From the opening credits, GTA III has an adult, cinematic feel that draws you in and differentiates itself from almost all of its contemporaries. With current-gen remasters of the GTA trilogy confirmed to be coming later this year, this seemed like the right time to play the “original.” The idea was to see how it holds up, and to examine the DNA of GTA III, which inspired innumerable sandbox/open-world-style sequels, actual and spiritual. My introduction to the series was Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and I experienced the rest of the sequels as they came out (particularly GTA V, a game I got into shortly after moving to Los Angeles, which made it a surreal ride). I recently played through GTA III for the first time, on the PlayStation 4. More specifically, the “you” in this case is Claude, the wordless protagonist of the game.
“You,” in this instance, is the person playing Grand Theft Auto III, the game that inspired equal parts awe and ire upon its release 20 years ago today. You steal another car and finish the race. During the race, your car bounces off concrete barriers, other cars, and the occasional pedestrian, and eventually catches fire. You’re directed to the start of a street race, and you are not given the choice to opt out. You’re tearing through the streets, and you pass a ringing pay phone. “What the dealio?” offers the driver as he’s being flung out of said car-the funniest possible reaction to being violently ripped from your vehicle in broad daylight. You need to get around, so you steal a car.
Twenty years later, we’re taking a look at its legacy while we wait for the upcoming GTA trilogy remaster, prepare to purchase yet another version of GTA V, and read rumors about the still-unannounced GTA VI. GTA III became a bestselling sensation that defined the open-world genre, spawning several sequels, inspiring countless imitators, and causing a cultural uproar. On October 22, 2001, Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto III, a game that transported the publisher’s trademark criminal mayhem to an unimaginably immersive 3-D Liberty City.
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