Here's a piece of timing almost too perfect to ignore: Grand Theft Auto III turns 25 on October 22, 2026 — less than a month before GTA 6 launches on November 19, 2026. One game invented the modern open-world crime sandbox; the other aims to be its ultimate expression. Comparing GTA 6 vs GTA 3 isn't really a contest — it's a time capsule showing how far Rockstar has traveled in a quarter century.
Why GTA 3 Still Matters
Before GTA III, Grand Theft Auto was a top-down 2D game. When it launched on the PlayStation 2 on October 22, 2001, it did something that reshaped the entire medium: it put you in a fully 3D Liberty City and simply let you exist there — steal any car, cause chaos, follow the story or ignore it. Nearly every open-world game since owes it a debt.
That DNA runs straight into GTA 6. The core loop Rockstar is refining in Vice City — drive anywhere, do anything, get pulled into a criminal story — is the exact loop GTA III established 25 years earlier. GTA 6 is the great-grandchild of the game we're celebrating.
The Numbers: Then vs. Now
| Feature | GTA 3 (2001) | GTA 6 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | PlayStation 2 | PS5, Xbox Series X/S |
| Setting | Liberty City | Vice City / state of Leonida |
| Protagonist | Claude (silent) | Jason Duval & Lucia Caminos (dual leads) |
| Map style | Single 3D city | ~2.4–2.7× GTA 5's map, six regions |
| Interiors | A handful | 700+ enterable |
| Vehicles | ~50–60 | 200+ at launch |
| Voice & story | Limited voiced NPCs, silent lead | Fully voiced dual protagonists |
The jump is almost hard to process. GTA III's entire Liberty City would be a rounding error inside GTA 6's Leonida, which spans everything from neon beaches to swampland to a national park. For the full scale breakdown, see our GTA 6 map size guide.
Protagonists: Silence to Center Stage
GTA III's Claude never spoke a single line. He was a blank slate — a deliberate choice that let players project themselves onto him. It worked for 2001, but it dates the game instantly next to what came after.
GTA 6 goes to the opposite extreme with two fully realized, voiced protagonists: Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, the first female playable lead in a modern mainline GTA. Their Bonnie-and-Clyde dynamic is the emotional engine of the whole game. The distance between a silent placeholder and a co-op criminal romance is the distance the entire industry has traveled on video game storytelling. Compare the modern approach in our GTA 6 vs GTA 5 breakdown.
Vice City Connections
There's another neat thread here. GTA III's success directly birthed GTA: Vice City in 2002, a 1980s Miami fantasy that became a fan favorite. GTA 6 returns to a Vice City — this time a modern one — closing a loop that GTA III opened. If you want to see how the original Vice City compares to the new one, we cover exactly that in our GTA 6 vs Vice City (2002) article.
What GTA 3 Did That GTA 6 Still Can't Match
To be fair to the classic, a few things about GTA III remain untouchable:
- Historical impact — GTA 6 will be huge, but it can't invent the genre. GTA III already did.
- Accessibility — GTA III runs on virtually anything today and costs a few dollars. GTA 6 launches at premium pricing on current-gen hardware only.
- Pick-up-and-play simplicity — GTA III's smaller scope is a feature for players who find modern open worlds overwhelming.
Sometimes the game that started it all is exactly the right amount of game.
The Evolution in One Sentence
GTA III proved you could hand a player a whole 3D city and trust them with it; GTA 6 hands them an entire state, two lives to live, and a simulation dense enough to react to nearly everything they do. Same idea, 25 years of ambition stacked on top. For the mid-point of that journey, revisit our GTA 6 vs San Andreas comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did GTA 3 come out?
Grand Theft Auto III released on October 22, 2001, for the PlayStation 2, making 2026 its 25th anniversary year.
Is GTA 3 connected to GTA 6?
Not directly in story, but they share a universe and a lineage. GTA III established the 3D open-world formula GTA 6 perfects, and both feature versions of Rockstar's recurring cities.
How much bigger is GTA 6 than GTA 3?
Vastly. GTA III was a single 3D city; GTA 6's map is estimated at 2.4–2.7 times the size of GTA 5's — itself many times larger than GTA III's Liberty City.
Did GTA 3 have voiced protagonists?
No. GTA III's lead, Claude, was silent. GTA 6 features two fully voiced protagonists, Jason and Lucia.
The Bottom Line
Putting GTA 6 vs GTA 3 side by side isn't about picking a winner — it's about appreciating a 25-year arc. The game turning 25 this October lit the fuse; the game launching in November is the explosion. When you boot up Vice City on November 19, 2026, spare a thought for the blocky Liberty City that made all of it possible.