The game was met with an outstanding universal critical acclaim, becoming one of the highest rated video games in history. More recent GTA titles have stuck with the same 3D control and visual scheme, and all other titles of GTA are likely to remain so, albeit improved in visual quality as hardware improves. The changes made for GTA III marked a defining point in the series' graphical representation and control scheme.
The transition from top-down to full 3D has been widely regarded as a great maneuver, proven by its phenomenal sales figures. GTA III is the first foray into true three-dimensional GTA gameplay, with the player taking control of the game via a third-person perspective, viewed from behind and above the player character, as opposed to the Top-Down Perspective in the earlier Grand Theft Auto 1 and Grand Theft Auto 2 games. The game was originally released for PS2 on October 22, 2001, the PC on May 2002 and the Xbox on November 2003.
It was originally released on the PlayStation 2, PC, and Xbox. The game is the first of the 3D Universe and introduced many new features and increased the fan base of the series. Grand Theft Auto III (also known as GTA III or GTA 3) is the third installment and an open-world video game of the Grand Theft Auto series, released in 2001 and developed by Rockstar North, formerly called DMA Design for the PlayStation 2 and PC ports, the Xbox version by Rockstar Vienna and published by Rockstar Games. "One of the most influential and successful games ever made." ―The New York Times.