Grand Theft Auto III – The Legacy Review

Over the coming months, I’ll be revisiting each of the main Grand Theft Auto games and replaying them as we approach the release of Grand Theft Auto 6. These won’t be traditional re-reviews, nor will they feature a new IGN score. Instead, they will re-examine what made each GTA exceptional when it first launched. By the end of this project, we should be able to roughly gauge where each of these games stands in my long-term affection for the series.

Today, we embark on the journey to the game that fundamentally transformed this series: Grand Theft Auto III. Experiencing GTA III in 2026 is akin to watching a home video of Usain Bolt learning to walk. It’s a bit unsteady, and it hasn’t quite mastered the process yet, but when viewed through a contemporary perspective, it comes with a fascinating insight that you’re witnessing the initial steps of a game-changing force.

In the late '90s, GTA games had gained popularity by offering a unique level of freedom within their sandbox-like cities. However, their top-down approach seemed outdated in comparison to the fully 3D worlds that were just starting to emerge during that period. In 2001, GTA III emerged as a completely different proposition, instantly redefining the series as a new benchmark in open-world action games.

Its already irritating targeting system is even more vexing by today’s standards, and the mission restarts that take ages to complete feel particularly discouraging 25 years later. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but admire how effectively it integrates driving, action, story, and exploration within a dynamic 3D world, all while pioneering this approach before any proper blueprint existed.

While GTA III didn’t get everything right from the get-go, you have to take baby steps to learn how to run. When playing GTA III right after finishing GTA 2, I’m reminded how GTA III feels like the actual game teased by GTA 2’s eye-catching live-action intro. The fact that GTA III fulfilled what GTA 2 left me craving made it even more special when it arrived.

GTA 2 left me yearning for a game that embodied the spirit of what I saw in that promo film. Two years later, GTA III delivered exactly that. GTA III retained a few distinct elements from its predecessor – like its amusing array of custom radio commercials, its random fondness for Elvis Presley, and an optional top-down camera – but it abandoned its bewildering time period, vague location, and retro-futuristic fleet of vehicles.

Instead, it chose something credible, contemporary, and recognizable, and returned to the original GTA’s New York homage: Liberty City. Liberty City is divided into three dissimilar boroughs that are introduced as the story progresses. We start in Portland, an area characterized by its grimy industrial district and seedy red-light district, before swiftly moving on to the Manhattan-inspired Staunton Island when the situation takes a turn for the worse.

Staunton Island presents a vastly different backdrop, featuring towering skyscrapers, a central park, and a more commercial atmosphere. Unfortunately, Shoreside Vale, the third area, fails to impress. It’s a dull, suburban zone dominated by a large airport and dam, lacking the personality of Portland and the density of Staunton Island.

While it’s notable for housing the notoriously challenging Dodo plane, it’s ultimately a disappointing change. The dimensions of Liberty City are quite small compared to its later expansion in GTA IV, and it’s significantly outshone by modern open-world standards. However, at that time, it was unlike any game world we’d ever experienced, and its constant transition from day to night and from clear to rainy weather made it feel like a living, breathing place – something that felt new and alive.

Playing GTA III again and being transported back to that moment in my life has been a powerful experience. The feeling of re-immersing myself in this classic game is indescribable. Driving around Liberty City, whether behind the wheel or on foot, you’re in complete control of the environment. There are no "driving" or "action" levels; it’s all one seamless map.

You can take any vehicle you want and go in any direction you choose. While the novelty of this freedom has somewhat diminished over the years, it was groundbreaking when GTA III first launched.