Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto III celebrates 25 years

Grand Theft Auto III marks its 25th anniversary, celebrating its role in revolutionizing the open-world gaming genre. Originally released by Rockstar Games on October 22, 2001, for the PlayStation 2, the title transitioned the franchise from a traditional top-down perspective to a fully realized three-dimensional universe.

The game established a new industry standard by providing players with significant autonomy to explore Liberty City, engage in vehicle theft, and participate in police pursuits. This shift to 3D graphics and non-linear gameplay laid the mechanical foundation for subsequent successful titles in the series, such as Vice City and San Andreas.