Grand Theft Auto III

 PlayStation 2
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1185 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 953 out of 1185
  2. Mixed: 150 out of 1185
  3. Negative: 82 out of 1185
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  1. nerrstyBthirsty
    Apr 16, 2013
    10
    Grand Theft Auto III is, quite simply, one of the greatest video game accomplishments in history. It single-handedly invented the sandbox genre, and it's my favorite video game of all time. It gets nearly everything it tries to do right, and in doing so, made history. The open ended gameplay is always fun, but that's what most people focus on, but who could blame them? Before GTA III,Grand Theft Auto III is, quite simply, one of the greatest video game accomplishments in history. It single-handedly invented the sandbox genre, and it's my favorite video game of all time. It gets nearly everything it tries to do right, and in doing so, made history. The open ended gameplay is always fun, but that's what most people focus on, but who could blame them? Before GTA III, gamers had never played anything like this before. However, there is a story here revolving around structured missions that shouldn't be missed. GTA III combines action/adventure and driving games flawlessly. With its respectable amount of vehicle and weapon choices, alongside the size of the map and the progressively tougher story missions, this is an extremely varied game that will almost sate anyone's appetite for a lengthy adventure to sink their teeth into. The story itself is, admittedly, nothing special, but with the sheer size of this game (for its time), to even incorporate a flowing narrative is, without a doubt, something to marvel. That's basically how I saw this game when it was released; something I was absolutely in awe at. The controls are spot on for driving, walking around, punching random pedestrians, etc., but the targeting system for aiming weapons will leave a bad taste with some gamers. Does that make it bad? No. Once you learn how to use it (along with conserving health and armor) you can get through any mission with minimal trouble. Any reviewer who could possibly label this masterpiece as a bad game simply has no business reviewing video games. That Sleeping Dogs, Crackdown, Infamous games you've been playing? All of those owe GTA III, big time. This game is the blueprint for sandbox games, and a damn fine model to go from, at that. Even games like the Tony Hawk franchise took note of the open world design in later entries, and it's hard to say that GTA III didn't have a hand in inspiring any of the games I've mentioned above. It's simply a monumental title that must be played by anyone who's mature enough to handle its visceral, gritty violence. I'll be the first to admit that it's not perfect, but it's so, so close to it, and is easily my favorite game in the GTA series. I'd even dare say that if you give this game a bad review, you had no business playing video games in general. GTA III has so much great going for it, you'll easily overlook the bad if you simply just take the time to get used to it. Which sadly, a minority of people won't. Their loss. 10/10.… Expand
  2. Jack97
    Jan 1, 2014
    8
    Grand Theft Auto 3 was a huge leap forward for videogame history as it featured one of the first fully 3D open world environments and a good story mode.
  3. Annoymous1
    Mar 16, 2013
    10
    Cool am Ivan is 0% right. GTA III is the best PlayStation 2 game ever so dont listen to um..."Cool" am Ivan. The story-line is breathtaking and has a awesome set of missions, including Toni Cipriani!
  4. 2ksnipefest
    Dec 27, 2013
    10
    I sold my n 64 and 30 some odd games plus a ps1 and some more games to buy a PS2 and GTA 3. It was worth it. I Love how revolutionary this game was. I brought open real worlds gaming to the millennium. Boy gaming wise this started will an earthquake that shocked the gaming industry. One of the most innovative titles i have ever had the grace to play. Plus the main character does not haveI sold my n 64 and 30 some odd games plus a ps1 and some more games to buy a PS2 and GTA 3. It was worth it. I Love how revolutionary this game was. I brought open real worlds gaming to the millennium. Boy gaming wise this started will an earthquake that shocked the gaming industry. One of the most innovative titles i have ever had the grace to play. Plus the main character does not have an annoying voice nor does he say cheesy cliches.… Expand
  5. JomartheGreat
    Sep 28, 2013
    10
    The second game after MGS 2 that started the 3D era. Playing this game really see how crime really dangerous is, so kids learn not to copy these actions or you might end up in jail. The game is exciting,
    good to kill civilians and things to do are superb. Classic.
  6. Fedelca
    Sep 29, 2013
    10
    Si bien para mí "Grand Theft Auto" empezó en Vice City, "Grand Theft Auto III" es legendario y digno de cualquier espectador que siga disfrutando de una de mis consolas favoritas: la legendaria PlayStation 2, y ¿Por qué es mi favorita? Porque juegos como "Gand Theft Auto III" se presentaron para esta increíble consola. Impresionante lo que se es capaz de hacer en este mapa y me acuerdoSi bien para mí "Grand Theft Auto" empezó en Vice City, "Grand Theft Auto III" es legendario y digno de cualquier espectador que siga disfrutando de una de mis consolas favoritas: la legendaria PlayStation 2, y ¿Por qué es mi favorita? Porque juegos como "Gand Theft Auto III" se presentaron para esta increíble consola. Impresionante lo que se es capaz de hacer en este mapa y me acuerdo hace mucho tiempo la primera vez que lo jugué casi estaba por llorar porque directamente era hermoso lo que pasaba por mis ojos. "Grand Theft Auto" manda.… Expand
  7. SammyHauguth
    Aug 29, 2023
    0
    Worst game ever made, and It's by the idiots at Rockstar Games. I don't understand how any one could even give this garbage score at all. It's so bad a d such a garbage.
  8. joao1198pedro
    Oct 30, 2013
    8
    the two firsts gta games were nothing special,but in the third game and with another generation they made something really special and terrific,this game would change this series forever.
  9. JohnLennon
    Apr 21, 2014
    10
    The Best in the Grand Theft Auto Series gorgeous graphics good story line awesome controls great characters i think this is the Citizen Kane of gaming in my opinion i recommend playing this awesome game
  10. VALVeY
    Nov 18, 2014
    8
    THIS GAME IS SO AWESOME ! The only thing I complain about is the controls other than that this game is awesome ! It has cool graphics great gameplay and variety for weapons ! GET THIS GAME ON THE PSN
  11. Henza27
    Jul 16, 2014
    10
    I love all the characters in this game, I love Claude, I love almost everything in this game. GTA V and GTA IV don't have that feeling I have with older GTA games. If you see this game on sale, GET IT!!! Steam can have my $3.74 for this game :)
  12. Scytherax
    Aug 15, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Grand Theft Auto III is one of a kind. With a 3D and 2D Third Person View, epic artwork for the Heads Up Display and 3D models like no other in the time, Grand Theft Auto III has nailed the best Graphic Design I have ever seen that comes from the year it was made. Sure, there are other good designs like the Elder Scrolls at the time but the artwork on the box and in game makes me go "Holy f*ckin' ****

    The gameplay has again, a 3D and 2D Third Person View, making this as view-customizable as Fallout. The free roam is quick but locked places can take time to UNlock the locations. Although there aren't many character customization options (-1), there is quite an array of weapons available to the player. Unlike San Andreas, it was a shame that the game had a garage without any modification options, making the vehicles barely customizable (-1).

    However, I like the way when you kick someone, you actually get money unlike the nowadays Grand Theft Auto where it automatically drops out of the victim's wallet after being killed. Not to mention geting stacks of money only worth up to $50.

    Grand Theft Auto III will always be one game withing my heart, even in this year of 2014.    … Expand
  13. SythusRATINGS
    Oct 19, 2014
    9
    Players are put at the heart of their very own gangster movie, and let loose in a fully-realised 3 dimensional city with a cast of hundreds, 50 plus vehicles, ranging from sports cars to ice cream trucks and from boats to buses, 3 hours of music, including opera, reggae, house, drum and bass, pop and disco, and a huge array of street ready weapons.
  14. LatinCritic13
    Jul 11, 2020
    10
    Grand Theft Auto III is the only 3D open world game that started it all and it’s a revolutionizing gamechanging masterpiece.
  15. DailySalesman
    Mar 22, 2015
    8
    The days before Grand Theft Auto became a world of sexual themes was certainly a good one even if I am now shaking my head at the amount of strong language featured here. The graphics here are a bit under par if I do say so myself but the gameplay itself is top notch. Grand Theft Auto III is quite simply put a fun romp through a huge city. It's incredibly innovate yet outlandish at theThe days before Grand Theft Auto became a world of sexual themes was certainly a good one even if I am now shaking my head at the amount of strong language featured here. The graphics here are a bit under par if I do say so myself but the gameplay itself is top notch. Grand Theft Auto III is quite simply put a fun romp through a huge city. It's incredibly innovate yet outlandish at the same time and that is what defines GTA.… Expand
  16. TheBlok
    Aug 8, 2015
    10
    Very good! Game with great storyline, gameplay , story , graphics for that time , cars, weapons and all! Very much recommend this game ! I played as a child, always had difficulty in some missions until passed, but after battling ! That's because I was very bad at playing , was the first 3D game I played in my life , the graphics were simply sensational when I played for the first time !
  17. SkullBallCorp
    Aug 12, 2015
    10
    The second best GTA of them all!
    Let me put one thing out there, this was not my first GTA game. My first was GTA 2 then 1 and then 3. Mentioning that is just to show that it is not nostalgia alone speaking when I say that the only GTA to beat this in my eyes was GTA V. Many people prefer San Andreas (and with good reason) however I felt that game was too clustered for its own good which    The second best GTA of them all!
    Let me put one thing out there, this was not my first GTA game. My first was GTA 2 then 1 and then 3. Mentioning that is just to show that it is not nostalgia alone speaking when I say that the only GTA to beat this in my eyes was GTA V. Many people prefer San Andreas (and with good reason) however I felt that game was too clustered for its own good which made performance suffer greatly back in the day on consoles. This game has a great story in a dark realistic Liberty City with missions taking you to work with the mob, help out club owners or just create general mayhem! The graphics may not have aged well but they aren't painful to look at by any means and the game is still a joy to play. Especially with cheats.    … Expand
  18. Cmmcfreire
    May 7, 2020
    7
    Story - 7/10
    Gameplay - 7/10
    Graphics - 7/10
    Soundtrack - 7/10
    Levels - 8/10
    Replay value - 7/10
  19. Cr37994
    Dec 24, 2015
    10
    Amazing game. Truly a revolutionary masterpiece. Anyone that doesn't like this game is on crack. So much variety, such a classic that helped shape games of this genre. Wether it's street racing or killing people, there is some thing for every one.
  20. noctis242
    Jan 12, 2016
    0
    Almost same score than gta san andreas? ... This is pathetic cause is 100% more limited than the last gta of ps2.

    You can't ride bisycles here, buy clothes, if you want to fly you cant take an airplane and fly the world you have to use glitchs in the game, you can't buy nothing apart of weapons, You cant increase your stats to run more time, not even go to a gym or eat, cant swim and    Almost same score than gta san andreas? ... This is pathetic cause is 100% more limited than the last gta of ps2.

    You can't ride bisycles here, buy clothes, if you want to fly you cant take an airplane and fly the world you have to use glitchs in the game, you can't buy nothing apart of weapons, You cant increase your stats to run more time, not even go to a gym or eat, cant swim and much more things..

    For the moment this game went on sale was very good but as best ps2 game of gta lacks too much.    … Expand
  21. Barnes1987
    Mar 6, 2017
    10
    GTA's first 3D venture turned out to be one the best games ever. This game blew my mind on christmas day 2001. Endless hours spent playing this game make it a must play game.
  22. BreakingAwesome
    May 13, 2016
    10
    Самая значимая игра в серии и одна из самых значимых вообще в игровой индустрии. Одна из первых игр, которая продвинула PS2. Первая 3D-игра в серии. Незамысловатый простой сюжет, где грабителя по имени Клод, предала Каталина. Естественно главный герой хочет отомстить. Этого он и пытается добиться в течении всей игры. Ему придется стать водителем, наёмником, убийцей. Он всё сделает радиСамая значимая игра в серии и одна из самых значимых вообще в игровой индустрии. Одна из первых игр, которая продвинула PS2. Первая 3D-игра в серии. Незамысловатый простой сюжет, где грабителя по имени Клод, предала Каталина. Естественно главный герой хочет отомстить. Этого он и пытается добиться в течении всей игры. Ему придется стать водителем, наёмником, убийцей. Он всё сделает ради денег. Геймплей тоже порадовал. Теперь это открытый мир без коридора, где можешь делать всё что захочешь. Графика на PS2-версии устарела, но всё равно ту мрачную атмосферу не передать словами. Абсолютно 10/10.… Expand
  23. Kingofdanerds
    Nov 10, 2016
    10
    Really like the story line. I mean you play a mute who needs to get through life in Liberty City. Sometimes it is just plain fun to just screw around. 10/10
  24. Progamer420
    Nov 13, 2016
    9
    GTA III... a great single player experience. The game play is good. There are plenty of missions in this game and all are very well made and fast paced. But there are are numerous glitches in the game. The story is well balanced. About the graphics... They are good for 2001. But sometimes the game lacks depth.
    Overall a great open world game with significant amount of features and also    GTA III... a great single player experience. The game play is good. There are plenty of missions in this game and all are very well made and fast paced. But there are are numerous glitches in the game. The story is well balanced. About the graphics... They are good for 2001. But sometimes the game lacks depth.
    Overall a great open world game with significant amount of features and also have some down points too.    … Expand
  25. AndrewWen
    Jan 26, 2017
    10
    Out of this world!One of the game that you must play before you die!A game that shock us again since Doom!It Almost the best PS2 game.But after you beat the game(complete 100%)you will feel bored.
  26. PresidentTrump
    Oct 28, 2017
    7
    After getting this pain-in-the-ass of a game to start, the ass pain didn't stop.
    The resolution was garbage and alt-tabbing out of the game took forever.
    I installed the silent patch and some other gameplay fixing mods. Now the pain can stop. For now. The story: A guy named Claude gets shot by his girlfriend while robbing a bank. He's arrested but breaks out with his boy 8-Ball.    After getting this pain-in-the-ass of a game to start, the ass pain didn't stop.
    The resolution was garbage and alt-tabbing out of the game took forever.
    I installed the silent patch and some other gameplay fixing mods.
    Now the pain can stop. For now.

    The story:
    A guy named Claude gets shot by his girlfriend while robbing a bank. He's arrested but breaks out with his boy 8-Ball. Claude works up the ranks trying to make money and find Catalina. He works for the Mafia, the Yakuza, and others. He eventually finds Catalina and shoots her down out of her helicopter and Claude walks off with his new girl, Maria.

    The gameplay:
    Some clunky driving. Horrible driver AI since they crash into you constantly because they switch lanes with no warning.
    Bad Shooting. The game is heavily outdated. Most missions suffer because of this. It's either the driving or the Cartel mows you down with their M16 that will kill you in a literal second.

    The graphics and cinematics:
    The graphics in GTA 3 are meh. The game is 15 years old (holy sh*t) so the graphics aren't going to be that great. Even though, the game still looks good. If you get the resolution fix mod, the game looks less pixeled and you can experience the game PS2 style. The cinematics and cutscenes are alright. Although it feels really awkward when Claude walks into this guys house, he tells Claude what to do, and Claude just nods his head after doing so. Claude has no real interaction with characters, which makes them feel flat. Only in missions where two other characters interact, is where the dialogue writing shines.

    Soundtrack:
    Most of it was awful to me. I'm the type of guy that can listen to mostly anything, so that's a lot. I liked Game FM and Flashback. The Jamaican and classical music didn't fit the environment and got annoying. Even on stations, I liked, there were only 6 or so songs. So you're constantly hearing that one song that goes "We're gon give this all that we gooot, keep on risin to the top!" and it gets really annoying. Most of the time I actually just listen to Lazlow talk about stupid sh*t.

    The missions from hell:
    The last about 10-15 missions are so ball burstingly hard, I almost skipped this game and went to Vice City.

    -Donald Love's Missions - Liberator
    Save some old dude from Cartel. Sounds easy until they tear you apart with M16s.
    Donald's Mission - Waka-Gashira Wipeout
    Kill Kenji, a leader of the Yakuza gang (also the guy you worked for) to start a gang war between Yakuza and cartel. You can't leave your car (since it's a cartel car and your identity will be revealed if you leave) so if the car is on fire, it's over. They shoot at your car with M16's which will destroy it in seconds, while you must drive by ONE GUY and if you fail to hit him, it's over.
    Donalds Mission - A Drop in the Ocean.
    Pick up some packages that a plane drops, while each package gives you one star. There are 6 packages. The boat controls are clunky and the water feels really weird. And when you're driving to the paint n spray (THAT ISN'T MARKED ON THE MAP) you're getting rammed with FBI cars and SWAT trucks.
    Donald's Mission - Grand Theft Aero
    Guess what, that last mission didn't matter. It was just a decoy, lol. Drive to another island you've never seen before, then drive back to the other island and kill Cartel members armed with M16 that will kill you damn near instantly. They're hiding around tight corners and the **** aiming doesn't help.
    The rest of Donald's mission isn't bad, Akuza's is though.
    Akuza's mission - Bait
    You drive around the new island, leading Cartel death squads to a Yakuza hid out so they're killed. Yeah, except the Yakuza are garbage and you have to kill them yourself at the death squad, or else they get away.
    Akuza's mission - Espresso 2 Go!
    One of the hardest in the series, trust me I've played them all.
    You drive around THE WHOLE MAP in 7 minutes. AND THERE IS NO FULL MAP ONLY A MINI MAP AND YOU HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND BEFORE DESTROYING THE COFFEE STANDS BECAUSE THEN THE MARKERS DON'T SHOW UP F*CK THIS MISSION!
    Akuza's Mission - S.A.M
    Another one of the hardest in the series. You blow up a plane mid-air in a boat. You have to STOP the boat. And aim your rocket launcher, if it misses, tries again. Or you could cheat in a tank and blow the cartel and police to Kingdom f*ck and get it over with.

    But what there's more!:
    There are some nice side missions in GTA 3 that are nice. Hidden Packages that give you weapon pickups outside your safehouse per 10 collected out of 100. The map is small and easy so it's now that bad.
    Paramedic - Pick people up and drive them to the hospital in a timelimit, and you can't crash. If the Mafia hates you, good f*cking luck since now they got shotguns that blow you to kingdom f*ck.
    Do I recommend the game?
    Yeah. As much as I hated the end missions, I had fun getting the collectibles and a lot of the earlier missions. I recommend on sale or even at its normal price    … Expand
  27. evolution98
    Sep 17, 2018
    9
    The game that MADE Rockstar into what they are today. It revolutionized the fantastic open world sandbox gameplay that Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 did three years before this game came out. It also led to the GTA clone genre.

    The graphics and environment looked so mesmerizing back in 2001 but wow they didn't age well. I loved the radio stations Flashback 98.3 and Game FM. The    The game that MADE Rockstar into what they are today. It revolutionized the fantastic open world sandbox gameplay that Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 did three years before this game came out. It also led to the GTA clone genre.

    The graphics and environment looked so mesmerizing back in 2001 but wow they didn't age well. I loved the radio stations Flashback 98.3 and Game FM. The sound was pretty good. Very impressive actors and actresses doing fantastic voice acting that would significantly improve as the series continued. The gameplay needs no description. It's so influential and mind-blowing. The story was fantastic. I did like Claude. He was strange yet captivating because he was silent and a criminal but he was also a messenger boy. Tommy Vercetti would blow Claude out of the water in Vice City the next year and so would Carl Johnson in San Andreas.

    I adored the vehicle missions, import garages, hidden packages and rampages.

    It suffers from many flaws: weak soundtrack, useless map, no map menu in pause menu, woeful frame-rate and slowdown and poor aiming controls.

    Every game that followed from this one would heavily improve and the flaws would be gone.

    A classic which paved the way for even better games up to GTA 5.    … Expand
  28. SSJGodku
    Jul 18, 2023
    8
    This was my introduction to the GTA series. I enjoyed the story & characters. I also liked just driving around and reeking havoc on the civilians.
  29. immadbro64
    May 24, 2017
    10
    this is an epic game but has not aged well from later grand theft auto games. but otherwise its got fun missions and a good world. it is a ps2 classic
  30. SkeletonBones
    Aug 9, 2017
    10
    After 16 years after the release of this game, it is still valekolepna and interesting as ever and GTA III not need in the view. This game is a legend and everyone should know about it
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best PS2 Game of 2001
4
#4 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2001
1
#1 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2001

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
97

Universal acclaim - based on 56 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 56
  3. Negative: 0 out of 56
  1. Voodoo Extreme
    98
    The end-all, be-all of console action games. Period...For me GTA3 is the best action game I have ever played on a console system and I highly recommend it to adults (the intended audience of this game) who know the difference between good and evil.
    Read full review
  2. Into Liquid Sky
    100
    An insanely deep game that offers a lot to do outside of the 70+ missions. If you understand that it's just a game and that these selfsame actions are not healthy in the real world, you'll enjoy a well-developed world disguised as a deviously fun game.
    Read full review
  3. Next Generation Magazine
    80
    Adding to the frustration is the fact that your targeting system is practically useless, and the vehicle physics model is annoyingly floaty. [Jan 2002, p.78]
See all critic reviews »