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 21 October 2001 for thePlayStation 2 console, on 20 May 2002 for Microsoft Windows, and on 31 October 2003 for the Xbox console. It is the fifth title in the Grand Theft Auto series, and the first main entry since Grand Theft Auto 2 in 1999.
Grand Theft Auto III is played from a third-person perspective in an open world environment, allowing the player to interact with the game world at their leisure. The game is set within the fictional city of Liberty City, which is heavily based on New York City. The single-player story follows Claude, a bank robber who is left for dead byhis girlfriend, and quickly becomes entangled in a world of gangs, crime, and corruption.In addition to the exploits of Claude, the storyline, while not as integral to the game as its successors, depicts Claude's development of several non-player individuals and bosses, through cut scenes before the start of each mission, as the player progresses through the game. Most of the characters encountered revolve around corruption, crime and a fictionaldrug called "SPANK," which is a growing menace in the city.Criminal offenses, such as carjacking, murder and theft will result in increasing levels of resistance from the authorities. If the player's "wanted" level reaches certain levels, the police, FBI, and army will respond accordingly. 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 armor 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 originalGrand Theft Auto and its sequel. This allows the player character to "die" as many times as she/he pleases, and render it impossible to indefinitely lose in the game.
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.
With the success of Grand Theft Auto III and its sequels, several of these characters or their relatives reappear in future titles in the series with major or minor roles, and their personal background expanded, particularly Leone family Don Salvatore Leone along with his "girl" Maria; media mogul Donald Love; Phil, the One-Armed Bandit; 8-Ball; Catalina and Toni Cipriani.
The voice cast for the game's characters features several established celebrities. Notable voice actors include: Frank Vincent,Michael Madsen, Michael Rapaport, Joe Pantoliano, Debi Mazar, Kyle MacLachlan, Robert Loggia, Lazlow Jones and late rapperGuru.
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 game engine for the first time in the series. 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. Grand Theft Auto III's violent and sexual content has also been the source of public concern and controversy.
Its successor, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, was released on 22 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. The game has also been ported to various other platforms and services, such as Mac OS X and the PlayStation Network.