{
  "id": 2517774,
  "title": "From 1997's Grand Theft Auto to GTA 6: The evolution of gaming’s biggest crime series",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/from-1997s-grand-theft-auto-to-gta-6-the-evolution-of-gamings-biggest-2517774",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-22T06:19:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2026/08/22/from-1997s-grand-theft-auto-to-gta-6-the-evolution-of-gamings-biggest-crime-series/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "When the original Grand Theft Auto game was released in 1997, it was not immediately clear that it would become one of the most influential and enduring series in gaming history. Created by DMA Design, the studio that would later become Rockstar North, the game offered a novel level of freedom that set it apart from other driving games. In this top-down game, players could engage in criminal activities such as stealing cars, working for organized crime, and simply causing chaos in the city. This freedom became the foundation for the entire series.\n\nGrand Theft Auto 3, released in 2001, was a turning point for the series. It was the first game in the franchise to be fully three-dimensional and set in an open world. Players controlled the character Claude as he navigated Liberty City's criminal underworld, with missions and objectives providing a structure for the game, but the exploration and interaction with the city taking center stage. The game's influence extended far beyond the gaming community, setting a blueprint for future games that emphasized expansive, open-world environments.",
  "summary": "When the first Grand Theft Auto arrived in 1997, there was little indication that the top-down driving game would evolve into one of the defining series in entertainment. Developed in Dundee by DMA Design, the studio that would later become Rockstar North, the game offered something unusually permissive. Players could steal cars, work for criminals and abandon their objectives to simply cause…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "From 1997's Grand Theft Auto to GTA 6: The evolution of gaming’s biggest crime series",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/from-1997s-grand-theft-auto-to-gta-6-the-evolution-of-gamings-biggest",
        "published": "2026-08-22T06:19:06.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}