Grand Theft Auto III, often called GTA 3, originally arrived on PlayStation 2 in October 2001. It brought the series into a three-dimensional open world, with Claude as its lead character and Liberty City as its setting. Rockstar’s 2011 anniversary announcement identifies it as the first 3D open-world Grand Theft Auto title. That is a claim about this series, not a claim that it invented every kind of open-world game.
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What changed within Grand Theft Auto?
The important shift was how a player could experience the city. Rather than describing GTA III only through its plot, Rockstar’s anniversary account emphasizes an open-ended environment and the combination of a crime story with player freedom. Liberty City became a place to move through and explore, not simply a name attached to a sequence of missions.
This helps explain its place in the franchise without assigning it every feature from later games. An engine name, a movement ability or a control scheme from another release is not evidence that the same thing existed in the original GTA III.
Original GTA III or The Definitive Edition?
The original release and GTA III – The Definitive Edition should be identified separately. Rockstar’s 2021 Trilogy announcement covers a later collection containing GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas. A video, screenshot or guide for that collection should not automatically be treated as a record of the 2001 PlayStation 2 version.
- Check the exact game and edition name in your installed copy.
- Match control instructions to that edition and your platform.
- When comparing the game’s legacy, separate the original design from changes introduced in later releases.
Where Claude fits
Claude is the lead associated with GTA III. He should not be substituted for the protagonists of other Liberty City stories merely because the city name is familiar. For a quick comparison, use our selected GTA playable-character guide.
Editorial correction: This page has been revised to remove inaccurate release context, unsupported technical claims and mixed-up game identities.