Grand Theft Auto III received critical acclaim, with particular praise directed at its concept and gameplay. Grand Theft Auto III was released in October 2001 for the PlayStation 2, in May 2002 for Windows, and in October 2003 for the Xbox. The game was delayed following the September 11 attacks to allow the team to change references and gameplay deemed inappropriate. Much of the development involved transforming popular elements from the Grand Theft Auto series into a fully 3D world for the first time. Its open world design lets players freely roam Liberty City, consisting of three main areas.ĭevelopment was shared between DMA Design, based in Edinburgh, and Rockstar, based in New York City. The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Set within the fictional Liberty City (loosely based on New York City), the story follows Claude, a silent protagonist 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. It is the third main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 1999's Grand Theft Auto 2, and the fifth instalment overall. Grand Theft Auto III is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games.
