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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Grand Theft Auto III turns 25 on October 22, 2026, exactly 25 years after its October 22, 2001 release. Twenty-eight days later, on November 19, 2026, Rockstar Games is scheduled to launch Grand Theft Auto VI. The dates create a direct bridge between the game that established Rockstar’s modern 3D open-world formula and the upcoming return to Vice City in the fictional state of Leonida.
When is GTA III’s 25th anniversary?
Grand Theft Auto III reaches its 25th anniversary on October 22, 2026. Rockstar’s release record dates the game to October 22, 2001, so the anniversary is a full quarter-century after its original launch.
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Grand Theft Auto VI is currently scheduled for November 19, 2026. Counting the calendar interval from October 22 to November 19 gives 28 days, putting GTA III’s anniversary less than a month before GTA VI’s planned release.
Why GTA III changed open-world games
GTA III moved the series into a fully 3D Liberty City and made the city itself the central playground. Rockstar describes the game as combining a highly immersive, detailed 3D world with nonlinear freedom, cinematic storytelling and the radio-station format that became a series signature.
#1 Best Overall
- Grand Theft Auto III: It all starts in Liberty City. With the revolutionary freedom to go anywhere and jack anyone, Grand Theft Auto III puts the center of the criminal underworld at your fingertips, if you have enough guts to take it.
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: Welcome to the 1980s. From the decade of big hair and pastel suits comes the story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Five years ago, Carl 'CJ' Johnson escaped the haze of Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption.
That combination let players choose their own route through missions and the wider city instead of following a strictly linear sequence. Radio stations, curated playlists and DJ hosts added a continuous soundtrack and helped make travel through Liberty City part of the experience rather than downtime.
Rockstar’s own product description calls GTA III “the game that defined the open-world genre for a generation.” The significance is not simply that it used 3D graphics; it established a repeatable design template: a navigable city, mission freedom, story-driven set pieces and an in-world audio system that made the environment feel cohesive.
Rank #2
- Grand Theft Auto III: It all starts in Liberty City. With the revolutionary freedom to go anywhere and jack anyone, Grand Theft Auto III puts the center of the criminal underworld at your fingertips, if you have enough guts to take it.
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: Welcome to the 1980s. From the decade of big hair and pastel suits comes the story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile. Grand Theft Auto returns with Tommy Vercetti’s tale of betrayal and revenge in a neon-soaked tropical town full of excess and brimming with possibilities.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Five years ago, Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson escaped the haze of Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption. Now, it's the early 90s. CJ’s got to go home - his mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart, and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster.
Where can you play GTA III now?
The Definitive Edition
The current officially announced modern option is Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, which includes GTA III alongside the other two games in the original trilogy. Rockstar announced digital availability and physical editions for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.
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Rank #3
- Grand Theft Auto III: It all starts in Liberty City
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: Welcome to the 1980s
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Five years ago, Carl 'CJ' Johnson escaped the haze of Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption.
Original-era versions
Players who still have access to an original-era release can experience the game as it was presented in 2001, including its period-specific controls, presentation and platform limitations. That route is distinct from the modern compilation: it preserves the historical version rather than using the later package.
| Option | What it includes | Confirmed availability or format |
|---|---|---|
| Original-era release | GTA III as released in 2001 | Requires compatible access to an original-era platform or copy |
| Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition | GTA III plus the other two trilogy games | Digital and physical editions announced for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 |
How GTA III and GTA VI represent different eras
Liberty City and Leonida
GTA III’s setting is Liberty City, the fictional urban environment that demonstrated what Rockstar could do with a fully 3D open world in 2001. GTA VI moves the series back to Vice City, presented within the broader fictional state of Leonida and framed as a modern-day setting.
Rank #4
The locations are not the same kind of snapshot. GTA III reflected the technology, hardware and urban sensibilities of 2001; GTA VI is being built for current-generation consoles and a contemporary version of the series’ Florida-inspired world.
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From an established formula to a new release structure
GTA III introduced the open-world framework that later games expanded. GTA VI inherits that lineage, but Rockstar is selling it as a new release with separately identified editions rather than as part of a retrospective collection.
Best Value
- Grand Theft Auto III: It all starts in Liberty City. With the revolutionary freedom to go anywhere and jack anyone, Grand Theft Auto III puts the center of the criminal underworld at your fingertips, if you have enough guts to take it.
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: Welcome to the 1980s. From the decade of big hair and pastel suits comes the story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Five years ago, Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson escaped the haze of Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption.
| Game | Release date | Setting | Confirmed platform or edition information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto III | October 22, 2001 | Liberty City | Included in The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition |
| Grand Theft Auto VI | November 19, 2026 | Vice City and the state of Leonida | Standard and Ultimate Editions; PS5 and Xbox Series X|S preorders listed by Rockstar |
When does GTA 6 come out, and what is included in its editions?
Rockstar says GTA VI will launch on November 19, 2026. The company moved the date to allow additional development time, explaining that the extra months would help finish the game “with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve.”
Rockstar’s support information lists Standard and Ultimate Editions and shows preorders for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It also lists a physical version that contains a digital-download code, allowing the game to be preloaded while still providing a boxed product.
The currently confirmed console information is:
- PlayStation 5: Rockstar lists preorders.
- Xbox Series X|S: Rockstar lists preorders, and Xbox independently lists November 19, 2026 availability.
- Editions: Standard and Ultimate Editions are listed.
- Physical format: a boxed version with a digital-download code is listed for preload support.
Rockstar has not established in the supplied launch information a final price, regional inventory, complete Ultimate Edition contents or availability for additional platforms. Those details can vary by country and retailer, so check the local listing before ordering.
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What the anniversary means for players
The October anniversary is a useful moment to revisit the design decisions that made GTA III influential: a fully 3D city, freedom to approach progression nonlinearly, cinematic missions and radio that turns movement through the world into part of the fiction. The modern compilation provides the clearest officially announced route on newer consoles, while an original copy offers a period-authentic alternative.
For players looking ahead, GTA VI’s November 19 date places that historical checkpoint immediately before the series’ next major chapter. GTA III supplied the foundational Liberty City template; GTA VI applies the series’ open-world tradition to modern Vice City and Leonida on current-generation hardware.
Quick Recap
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