS2 Beta Drive-by.jpg|thumb|right|Combat in ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was reworked to allow players to commit [[drive-by shooting]]s by viewing sideways in a car.]]
A major feature in ''Grand Theft Auto III'''s predecessors that allowed the player to obtain cash by committing petty crimes has been downplayed in the game, encompassing only car ramming, vehicle destruction and pedestrian killing. The amount of money in the player's possession is no longer a requirement to unlock new areas in ''Grand Theft Auto III''. There are only two exceptions to this, which require the player to have a certain amount of money. Instead, the completion of missions and unfolding of the game's storyline are now responsible for this role. Additionally, the player is allowed to return to all unlocked areas of the city. However, as new areas open up, access to other, previously available areas becomes more dangerous or difficult to explore, due to hostilities from enemy gangs.


Players use [[Melee#Use in gaming|melee]] attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies. The firearms include weapons such as the [[Micro Uzi]], an [[M16 rifle]] and a [[flamethrower]].<ref name="IGN Benzies"/> The game's three-dimension environment allows a [[first-person view]] while aiming with the [[sniper rifle]] and [[rocket launcher]]. In addition, the game's combat was reworked to allow players to commit [[drive-by shooting]]s by facing sideways in a vehicle.<ref name="IGN Review"/> The game gives players a wide variety of weapon options—they can be purchased from local [[firearms dealer]]s, found on the ground, retrieved from dead enemies, or found around the city.<ref name="p12">{{harvnb|DMA Design|2001|p=12}}</ref>
The [[HUD (computer gaming)|interface of the game]] has been significantly overhauled. The player-centered compass is replaced by a separate [[mini-map]] that also displays a map of the city and key locations (safe houses and contact points) or targets. [[Health (game mechanic)|Armour and health levels]] are now indicated in numbers, and a [[24-hour clock]] is added. Gang behaviour is no longer dictated by "respect" meters used in ''Grand Theft Auto 2''; instead, the player character's progress through the story affects his view in the "eyes" of gang members. As the player completes missions for different gangs, rival gang members will come to recognise the character and subsequently shoot on sight.


== Plot ==
Whereas [[Multiplayer game|multiplayer]] modes from previous ''Grand Theft Auto'' titles allowed players to connect through a [[computer network]] and play the game with others, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was the first game in the series to ship with only a single-player game mode. As a result, third-party [[Mod (computer gaming)|modifications]] were developed that re-extended the game with the absent network functionality through manipulation of the game's memory. One of these modifications became known as [[Multi Theft Auto]] and was developed alongside this title and future ''Grand Theft Auto'' successors.
While robbing a bank in Liberty City, ambitious criminal [[Claude (Grand Theft Auto)|Claude]] is shot and betrayed by his girlfriend and accomplice Catalina (Cynthia Farrell).<ref name="IGN Characters"/> Although he survives the wound, Claude is arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. While being transported in a prison van, Claude and fellow prisoner 8-Ball ([[Guru (rapper)|Guru]]) are inadvertently freed after an attack on the police convoy, and escape to a safehouse.<ref name="Give Me Liberty"/> 8-Ball later introduces Claude to the Leone [[Mafia]] crime family; ''Sex Club 7'' owner Luigi Goterelli ([[Joe Pantoliano]]), Don Salvatore Leone ([[Frank Vincent]]), his Capo [[Toni Cipriani]] ([[Michael Madsen]]), and the Don's son Joey Leone ([[Michael Rapaport]]).<ref name="IGN Characters"/> During work for the family, Claude finds himself fighting the Colombians,<ref name="Bomb Da Base"/> who are being led by Catalina in proliferating a new drug.<ref name="Cutting the Grass"/> Meanwhile, Salvatore's [[trophy wife]] Maria ([[Debi Mazar]]) begins to take a liking to Claude. Salvatore grows suspicious and betrays Claude into luring him to a death trap, but Maria saves him just in time and they both flee.<ref name="Last Requests"/>


Claude then begins working for the city's [[Yakuza]] and its leader Asuka Kasen (Lianna Pai), Maria's close friend, who has Claude assassinate Salvatore and get his revenge. This cuts off all of Claude's ties with the Leone family, who are now against him.<ref name="Sayonara Salvatore"/> Claude's work leads him to allying himself with other criminal sources, such as corrupt police detective Ray Machowski ([[Robert Loggia]]), an enemy of the Cartel.<ref name="Arms Shortage"/> Claude later saves him from [[Internal affairs (law enforcement)|Internal Affairs]] and the [[CIA]] by helping him flee to Vice City.<ref name="Marked Man"/> Claude also meets charismatic media mogul Donald Love ([[Kyle MacLachlan]]), who maintains a huge media front.<ref name="Liberator"/> In an effort to start a war between the Yakuza and Cartel, Claude and Love organise the death of Asuka's brother Kenji Kasen (Les Mau) and blame the Cartel.<ref name="Waka-Gashira Wipeout"/> Later, Love asks Claude to rescue a man who was kidnapped by the Cartel in the prison truck that Claude was in.<ref name="Escort Service"/> While on an errand, Claude finally confronts Catalina, who narrowly escapes. Asuka abducts Catalina's partner Miguel ([[Al Espinosa]]), believing him to have knowledge of her brother's death.<ref name="Grand Theft Aero"/>
===Missions, non-linearity and narration===
A common trait ''Grand Theft Auto III'' shares with the rest of the series is the considerably non-linear gameplay within the [[open world]] environment of [[Liberty City (Grand Theft Auto)|Liberty City]]. Missions that are offered to the player primarily fall into two categories: storyline-based and side missions. While the game's linear set of storyline-based missions are required to advance the plot and unlock certain areas of the map, the player can choose to complete them at his or her own leisure. Additionally, many of them are not mandatory. Alternatively, it is possible to ignore the main missions and only play side missions. If the player acquires a [[taxi cab]], they can pick up designated [[non-player character]]s as fares and drop them off at different parts of the city for cash; obtaining an [[ambulance]] allows the player to pick up injured non-player characters and drive them to the hospital for cash. Fire fighting and vigilante police missions are also available. Completing these side missions to a certain extent results in the player being rewarded in different ways. If the player wishes, he or she may avoid all missions and instead choose to explore the city, stealing cars, running over pedestrians, and avoiding or opposing the police.


With the war with the Cartel intensifying, Asuka and Maria learn of Claude's history with Catalina and order him to attack many Cartel operations.<ref name="Bait"/><ref name="Espresso-2-Go!"/><ref name="S.A.M."/> Eventually, his exploits attract the attention of Catalina. As a result, the Cartel abduct Maria, murder Asuka and Miguel, and demand Claude to pay $500,000 in exchange for Maria's release.<ref name="Ransom"/> When Claude confronts Catalina, she attempts to have him killed, but he escapes. In the resulting firefight, Catalina attempts to flee in a helicopter and makes a final attempt on Claude's life. After killing the remaining Cartel members and rescuing Maria, Claude shoots down the helicopter, effectively killing Catalina.<ref name="The Exchange"/> As they are leaving the scene, Maria complains to Claude about the kidnapping, particularly the state of her clothes and nails. During the credits, a gunshot is heard, and Maria's voice is silenced.{{efn|The sound of a gunshot, and the silencing of Maria's voice, has led to speculation that Claude killed Maria. Rockstar has refused to confirm this.<ref name="Q-A"/>}}
Whereas its predecessors merely featured a short [[cut scene]] upon completion of missions in each city, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' significantly expanded this feature, triggering cut scenes after the player enters a contact point or during certain missions. The cut scenes serve multiple purposes: as a visual narration of the storyline, as formal directions for a mission, and as a visual assessment of a scene and objective. During gameplay, mission updates and messages are relayed through text-based instructions given in the form of on-screen subtitles, or on a few occasions, the player character's [[pager]], similar to the original ''Grand Theft Auto'' game. ''Grand Theft Auto III'' also includes one-time [[tutorial]] directives to familiarise the player with the game's controls and features.


===Weapons===
== Development ==
The core development team of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' consisted of about 23 people at [[DMA Design]] in [[Edinburgh]], who worked closely with publisher [[Rockstar Games]] in [[New York]].<ref name="IGN Benzies"/> By early 2001, the team had designed the city, cars, and some weapons.<ref name="GameSpot Dan"/> Producer [[Leslie Benzies]] describes ''Grand Theft Auto III'' as a "crime simulation game".<ref name="IGN Benzies"/> When porting the game to [[Microsoft Windows]], the team delayed it from the PlayStation 2 release in order to ensure quality, citing issues with the simultaneous platform release of previous ''Grand Theft Auto'' games.<ref name="PC Interview"/>
[[File:GTAIII PS2 Beta Drive-by.jpg|thumb|right|A pre-release screenshot depicts the player character aiming for a [[drive-by shooting]]. The action, possible only by attaining a [[Micro Uzi]] and viewing sideways in a car, was a new feature in the series when ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released.]]


=== Open world design ===
The selection of weapons provided in the game consists of [[firearm]]s, [[explosive]]s, and two forms of [[mêlée]] attacks ([[hand to hand combat]] and a [[baseball bat]]). The weapons themselves are largely similar to the selection of weapons from the original ''Grand Theft Auto'' and its sequel, such as the [[Colt M1911|M1911]], the [[Micro Uzi]], an [[AK-47]] and an [[M16 rifle|M16A1]], and the [[M40 rifle|sniper rifle]], the [[M72 LAW|rocket launcher]], and the [[flamethrower]], which are based on similar weapons from the original ''Grand Theft Auto'', and the [[shotgun]] and thrown weapons ([[Molotov cocktail]]s and [[hand grenade]]s) from ''Grand Theft Auto 2''. The porting of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' into a three dimensional environment also allows access to a [[First-person shooter|first-person]] view, making the inclusion of the [[sniper rifle]] and first-person aiming of the [[M16A1]] and [[rocket launcher]] possible. In addition, it becomes possible in the game to perform [[drive-by shooting]] using the [[Micro Uzi]], while the inclusion of [[Magazine (firearm)|magazine]]-based weapons introduces the need to reload weapons after a magazine has been depleted. Additionally, wielding certain weapons restricts movement. Weapons may be purchased from local [[firearms dealer]]s and businesses; retrieved for free from certain dead gang members, mission-specific characters, and law enforcers; or picked up in certain spots in the city.<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|last=Perry|first=Doug|url=http://ps2.ign.com/articles/165/165548p1.html|title=IGN: Grand Theft Auto III Review|publisher=[[IGN.com]]|date=22 October 2001|accessdate=30 June 2008}}</ref>
[[File:Gta3-pc-stealing.jpeg|right|thumb|''Grand Theft Auto III'' is the first game in the series to use a 3D game engine, positioning the [[Virtual camera system|camera]] closer to the player character]]


''Grand Theft Auto III'' uses the [[RenderWare]] [[game engine]], designed by [[Criterion Games]].<ref name="PC Graphics"/> When designing the game, the development team expanded upon concepts introduced in the previous ''[[Grand Theft Auto (series)|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.<ref name="IGN Benzies"/> One of the major difficulties was fitting the game into 32 megabytes, due to the scale of the game. The game's size also created difficulties for the testers, due to the variety of options.<ref name="IGN Benzies DMA"/> Benzies felt that creating a living city was the "underlying principle" of the game's concept during development.<ref name="IGN Benzies"/> Executive producer [[Sam Houser]] felt that the game's 3D element allowed the "chemistry of the team [to come] together perfectly for the first time".<ref name="1UP Sam"/>
All versions of the game allow the player to [[auto-aim]] using a [[gamepad]] with the push of a button, holding human targets at gun point using most firearms, with the exception of first-person aiming for the sniper rifle, M16 and rocket launcher, which are aimed using the [[analogue stick]] or [[Mouse (computing)|mouse]] as the player presses the same auto aim button. The Microsoft Windows version includes the additional ability to look around and aim freely with a mouse while on foot; these control differences are seen in the console and Microsoft Windows ports of ''Vice City''.


A major difficulty the team encountered was converting all game elements into a 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;<ref name="IGN Dan"/> producer [[Dan Houser]] said that there was about 8,000 lines of recorded dialogue in the game,<ref name="IGN Dan"/> while audio programmer Raymond Usher estimated about 18,000.<ref name="Sound Usher"/> The basic technical elements of the game began to work together in mid-2000, with a carjacking mechanic prototype and stable [[Stream (computing)|streaming]] model.<ref name="IGN How2"/> 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.<ref name="IGN Benzies DMA"/>
==Synopsis==
===Setting and characters===


When designing the game world, the team initially created a "hybrid city", which producer [[Dan Houser]] describes as "a post industrial [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] slash [[East Coast of the United States|east coast]] generic" city.<ref name="IGN Dan 2"/> Upon developing within this game world, the team realised that basing the design on a real location meant "you have a lot of things you can say about it".<ref name="IGN Dan 2"/> As a result, the team created Liberty City, based loosely on [[New York City]].<ref name="IGN Dan 2"/> Dan Houser describes Liberty City as a "hybrid of a generic American city", including [[Chicago]], [[Pittsburgh]], [[Detroit]], New York, and [[Philadelphia]].<ref name="EW Dan"/> In the game, the islands unlock as the story progresses; the team wanted players to "start out feeling poor and work to being richer".<ref name="EW Dan"/>
''Grand Theft Auto III'' takes place in [[Liberty City (Grand Theft Auto)|Liberty City]], a city on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] of America, which is loosely based on [[New York City]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Hilary|last=Goldstein|title=GTA IV: Building a Brave New World |publisher=IGN |url=http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/863/863028p1.html |date=28 March 2008 |accessdate=23 April 2008}}</ref> Altogether, the city and surrounding areas take up about three square miles.<ref name="Unreality Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2010/05/07/a-size-comparison-of-massive-open-world-video-game-maps/ |title=A Size Comparison of Massive Open World Video Game Maps|author=Paul Tassi|date= 7 May 2010|accessdate= 9 November 2012| publisher=[[Unreality Magazine]]}}</ref> Throughout the series, there are three versions of Liberty City: a previous rendition was featured in the original ''[[Grand Theft Auto (video game)|Grand Theft Auto]]'' (1997); the version in ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was also used in ''[[Grand Theft Auto (Game Boy Advance)|Advance]]'' (2004), ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories|Liberty City Stories]]'' (2005), and for one mission in ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|San Andreas]]'' (2004); the latest rendition was used in ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'' (2008), its episodes ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned|The Lost and Damned]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony|The Ballad of Gay Tony]]'' (both 2009), and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars|Chinatown Wars]]'' (2009).


=== Story and characters ===
Several of the characters featured in ''Grand Theft Auto III'' return for later games in the series, including [[Catalina (Grand Theft Auto)|Catalina]], [[List of Grand Theft Auto III characters#8-Ball|8-Ball]], [[List of Grand Theft Auto III characters#Salvatore Leone|Salvatore Leone]], [[List of Grand Theft Auto III characters#Maria Latore|Maria Latore]], [[List of Grand Theft Auto III characters#Donald Love|Donald Love]], [[List of Grand Theft Auto III characters#Phil Cassidy|Phil Cassidy]], and [[Toni Cipriani]].
In the process of creating the story, the team develop the story and design simultaneously. "We use the story to expose the mechanics, and we use the mechanics to tell the story," said Dan Houser.<ref name="GameSpot Dan"/> Houser 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".<ref name="EW Dan"/> The game's script was also focused on mission objectives, attempting to implement high amounts of interactivity.<ref name="IGN How2"/> Houser felt that each mission is "its own short story", and part of an "overarching story".<ref name="GameSpot Dan"/> Houser and co-writer James Worrall drew influence from mob films, and the mafiosi featured in films by [[Martin Scorsese]]. When writing the story, Houser and Worrall regularly met with the designers, and filled a room with [[post-it note]]s to reconstruct the story components to shape the game.<ref name="IGN How2"/>


Many of the game characters were animated using [[motion capture]], though this was limited by technical restraints. The character movement was also treated as being cinematic, though limited [[Polygon (computer graphics)|polygons]] heavily inhibited this.<ref name="IGN How3"/> The team used varying camera angles when animated the game's cutscenes, in order to evoke different emotions.<ref name="IGN Cinematic"/> 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]].<ref name="IGN How3"/> The game's playable protagonist is unnamed in the game,<ref name="IGN Characters"/> and his name is not officially revealed as [[Claude (Grand Theft Auto)|Claude]] until his appearance in ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'' (2004). He is a [[silent protagonist]], never uttering a word throughout his appearances. The team decided to make Claude silent 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.<ref name="Q-A"/>
The voice cast for the game's characters features several established actors. Notable voice actors include [[Frank Vincent]], [[Michael Madsen]], [[Michael Rapaport]], [[Joe Pantoliano]], [[Debi Mazar]], [[Kyle MacLachlan]], [[Robert Loggia]], [[Lazlow Jones]] and late rapper [[Guru (rapper)|Guru]].


===Plot===
=== Sound 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 [[Mob film|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";<ref name="IGN Sounds3"/> Sam Houser described it as "a very iconoclastic look at America".<ref name="IGN Sam"/> The team used real [[Disc jockey|DJ]]s to portray those on the radio. In doing so, the team 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, station imaging.<ref name="IGN Sounds3"/>


=== Cuts, changes, and the 9/11 effect ===
While robbing a bank in [[Liberty City (Grand Theft Auto)|Liberty City]], ambitious criminal [[Claude (Grand Theft Auto)|Claude]] is shot and betrayed by his girlfriend and accomplice [[Catalina (Grand Theft Auto)|Catalina]]. Although he survives the wound, Claude is arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. While being transported in a prison van, Claude and fellow prisoner [[List of Grand Theft Auto III characters#8-Ball|8-Ball]] are inadvertently freed after an attack on the police convoy, and escape to a safehouse. 8-Ball later introduces Claude to the Leone [[Mafia]] crime family; ''Sex Club 7'' owner [[List of Grand Theft Auto III characters#Luigi Goterelli|Luigi Goterelli]], Don [[List of Grand Theft Auto III characters#Salvatore Leone|Salvatore Leone]], his Capo [[Toni Ciprani|Toni Cipriani]], and the Don's son [[Joey Leone]]. During work for the family, Claude finds himself fighting the Colombians, who are being led by Catalina in proliferating a new drug. Meanwhile, Salvatore's [[trophy wife]] [[List of Grand Theft Auto III characters#Maria_Latore|Maria]] begins to take a liking to Claude. Salvatore grows suspicious and betrays Claude into luring him to a death trap, but Maria saves him just in time and they both flee.
{{Quote box|quote=[W]e felt that a full content review of all our titles and the marketing materials we use to represent them was absolutely necessary for us ... we have come across certain small contextual references that we were no longer comfortable with, as well as a couple of very rare gameplay instances that no longer felt appropriate to us.|align=right|source=Terry Donovan, Rockstar managing director, IGN, 19 September 2001<ref name="911 Delay"/>|width=30em |quoted=1}}


Prior to the initial release, several modifications were made to the game. While changes are frequent during [[game development]], the changes in ''Grand Theft Auto III'' were noted to be around the time of the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], which led to speculation that some changes were motivated by the attacks. On September 19, 2001, Rockstar delayed the game's release by three weeks, citing the attacks as an influencing factor in the delay.<ref name="911 Delay"/>
Claude then begins working for the city's [[Yakuza]] and its leader [[Asuka Kasen]], Maria's close friend, who has Claude assassinate Salvatore and get his revenge. This cuts off all of Claude's ties with the Leone family, who are now against him. Claude's work leads him to allying himself with other criminal sources, such as corrupt police detective [[List of Grand Theft Auto III characters#Ray Machowski|Ray Machowski]], an enemy of the Cartel. Claude later saves him from [[Internal affairs (law enforcement)|Internal Affairs]] and the [[CIA]] by helping him flee to Vice City. Claude also meets charismatic media mogul Donald Love, who maintains a huge media front. In an effort to start a war between the Yakuza and Cartel, Claude and Love organise the death of Asuka's brother [[Kenji Kasen]] and blame the Cartel. Later, Love asks Claude to rescue a man who was kidnapped by the Cartel in the prison truck that Claude was in. While on an errand, Claude finally confronts Catalina, who narrowly escapes. Asuka abducts Catalina's partner [[List of Grand Theft Auto III characters#Miguel|Miguel]], believing him to have knowledge of her brother's death.


[[File:GTAIII LCPD copcar change.jpg|thumb|left|After the events of 9/11, the original colour scheme of the police cars in the game (top), which resembled the [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]], was changed to a generic black-and-white design common in the United States.]]
With the war with the Cartel intensifying, Asuka and Maria learn of Claude's history with Catalina and order him to attack many Cartel operations. Eventually, his exploits attract the attention of Catalina. As a result, the Cartel abduct Maria, murder Asuka and Miguel, and demand Claude to pay $500,000 in exchange for Maria's release. When Claude confronts Catalina, she attempts to have him killed, but he escapes. In the resulting firefight, Catalina attempts to flee in a helicopter and makes a final attempt on Claude's life. After killing the remaining Cartel members and rescuing Maria, Claude shoots down the helicopter, effectively killing Catalina. As they are leaving the scene, Maria complains to Claude about the kidnapping, particularly the state of her clothes and nails. During the credits, a gunshot is heard, and Maria's voice is silenced.{{efn|The sound of a gunshot, and the silencing of Maria's voice, has led to speculation that Claude killed Maria. Rockstar has refused to confirm this.<ref name="Q-A" >{{cite web|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19861/grand-theft-auto-iii-your-questions-answered-part-one-claude-dar.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III: Your Questions Answered – Part One (Claude, Darkel & Other Characters) |author=R* Q |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=December 15, 2011 |accessdate=April 16, 2013 }}</ref>}}


[[File:GTA3 UK Cover.jpg|thumb|175px|right|The original artwork for the game, which was changed after the events of 9/11.<ref name="Questions 2"/> The artwork was used as the cover in Europe.<ref name="Edge LCS"/>]]
==Development==
===Radio stations and other media===


One of the changes made shortly after 9/11 was the colour scheme of the police cars; the original colour scheme of blue with white stripes specifically resembled that of the [[New York City Police Department]]. It was changed to a generic black-and-white design common among several police departments in the United States, such as [[Los Angeles Police Department|Los Angeles]] and [[San Francisco Police Department|San Francisco]]. Other changes include altering the flight path of a plane to avoid appearing to fly into or behind a skyscraper, removing a mission referencing terrorists, as well as some changes to pedestrian dialogue and talk radio.<ref name="Eurogamer 911"/>
The game's radio stations feature music specially written for the game (as well as various songs originating from the original ''Grand Theft Auto'' and its sequel), but also includes licensed music, some of which were excerpts of several actual music albums; this combination differs from those of the game's predecessors, which featured entirely original soundtracks. One of the stations is a full-length talk show, and many of the callers are actually characters from the story missions, often demonstrating the same views and eccentricities that become apparent to the player during the missions. Another station, "Flashback FM", features music from the film ''[[Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface]]'', which had heavy influence on the game's sequel, ''Vice City''.


Another cut to the game is the character of Darkel, a revolutionary urchin who vowed to bring down the city's economy. When references to Darkel were found in the game's code, speculation arose that the character was related to 9/11, however Dan Houser explained that the character had been cut "months before [release]".<ref name="Eurogamer 911"/> There are also reports and previews stating that the game featured school children as pedestrians prior to release,<ref name="GameSpot Impressions"/> although Rockstar has dismissed such rumours as "nonsense".<ref name="Questions 2"/>
Additionally, an online format of the fictional ''Liberty Tree'' newspaper, dedicated to events that took place within and outside Liberty City between February 2001 and October 2001, was made available months ahead of the release of the game. The website, working in tandem with the official map-based website and sub-pages, also served to provide a [[back-story]] to ''Grand Theft Auto III'', while evoking a sense that the reported events had actually taken place in real time, releasing monthly issues in its nine months of activity. The site also includes articles on criminal activities in the city and city development (i.e. delayed tunnel completion and the growth of Love Media in the city), and various advertising to fictional products. Pre-released screenshots of gameplay, the city's environment and characters were used as photographs for certain news articles.


Rockstar stated that the game was "about 1% different" after 9/11, and that the biggest change was the cover art. They felt that the original cover, which was ultimately released as the cover in Europe, felt "too raw" after 9/11, and was changed into what became the "signature style" of the series.<ref name="Questions 2"/> Sam Houser claims that the cover was designed in an evening, and was instantly preferred over the original cover.<ref name="Edge LCS"/> The cover was inspired by the movie posters for 1960s films, such as ''[[The Thomas Crown Affair (1968 film)|The Thomas Crown Affair]]'' (1968).<ref name="Questions 2"/>
Various commercials are featured on both the radio stations and the ''Liberty Tree'' website. Certain ads often referred to their advertisers' official websites, such as petsovernight.com. All of these sites actually existed; they were set up to tie in with the game. However, although looking very much like genuine online stores of the era, all links to purchase or order the products actually led to rockstargames.com.


== Critical reception ==
===Game engine===
=== Initial release ===
''Grand Theft Auto III''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s new [[RenderWare]] [[game engine]] created by another British games company [[Criterion Games]] was a significant departure from its predecessors, most notably because it uses a forward-viewing perspective as the default view, similar to a majority of [[third-person shooter]]s and [[racing game|driving games]], and has much-improved street-level graphics. The game also offers several additional camera modes, including a cinematic view, and the [[top-down perspective]] prevalent in ''Grand Theft Auto III'''s predecessors (this last was omitted in following titles, making ''Grand Theft Auto III'' the last major console title in the series to include the top-down view). In console versions, the game runs in the [[display resolution]] dictated by the console, while the [[Microsoft Windows]] version permits resolutions of up to 1600 by 1200 pixels.<ref>{{cite web | first = Tal | last = Blevins | title = Grand Theft Auto III (PC) Review | work = IGN | url = http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/360/360877p3.html | date = 27 May 2002 | accessdate = 24 September 2007}}</ref>
{{Video game reviews
[[File:Gta3-pc-stealing.jpeg|right|thumb| Carjacking is a major feature in ''Grand Theft Auto III''. Here, Claude is stealing a "Stallion" car from a driver.]]
| title = PlayStation 2 version reception
The in-game environment is displayed through extensive use of [[Level of detail (programming)|level of detail]] (LOD), allowing areas directly surrounding the player to display objects in higher [[Polygon (computer graphics)|polygon]] counts (including vehicles, buildings and terrain) or minor props (e.g. street furniture), while areas far from the player are displayed with fewer polygons and less detail. As such, LODs aid ''Grand Theft Auto III'' in displaying a large environment with a further [[draw distance]], while ensuring that the game's performance remains optimum. When travelling within the city, the game constantly swaps models of varied detail as the player moves from one area to another. However, when the player travels to another island, the game is required to load detailed models of the entire destination island, while also loading low-detail models for the island the player is leaving, requiring substantially more processing time; in the process, the game displays a "Welcome to..." screen for a short amount of time, before play resumes.
| MC = 97/100<ref name="MC"/>
| 1UP = A+<ref name="1UP Review"/>
| AllGame = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name="AllGame Review"/>
| Edge = 8/10<ref name="Edge Review"/>
| EuroG = 10/10<ref name="Eurogamer Review"/>
| GamePro = 5/5<ref name="GamePro Review"/>
| GameRev = A<ref name="GameRev Review"/>
| GI = 9.5/10<ref name="Game Informer Review"/>
| GSpot = 9.6/10<ref name="GameSpot Review"/>
| GSpy = 94/100<ref name="GameSpy Review"/>
| IGN = 9.6/10<ref name="IGN Review"/>
}}
''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released to critical acclaim. [[Metacritic]] calculated an [[Normalization (statistics)|average]] score of 97 of out 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 56 reviews. It is the sixth-highest rated game on Metacritic, tied with a number of others.{{efn|''Grand Theft Auto III'' shares its status as fifth-highest rated game on Metacritic with ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'', ''[[Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2]]'', ''[[Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3]]'', ''[[Perfect Dark]]'', ''[[Metroid Prime]]'', ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'', ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and ''[[NFL 2K1]]''. The games that are rated higher than ''Grand Theft Auto III'' are ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'', ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'', ''[[Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2]]'' and ''[[Soulcalibur]]''.<ref name="MC All Time"/>}} Reviewers liked the game's sound,<ref name="IGN Review"/><ref name="Eurogamer Review"/><ref name="GameSpot Review"/> gameplay,<ref name="1UP Review"/><ref name="Eurogamer Review"/><ref name="GamesMaster Review"/> and open world design,<ref name="Game Informer Review"/><ref name="IGN Review"/><ref name="GameRev Review"/> though some criticism was directed at the controls.<ref name="AllGame Review"/><ref name="GameSpy Review"/><ref name="GamePro Review"/> Tom Bramwell of [[Eurogamer]] called ''Grand Theft Auto III'' "a luscious, sprawling epic",<ref name="Eurogamer Review"/> and ''[[Official PlayStation Magazine]]'' named it "the most innovative, outlandish, brilliant video game".<ref name="OPM Review"/> [[GameSpot]]'s [[Jeff Gerstmann]] described the game as "an incredible experience that shouldn't be missed by anyone";<ref name="GameSpot Review"/> [[IGN]]'s Doug Perry named it "one of the best titles of the year, on PlayStation 2, or on any system".<ref name="IGN Review"/>


Many reviewers found the 3D graphics a welcoming change from the 2D of the previous games.<ref name="IGN Review"/><ref name="GamesMaster Review"/> GameSpot's Gerstmann particularly praised the character and vehicle models, and the overall texture quality of the city.<ref name="GameSpot Review"/> [[GameSpy]]'s Andrei Alupului found the graphics "really rather impressive", describing the car models as "greatly improved" over those in ''[[Midnight Club]]''.<ref name="GameSpy Review"/> Eurogamer's Bramwell considered the graphics "generally pleasant to look at", but considered it inferior to games like ''[[Gran Turismo 3]]'' and ''[[Ico]]''.<ref name="Eurogamer Review"/> Justin Leeper of ''[[Game Informer]]'' described game world as "stunning in scope and detail",<ref name="Game Informer Review"/> and Perry of IGN found it to be "on a scale that's truly epic".<ref name="IGN Review"/> [[Game Revolution]]'s Ben Silverman called the city a "technological marvel ... that captures the essence of gritty city life in amazing detail".<ref name="GameRev Review"/>
Like the environment, vehicles and pedestrians are depicted by full three-dimensional models, compared to flat top-down [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]] used in previous games. Both vehicles and pedestrians are constructed from individual polygons with a central "core" (the engine, chassis and body of vehicles, and the [[torso]] of pedestrians). The damage system of vehicles represents the minor vehicle parts (doors, frontal [[quarter panel]]s, bumpers and wheels) as undamaged, damaged or missing, based on [[Collision detection|collisions detected]] on the vehicle; the core of each vehicle remains visually unchanged despite heavy damage. As pedestrians in ''Grand Theft Auto III'' are made out of separate polygon parts (limbs, a head and a torso), it is possible to detach the [[Limb (anatomy)|limbs]] or head of a pedestrian (by using heavy firearms or explosives).


IGN's Perry considered the game's sound "unbelievably and meticulously delivered", particularly praising the soundtrack, voice acting and sound design, stating that it was "really approached as if it were done for a movie".<ref name="IGN Review"/> Eurogamer's Bramwell echoed similar remarks, describing the city sounds as "perfect" and the soundtrack as "monstrous".<ref name="Eurogamer Review"/> The sound was described as "terrific" by GameSpot's Gerstmann and Game Revolution's Silverman,<ref name="GameSpot Review"/><ref name="GameRev Review"/> and [[1UP.com]] appreciated the subtlety of the in-game radio stations.<ref name="1UP Review"/> [[AllGame]]'s Scott Alan Marriott named the music "the true star" of the game.<ref name="AllGame Review"/>
As the game runs a simulated 24-hour cycle, including changing weather, the game engine is also required to simulate day and night periods, as well as weather effects. This is done by adjusting surrounding visual effects and details in accordance to the weather and time of day. Other minor details are also present, like a rainbow and shiny streets after rain, and the sun moving from the northeast in the morning to the northwest in the evening.


Reviewers considered the style of the game's missions to be a welcoming departure from those in previous games.<ref name="Eurogamer Review"/><ref name="GameSpot Review"/> 1UP.com described the missions as "wonderfully creative",<ref name="1UP Review"/> while ''[[GamesMaster (magazine)|GamesMaster]]'' appreciated the diversity.<ref name="GamesMaster Review"/> IGN's Perry similarly appreciated the variety and scale of the missions, and praised the amount of available side missions.<ref name="IGN Review"/> GameSpy's Alupului described the game's story as "well-paced" and "coherent", featuring plot elements akin to a [[mob film]].<ref name="GameSpy Review"/> GameSpot's Gerstmann found the missions entertaining and challenging, but noted that exploring the game world also offers "a great deal of fun" to players.<ref name="GameSpot Review"/>
===Cuts, changes, and the 9/11 effect===
Prior to the 2001 release of the final game, several modifications were made to ''Grand Theft Auto III''. The changes were apparent as several promotional materials had previously displayed features that would be absent in the final version of the game. While cuts and changes are frequent during [[game development]], the changes in ''Grand Theft Auto III'' were of note as they were made around the time when the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] occurred; this led some gamers to speculate that at least some of the changes were motivated by the attacks. Few changes were made and when they were conducted, [[Sam Houser]], the president of Rockstar Games (based in [[Manhattan]], New York City), was quoted 19 September 2001 saying that a review would be carried out for ''Grand Theft Auto III'', in addition to confirming the delay of the game's release by three weeks<ref name="911delay_1">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/news/2813500.html | title= Take-Two to revise and delay two PS2 games | work = GameSpot | accessdate= 13 May 2006}}</ref><ref name="911delay_2">{{cite web | url = http://www.gouranga.com/september01.htm#h426 | title= Release Delay Confirmed | work = GOURANGA! | accessdate= 6 May 2006}}</ref><ref name="911delay_3">{{cite news | url = http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2001/09/46971 | title= Playing the Sensitivity Game | work = Wired News | accessdate= 6 May 2006 | date=28 September 2001}}</ref> (the original, rough release date was suggested by Houser to be on 2 October 2001):<ref name="originalreleasedate">{{cite web | url = http://www.gouranga.com/september01.htm#h419 | title= R* Clarifies Release Date Reports | work = GOURANGA! | accessdate= 6 May 2006}}</ref>
{{quotation|...our biggest games, including ''Grand Theft Auto [III]'', have been delayed slightly. This decision is based on two factors, firstly it has been a little difficult to get work done in downtown Manhattan in the last week since basic communications infrastructure has been intermittent at best, and secondly we felt that a full content review of all our titles was absolutely necessary for us in light of the horrifying event we all witnessed in NYC last week. As for ''Grand Theft Auto [III]'', since the game is so huge the review is no short process. So far we have come across certain small contextual references that we were no longer comfortable with, as well as a couple of very rare game play instances that no longer felt appropriate to us. We apologize to you and all the people waiting for this game to ship for the delays that have now ensued, but I'm sure you can understand our reasoning.}}
[[File:GTAIII LCPD copcar change.jpg|thumb|left|A comparison of the same present pre-release screenshot (as of April 2006) from [[GameSpot]] ('''top'''), among several gaming websites, and the official ''Grand Theft Auto III'' website ('''bottom'''). GameSpot's version depicts police cars resembling those of the [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]] pre-2000, while the official, edited version adopts a more generic black-and-white design used by many police departments such as the [[Los Angeles Police Department|LAPD]] and [[San Francisco Police Department|SFPD]].]]
Among the changes made shortly after 9/11 was the [[police car]]s' paint scheme. The old color scheme of blue with white stripes (seen in previews and the manual map) specifically resembled that of the [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]]. The new color scheme of the LCPD is modelled in a generic black-and-white design that is common amongst several police departments in the United States such as the [[Los Angeles Police Department|LAPD]] and [[San Francisco Police Department|SFPD]]. Pre-release screenshots in the game's official website depicting police cars had also undergone modifications, around a week after 11 September.<ref name="LCPDcolorchange">{{cite web | url = http://www.gouranga.com/september01.htm#h427 | title= GrandTheftAuto3.com & ''L-Tree'' Updated! | work = GOURANGA! | accessdate= 6 May 2006}}</ref> ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'' saw paint schemes bearing likenesses to those of the NYPD's (past and present) returning, several years after ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released.


Reactions to the game's controls were mixed. Alupului of GameSpy found the game "controls beautifully", both while driving and on-foot.<ref name="GameSpy Review"/> Game Revolution's Silverman identified the control issues as the game's only flaw, although praised the responsiveness of the driving mechanics.<ref name="GameRev Review"/> Matt Helgeson of ''Game Informer'' similarly described the driving as "great", but noted "clunky" combat.<ref name="Game Informer Review"/> [[GamePro]]'s Four-Eyed Dragon found the cars simple to maneuver.<ref name="GamePro Review"/> ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'' described the game's combat as "an awkward system that stymies play.<ref name="Edge Review"/> 1UP.com noted particular flaws in the targeting system, explaining that it "often focuses on the wrong guy".<ref name="1UP Review"/>
Another cut is that of Darkel,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unseen64.net/2008/10/26/hidden-beta-characters-have-been-found-in-gta3/ |title=Hidden beta characters have been found in GTA3 |date=26 October 2008 |last=Tilemaxx |publisher=unseen64 |accessdate=29 September 2011}}</ref> an in-game character, for the final version of the game. Mentioned in several early video game publications and websites, Darkel was to be a revolutionary urchin who vowed to bring down the city's economy. One mission involved stealing an ice cream van, using it to attract pedestrians, then blowing it up<ref name="Darkel_2">{{cite web | url = http://ps2.ign.com/articles/091/091649p1.html | title= ''Grand Theft Auto'': How Smart is the AI? | work = IGN | accessdate= 6 May 2006}}</ref> (this mission would eventually be given by [[List of characters in Grand Theft Auto III#El Burro|El Burro]] instead in the final version of game to kill a group of gang members). Darkel was also originally expected to give out Rampage-like missions,<ref name="Darkel_1">{{cite web | url = http://www.gouranga.com/nf-info-gta3.htm | title= ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' Information (based on early pre-release game publications) | work = GOURANGA! |accessdate= 6 May 2006}}</ref> and even had his voice recorded for this part.<ref name="Darkel_3">[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278446/ Bill Fiore] at [[The Internet Movie Database]]. URL accessed on 13 May 2006.</ref> Rockstar later decided that they would like to go back to the original system of giving out rampages as featured in ''Grand Theft Auto'' and ''Grand Theft Auto 2''. Although Darkel and his missions were removed, the character remains listed in the manual's credits, as well as having a character texture retained in the game's data files.<ref name="Darkel_4">{{cite web | url = http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=43867 | title= ''Frequently Asked Questions'' for ''GTA III'' | work = GTAForums.com | accessdate= 16 July 2006}}</ref> Another reminder of Darkel's existence is an abandoned tunnel in the city, associated with the character in the official website, and includes four homeless people in a group wielding [[Molotov cocktails]]. Both the tunnel and the four homeless people are retained in the final version of the game.


=== Microsoft Windows version ===
[[File:GTA3 UK Cover.jpg|thumb|right|The original artwork for the game, which was changed after the events of the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref name="911rumours"/> The artwork was used for some European versions of the game.<ref name=Edge-LibertyCityStories/>]]
{{Video game reviews

| title = Windows version reception
The Dodo aeroplane, the only flyable aircraft in the game, was also a point of discussion; the wings of the vehicle were significantly short, while an uncontrollable full-winged version has been seen flying around the city. However, the plane had a short wingspan, as evidenced from a preview in ''[[Game Informer]]'' (Issue #95), which indicated that the plane was to be used in a (now abandoned) mission to [[wikt:loft|loft]] the plane high enough in its brief flight and reach new areas of the city.<ref name="Scraped Dodo mission">{{cite web | url = http://www.gouranga.com/march01.htm#informer | title= New ''GTA3'' Details In Game Informer | work = GOURANGA! | accessdate= 25 October 2006}}</ref> The Dodo is considerably difficult to control, usually resulting in short flights (although it is possible to fly the plane continuously around Liberty City when properly trained<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae07S9ZZt8o&feature=related |title=How to fly with the Dodo in GTA III PC and PS2 (Explained with video annotations) |publisher=YouTube |date=3 December 2008 |accessdate=11 February 2011}}</ref>).
| MC = 93/100<ref name="MC PC"/>
| GI = 9.5/10<ref name="Game Informer PC Review"/>
| GSpot = 9.3/10<ref name="GameSpot PC Review"/>
| GSpy = 94/100<ref name="GameSpy PC Review"/>
| IGN = 9.4/10<ref name="IGN PC Review"/>
| PCGUS = 92%<ref name="PC Gamer Review"/>
| XPlay = 4/5<ref name="XPlay PC Review"/>
}}


When ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released to Microsoft Windows in May 2002, it received similar critical acclaim. Metacritic calculated an average score of 93 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 20 reviews.<ref name="MC PC"/> It was the highest-rated Windows game on Metacritic in 2002.<ref name="MC Top PC"/> Reviewers liked the visual enhancements<ref name="GameSpot PC Review"/><ref name="GameSpy PC Review"/><ref name="IGN PC Review"/> and control improvements,<ref name="Game Informer PC Review"/><ref name="PC Gamer Review"/><ref name="XPlay PC Review"/> but criticised the port for its demanding system requirements.<ref name="GameSpot PC Review"/><ref name="IGN PC Review"/><ref name="XPlay PC Review"/>
Other changes included stopping the selection of certain character models when using cheat codes, removing the aforementioned ability to blow [[Limb (anatomy)|limbs]] off non-player characters in only the PlayStation 2 version of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' (though this can enabled with a cheat code), and the removal of elderly pedestrians with [[Walker (tool)|walkers]], school<!--"school" not part of original text--> children as pedestrians (from [[GameSpot]] UK's beta preview <ref name="Children as pedestrians">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.co.uk/stories/previews/0,2160,2056706-2,00.html | title= GameSpot UK preview | work = GameSpot UK | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20010611042253/http://www.gamespot.co.uk/stories/previews/0,2160,2056706-2,00.html | archivedate = 11 June 2001 }}</ref>) and a school bus (seen in eight screenshots<ref name="Screenshots of development vehicle models">{{cite web | url = http://www.gouranga.com/info-gta3.htm#h3 | title= Features, Vehicles & Weapons | work = GOURANGA! | accessdate= 4 April 2007}}</ref>).


The in-game features and controls in the port were generally well-received. IGN's Tal Blevins praised the higher precision of the mouse controls, finding the aiming mechanic more precise.<ref name="IGN PC Review"/> GameSpot's Erik Wolpaw also commended the mouse controls, but disapproved the replay system, particularly due to the lack of options with timing and camera controls.<ref name="GameSpot PC Review"/> ''[[X-Play|Extended Play]]''{{'}}s Andrew Bub appreciated the addition of a custom radio station, as well as the availability of custom skins.<ref name="XPlay PC Review"/> Daniel Morris of ''[[PC Gamer]]'' praised the gameplay tweaks provided by the port, but criticised the lack of major additional features, such as an overhead map of the in-game city.<ref name="PC Gamer Review"/>
When asked about how much was changed from the original version, Rockstar stated that it's "about 1% different", and that they only removed one mission that referenced terrorists and changed a few other "cosmetic details" - such as car details, some pedestrian comments and radio dialogue. They stated that the biggest change was the cover art, which was changed into what would become the "signature style" for all ''Grand Theft Auto'' game covers. They stated that the original cover art (which was released as the cover of the game in Europe) felt "too raw" for them after 9/11.<ref name="911rumours">{{cite web | url =http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19981/grand-theft-auto-iii-your-questions-answered-part-two-911-the-gh.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III: Your Questions Answered – Part Two (9/11, The "Ghost Town", The Dodo and Other Mysteries) |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=5 January 2012 |accessdate=30 July 2013 }}</ref>
They also denied any of the rumours with school children being in the game.<ref name="911rumours"/>


The port's visuals received a positive response from reviewers. GameSpot's Wolpaw praised the port's reworked textures, but criticised the frequent [[Draw distance|popup]], and the advanced system requirements.<ref name="GameSpot PC Review"/> IGN's Blevins similarly criticised the necessity of an advanced system for stable play, but ultimately felt that the port looks "a bit nicer" than the original game.<ref name="IGN PC Review"/> GameSpy's Sal Accardo felt that the port "looks much sharper" than the PlayStation 2 version, though noted some "choppy" animations.<ref name="GameSpy PC Review"/> ''Extended Play''{{'}}s Bub mentioned that the advanced settings resulted in slowdown and [[Crash (computing)|crashes]].<ref name="XPlay PC Review"/> ''Game Informer''{{'}}s Matt Helgeson noticed little difference between the visuals of the original and the port.<ref name="Game Informer PC Review"/>
Expanding on the cover change during an interview with ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'', Sam Houser said that the new North American artwork had been created in an evening and that they instantly preferred it to the originally planned cover.<ref name=Edge-LibertyCityStories>{{cite web|url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/liberty-city-stories |title=Liberty City stories - Edge Magazine |publisher=Edge-online.com |date=15 December 2011 |accessdate=23 March 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519025844/http://www.edge-online.com/features/liberty-city-stories |archivedate=19 May 2012}}</ref>


=== Mobile version ===
==Reception==

===Critical===
{{Video game reviews
{{Video game reviews
| title = Mobile version reception
<!-- Aggregators -->
| MC = 80/100<ref name="MC Mobile"/>
| GR = (PS2) 95.19%<ref name="GameRankings" /><br> (PC) 93.54%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/548931-grand-theft-auto-iii/index.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III for PC |work=[[GameRankings]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=11 February 2011 }}</ref><br>(iOS) 86.50%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/iphone/653784-grand-theft-auto-iii-10-year-anniversary-edition/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto III for iOS}}</ref>
| Destruct = 7/10<ref name="Destructoid Mobile Review"/>
| MC = (PS2) 97/100<ref name="MC" /> <br> (PC) 93/100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/grand-theft-auto-iii |title=Grand Theft Auto III for PC Reviews |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=11 February 2011 }}</ref>
| EuroG = 5/10<ref name="Eurogamer Mobile Review"/>
<!-- Reviewers -->
| GSpot = 7/10<ref name="GameSpot Mobile Review"/>
| 1UP = A+<ref name="1UP">{{cite web|last=1UP Staff |url=http://www.1up.com/reviews/grand-theft-auto-iii |title=Grand Theft Auto III Review for PS2 |publisher=[[1UP.com|1UP]]|date=1 January 2000|accessdate=13 October 2013 }}</ref>
| IGN = 7.5/10<ref name="IGN Mobile Review"/>
| Edge = 8/10<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edge-online.com/review/grand-theft-auto-3-review/ |title=Grand Theft Auto III Review |author=Edge Staff |publisher=''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'' |date=29 November 2001 |accessdate=13 October 2013 }}</ref>{{efn|Edge first scored the game a 6/10, but then amended the score to an 8/10 on the next issue claiming a "printing error".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/raidendx.htm |title=Raiden DX |publisher=World of Stuart |accessdate=13 October 2013 }}</ref>}}
| rev1 = ''[[Pocket Gamer]]''
| EGM = 9.33/10<ref name="GameRankings" /><ref name="EGM2" />
| rev1Score = 9/10<ref name="Pocket Gamer Review"/>
| Fam = 8/10
| G4 = 4/5<ref name="GR-PC">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/548931-grand-theft-auto-iii/articles.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III Reviews and Articles for PC |work=[[GameRankings]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=11 February 2011}}</ref>
| GI = 9.5/10<ref name="GI">{{cite web |last=Helgeson |first=Matt |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200112/R03.0804.1625.14160.htm?CS_pid=280166 |title=Game Informer Online |publisher=''[[Game Informer]]'' |accessdate=30 June 2008 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090614031044/http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200112/R03.0804.1625.14160.htm?CS_pid=280166 |archivedate=14 June 2009}}</ref>
| GamePro = 5 of 5<ref name="Pro" />
| GSpot = (PS2) 9.6/10<ref name="Spot">{{cite web |last=Gerstmann |first=Jeff |url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/grandtheftauto3/review.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III for PlayStation 2 Review |publisher=[[GameSpot]] |pages=1–3 |accessdate=30 June 2008 |archiveurl=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20100313120134/http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/grandtheftauto3/review.html |archivedate=13 March 2010 }}</ref> <br> 9.3/10 (PC)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/grandtheftauto3/review.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III Review for PC |last=Kasavin |first=Greg |publisher=[[GameSpot]] |date=20 May 2002 |accessdate=11 February 2011 |archiveurl=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20100808190509/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/grandtheftauto3/review.html |archivedate=8 August 2010 }}</ref>
| GSpy = 94/100<ref name="Spy" />
| IGN = (PS2) 9.6/10<ref name=IGN/> <br> (PC) 9.4/10<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ign.com/articles/2002/05/27/grand-theft-auto-iii-2 |title=Grand Theft Auto III |author=IGN Staff |publisher=[[IGN]] |date=27 May 2002 |accessdate=11 February 2011}}</ref>
| PCGUS = 92%<ref name="GR-PC" />
| PSM = 9/10<ref name="GR-PS2" />
| PSM3 = 92%<ref name="GR-PS2">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/466217-grand-theft-auto-iii/articles.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III Reviews and Articles for PlayStation 2 |work=[[GameRankings]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=11 February 2011 }}</ref>
<!-- Awards -->
| award1Pub = [[GameSpot]]
| award1 = Most Innovative Game,<ref>{{cite web |url =http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p2_06.html |title = GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001: Special Achievement Awards&nbsp;— Most Innovative |publisher= [[GameSpot]] |accessdate= 15 August 2007 }}</ref> Best Action/Adventure Game,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p3_02.html | title = GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001: Genre Awards&nbsp;— Best Action/Adventure Game | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | accessdate = 15 August 2007 }}</ref> Best PlayStation 2 Game,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p5_08.html | title = GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001: Platform Awards&nbsp;— Best PlayStation 2 Game | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | accessdate = 15 August 2007 }}</ref> Game of the Year<ref>{{cite web | url = http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20020208073702/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p6_06.html | title = GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001: Top 10 Video Games of the Year | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | accessdate = 15 August 2007}}</ref>
| award2Pub = [[IGN]]
| award2 = Best Action Game for PlayStation 2,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://ps2.ign.com/news/40912.html | title = IGN: Best Action Game of 2001 - PlayStation 2 | publisher = [[IGN]] | accessdate = 16 August 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20020117204708/http://ps2.ign.com/news/40912.html |archivedate = 17 January 2002}}</ref> PlayStation 2 Game of the Year<ref>{{cite web | url = http://ps2.ign.com/articles/101/101073p1.html | title = IGN: PS2 Game of the Year | publisher = [[IGN]] | accessdate = 16 August 2007}}</ref>
| award3Pub = ''[[GamePro]]''
| award3 = Editors' Choice<ref name="Pro">{{cite web |author="FOUREYEDDRAGON" |url=http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/17600.shtml |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080508015351/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/17600.shtml |archivedate=8 May 2008 |title=Review: Grand Theft Auto 3 for PS2 |publisher=[[GamePro]] |date=29 October 2001 |accessdate=30 June 2008 }}</ref>
| award4Pub = ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]''
| award4 = Gold Award<ref name="EGM2">{{cite journal |last=Hsu |first=Dan "Shoe" |date=January 2002 |title=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |issue=150 |pages=206 |publisher=Ziff Davis Media Inc.}}</ref>
}}
}}
<!--IF YOU ARE AN IGN INSIDER, PLEASE POST THE RESULTS OF THE READER'S CHOICE POLL FOR 2001 AND THE OVERALL PICKS FOR GAME OF THE YEAR. THEY ARE AVAILABLE AT THESE LINKS: http://insider.ign.com/teasers/317/317668.html and http://insider.ign.com/teasers/317/317658.html -->


When ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released to Microsoft Windows in May 2002, it received generally positive reviews. Metacritic calculated an average score of 80 out of 100, based on 26 reviews.<ref name="MC Mobile"/> Reviewers liked the enhanced visuals,<ref name="Destructoid Mobile Review"/><ref name="IGN Mobile Review"/> but criticism was directed at the touchscreen controls.<ref name="Eurogamer Mobile Review"/><ref name="GameSpot Mobile Review"/>
Upon its release, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' received widespread critical acclaim. While minor problems and comments pertaining to graphics, performance and controls were noted, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was touted as revolutionary by several game review websites and publications. According to [[Game Rankings]],<ref name="GameRankings">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/466217-grand-theft-auto-iii/index.html|title=Grand Theft Auto III Reviews|publisher=[[Game Rankings]]|accessdate=1 July 2008}}</ref><ref name="T2-listed awards">{{cite web | url = http://www.take2games.com/index.php?p=news&page=5 | title= ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' Awards | work = Take-Two Interactive | accessdate= 6 May 2006}}</ref> the game won several awards, such as [[GameSpot]]'s Console Game of the Year, Game of the Year from [[GameSpy]] and Cheat Code Central, and Best Action Game of 2001 by [[IGN]]. The game's average review score of 97% on [[Metacritic]]<ref name="MC">{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/grand-theft-auto-iii|title=Grand Theft Auto III (ps2: 2001): Reviews|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=1 July 2008}}</ref> ties it with ''[[Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3]]'' for the highest ranked game in PlayStation 2 history. It was also inducted into GameSpot's Greatest Games of All Time list.<ref name="GTA3 Greatest">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/6171873/index.html | title = Greatest Games of All Time: Grand Theft Auto III | work = uk.gamespot.com | accessdate = 22 September 2007}}</ref>


The port's visuals were well-received. IGN's Peter Eykemans commended the smoother textures, especially condensed on a mobile screen,<ref name="IGN Mobile Review"/> while [[Destructoid]]'s [[Jim Sterling]] noted improvements in the character and vehicle models.<ref name="Destructoid Mobile Review"/> Mark Walton of GameSpot wrote that the game runs well on high-end devices like the [[Motorola Xoom]] and [[Samsung Galaxy S II]], but noticed significant [[frame rate]] and texture issues on the [[Xperia Play]].<ref name="GameSpot Mobile Review"/> ''[[Pocket Gamer]]''{{'}}s Mark Brown identified the game's short draw distance leading to sudden popup, although still found that the models and textures "have been given a tune-up" in the port.<ref name="Pocket Gamer Review"/>
[[Eurogamer]] stated "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".<ref>{{cite web |last=Bramwell |first=Tom |title=Grand Theft Auto III - Review |publisher=[[Eurogamer]] |date=30 October 2001 |accessdate=14 July 2011 |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_gta3_ps2}}</ref> ''[[Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine|Official PlayStation Magazine]]'' called the game "The most innovative, outlandish, brilliant video game I've ever seen".<ref>Jan 2002, p.126</ref> [[Allgame]] commented "From the eight professional-style radio stations to the variety of mission objectives and hidden goodies, GTA III is packed with high production values and oozing with addictive gameplay".<ref name="cvg">{{cite web |last=Marriott |first=Scott |title=Grand Theft Auto - Review - allgame |publisher=[[Allgame]] |date=23 October 2001 |accessdate=14 July 2011 |url=http://allgame.com/game.php?id=34181&tab=review}}</ref> ''[[Game Informer]]'' noted "The environments of Liberty City are stunning in scope and detail, dwarfing anything I've ever seen, and your choices are endless."<ref>Dec 2001, p.87</ref> While [[GameSpy]] cited "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."<ref name="Spy">{{cite web|last=Alupului|first=Andre|url=http://www.planetps2.com/features/reviews/2001/grandtheftauto3/|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080406101208/http://www.planetps2.com/features/reviews/2001/grandtheftauto3/|archivedate=6 April 2008|title=PlanetPS2 - A Member of The GameSpy Network|publisher=[[GameSpy]]|pages=1–3|date=31 October 2001|accessdate=1 July 2008}}</ref> Of the iOS port, Mark Brown of ''[[Pocket Gamer]]'' noted that it was "a largely successful port of an iconic game, and it's still massive amounts of fun to evade police, pull off jumps and complete missions".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Grand+Theft+Auto+3%3A+10th+Anniversary+Edition/review.asp?c=36169|title=Grand Theft Auto 3 Review|author=Mark Brown|work=PocketGamer.co.uk|date=15 December 2011|accessdate=18 December 2012}}</ref>


The touchscreen controls received a mixed response. Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead appreciated the driving mechanics, but felt that moving on-foot is "a flaky way of navigating" the world, and criticised the "clumsy" shooting mechanics.<ref name="Eurogamer Mobile Review"/> IGN's Eykemans felt that the controls "make half the experience frustrating",<ref name="IGN Mobile Review"/> and Destructoid's Sterling described them as "by far the biggest barrier toward enjoying" the port.<ref name="Destructoid Mobile Review"/> Brown of ''Pocket Gamer'' found that the touchscreen "hasn't hindered [the game] too drastically", commending simple movement and "effortless" driving mechanics.<ref name="Pocket Gamer Review"/> Some critics identified better controls upon the use of external gamepads, but felt that they hinder the game's portability.<ref name="GameSpot Mobile Review"/><ref name="Pocket Gamer Xperia"/>
===Sales===
''Grand Theft Auto III'' [[sleeper hit|unexpectedly]] emerged as a smash hit and became the highest-selling video game of 2001 in the United States. Later discounted as part of Sony's "Greatest Hits" program, it continued to sell well and went on to become the second-best-selling video game of 2002, behind only its sequel, ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]''. ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was bundled with Vice City for the Xbox Double Pack, which saw strong sales in December 2003, even though ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was two years old. The Double Pack's success for Xbox was due to several factors; the critical acclaim and controversial game content for the games, the graphical improvements specifically for the Xbox, and having two games in one, which led to GameSpy giving it their Best Value Award.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/grand-theft-auto-double-pack/499307p1.html |title=GameSpy: Grand Theft Auto Double Pack Preview |publisher=Xbox.gamespy.com |date= |accessdate=11 February 2011}}</ref>


== Commercial performance ==
Through September 2007, ''Grand Theft Auto III '' had sold 12 million units according to [[Take-Two Interactive]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Take-Two Interactive Software at Piper Jaffray Second Annual London Consumer Conference |publisher=Thomson Financial |date=26 September 2007 |url=http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/confLobby.zhtml?ticker=TTWO&item_id=1642557 |format=[[Webcast]]: Windows Media Player, RealPlayer |accessdate=29 October 2007 |quote=Grand Theft Auto III launched in 2001 and sold over 12 million units. We then shipped another sequel in 2002 which sold over 15 million units, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. And then in 2004 we shipped Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which sold a remarkable 20 million units...}}</ref> By the following March, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' had sold 14.5 million units according to Take-Two Interactive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://taketwovalue.com/documents/TTWO_Value.pdf#page=12 |title=Recommendation of the Board of Directors to Reject Electronic Arts Inc.'s Tender Offer |accessdate=1 April 2008 |date=26 March 2008 |publisher=[[Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.]] |page=12 |format=PDF|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080408234728/http://taketwovalue.com/documents/TTWO_Value.pdf#page=12 |archivedate = 8 April 2008}}</ref> As of 2011, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' sold over 17.33 million units.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}
=== Sales ===
''Grand Theft Auto III'' was the highest-selling game of 2001 in the United States, selling over two million units by February 2002.<ref name="NPD 2001"/> The game was also the second best-selling game of 2002, behind only its sequel.<ref name="NPD 2002"/> In the United States, the game had sold 5.35 million units by June 2004,<ref name="Magic 2004"/> and 6.55 million units in the United States by December 2007.<ref name="Magic 2007"/> In Japan, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' sold about 120,000 copies in its first week, and over 350,000 by January 2008.<ref name="Japan Sales"/> The game earned a "Diamond" award in the United Kingdom, indicating over one million sales.<ref name="UK Diamond"/> By March 2008, the game had sold 14.5 million units worldwide.<ref name="March 08 Sales"/>


===Legacy===
=== Accolades ===
''Grand Theft Auto III'' received multiple nominations and awards from [[Video game journalism|gaming publications]]. It was awarded Game of the Year from GameSpot<ref name="GSpot GOTY"/> and GameSpy.<ref name="GameSpy GOTY"/> It was named the Best PlayStation 2 Game by Game Revolution,<ref name="GameRev Awards"/> GameSpot,<ref name="GSpot PS2 GOTY"/> GameSpy<ref name="GameSpy PS2 GOTY"/> and IGN.<ref name="IGN PS2 GOTY"/> It also won Best Action Game from Game Revolution,<ref name="GameRev Awards"/> GameSpot,<ref name="GSpot Action"/> and IGN,<ref name="IGN Action"/> and Most Innovative from GameSpot.<ref name="GSpot Innovative"/> GameSpy also awarded the game Most Offensive,<ref name="GameSpy Offensive"/> Best Use of Radio,<ref name="GameSpy Radio"/> and tied for Best Artificial Intelligence.<ref name="GameSpy AI"/>
Although the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series had been an underground hit prior to the release of ''Grand Theft Auto III'', it was this game that first brought the series mainstream success and widespread accolades. The success of the game resulted in two console and [[Microsoft Windows]] sequels (''Vice City'', ''San Andreas''), both of which were able to build upon ''Grand Theft Auto III''{{'}}s success, as well as three additional titles for [[Handheld game console|handheld consoles]] (''[[Grand Theft Auto (Game Boy Advance)|Grand Theft Auto Advance]]'', ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]'' and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]''). The next generation in the series, ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'', released on 29 April 2008, also achieved a critical and commercial success. The first instalment in the fifth generation of the series, ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'', was released on 17 September 2013.


== Controversies ==
In 2007, [[GamePro]] called ''Grand Theft Auto III'' the most important video game of all-time, explaining that the "game's open-ended gameplay elements have revolutionized the way all video games are made".<ref name="gamepro">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/110088/the-52-most-important-video-games-of-all-time-page-8-of-8/|title=Feature: The 52 Most Important Video Games of All Time (page 8 of 8)|publisher=GamePro|date=24 April 2007|accessdate=26 August 2011|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110607143452/http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/110088/the-52-most-important-video-games-of-all-time-page-8-of-8/|archivedate=7 June 2011}}</ref> Similarly, IGN ranked the game among the Top 10 Most Influential Games.<ref name="ign-top10">{{cite web | url = http://games.ign.com/articles/840/840621p2.html | title = IGN's Top 10 Most Influential Games | publisher = [[IGN.com]] | author = Ryan Geddes and Daemon Hatfield | date = 10 December 2007 | accessdate = 10 December 2007}}</ref> In 2009, ''[[Game Informer]]'' placed ''Grand Theft Auto III'' 4th on their list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time", saying that it "changed the gaming landscape forever with its immersive open world sandbox".<ref name="gi_best">{{cite journal|author=The ''Game Informer'' staff|title=The Top 200 Games of All Time|pages=44–79|issue=200|date=December 2009|journal=[[Game Informer]]|issn=1067-6392|oclc=27315596}}</ref> [[GamesRadar]] named it 'the most important game of the decade'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-top-20-most-important-games-of-the-decade/a-2009122310326146077 |title=The top 20 most important games of the decade |publisher=GamesRadar |date=1 January 2010 |accessdate=11 February 2011}}</ref> In November 2012, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' named it one of the 100 greatest video games of all time.<ref name="AccoTimeAllTime">{{cite news|first= | last=| title=All-TIME 100 Video Games | url=http://techland.time.com/2012/11/15/all-time-100-video-games/slide/all/ | work =Time | publisher = Time Inc. | date=15 November 2012| accessdate = 15 November 2012 |archiveurl =http://www.webcitation.org/6CCgwlecQ | archivedate =15 November 2012 | deadurl=no}}</ref> Due to its success, video game critics and players have used the term "[[Grand Theft Auto clone]]" to describe subsequent video games released with similar mechanics and gameplay as ''Grand Theft Auto III''.
Prior to and since the release of ''Grand Theft Auto III'', the game had been subject to a great deal of controversy. [[GameSpy]] awarded ''Grand Theft Auto III'' with Most Offensive Game of the Year, calling it "absolutely reprehensible".<ref name="GameSpy Offensive"/> They wrote that the game rewards players for "causing mayhem" and "killing innocent people by the dozen", ultimately questioning its appropriateness within the industry.<ref name="GameSpy Offensive"/> The notoriety of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' resulted in [[Wal-Mart]]'s decision to check the identification of purchasers who appeared to be under the age of 17, when purchasing mature titles.<ref name="IGN History2"/> When speaking about the game's depiction of violence, producer Leslie Benzies claims that is intended as comedic, and that the game is "not meant to be taken seriously".<ref name="IGN Benzies"/> Producer Dan Houser stated that the team was conscious of the offense that the game would attract, but "never marketed it in a way that exploited that".<ref name="IGN Dan"/>


The game allows players to commit sexual activities with prostitutes, and murder them to reclaim the payment. This was met with widespread controversy.<ref name="Telegraph Memorable"/> The game also received controversy for its depiction of crime, and allowing violence against police officers. Psychologist [[David Walsh (psychologist)|David Walsh]] of the [[National Institute on Media and the Family]] stated that the game "glamorizes antisocial and criminal activity",<ref name="USAToday Glorifies"/> and that "the purpose of the game is to perpetrate crime".<ref name="Kotaku Scapegoat"/> In response, ''[[Kotaku]]'' writer Owen Good wrote that the game does not reward players for "proficiency at crime, no matter how much it is accused of doing so".<ref name="Kotaku Scapegoat"/> Joanna Weiss of ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' noted the "adrenaline" that players feel when committing crimes in the game, excusing the game's violence due to its mature classification.<ref name="Boston Globe"/> The [[National Organization for Women]] spoke out against the game in January 2002, asking Rockstar and Take-Two to withdraw the game from sale as it "encourages violence and the degradation of women".<ref name="Morality"/> Matt Richtel of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that the activities within the game "crossed the line into bad taste".<ref name="NYT"/>
''Grand Theft Auto III: RAGE Classic'' is a fan made release for ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'' which was released on 16 December 2012.<ref>{{cite web|author=OnlySP * |url=http://www.onlysp.com/2012/08/06/mod-brings-classic-gta-3-to-rage-engine/ |title=Mod Brings Back GTA III To RAGE Engine |publisher=OnlySP |date=6 August 2012 |accessdate=12 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author= * |url=http://www.gta4-mods.com/misc/gta-iii-rage-classic-f18590 |title=GTA III RAGE CLASSIC |publisher=GTA4-Mods |date= 16 December 2012 |accessdate=12 May 2013}}</ref>


''Grand Theft Auto III'' was initially released in Australia with an MA15+ classification. After re-reviewing the game, the [[Australian Classification Board|Office of Film and Literature Classification]] (OFLC) [[List of banned video games in Australia|banned the game]], due to its depiction of sexual content and violence to prostitutes.<ref name="GameSpot Aus Ban"/> This prompted distributor [[Take-Two Interactive]] to appeal to the OFLC, who reaffirmed the banned status on December 11, 2001, after reanalysing the game and seeking the professional opinion of a forensic psychologist. This prompted Take-Two to recall the game in Australia, and Rockstar to make appropriate changes to the game; a modified version was re-released with an MA15+ classification in January 2015, removing all instances of sexual acts with prostitutes.<ref name="GameSpot Aus"/>
==Controversy==


On 25 June 2003, teenage stepbrothers William and Josh Buckner shot and killed Aaron Hamel and Kimberly Bede. In statements to investigators, the perpretators claimed their actions were inspired by ''Grand Theft Auto III''. In response, on 20 October 2003, the families of Hamel and Bede filed a US$246 million lawsuit against Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive, [[Sony Computer Entertainment]] and [[Wal-Mart]].<ref name="CNN Lawsuit"/> Rockstar and Take-Two filed for dismissal of the lawsuit, stating in [[United States district court]] on 29 October 2003 that the "ideas and concepts", and the "purported psychological effects" of the perpetrators, are protected by the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]]'s free-speech clause.<ref name="GameSpot dismiss"/> [[Jack Thompson (activist)|Jack Thompson]], the lawyer representing the victims, denied Rockstar's claims, and attempted to move the lawsuit into a state court for consideration under Tennessee's consumer protection act.<ref name="GameSpot dismiss"/>
''Grand Theft Auto III'' was and remains [[video game controversy|controversial]] because of its violent and sexual content. One noticeable feature of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' is the ability to have "sex" with an in-game prostitute where the player character gets more health.<ref name="Prostitute claim">{{cite web | url = http://www.brettdouville.com/mt-archives/2005/12/comparative_med.html | title = Comparative Media: Prostitution | work = Brett's Footnotes |accessdate = 11 December 2006}}</ref>


== Legacy ==
It was due to the notoriety of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' that the [[Wal-Mart]] chain of retail stores announced that, for games rated Mature ("M") by the [[Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]], its staff would begin checking the identification of purchasers who appeared to be under 17.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://retro.ign.com/articles/863/863037p4.html| title=IGN presents the history of Grand Theft Auto}}</ref>
''Grand Theft Auto III'' has been frequently included among the [[List of video games considered the best|greatest video games of all time]].<ref name="Greatest"/> In 2007, [[GamePro]] called ''Grand Theft Auto III'' the most important video game of all-time, explaining that the "game's open-ended gameplay elements have revolutionized the way all video games are made".<ref name="GamePro"/> Similarly, IGN ranked the game among the Top 10 Most Influential Games,<ref name="IGN Influential"/> and GameSpot listed among the greatest games of all time.<ref name="GameSpot Greatest"/> In 2009, ''Game Informer'' wrote that ''Grand Theft Auto III'' "changed the gaming landscape forever with its immersive open world sandbox",<ref name="GI Best"/> and in 2016 [[GamesRadar]] named it "the most important game of the decade".<ref name="GamesRadar Decade"/> In November 2012, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' named it one of the 100 greatest video games of all time.<ref name="Time Magazine"/> Due to its success, video game critics and players have used the term "[[Grand Theft Auto clone|''Grand Theft Auto'' clone]]" to describe subsequent video games released with similar mechanics and gameplay as ''Grand Theft Auto III''.<ref name="GTA Clone"/>


Following the game's success, Rockstar developed further titles in the series. ''Vice City'' and ''San Andreas'' are set in their titular locations in 1986 and 1992, respectively.<ref name="Vice City"/><ref name="San Andreas"/> ''[[Grand Theft Auto (Game Boy Advance)|Grand Theft Auto Advance]]'' (2004) is set in Liberty City roughly one year before the events of ''Grand Theft Auto III''.<ref name="Advance"/> ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]'' (2005) takes place three years before the events of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' in the same rendition of Liberty City.<ref name="Trilogy"/> A completely redesigned version of the city was later used in ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'' (2008),<ref name="GTA IV"/> ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned|The Lost and Damned]]'' (2009),<ref name="Lost and Damned"/> ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony|The Ballad of Gay Tony]]'' (2009)<ref name="Ballad of Gay Tony"/> and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars|Chinatown Wars]]'' (2009).<ref name="Chinatown Wars"/>
[[GameSpy]], which named ''Grand Theft Auto'' as "Game of the Year" in 2001, also gave it the title of "Most Offensive Game of the Year". GameSpy noted the difference between ''Grand Theft Auto III'' and other ESRB Mature rated games, saying "''[[Counter-Strike]]'' is merely [[wikt:cowboys and Indians|Cowboys and Indians]] writ large. When you get right down to it, deathmatches are just elaborate games of Tag. [''Grand Theft Auto III''] is a [t]hug [s]imulator... [''Grand Theft Auto III''] is absolutely reprehensible. This is a game that rewards you for causing mayhem. This is a game that is about causing mayhem. It's a game that rewards you for killing innocent people by the dozen."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20110525203415/http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/special/24.shtml |title=GameSpy.com - Game of the Year Awards - 2001 |publisher=Archive.gamespy.com |date= |accessdate=23 March 2012}}</ref>


=== Ports and remakes ===
After its initial release in [[Australia]], the game was banned for a period and a censored version of the game was to be released in its place.<ref name="australianban">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/grandtheftauto3/news_2832465.html | title= Australian ''GTAIII'' ban upheld | work = GameSpot |accessdate= 6 May 2006}}</ref> A key reason why this course of action was taken was that Rockstar did not submit ''Grand Theft Auto III'' to the [[Office of Film and Literature Classification (Australia)|Office of Film and Literature Classification]] (OFLC), the body that, among other things, rates video games according to their content in Australia. Then lacking a suitable adult R18+ rating (the highest rating being MA15+), the game was "Refused Classification" and banned for sale (including to adults) because they felt that the game was unsuitable for minors. The PC version though was reported to be uncut with an MA15+.
''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released on 21 May 2002 for [[Microsoft Windows]], supporting higher screen resolutions and draw distance, and featuring more detailed textures.<ref name="PC"/> The game was planned to release on the Nintendo [[GameCube]] and [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]], but the former was later cancelled.<ref name="GameCube"/> For its release on the Xbox in December 2003, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was bundled with its sequel ''Vice City'' in a compilation titled ''Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack''. The Xbox port features custom soundtrack support as well as improved audio, [[Model (computer games)|polygon models]], and reflections over the previous ports.<ref name="Xbox"/> ''Double Pack'' was later bundled with ''San Andreas'' in a compilation titled ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy]]'', released in October 2005.<ref name="Trilogy"/> ''The Trilogy'' was also released for [[OS X]] on 12 November 2010.<ref name="Mac"/> For the game's tenth anniversary in December 2011, War Drum Studios ported ''Grand Theft Auto III'' to several [[iOS]] and [[Android (operating system)|Android]] devices. The port is almost identical to the Windows version of the game, in addition to enhanced textures and models and touchscreen controls.<ref name="Mobile1"/><ref name="Mobile2"/> A [[PlayStation 3]] version of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released on 25 September 2012 via the [[PlayStation Network]].<ref name="PS3"/> The original PlayStation 2 version of the game was released for the [[PlayStation 4]] on 4 December 2015.<ref name="PS4"/>


== References ==
While the Australian version of the prequel ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'' was censored by Rockstar (it was later rerated uncut retaining its MA15+),<ref>{{cite web|author=Rockstar North |url=http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/find.nsf/d853f429dd038ae1ca25759b0003557c/8cbbb98ea01d8e07ca257759005d8745?OpenDocument |title=Classification Database - GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY (MA 15+) |publisher=Classification.gov.au |date= |accessdate=11 February 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20130315074324/http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/find.nsf/d853f429dd038ae1ca25759b0003557c/8cbbb98ea01d8e07ca257759005d8745?OpenDocument |archivedate=15 March 2013 }}</ref> the next sequel ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' was not, despite featuring more "mature" content (although, later, ''San Andreas'' was once given a Refused Classification rating amid the "[[Hot Coffee mod|Hot Coffee]]" controversy but retained its MA15+ once edited worldwide).
;Notes
{{notelist}}


;Footnotes
On 20 October 2003, the families of Aaron Hamel and Kimberly Bede, two young people shot by teens William and Josh Buckner (who in statements to investigators claimed their actions were inspired by ''Grand Theft Auto III'') filed a US$246 million lawsuit against publishers [[Rockstar Games]] and [[Take-Two Interactive]] Software, retailer [[Wal-Mart]], and PlayStation 2 manufacturer [[Sony Computer Entertainment|Sony Computer Entertainment America]].<ref name="bucknertrial_a1">{{cite news | url = http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/22/videogame.lawsuit.ap/index.html | title= Lawsuit filed against Sony, Wal-Mart over game linked to shootings | work = CNN | accessdate= 6 May 2006 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060503074048/http://cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/22/videogame.lawsuit.ap/index.html |archivedate = 3 May 2006}}</ref><ref name="bucknertrial_a2">{{cite news |title=Families sue over GTAIII-inspired shooting |first=Justin |last=Calvert |work=GameSpot |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/families-sue-over-gtaiii-inspired-shooting-6077161 |date=22 October 2003 |accessdate=6 January 2012}}</ref> Rockstar and its parent company, Take-Two, filed for dismissal of the lawsuit, stating in [[United States district court|US District Court]] on 29 October 2003 that the "ideas and concepts as well as the 'purported psychological effects' on the Buckners are protected by the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment's]] free-speech clause". The lawyer of the victims, [[Jack Thompson (activist)|Jack Thompson]], denied that and is attempting to move the lawsuit into a state court and under [[Tennessee]]'s consumer protection act.<ref name="bucknertrial_b">{{cite news |title=Rockstar seeks to dismiss GTAIII lawsuit |first=Justin |last=Calvert |work=GameSpot |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/rockstar-seeks-to-dismiss-gtaiii-lawsuit-6081737 |date=11 November 2003 |accessdate=6 January 2012}}</ref>
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
{{Clear}}


<ref name="1UP Essential">{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-gta3 |title=The Essential 50 Part 49: Grand Theft Auto III |last=Parish |first=Jeremy |work=[[1UP.com|1UP.com]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gdKMMFWh |archivedate=9 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>
==Ports and remakes==


<ref name="1UP Sam">{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/features/sam-houser-interview |title=Sam Houser Interview |author=''[[GMR (magazine)|GMR]]'' |work=[[1UP.com]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8OUdanl |archivedate=19 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>
Six months following the initial PlayStation 2 release,<ref name="PS2Release">{{cite web|url= http://wayback.archive.org/web/20091120043336/http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/grandtheftauto3/similar.html?mode=versions|title= PlayStation 2 release dates|work= GameSpot|accessdate=8 August 2006}}</ref> ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was ported to [[Microsoft Windows]]. Released on 21 May 2002, the port supports higher [[Display resolution|screen resolutions]] and [[draw distance]], and features more detailed textures, a customisable player skin, and a custom option for [[MP3]] playback in cars.<ref name="WindowsRelease">{{cite web|url=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20070930064516/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/grandtheftauto3/similar.html?mode=versions|title= Windows release dates|work= GameSpot|accessdate=8 August 2006}}</ref> The port was criticised for performance problems, which was due to technical issues; the [[game engine]] rendered everything within the draw distance, including objects behind buildings and trees, while later ports only render instantly visible objects.<ref name="gtavc_render_1">{{cite web | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/grandtheftautovicecity/news.html?sid=2881042 | title= ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Graphics Q&A'' with Aaron Garbut | work = GameSpot | accessdate= 16 July 2006}}</ref>


<ref name="911 Delay">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2001/09/19/take-two-examines-changes-fall-games |title=Take-Two Examines, Changes Fall Games |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=19 September 2001 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dvtSL0SK |archivedate=20 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>
Postponed from early 2002 to December 2003 due to an exclusivity contract with [[Sony Computer Entertainment|Sony]], the [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] version of the game was bundled with its sequel ''Vice City'' in a compilation titled ''Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack''.<ref name="XboxRelease">{{cite web|url= http://wayback.archive.org/web/20070930155904/http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/grandtheftauto3/similar.html?mode=versions|title= Xbox release dates|work= GameSpot|accessdate=8 August 2006}}</ref> The Xbox port features custom soundtrack support as well as improved audio, [[Model (computer games)|polygon models]], and reflections over the previous ports.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2003/11/05/grand-theft-auto-double-pack |title=Grand Theft Auto Double Pack |last=Boulding |first=Aaron |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=4 November 2003 |accessdate=25 September 2014 }}</ref> ''Double Pack'' was later bundled with ''San Andreas'' in a compilation titled ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy]]'', released in October 2005.<ref name="Trilogy">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-gets-trilogized-san-andreas-special-edition/1100-6134252/ |title=GTA gets trilogized, San Andreas special edition |last=Surette |first=Tim |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=23 October 2005 |accessdate=25 September 2014 }}</ref>


<ref name="Advance">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2004/09/18/grand-theft-auto-advance |title=Grand Theft Auto Advance |last=Harris |first=Craig |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=17 September 2004 |accessdate=25 September 2014 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwSvarDQ |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>
A Macintosh version of ''Grand Theft Auto III'', created using [[TransGaming Technologies#Cider|Cider]], was released on 12 November 2010.<ref name="MacintoshRelease">{{cite web|url= http://phx.corporate-ir.net/preview/phoenix.zhtml?c=86428&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1495957|title= Macintosh release dates|work= Take-Two News Release}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/11761/grand-theft-auto-trilogy-now-available-for-the-mac.html |title=Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Now Available for the Mac |author=R* Q |work=Rockstar Newswire |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=12 November 2010 |accessdate=25 September 2014 }}</ref> For the game's 10th anniversary in December 2011, War Drum Studios ported ''Grand Theft Auto III'' to several [[iOS]] and [[Android (operating system)|Android]] devices. The port is almost identical to the Windows version of the game, in addition to enhanced textures and models and touchscreen controls.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19751/grand-theft-auto-iii-10-year-anniversary-edition-coming-to-mobil.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition Coming to Mobile Devices Next Week - December 15th |publisher=Rockstar Games |date=6 December 2011 |accessdate=23 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/15/gta-iii-coming-to-other-ios-devices-in-the-future/ |title=GTA III coming to other iOS devices "in the future" |publisher=VG247 |date=15 October 2011 |accessdate=23 March 2012}}</ref>{{efn|The game's mobile version can be played with a [[Computer keyboard|keyboard]], and the [[Cheating in video games|cheat codes]] are compatible.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/grand-theft-auto-iii-10-year-anniversary-edition-r/1900-6347881/ |title=Grand Theft Auto III Review |last=Walton |first=Mark |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=22 December 2011 |accessdate=25 September 2014 }}</ref>}} ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released on PlayStation 3 on 25 September 2012 in its original PS2 format.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/45051/grand-theft-auto-iii-now-available-in-the-playstation-store.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III Now Available in the PlayStation Store |author=R* Q |work=Rockstar Newswire |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=26 September 2012 |accessdate=25 September 2014 }}</ref> On the 5th of December 2015, a [[PlayStation 4]] version of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released via the [[PlayStation Network]]. The port includes 1080p graphics and other new features.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nunneley|first1=Stephany|title=GTA 3, Vice City, Mark of Kri, Dark Cloud out today for PS4|url=https://www.vg247.com/2015/12/05/gta-3-vice-city-mark-of-kri-dark-cloud-out-today-for-ps4/|accessdate=29 January 2016|work=[[VG247]]|date=5 December 2015}}</ref>


<ref name="Ballad of Gay Tony">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gtaiv-gay-tony-coming-out-oct-29/1100-6213867/ |title=GTAIV: Gay Tony coming out Oct. 29 |last=Thorsen |first=Tor |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=22 July 2009 |accessdate=25 September 2014 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwSslHbm |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>
Following the game's success, Rockstar developed further titles in the series. ''Vice City'' and ''San Andreas'' are set in their titular locations in 1986 and 1992, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2002-grand-theft-auto-vice-city-announced/1100-2866693/ |title=E3 2002: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City announced |last=Walker |first=Trey |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=21 May 2002 |accessdate=24 September 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-san-andreas-confirmed-and-dated/1100-6090315/ |title=Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas confirmed and dated |last=Calvert |first=Justin |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=1 March 2004 |accessdate=25 September 2014 }}</ref> In 2004, ''[[Grand Theft Auto (Game Boy Advance)|Grand Theft Auto Advance]]'', initially intended as a [[Game Boy Advance]] port of ''Grand Theft Auto III'', is set in Liberty City roughly one year before the events of ''Grand Theft Auto III''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2004/09/18/grand-theft-auto-advance |title=Grand Theft Auto Advance |last=Harris |first=Craig |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=17 September 2004 |accessdate=25 September 2014 }}</ref> ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]'' (2005) takes place three years before the events of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' in the same rendition of Liberty City.<ref name="Trilogy"/> A completely redesigned version of the city was later used in ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'' (2008),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-iv-update-a-day-in-liberty-city/1100-6175585/ |title=Grand Theft Auto IV Update - A Day in Liberty City |last1=Torres |first1=Ricardo |last2=Shoemaker |first2=Brad |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=25 July 2007 |accessdate=25 September 2014 }}</ref> ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned|The Lost and Damned]]'' (2009),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-iv-the-lost-and-damned-hands-on/1100-6203484/ |title=Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned Hands-On |last=Ramsay |first=Randolph |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=22 January 2009 |accessdate=25 September 2014 }}</ref> ''[[Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony|The Ballad of Gay Tony]]'' (2009)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gtaiv-gay-tony-coming-out-oct-29/1100-6213867/ |title=GTAIV: Gay Tony coming out Oct. 29 |last=Thorsen |first=Tor |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=22 July 2009 |accessdate=25 September 2014 }}</ref> and ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars|Chinatown Wars]]'' (2009).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://kotaku.com/5025403/gta-coming-to-the-ds-with-china-town-wars | title = GTA Coming To The DS With China Town Wars |last=Fahey |first=Mike |work=[[Kotaku]] |publisher=[[Gawker Media]] |date=15 July 2008 |accessdate=25 September 2014 }}</ref>


<ref name="Boston Globe">{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.com/globe/sunday/focus/stories/011302_theft.shtml |title=Connecting with your inner thug |last=Weiss |first=Joanna |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |publisher=[[John W. Henry]] |date=13 January 2002 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020115141759/http://www.boston.com/globe/sunday/focus/stories/011302_theft.shtml |archivedate=15 January 2002 }}</ref>
==References==
;Notes
{{notelist}}


<ref name="Chinatown Wars">{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5025403/gta-coming-to-the-ds-with-china-town-wars |title=GTA Coming To The DS With China Town Wars |last=Fahey |first=Mike |work=[[Kotaku]] |publisher=[[Gawker Media]] |date=15 July 2008 |accessdate=25 September 2014 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwSqirQS |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>
;Footnotes

{{Reflist|30em}}
<ref name="CNN Lawsuit">{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/22/videogame.lawsuit.ap/index.html |title=Lawsuit filed against Sony, Wal-Mart over game linked to shootings |work=[[Associated Press]] |publisher=[[CNN]]. [[Turner Broadcasting System]] |date=23 October 2003 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040816044256/http://edition.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/22/videogame.lawsuit.ap/index.html |archivedate=16 August 2004 }}</ref>

<ref name="DMA">{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s2229241.htm |title=Good Game Stories - Backwards Compatible - Rockstar North |work=[[Good Game]] |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=28 April 2008 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwTMGrXD |archivedate=21 December 2015 }}</ref>

<ref name="Edge LCS">{{cite web |url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/liberty-city-stories |title=Liberty City stories |work=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |date=15 December 2011 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519025844/http://www.edge-online.com/features/liberty-city-stories |archivedate=19 May 2012 }}</ref>

<ref name="Eurogamer 911">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-18-rockstar-how-9-11-changed-grand-theft-auto-3 |title=How 9/11 changed Grand Theft Auto 3 |last=Phillips |first=Tom |work=[[Eurogamer]] |publisher=Gamer Network |date=18 November 2011 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dvtleUcn |archivedate=20 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="EW Dan">{{cite web |url=http://www.ew.com/article/2011/10/21/grand-theft-auto-iii-anniversary-dan-houser |title='Grand Theft Auto III' turns 10 years old: Rockstar Games' Dan Houser discusses the 'GTA' decade |last=Franich |first=Darren |work=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |publisher=[[Time Inc.]] |date=21 October 2011 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8RpyFuG |archivedate=19 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GameCube">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamecubicle.com/news-nintendo_gamecube_grand_theft_auto.htm |title=Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City on Nintendo GameCube |author=Jim |work=GameCubicle |publisher=GamingFog.com |date=28 April 2003 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8n5QGFp |archivedate=20 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GamePro">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/110088/the-52-most-important-video-games-of-all-time-page-8-of-8/ |title=Feature: The 52 Most Important Video Games of All Time (page 8 of 8) |work=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[International Data Group]] |date=24 April 2007 |accessdate=26 August 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110607143452/http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/110088/the-52-most-important-video-games-of-all-time-page-8-of-8/ |archivedate=7 June 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot Aus">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/videos/grand-theft-auto-iiis-scandalous-australian-histor/2300-6341550/ |title=Grand Theft Auto III's Scandalous Australian History |last1=Parker |first1=Laura |last2=Tran |first2=Edmond |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=20 October 2011 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dw9LTT1i |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot Aus Ban">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/australian-gtaiii-ban-upheld/1100-2832465/ |title=Australian GTAIII ban upheld |last=Ahmed |first=Shahed |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=13 December 2001 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dw3SsFcN |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot Dan">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dan-houser-opens-up-about-grand-theft-auto-iii/1100-6341347/ |title=Dan Houser Opens Up About Grand Theft Auto III |last=McInnis |first=Shaun |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=21 October 2011 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8VjVZRP |archivedate=19 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot dismiss">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/rockstar-seeks-to-dismiss-gtaiii-lawsuit/1100-6081737/ |title=Rockstar seeks to dismiss GTAIII lawsuit |last=Calvert |first=Justin |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=11 November 2003 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwAXHnD4 |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot Greatest">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/6171873/index.html? |title=Greatest Games of All Time: Grand Theft Auto III |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=4 June 2007 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070605020830/http://www.gamespot.com/features/6171873/index.html? |archivedate=5 June 2007 }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot Hands-On">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2001-hands-on-grand-theft-auto-3/1100-2762402/ |title=E3 2001 Hands-on: Grand Theft Auto 3 |last=Gerstmann |first=Jeff |authorlink=Jeff Gerstmann |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=19 May 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gdEhqHAO |archivedate=9 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot Impressions">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.co.uk/stories/previews/0,2160,2056706-2,00.html |title=Grand Theft Auto 3 First Impressions |last=Ayinde |first=Modupe |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=24 April 2001 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20010611042253/http://www.gamespot.co.uk/stories/previews/0,2160,2056706-2,00.html |archivedate=11 June 2001 }}</ref>

<ref name="GamesRadar Decade">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-top-20-most-important-games-of-the-decade/a-2009122310326146077 |title=The top 20 most important games of the decade |work=[[GamesRadar]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |date=1 January 2010 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8sgLzOM |archivedate=20 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GI Best">{{cite journal |title=The Top 200 Games of All Time |pages=44–79 |issue=200 |date=December 2009 |journal=[[Game Informer]] |issn=1067-6392 |oclc=27315596 }}</ref>

<ref name="Greatest">Sources that list ''Grand Theft Auto III'' among the [[List of video games considered the best|greatest video games of all time]] include:
* {{cite web |url=http://www.cnet.com/1990-11136_1-6310088-1.html |title=Top 10 video games |last=O'Neal |first=William |work=[[CNET]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705120729/www.cnet.com/1990-11136_1-6310088-1.html |archivedate=5 July 2008 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://top100.ign.com/2003/11-20.html#18 |title=IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=8 May 2003 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8rTRL2P |archivedate=20 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}
* {{cite web |url=http://top100.ign.com/2005/051-060.html |title=IGN's Top 100 Games |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=2005 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8s87cmv |archivedate=20 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}
* {{cite web |url=http://microsites.ign.com/kfc/top99games/5.html |title=IGN and KFC Snacker Present Readers' Top 99 Games |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=21 April 2006 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8sJOgYD |archivedate=20 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}
</ref>

<ref name="GTA IV">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-iv-update-a-day-in-liberty-city/1100-6175585/ |title=Grand Theft Auto IV Update - A Day in Liberty City |last1=Torres |first1=Ricardo |last2=Shoemaker |first2=Brad |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=25 July 2007 |accessdate=25 September 2014 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwSom4wl |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GTA Clone">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/ps2/f/battle-of-the-gta-clones/a-2007032712758324075/g-2005120719070657885742 |title=Battle of the GTA clones |last=Reparaz |first=Mike |work=[[GamesRadar]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |date=16 June 2011 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616024315/http://www.gamesradar.com/ps2/f/battle-of-the-gta-clones/a-2007032712758324075/g-2005120719070657885742 |archivedate=16 June 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Benzies">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2001/02/23/grand-theft-auto-3-interview-with-dma |title=Grand Theft Auto 3: Interview with DMA |last=Perry |first=Douglass |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=22 February 2001 |accessdate=19 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g7d2G1sM |archivedate=19 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Benzies DMA">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2001/10/03/an-interview-with-dmas-les-benzies |title=An Interview With DMA's Les Benzies |last=Perry |first=Douglass C. |date=3 October 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gd8yRWPT |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Cars">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2002/05/13/the-cars-of-grand-theft-auto-iii |title=The Cars of Grand Theft Auto III |last=Perry |first=Douglass C. |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=13 May 2002 |accessdate=19 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g7clOIQ9 |archivedate=19 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Characters">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2001/08/29/the-characters-of-grand-theft-auto-iii-2 |title=The Characters of Grand Theft Auto III |last=Perry |first=Douglass C. |date=29 August 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gdDcvMRF |archivedate=9 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Cinematic">{{cite web |url=http://au.ign.com/articles/2001/10/09/the-cinematic-touch-of-grand-theft-auto-iii |title=The Cinematic Touch of Grand Theft Auto III |last=Perry |first=Douglass C. |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=9 October 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gd7ZxZxh |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Dan">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2011/10/18/dan-houser-talks-grand-theft-auto-iii |title=Dan Houser Talks Grand Theft Auto III |page=1 |last=Miller |first=Greg |authorlink=Greg Miller (Internet celebrity) |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=18 October 2011 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8PMDFIN |archivedate=19 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Dan 2">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2011/10/18/dan-houser-talks-grand-theft-auto-iii?page=2 |title=Dan Houser Talks Grand Theft Auto III |page=2 |last=Miller |first=Greg |authorlink=Greg Miller (Internet celebrity) |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=18 October 2011 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8PR5phR |archivedate=19 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Gangs">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2001/10/01/the-gangs-and-weapons-in-grand-theft-auto-iii |title=The Gangs and Weapons in Grand Theft Auto III |last=Perry |first=Douglass C. |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=1 October 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gd9Awrrp |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN History2">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2013/05/06/ign-presents-the-history-of-grand-theft-auto-2?page=2 |title=IGN Presents: The History of Grand Theft Auto |page=2 |last1=McLaughlin |first1=Rus |last2=Thomas |first2=Lucas M. |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=6 May 2013 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwBDeoWM |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Hood">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2001/09/25/beneath-the-hood-of-grand-theft-auto-iii |title=Beneath the Hood of Grand Theft Auto III |last=Perry |first=Douglass C. |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=25 September 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gd9S5F5D |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN How2">{{cite web |url=http://games.ign.com/articles/121/1210471p2.html |title=How Grand Theft Auto III Was Made |page=2 |last=Thomsen |first=Michael |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=22 October 2011 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024184826/http://games.ign.com/articles/121/1210471p2.html |archivedate=24 October 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN How3">{{cite web |url=http://games.ign.com/articles/121/1210471p3.html |title=How Grand Theft Auto III Was Made |page=3 |last=Thomsen |first=Michael |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=22 October 2011 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024183632/http://games.ign.com/articles/121/1210471p3.html |archivedate=24 October 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Influential">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2007/12/11/igns-top-10-most-influential-games?page=2 |title=IGN's Top 10 Most Influential Games |last1=Geddes |first1=Ryan |last2=Hatfield |first2=Daemon |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=10 December 2007 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8sUZdvq |archivedate=20 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Sam">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2001/09/10/rockstars-sam-houser-mouths-off |title=Rockstar's Sam Houser Mouths Off |last=Perry |first=Douglass C. |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=10 September 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gdEN1cv6 |archivedate=9 April 2016 }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Sounds3">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2001/10/02/the-pet-sounds-of-grand-theft-auto-iii-part-3 |title=The Pet Sounds of Grand Theft Auto III, Part 3 |last=Perry |first=Douglass C. |date=2 October 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gd8TlVyl |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Japan Sales">{{cite web |url=http://www.japan-gamecharts.com/ps2.php |title=Sony PS2 Japanese Ranking |publisher=Japan Game Charts |date=13 January 2008 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116201555/http://www.japan-gamecharts.com/ps2.php |archivedate=16 January 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="Kotaku Scapegoat">{{cite web |url=http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/10/grand-theft-auto-iii-the-birth-of-a-media-scapegoat/ |title=Grand Theft Auto III: The Birth Of A Media Scapegoat |last=Good |first=Owen |work=[[Kotaku]] |publisher=[[Gawker Media]] |date=23 October 2011 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwBwavZ2 |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Lost and Damned">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-iv-the-lost-and-damned-hands-on/1100-6203484/ |title=Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned Hands-On |last=Ramsay |first=Randolph |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=22 January 2009 |accessdate=25 September 2014 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwSnblhR |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Mac">{{cite web |url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/11761/grand-theft-auto-trilogy-now-available-for-the-mac.html |title=Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Now Available for the Mac |author=R* Q |work=Rockstar Newswire |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=12 November 2010 |accessdate=25 September 2014 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwFY2QO7 |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Magic 2004">{{cite web |url=http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml |title=US Platinum Chart Games |publisher=''The MagicBox'' |date=5 June 2004 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040605003941/http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml |archivedate=5 June 2004 }}</ref>

<ref name="Magic 2007">{{cite web |url=http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml |title=US Platinum Chart Games |publisher=''The MagicBox'' |date=27 December 2007 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gdItvoQ1 |archivedate=9 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="March 08 Sales">{{cite web |url=http://taketwovalue.com/documents/TTWO_Value.pdf#page=12 |title=Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Recommendation of the Board of Directors to Reject Electronic Arts Inc.'s Tender Offer |page=12 |format=PDF |publisher=[[Take-Two Interactive]] |date=26 March 2008 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080408234728/http://taketwovalue.com/documents/TTWO_Value.pdf#page=12 |archivedate=8 April 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="MC All Time">{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/all/all/filtered |title=Best Video Games of All Time |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dw0yxbhZ |archivedate=21 December 2015 }}</ref>

<ref name="Mobile1">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19751/grand-theft-auto-iii-10-year-anniversary-edition-coming-to-mobil.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition Coming to Mobile Devices Next Week - December 15th |author=R* Q |work=Rockstar Newswire |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=6 December 2011 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwFvIxDG |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Mobile2">{{cite web |url=http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/15/gta-iii-coming-to-other-ios-devices-in-the-future/ |title=GTA III coming to other iOS devices "in the future" |publisher=[[VG247]] |date=15 October 2011 |accessdate=23 March 2012 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwG0IxTZ |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Morality">{{cite report |url=http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~anthonyb/itp101/articles/morality.doc |title=Playing a "Good" Game: A Philosophical Approach to Understanding the Morality of Games |last=Reynolds |first=Ren |publisher=[[University of Southern California]] |date=2002 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwDZSLKJ |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="NPD 2001">{{cite press release |url=http://www.npd.com/dynamic/releases/press_020207.htm |title=NPD Reports Annual 2001 U.S. Interactive Entertainment Sales Shatter Industry Record |location=Port Washington, New York |last1=Radwick |first1=Dora |last2=Dolan |first2=Sean P. |publisher=[[NPD Group]] |date=7 February 2002 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20040814133238/http://www.npd.com/dynamic/releases/press_020207.htm |archivedate=14 August 2004 }}</ref>

<ref name="NPD 2002">{{cite web |url=https://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_030128a.htm |title=The NPD Group Reports Annual 2002 U.S. Video Game Sales Break Record |location=Port Washington, New York |last1=Radwick |first1=Dora |last2=Dolan |first2=Sean P. |publisher=[[NPD Group]] |date=27 January 2003 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gd2aFuWL |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="NYT">{{cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/10/business/backslash-mayhem-and-far-from-the-nicest-kind.html |title=BACKSLASH; Mayhem, and Far From the Nicest Kind |last=Richtel |first=Matt |work=[[The New York Times]] |publisher=[[The New York Times Company]] |date=10 February 2002 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwEsKGG4 |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="OPM Review">{{cite magazine |journal=[[Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine|Official PlayStation Magazine]] |title=Grand Theft Auto III Review |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=January 2002 |page=126 }}</ref>

<ref name="PC">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2002/04/21/grand-theft-auto-iii-interview?page=2 |title=Grand Theft Auto III Interview |page=2 |last=Adams |first=Dan |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=21 April 2002 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8nWS1Jo |archivedate=20 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="PC Graphics">{{cite web |url=http://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/04/grand-theft-auto-vbenchmarked-pushing-pc-graphics-to-the-limit/ |title=Grand Theft Auto V Benchmarked: Pushing PC Graphics To The Limit |last=Walton |first=Steven |work=[[Kotaku]] |publisher=[[Gawker Media]] |date=19 April 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8payxSZ |archivedate=20 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="PC Interview">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2002/04/21/grand-theft-auto-iii-interview |title=Grand Theft Auto III Interview |page=1 |last=Adams |first=Dan |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=21 April 2002 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8odprOL |archivedate=20 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="PS3">{{cite web |url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/45051/grand-theft-auto-iii-now-available-in-the-playstation-store.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III Now Available in the PlayStation Store |author=R* Q |work=Rockstar Newswire |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=26 September 2012 |accessdate=25 September 2014 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwG2HAVl |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="PS4">{{cite web |url=http://blog.us.playstation.com/2015/12/04/fan-favorite-ps2-games-launching-on-ps4-tomorrow/ |title=Fan-Favorite PS2 Games Launching on PS4 Tomorrow |last=Yoshida |first=Shuhei |authorlink=Shuhei Yoshida |work=[[PlayStation Blog]] |publisher=[[Sony Computer Entertainment]] |date=4 December 2015 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwFhmJEu |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Q-A" >{{cite web |url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19861/grand-theft-auto-iii-your-questions-answered-part-one-claude-dar.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III: Your Questions Answered – Part One (Claude, Darkel & Other Characters) |author=R* Q |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=15 December 2011 |accessdate=16 April 2013 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gdNtvYYf |archivedate=9 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Questions 2">{{cite web |url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19981/grand-theft-auto-iii-your-questions-answered-part-two-911-the-gh.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III: Your Questions Answered – Part Two (9/11, The "Ghost Town", The Dodo and Other Mysteries) |author=R* Q |work=Rockstar Newswire |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=5 January 2012 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dvvuHOje |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="San Andreas">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-san-andreas-confirmed-and-dated/1100-6090315/ |title=Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas confirmed and dated |last=Calvert |first=Justin |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=1 March 2004 |accessdate=25 September 2014 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwSmLkQ4 |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Sound Usher">{{cite web |url=http://designingsound.org/2013/09/interview-with-raymond-usher/ |title=Interview with Raymond Usher |last=Cullen |first=Neil |publisher=Designing Sound |date=30 September 2013 |accessdate=20 March 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6g8T0RDn2 |archivedate=19 March 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Telegraph Memorable">{{cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/10308095/Grand-Theft-Auto-10-most-memorable-moments-in-GTA-history.html |title=Grand Theft Auto: 10 most memorable moments in GTA history |last=Hoggins |first=Tom |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |publisher=[[Telegraph Media Group]] |date=16 September 2013 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwBlqbYt |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Time Magazine">{{cite web |url=http://techland.time.com/2012/11/15/all-time-100-video-games/slide/all/ |title=All-TIME 100 Video Games |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |publisher=[[Time Inc.]] |date=15 November 2012 |accessdate=15 November 2012 |archiveurl =http://www.webcitation.org/6CCgwlecQ |archivedate=15 November 2012 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Trilogy">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-gets-trilogized-san-andreas-special-edition/1100-6134252/ |title=GTA gets trilogized, San Andreas special edition |last=Surette |first=Tim |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=23 October 2005 |accessdate=25 September 2014 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwFTs0h5 |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="UK Diamond">{{cite web |url=http://www.elspa.com/?i=3946 |title=ELSPA Sales Awards: Diamond |publisher=[[Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20100703023209/http://www.elspa.com/?i=3946 |archivedate=3 July 2010 }}</ref>

<ref name="USAToday Glorifies">{{cite web |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/review/games/2001/12/20/game-glorifies-crime.htm |title=Game glorifies a life of crime |last=Kent |first=Steven |work=[[USA Today]] |publisher=[[Gannett Company]] |date=20 December 2001 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwDKFzLe |archivedate=21 December 2015 }}</ref>

<ref name="Vice City">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2002-grand-theft-auto-vice-city-announced/1100-2866693/ |title=E3 2002: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City announced |last=Walker |first=Trey |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=21 May 2002 |accessdate=24 September 2014 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwSl9lf0 |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Vienna">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/take-two-closes-rockstar-vienna/1100-6150769/ |title=Take-Two closes Rockstar Vienna? |last=Sinclair |first=Brendan |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=11 May 2006 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dvzOxWQt |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Xbox">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2003/11/05/grand-theft-auto-double-pack |title=Grand Theft Auto Double Pack |last=Boulding |first=Aaron |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=4 November 2003 |accessdate=25 September 2014 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dwFS0aoh |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<!-- PS2 reception -->

<ref name="MC">{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/grand-theft-auto-iii |title=Grand Theft Auto III for PlayStation 2 Reviews |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dvz7Sr3Z |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="1UP Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/reviews/grand-theft-auto-iii |title=Grand Theft Auto III Review for PS2 |publisher=[[1UP.com|1UP]] |date=1 January 2000 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dvzo7uIh |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="AllGame Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=34181&tab=review |title=Grand Theft Auto III - Review |last=Marriott |first=Scott Alan |work=[[AllGame]] |publisher=[[All Media Network]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210140428/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=34181&tab=review |archivedate=10 December 2014 }}</ref>

<ref name="Edge Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.edge-online.com/review/grand-theft-auto-3-review/ |title=Grand Theft Auto III Review |author=Edge Staff |publisher=''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'' |date=29 November 2001 |accessdate=13 October 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220093927/http://www.edge-online.com/review/grand-theft-auto-3-review/ |archivedate=20 December 2012 }}</ref>

<ref name="Eurogamer Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_gta3_ps2 |title=Grand Theft Auto III |last=Bramwell |first=Tom |work=[[Eurogamer]] |publisher=Gamer Network |date=30 October 2001 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dw22LcwF |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GamePro Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/17600.shtml |title=Grand Theft Auto III Review for PS2 |author=Four-Eyed Dragon |work=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[International Data Group]] |date=26 October 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040219034423/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/17600.shtml |archivedate=19 February 2004 }}</ref>

<ref name="GameRev Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/grand-theft-auto-3 |title=Grand Theft Auto 3 Review |last=Silverman |first=Ben |work=[[Game Revolution]] |publisher=[[CraveOnline]] |date=1 November 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gcQ2zpie |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Game Informer Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200112/R03.0804.1625.14160.htm?CS_pid=280166 |title=Rockstar's Reservoir Dogs |last1=Helgeson |first1=Matt |last2=Leeper |first2=Justin |work=[[Game Informer]] |publisher=[[GameStop]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090614031044/http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200112/R03.0804.1625.14160.htm?CS_pid=280166 |archivedate=14 June 2009 }}</ref>

<ref name="GamesMaster Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/published/reviews/game_review_477.html |title=Grand Theft Auto 3 |work=[[GamesMaster (magazine)|GamesMaster]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20011223211703/http://www.gamesradar.com/published/reviews/game_review_477.html |archivedate=23 December 2001 }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/grand-theft-auto-iii-review/1900-2820025/ |title=Grand Theft Auto III Review |last=Gerstmann |first=Jeff |authorlink=Jeff Gerstmann |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=24 October 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gcPpKpIQ |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpy Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.planetps2.com/features/reviews/2001/grandtheftauto3/ |title=Grand Theft Auto 3 |pp=1–3 |last=Alupului |first=Andrei |work=[[GameSpy]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=31 October 2001 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20011102102241/http://www.planetps2.com/features/reviews/2001/grandtheftauto3/ |archivedate=2 November 2001 }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Review">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2001/10/22/grand-theft-auto-iii-3 |title=Grand Theft Auto III |last=Perry |first=Doug |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=22 October 2001 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gdO2OZwr |archivedate=9 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<!-- PC reception -->

<ref name="MC PC">{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/grand-theft-auto-iii |title=Grand Theft Auto III for PC Reviews |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dvzBafcq |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="MC Top PC">{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/year/pc/filtered?sort=desc&year_selected=2002 |title=Best PC Video Games for 2002 |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gcSAPhat |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Game Informer PC Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200208/R03.0801.1639.54994.htm |title=Thug Life for Da PC Eezy |last=Helgeson |first=Matt |work=[[Game Informer]] |publisher=[[GameStop]] |date=August 2002 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20031028174901/http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200208/R03.0801.1639.54994.htm |archivedate=28 October 2003 }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot PC Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/grand-theft-auto-iii-review/1900-2868062/ |title=Grand Theft Auto III Review |last=Wolpaw |first=Erik |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=28 May 2002 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gcQVOqcl |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpy PC Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespy.com/reviews/june02/gta3pc/index2.shtm |title=Grand Theft Auto III (PC) |page=2 |last=Accardo |first=Sal |work=[[GameSpy]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=4 June 2002 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020811001646/http://www.gamespy.com/reviews/june02/gta3pc/ |archivedate=11 August 2002 }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN PC Review">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2002/05/27/grand-theft-auto-iii-2 |title=Grand Theft Auto III |last=Blevins |first=Tal |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=27 May 2002 |accessdate=21 December 2015 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6dw0UX92b |archivedate=21 December 2015 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="PC Gamer Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/grand_theft_aut_1.html |title=Grand Theft Auto III |last=Morris |first=Daniel |work=[[PC Gamer]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |date=July 2005 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060315144837/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/grand_theft_aut_1.html |archivedate=15 March 2006 }}</ref>

<ref name="XPlay PC Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3388522,00.html |title='Grand Theft Auto III' (PC) Review |last=Bub |work=[[X-Play]] |publisher=[[TechTV]] |date=28 June 2002 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020806200759/http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3388522,00.html |archivedate=6 August 2002 }}</ref>

<!-- Mobile reception -->

<ref name="MC Mobile">{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/game/ios/grand-theft-auto-iii-10-year-anniversary-edition |title=Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition for iPhone/iPad Reviews |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415142256/http://www.metacritic.com/game/ios/grand-theft-auto-iii-10-year-anniversary-edition |archivedate=15 April 2012 }}</ref>

<ref name="Destructoid Mobile Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.destructoid.com/review-grand-theft-auto-iii-10-year-anniversary-218563.phtml |title=Review: Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary |last=Sterling |first=Jim |authorlink=Jim Sterling |work=[[Destructoid]] |publisher=ModernMethod |date=27 December 2011 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gcyKAYPq |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Eurogamer Mobile Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-12-19-grand-theft-auto-3-10-year-anniversary-edition-review-review |title=Grand Theft Auto 3: 10 Year Anniversary Edition Review |last=Whitehead |first=Dan |work=[[Eurogamer]] |publisher=Gamer Network |date=19 December 2011 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gcyUH9th |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot Mobile Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/grand-theft-auto-iii-10-year-anniversary-edition-r/1900-6347881/ |title=Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition Review |last=Walton |first=Mark |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=22 December 2011 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gcyPKNNW |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Mobile Review">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2011/12/19/grand-theft-auto-3-ios-review |title=Grand Theft Auto 3 (iOS) Review |last=Eykemans |first=Peter |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=19 December 2011 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gcyGXx49 |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Pocket Gamer Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Multiformat/Grand+Theft+Auto+3%3A+10th+Anniversary+Edition/review.asp?c=36169 |title=Grand Theft Auto 3: 10th Anniversary Edition review |last=Brown |first=Mark |work=[[Pocket Gamer]] |publisher=Steel Media |date=15 December 2011 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gcyY8gvO |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="Pocket Gamer Xperia">{{cite web |url=http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Xperia+Play/Grand+Theft+Auto+3%3A+10th+Anniversary+Edition/review.asp?c=36381 |title=Grand Theft Auto 3: 10th Anniversary Edition review - Xperia Play |last=Caldwell |first=Brendan |work=[[Pocket Gamer]] |publisher=Steel Media |date=23 December 2011 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gcye9drs |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<!-- Awards -->

<ref name="GameRev Awards">{{cite web |url=http://gr.bolt.com/articles/awards/ps2/ps2_2001.htm |title=Best PS2 Games of 2001 |work=[[Game Revolution]] |publisher=[[CraveOnline]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050307063622/http://gr.bolt.com/articles/awards/ps2/ps2_2001.htm |archivedate=7 March 2005 }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpy AI">{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/special/6.shtml |title=Best Artificial Intelligence: The Runner Up Awards |page=6 |work=[[GameSpy]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060110192202/http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/special/6.shtml |archivedate=10 January 2006 }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpy GOTY">{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/overall/overall_goty2001.shtml |title=Game of the Year: Grand Theft Auto 3 |work=[[GameSpy]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060503143707/http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/overall/overall_goty2001.shtml |archivedate=3 May 2006 }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpy Offensive">{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/special/24.shtml |title=Most Offensive: Grand Theft Auto 3 |page=24 |work=[[GameSpy]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060110195949/http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/special/24.shtml |archivedate=10 January 2006 }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpy PS2 GOTY">{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/ps2/ps2_goty.shtml |title=PS2 Game of the Year: Grand Theft Auto 3 |work=[[GameSpy]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212064914/http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/ps2/ps2_goty.shtml |archivedate=12 December 2006 }}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpy Radio">{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/special/26.shtml |title=Best Use of Radio: Grand Theft Auto 3 |work=[[GameSpy]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060110193257/http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/special/26.shtml |archivedate=10 January 2006 }}</ref>

<ref name="GSpot GOTY">{{cite web |url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p6_06.html |title=GameSpot Presents: The Best and Worst of 2001 - Game of the Year |page=6 |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20020208073702/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p6_06.html |archivedate=8 February 2002 }}</ref>

<ref name="GSpot PS2 GOTY">{{cite web |url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p5_08.html |title=GameSpot Presents: The Best and Worst of 2001 - Best PlayStation 2 Game |page=5 |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020204034250/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p5_08.html |archivedate=4 February 2002 }}</ref>

<ref name="GSpot Action">{{cite web |url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p3_02.html |title=GameSpot Presents: The Best and Worst of 2001 - Best Action/Adventure Game |page=3 |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20011227153428/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p3_02.html |archivedate=27 December 2001 }}</ref>

<ref name="GSpot Innovative">{{cite web |url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p2_06.html |title=GameSpot Presents: The Best and Worst of 2001 - Most Innovative |page=2 |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020204020322/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p2_06.html |archivedate=4 February 2002 }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN PS2 GOTY">{{cite web |url=http://ign.com/articles/2002/01/18/ps2-game-of-the-year-2001 |title=PS2 Game of the Year 2001 |last=Perry |first=Doug |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=18 January 2002 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6gd1IHeTG |archivedate=8 April 2016 |deadurl=no }}</ref>

<ref name="IGN Action">{{cite web |url=http://ps2.ign.com/news/40912.html |title=Best Action Game of 2001 |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=14 January 2002 |accessdate=9 April 2016 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20020117204708/http://ps2.ign.com/news/40912.html |archivedate=17 January 2002 }}</ref>

<!-- Missions -->
<ref name="Give Me Liberty">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Give Me Liberty" }}</ref>
<ref name="Bomb Da Base">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Bomb Da Base" }}</ref>
<ref name="Cutting the Grass">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Cutting the Grass" }}</ref>
<ref name="Last Requests">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Last Requests" }}</ref>
<ref name="Sayonara Salvatore">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Sayonara Salvatore" }}</ref>
<ref name="Arms Shortage">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Arms Shortage" }}</ref>
<ref name="Marked Man">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Marked Man" }}</ref>
<ref name="Liberator">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Liberator" }}</ref>
<ref name="Waka-Gashira Wipeout">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Waka-Gashira Wipeout" }}</ref>
<ref name="Escort Service">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Escort Service" }}</ref>
<ref name="Grand Theft Aero">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Grand Theft Aero" }}</ref>
<ref name="Bait">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Bait" }}</ref>
<ref name="Espresso-2-Go!">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Espresso-2-Go!" }}</ref>
<ref name="S.A.M.">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="S.A.M." }}</ref>
<ref name="Ransom">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="Ransom" }}</ref>
<ref name="The Exchange">{{cite video game |title=Grand Theft Auto III |developer=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |date=22 October 2001 |platform=[[PlayStation 2]] |version=1.0 |level="The Exchange" }}</ref>

}}

'''Sources'''
* {{cite book |title=Grand Theft Auto III Game Manual |author=[[DMA Design]] |publisher=[[Rockstar Games]] |year=2001 |ref=harv}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{official website|http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/}}
* {{official website|http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/}}
*{{Wayback|df=yes|url=http://www.grandtheftauto3.com/|title=''Grand Theft Auto III''|date=20060102085643}}
* {{Wayback|df=yes|url=http://www.grandtheftauto3.com/|title=''Grand Theft Auto III''|date=20060102085643}}


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{{Grand Theft Auto}}
{{DMA Design}}
{{Rockstar Games}}
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Grand Theft Auto III
North Americann cover art design for Grand Theft Auto III, which features a style that became the standard for all regions in future games.
Developer(s)DMA Design[a]
Publisher(s)Rockstar Games
Producer(s)Leslie Benzies
Programmer(s)Obbe Vermeij
Adam Fowler
Artist(s)Aaron Garbut
Writer(s)James Worrall
Paul Kurowski
Dan Houser
SeriesGrand Theft Auto
EngineRenderWare
Platform(s)
Release
22 October 2001
  • 'PlayStation 2'Microsoft Windows'Xbox'OS X'iOS, Android'Fire OS
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Grand Theft Auto III is an open world action-adventure video game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It was released on 22 October 2001 for the PlayStation 2, on 20 May 2002 for Microsoft Windows, and on 31 October 2003 for the Xbox. It is the fifth title in the Grand Theft Auto series, and the first main entry since 1999's Grand Theft Auto 2. Set within the fictional Liberty City, based on New York City, the game follows Claude after he is left for dead and quickly becomes entangled in a world of gangs, crime and corruption.

The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. The open world design lets players freely roam Liberty City, consisting of three main islands. Development was shared between DMA Design in Edinburgh and Rockstar in New York. Much of the development work constituted transforming popular series elements into a 3D world. The game was delayed following the September 11 attacks, to allow the team to change references and gameplay deemed inappropriate.

Upon release, the game received universal critical acclaim, with praise particularly directed at its concept and gameplay. However, the game also generated controversy, with criticism directed at the game's depiction of violence and sexual content. Grand Theft Auto III became the best-selling video game of 2001, and has sold over 17 million copies. Considered one of the most significant titles of the sixth generation of video games, and by many critics as one of the greatest video games of all time, it won year-end accolades, including Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications. Since its release, it has received numerous ports to many gaming platforms. Its successor, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, was released in October 2002.

Gameplay

Grand Theft Auto III is an action-adventure game played from a third-person view. Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story.[4] It is possible to have several active missions running at one time, as some missions require players to wait for further instructions or events.[5] Outside of missions, players can freely roam the game's open world, and have the ability to complete option side missions. Liberty City is composed of three boroughs: Portland, Stauton Island, and Shoreside Vale; the islands are unlocked to players as the story progresses.[6]

Players can freely roam the game's world, and have the ability to use weapons

Players may run, jump or use vehicles to navigate the game's world.[7] In combat, auto-aim can be used as assistance against enemies.[8] Should players take damage, their health meter can be fully regenerated through the use of health pickups. Body armour can be used to absorb gunshots and explosive damage, but is used up in the process.[9] When health is entirely depleted, gameplay stops, and players respawn at the nearest hospital, at the expense of losing all weapons and armour, and an amount of money.[10]

If players commit crimes while playing, the game's law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a "wanted" meter in the head-up display (HUD). On the meter, the displayed stars indicate the current wanted level[11] (for example, at the maximum six-star level, efforts by law enforcement to incapacitate players become very aggressive).[12] Law enforcement officers will search for players who leave the wanted vicinity. The wanted meter enters a cooldown mode and eventually recedes when players are hidden from the officers' line of sight.[11]

The game lets players control the mute criminal Claude.[13] During the story, Claude meets various new characters from gangs. As players completes missions for different gangs, fellow gang members will often defend players, while rival gang members will recognise players and subsequently shoot on sight.[14] While free roaming the game world, players may engage in activities such as a vigilante minigame, a fire fighting activity, and a taxi cab service.[11][15] Completion of these activities grants players with context-specific rewards; for example, completing the vigilante mission allows players to bribe police after committing a crime.[16]

Combat in Grand Theft Auto III was reworked to allow players to commit drive-by shootings by viewing sideways in a car.

Players use melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies. The firearms include weapons such as the Micro Uzi, an M16 rifle and a flamethrower.[6] The game's three-dimension environment allows a first-person view while aiming with the sniper rifle and rocket launcher. In addition, the game's combat was reworked to allow players to commit drive-by shootings by facing sideways in a vehicle.[4] The game gives players a wide variety of weapon options—they can be purchased from local firearms dealers, found on the ground, retrieved from dead enemies, or found around the city.[9]

Plot

While robbing a bank in Liberty City, ambitious criminal Claude is shot and betrayed by his girlfriend and accomplice Catalina (Cynthia Farrell).[17] Although he survives the wound, Claude is arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. While being transported in a prison van, Claude and fellow prisoner 8-Ball (Guru) are inadvertently freed after an attack on the police convoy, and escape to a safehouse.[18] 8-Ball later introduces Claude to the Leone Mafia crime family; Sex Club 7 owner Luigi Goterelli (Joe Pantoliano), Don Salvatore Leone (Frank Vincent), his Capo Toni Cipriani (Michael Madsen), and the Don's son Joey Leone (Michael Rapaport).[17] During work for the family, Claude finds himself fighting the Colombians,[19] who are being led by Catalina in proliferating a new drug.[20] Meanwhile, Salvatore's trophy wife Maria (Debi Mazar) begins to take a liking to Claude. Salvatore grows suspicious and betrays Claude into luring him to a death trap, but Maria saves him just in time and they both flee.[21]

Claude then begins working for the city's Yakuza and its leader Asuka Kasen (Lianna Pai), Maria's close friend, who has Claude assassinate Salvatore and get his revenge. This cuts off all of Claude's ties with the Leone family, who are now against him.[22] Claude's work leads him to allying himself with other criminal sources, such as corrupt police detective Ray Machowski (Robert Loggia), an enemy of the Cartel.[23] Claude later saves him from Internal Affairs and the CIA by helping him flee to Vice City.[24] Claude also meets charismatic media mogul Donald Love (Kyle MacLachlan), who maintains a huge media front.[25] In an effort to start a war between the Yakuza and Cartel, Claude and Love organise the death of Asuka's brother Kenji Kasen (Les Mau) and blame the Cartel.[26] Later, Love asks Claude to rescue a man who was kidnapped by the Cartel in the prison truck that Claude was in.[27] While on an errand, Claude finally confronts Catalina, who narrowly escapes. Asuka abducts Catalina's partner Miguel (Al Espinosa), believing him to have knowledge of her brother's death.[28]

With the war with the Cartel intensifying, Asuka and Maria learn of Claude's history with Catalina and order him to attack many Cartel operations.[29][30][31] Eventually, his exploits attract the attention of Catalina. As a result, the Cartel abduct Maria, murder Asuka and Miguel, and demand Claude to pay $500,000 in exchange for Maria's release.[32] When Claude confronts Catalina, she attempts to have him killed, but he escapes. In the resulting firefight, Catalina attempts to flee in a helicopter and makes a final attempt on Claude's life. After killing the remaining Cartel members and rescuing Maria, Claude shoots down the helicopter, effectively killing Catalina.[33] As they are leaving the scene, Maria complains to Claude about the kidnapping, particularly the state of her clothes and nails. During the credits, a gunshot is heard, and Maria's voice is silenced.[b]

Development

The core development team of Grand Theft Auto III consisted of about 23 people at DMA Design in Edinburgh, who worked closely with publisher Rockstar Games in New York.[6] By early 2001, the team had designed the city, cars, and some weapons.[34] Producer Leslie Benzies describes Grand Theft Auto III as a "crime simulation game".[6] When porting the game to Microsoft Windows, the team delayed it from the PlayStation 2 release in order to ensure quality, citing issues with the simultaneous platform release of previous Grand Theft Auto games.[35]

Open world design

Grand Theft Auto III is the first game in the series to use a 3D game engine, positioning the camera closer to the player character

Grand Theft Auto III uses the RenderWare game engine, designed by Criterion Games.[36] 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.[6] One of the major difficulties was fitting the game into 32 megabytes, due to the scale of the game. The game's size also created difficulties for the testers, due to the variety of options.[5] Benzies felt that creating a living city was the "underlying principle" of the game's concept during development.[6] Executive producer Sam Houser felt that the game's 3D element allowed the "chemistry of the team [to come] together perfectly for the first time".[37]

A major difficulty the team encountered was converting all game elements into a 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;[38] producer Dan Houser said that there was about 8,000 lines of recorded dialogue in the game,[38] while audio programmer Raymond Usher estimated about 18,000.[39] The basic technical elements of the game began to work together in mid-2000, with a carjacking mechanic prototype and stable streaming model.[40] 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.[5]

When designing the game world, the team initially created a "hybrid city", which producer Dan Houser describes as "a post industrial Midwest slash east coast generic" city.[41] Upon developing within this game world, the team realised that basing the design on a real location meant "you have a lot of things you can say about it".[41] As a result, the team created Liberty City, based loosely on New York City.[41] Dan Houser describes Liberty City as a "hybrid of a generic American city", including Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, New York, and Philadelphia.[42] In the game, the islands unlock as the story progresses; the team wanted players to "start out feeling poor and work to being richer".[42]

Story and characters

In the process of creating the story, the team develop the story and design simultaneously. "We use the story to expose the mechanics, and we use the mechanics to tell the story," said Dan Houser.[34] Houser 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".[42] The game's script was also focused on mission objectives, attempting to implement high amounts of interactivity.[40] Houser felt that each mission is "its own short story", and part of an "overarching story".[34] Houser and co-writer James Worrall drew influence from mob films, and the mafiosi featured in films by Martin Scorsese. When writing the story, 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.[40]

Many of the game characters were animated using motion capture, though this was limited by technical restraints. The character movement was also treated as being cinematic, though limited polygons heavily inhibited this.[43] The team used varying camera angles when animated the game's cutscenes, in order to evoke different emotions.[44] 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.[43] The game's playable protagonist is unnamed in the game,[17] and his name is not officially revealed as Claude until his appearance in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004). He is a silent protagonist, never uttering a word throughout his appearances. The team decided to make Claude silent 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.[13]

Sound 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";[45] Sam Houser described it as "a very iconoclastic look at America".[46] The team used real DJs to portray those on the radio. In doing so, the team 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, station imaging.[45]

Cuts, changes, and the 9/11 effect

[W]e felt that a full content review of all our titles and the marketing materials we use to represent them was absolutely necessary for us ... we have come across certain small contextual references that we were no longer comfortable with, as well as a couple of very rare gameplay instances that no longer felt appropriate to us.

Terry Donovan, Rockstar managing director, IGN, 19 September 2001[47]

Prior to the initial release, several modifications were made to the game. While changes are frequent during game development, the changes in Grand Theft Auto III were noted to be around the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, which led to speculation that some changes were motivated by the attacks. On September 19, 2001, Rockstar delayed the game's release by three weeks, citing the attacks as an influencing factor in the delay.[47]

After the events of 9/11, the original colour scheme of the police cars in the game (top), which resembled the NYPD, was changed to a generic black-and-white design common in the United States.
The original artwork for the game, which was changed after the events of 9/11.[48] The artwork was used as the cover in Europe.[49]

One of the changes made shortly after 9/11 was the colour scheme of the police cars; the original colour scheme of blue with white stripes specifically resembled that of the New York City Police Department. It was changed to a generic black-and-white design common among several police departments in the United States, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. Other changes include altering the flight path of a plane to avoid appearing to fly into or behind a skyscraper, removing a mission referencing terrorists, as well as some changes to pedestrian dialogue and talk radio.[50]

Another cut to the game is the character of Darkel, a revolutionary urchin who vowed to bring down the city's economy. When references to Darkel were found in the game's code, speculation arose that the character was related to 9/11, however Dan Houser explained that the character had been cut "months before [release]".[50] There are also reports and previews stating that the game featured school children as pedestrians prior to release,[51] although Rockstar has dismissed such rumours as "nonsense".[48]

Rockstar stated that the game was "about 1% different" after 9/11, and that the biggest change was the cover art. They felt that the original cover, which was ultimately released as the cover in Europe, felt "too raw" after 9/11, and was changed into what became the "signature style" of the series.[48] Sam Houser claims that the cover was designed in an evening, and was instantly preferred over the original cover.[49] The cover was inspired by the movie posters for 1960s films, such as The Thomas Crown Affair (1968).[48]

Critical reception

Initial release

Grand Theft Auto III was released to critical acclaim. Metacritic calculated an average score of 97 of out 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 56 reviews. It is the sixth-highest rated game on Metacritic, tied with a number of others.[c] Reviewers liked the game's sound,[4][55][58] gameplay,[53][55][61] and open world design,[57][4][10] though some criticism was directed at the controls.[11][59][56] Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer called Grand Theft Auto III "a luscious, sprawling epic",[55] and Official PlayStation Magazine named it "the most innovative, outlandish, brilliant video game".[62] GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann described the game as "an incredible experience that shouldn't be missed by anyone";[58] IGN's Doug Perry named it "one of the best titles of the year, on PlayStation 2, or on any system".[4]

Many reviewers found the 3D graphics a welcoming change from the 2D of the previous games.[4][61] GameSpot's Gerstmann particularly praised the character and vehicle models, and the overall texture quality of the city.[58] GameSpy's Andrei Alupului found the graphics "really rather impressive", describing the car models as "greatly improved" over those in Midnight Club.[59] Eurogamer's Bramwell considered the graphics "generally pleasant to look at", but considered it inferior to games like Gran Turismo 3 and Ico.[55] Justin Leeper of Game Informer described game world as "stunning in scope and detail",[57] and Perry of IGN found it to be "on a scale that's truly epic".[4] Game Revolution's Ben Silverman called the city a "technological marvel ... that captures the essence of gritty city life in amazing detail".[10]

IGN's Perry considered the game's sound "unbelievably and meticulously delivered", particularly praising the soundtrack, voice acting and sound design, stating that it was "really approached as if it were done for a movie".[4] Eurogamer's Bramwell echoed similar remarks, describing the city sounds as "perfect" and the soundtrack as "monstrous".[55] The sound was described as "terrific" by GameSpot's Gerstmann and Game Revolution's Silverman,[58][10] and 1UP.com appreciated the subtlety of the in-game radio stations.[53] AllGame's Scott Alan Marriott named the music "the true star" of the game.[11]

Reviewers considered the style of the game's missions to be a welcoming departure from those in previous games.[55][58] 1UP.com described the missions as "wonderfully creative",[53] while GamesMaster appreciated the diversity.[61] IGN's Perry similarly appreciated the variety and scale of the missions, and praised the amount of available side missions.[4] GameSpy's Alupului described the game's story as "well-paced" and "coherent", featuring plot elements akin to a mob film.[59] GameSpot's Gerstmann found the missions entertaining and challenging, but noted that exploring the game world also offers "a great deal of fun" to players.[58]

Reactions to the game's controls were mixed. Alupului of GameSpy found the game "controls beautifully", both while driving and on-foot.[59] Game Revolution's Silverman identified the control issues as the game's only flaw, although praised the responsiveness of the driving mechanics.[10] Matt Helgeson of Game Informer similarly described the driving as "great", but noted "clunky" combat.[57] GamePro's Four-Eyed Dragon found the cars simple to maneuver.[56] Edge described the game's combat as "an awkward system that stymies play.[54] 1UP.com noted particular flaws in the targeting system, explaining that it "often focuses on the wrong guy".[53]

Microsoft Windows version

When Grand Theft Auto III was released to Microsoft Windows in May 2002, it received similar critical acclaim. Metacritic calculated an average score of 93 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 20 reviews.[63] It was the highest-rated Windows game on Metacritic in 2002.[70] Reviewers liked the visual enhancements[65][66][67] and control improvements,[64][68][69] but criticised the port for its demanding system requirements.[65][67][69]

The in-game features and controls in the port were generally well-received. IGN's Tal Blevins praised the higher precision of the mouse controls, finding the aiming mechanic more precise.[67] GameSpot's Erik Wolpaw also commended the mouse controls, but disapproved the replay system, particularly due to the lack of options with timing and camera controls.[65] Extended Play's Andrew Bub appreciated the addition of a custom radio station, as well as the availability of custom skins.[69] Daniel Morris of PC Gamer praised the gameplay tweaks provided by the port, but criticised the lack of major additional features, such as an overhead map of the in-game city.[68]

The port's visuals received a positive response from reviewers. GameSpot's Wolpaw praised the port's reworked textures, but criticised the frequent popup, and the advanced system requirements.[65] IGN's Blevins similarly criticised the necessity of an advanced system for stable play, but ultimately felt that the port looks "a bit nicer" than the original game.[67] GameSpy's Sal Accardo felt that the port "looks much sharper" than the PlayStation 2 version, though noted some "choppy" animations.[66] Extended Play's Bub mentioned that the advanced settings resulted in slowdown and crashes.[69] Game Informer's Matt Helgeson noticed little difference between the visuals of the original and the port.[64]

Mobile version

When Grand Theft Auto III was released to Microsoft Windows in May 2002, it received generally positive reviews. Metacritic calculated an average score of 80 out of 100, based on 26 reviews.[71] Reviewers liked the enhanced visuals,[3][74] but criticism was directed at the touchscreen controls.[72][73]

The port's visuals were well-received. IGN's Peter Eykemans commended the smoother textures, especially condensed on a mobile screen,[74] while Destructoid's Jim Sterling noted improvements in the character and vehicle models.[3] Mark Walton of GameSpot wrote that the game runs well on high-end devices like the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy S II, but noticed significant frame rate and texture issues on the Xperia Play.[73] Pocket Gamer's Mark Brown identified the game's short draw distance leading to sudden popup, although still found that the models and textures "have been given a tune-up" in the port.[75]

The touchscreen controls received a mixed response. Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead appreciated the driving mechanics, but felt that moving on-foot is "a flaky way of navigating" the world, and criticised the "clumsy" shooting mechanics.[72] IGN's Eykemans felt that the controls "make half the experience frustrating",[74] and Destructoid's Sterling described them as "by far the biggest barrier toward enjoying" the port.[3] Brown of Pocket Gamer found that the touchscreen "hasn't hindered [the game] too drastically", commending simple movement and "effortless" driving mechanics.[75] Some critics identified better controls upon the use of external gamepads, but felt that they hinder the game's portability.[73][76]

Commercial performance

Sales

Grand Theft Auto III was the highest-selling game of 2001 in the United States, selling over two million units by February 2002.[77] The game was also the second best-selling game of 2002, behind only its sequel.[78] In the United States, the game had sold 5.35 million units by June 2004,[79] and 6.55 million units in the United States by December 2007.[80] In Japan, Grand Theft Auto III sold about 120,000 copies in its first week, and over 350,000 by January 2008.[81] The game earned a "Diamond" award in the United Kingdom, indicating over one million sales.[82] By March 2008, the game had sold 14.5 million units worldwide.[83]

Accolades

Grand Theft Auto III received multiple nominations and awards from gaming publications. It was awarded Game of the Year from GameSpot[84] and GameSpy.[85] It was named the Best PlayStation 2 Game by Game Revolution,[86] GameSpot,[87] GameSpy[88] and IGN.[89] It also won Best Action Game from Game Revolution,[86] GameSpot,[90] and IGN,[91] and Most Innovative from GameSpot.[92] GameSpy also awarded the game Most Offensive,[93] Best Use of Radio,[94] and tied for Best Artificial Intelligence.[95]

Controversies

Prior to and since the release of Grand Theft Auto III, the game had been subject to a great deal of controversy. GameSpy awarded Grand Theft Auto III with Most Offensive Game of the Year, calling it "absolutely reprehensible".[93] They wrote that the game rewards players for "causing mayhem" and "killing innocent people by the dozen", ultimately questioning its appropriateness within the industry.[93] The notoriety of Grand Theft Auto III resulted in Wal-Mart's decision to check the identification of purchasers who appeared to be under the age of 17, when purchasing mature titles.[96] When speaking about the game's depiction of violence, producer Leslie Benzies claims that is intended as comedic, and that the game is "not meant to be taken seriously".[6] Producer Dan Houser stated that the team was conscious of the offense that the game would attract, but "never marketed it in a way that exploited that".[38]

The game allows players to commit sexual activities with prostitutes, and murder them to reclaim the payment. This was met with widespread controversy.[97] The game also received controversy for its depiction of crime, and allowing violence against police officers. Psychologist David Walsh of the National Institute on Media and the Family stated that the game "glamorizes antisocial and criminal activity",[98] and that "the purpose of the game is to perpetrate crime".[99] In response, Kotaku writer Owen Good wrote that the game does not reward players for "proficiency at crime, no matter how much it is accused of doing so".[99] Joanna Weiss of The Boston Globe noted the "adrenaline" that players feel when committing crimes in the game, excusing the game's violence due to its mature classification.[100] The National Organization for Women spoke out against the game in January 2002, asking Rockstar and Take-Two to withdraw the game from sale as it "encourages violence and the degradation of women".[101] Matt Richtel of The New York Times wrote that the activities within the game "crossed the line into bad taste".[102]

Grand Theft Auto III was initially released in Australia with an MA15+ classification. After re-reviewing the game, the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) banned the game, due to its depiction of sexual content and violence to prostitutes.[103] This prompted distributor Take-Two Interactive to appeal to the OFLC, who reaffirmed the banned status on December 11, 2001, after reanalysing the game and seeking the professional opinion of a forensic psychologist. This prompted Take-Two to recall the game in Australia, and Rockstar to make appropriate changes to the game; a modified version was re-released with an MA15+ classification in January 2015, removing all instances of sexual acts with prostitutes.[104]

On 25 June 2003, teenage stepbrothers William and Josh Buckner shot and killed Aaron Hamel and Kimberly Bede. In statements to investigators, the perpretators claimed their actions were inspired by Grand Theft Auto III. In response, on 20 October 2003, the families of Hamel and Bede filed a US$246 million lawsuit against Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive, Sony Computer Entertainment and Wal-Mart.[105] Rockstar and Take-Two filed for dismissal of the lawsuit, stating in United States district court on 29 October 2003 that the "ideas and concepts", and the "purported psychological effects" of the perpetrators, are protected by the First Amendment's free-speech clause.[106] Jack Thompson, the lawyer representing the victims, denied Rockstar's claims, and attempted to move the lawsuit into a state court for consideration under Tennessee's consumer protection act.[106]

Legacy

Grand Theft Auto III has been frequently included among the greatest video games of all time.[107] In 2007, GamePro called Grand Theft Auto III the most important video game of all-time, explaining that the "game's open-ended gameplay elements have revolutionized the way all video games are made".[108] Similarly, IGN ranked the game among the Top 10 Most Influential Games,[109] and GameSpot listed among the greatest games of all time.[110] In 2009, Game Informer wrote that Grand Theft Auto III "changed the gaming landscape forever with its immersive open world sandbox",[111] and in 2016 GamesRadar named it "the most important game of the decade".[112] In November 2012, Time named it one of the 100 greatest video games of all time.[113] Due to its success, video game critics and players have used the term "Grand Theft Auto clone" to describe subsequent video games released with similar mechanics and gameplay as Grand Theft Auto III.[114]

Following the game's success, Rockstar developed further titles in the series. Vice City and San Andreas are set in their titular locations in 1986 and 1992, respectively.[115][116] Grand Theft Auto Advance (2004) is set in Liberty City roughly one year before the events of Grand Theft Auto III.[117] Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005) takes place three years before the events of Grand Theft Auto III in the same rendition of Liberty City.[118] A completely redesigned version of the city was later used in Grand Theft Auto IV (2008),[119] The Lost and Damned (2009),[120] The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009)[121] and Chinatown Wars (2009).[122]

Ports and remakes

Grand Theft Auto III was released on 21 May 2002 for Microsoft Windows, supporting higher screen resolutions and draw distance, and featuring more detailed textures.[123] The game was planned to release on the Nintendo GameCube and Xbox, but the former was later cancelled.[124] For its release on the Xbox in December 2003, Grand Theft Auto III was bundled with its sequel Vice City in a compilation titled Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack. The Xbox port features custom soundtrack support as well as improved audio, polygon models, and reflections over the previous ports.[125] Double Pack was later bundled with San Andreas in a compilation titled Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy, released in October 2005.[118] The Trilogy was also released for OS X on 12 November 2010.[126] For the game's tenth anniversary in December 2011, War Drum Studios ported Grand Theft Auto III to several iOS and Android devices. The port is almost identical to the Windows version of the game, in addition to enhanced textures and models and touchscreen controls.[127][128] A PlayStation 3 version of Grand Theft Auto III was released on 25 September 2012 via the PlayStation Network.[129] The original PlayStation 2 version of the game was released for the PlayStation 4 on 4 December 2015.[130]

References

Notes
  1. ^ Following the game's initial release, DMA Design was reformed into Rockstar North.[1] Rockstar Vienna ported the game to Xbox,[2] and War Drum Studios ported the 10th Anniversary Edition to mobile devices.[3]
  2. ^ The sound of a gunshot, and the silencing of Maria's voice, has led to speculation that Claude killed Maria. Rockstar has refused to confirm this.[13]
  3. ^ Grand Theft Auto III shares its status as fifth-highest rated game on Metacritic with Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, Perfect Dark, Metroid Prime, Grand Theft Auto V, Halo: Combat Evolved and NFL 2K1. The games that are rated higher than Grand Theft Auto III are The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Grand Theft Auto IV, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and Soulcalibur.[60]
Footnotes
  1. ^ "Good Game Stories - Backwards Compatible - Rockstar North". Good Game. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 April 2008. Archived from the original on 21 December 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  2. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (11 May 2006). "Take-Two closes Rockstar Vienna?". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 21 December 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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