Grand Theft Auto III is an action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It was released in October 2001 for the PlayStation 2, in May 2002 for Microsoft Windows, and in October 2003 for the Xbox. It is the third main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following Grand Theft Auto 2, and the fifth installment overall.
Set within the fictional Liberty City, the story follows Claude,who after being betrayed and left for dead by his girlfriend during a robbery, embarks on a quest for revenge that leads him to become entangled in a world of crime, drugs, gang warfare, and corruption. Its open world design lets players freely roam Liberty City.
An enhanced version of the game was released on mobile platforms in 2011 for the game's tenth anniversary, and a further enhanced version for the twentieth anniversary was released in 2021. The game was followed by Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in 2002, while two prequels, Grand Theft Auto Advance and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, were released in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
Grand Theft Auto III is played from a third-person perspective. Players complete missions (scenarios with set objectives to progress through the story). Outside of missions, players can freely roam the game's open world, and have the ability to complete optional side missions. Liberty City is composed of three areas namely: Portland, Staunton Island, and Shoreside Vale; the latter two areas become unlocked as the player progresses through the storyline.
