Grand Theft Auto III is the game that transformed GTA into the open-world series we know today. Developed by DMA Design, later renamed Rockstar North, and published by Rockstar Games, it first launched for PlayStation 2 in 2001 before reaching PC and the original Xbox.
Set in Liberty City, GTA III follows the silent protagonist later identified as Claude. After Catalina betrays and shoots him during a bank robbery, Claude escapes police custody and begins working for the criminal organizations that control the city. His journey takes him from the industrial streets of Portland to Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale.
This page is the main hub for our Grand Theft Auto III coverage. You can learn about the story, characters, setting, gameplay and release history, or go directly to the correct GTA 3 cheat guide for your platform and version.
If you are here for cheat codes, choose your platform below. These guides contain the exact inputs, effects, version differences and save-file warnings for each release:
If you are unsure which release you own, see the full platform and version comparison further down this page.
Grand Theft Auto III takes place in 2001 in Liberty City, a fictional American metropolis inspired primarily by New York City. Unlike the brightly colored settings of later games such as Vice City, this version of Liberty City is deliberately bleak, industrial and hostile. Organized crime, political corruption and gang warfare shape every part of the city.
The story begins when Catalina betrays Claude during a bank robbery, shoots him and leaves him for dead. Claude survives but is arrested. While he and explosives expert 8-Ball are being transported to prison, an attack on the police convoy gives them a chance to escape.
Because Claude never speaks, his personality is defined through his actions and the criminals who employ him. He carries out missions for the Leone crime family, the Yakuza and several other factions while searching for Catalina and the Colombian Cartel. His silence also lets the eccentric supporting cast dominate the story through memorable dialogue, dark humor and satire.
Liberty City is divided into three large districts that become available as the story progresses:
| District | Main Locations | Role in the Story |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Red Light District, Saint Mark's, Chinatown, Portland Harbor | The industrial opening area, dominated by the Leone family, the Triads and the Diablos. |
| Staunton Island | Bedford Point, Torrington, Newport, Belleville Park | Liberty City's commercial center and the setting for Claude's work with the Yakuza, Yardies and corrupt officials. |
| Shoreside Vale | Francis International Airport, Cedar Grove, Wichita Gardens, Cochrane Dam | The final district, where Claude's conflict with Catalina and the Colombian Cartel reaches its conclusion. |
The earlier Grand Theft Auto games used a top-down perspective. GTA III brought the series into a fully 3D city viewed primarily from a third-person perspective, combining driving, exploration, shooting, and mission-based progression in one continuous world.
Players can follow the story, steal vehicles, search for weapons, provoke the police or simply explore Liberty City. Optional activities include Taxi Driver, Paramedic, Firefighter, and Vigilante missions. The wanted system escalates the police response as Claude commits more serious crimes, eventually bringing roadblocks, SWAT teams, the FBI and the military into the pursuit.
The in-car radio is another defining element. Its fictional stations combine licensed music, original tracks, talk shows, DJs and satirical advertisements. Together with the changing weather, traffic and pedestrian behavior, the radio helps Liberty City feel like a place that continues moving around the player.
| Feature | What It Added to GTA |
|---|---|
| Fully 3D Liberty City | A continuous urban world that could be explored on foot or in dozens of different vehicles. |
| Open Mission Structure | Multiple employers, optional activities and the freedom to explore between story missions. |
| Wanted Level | An escalating police response ranging from ordinary patrol officers to the military. |
| Vehicle and Weapon Variety | Cars, vans, emergency vehicles, boats and an arsenal ranging from pistols to the rocket launcher. |
| Radio Stations | Music, talk shows and advertising that give Liberty City its own culture and sense of place. |
GTA III has different cheat inputs depending on the platform, and not every release supports exactly the same effects. Choose the guide that matches the version you are actually playing. The original PlayStation 2 release, the 2015 PS4 conversion and The Definitive Edition are separate products even though they may be played on the same console family.
| Platform or Version | What the Guide Covers | Complete Cheat Guide |
|---|---|---|
| PC | The original Windows release and Grand Theft Auto III - The Definitive Edition, with compatibility notes for codes that differ between them. | GTA 3 PC cheats and codes |
| PlayStation 2 | All 23 button combinations from the original PS2 release. | GTA 3 PS2 cheats |
| PS4 2015 Conversion | The PS4 conversion of the original PS2 game. It uses the 23 classic PlayStation combinations and can also be played on PS5 through backward compatibility. | GTA 3 cheats for the 2015 PS4 version |
| Original Xbox | The port included in Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack and the original Xbox version of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy, including its additional green-traffic-lights code. | GTA 3 original Xbox cheats |
| The Definitive Edition on PS4 and PS5 | The remastered 2021 release, which uses modern PlayStation inputs and has a slightly different selection of cheats. | GTA: The Trilogy cheats for PS4 and PS5 |
| The Definitive Edition on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S | The remastered release with modern Xbox button labels. Do not use the Black and White button notation from the original Xbox port. | GTA: The Trilogy cheats for Xbox One and Series X|S |
The original releases contain 23 standard cheat effects. The original Xbox port adds a 24th code that keeps every traffic light green. The Definitive Edition removes Invisible Cars and Increased Gore but adds Big Head Mode; on PC, its typed code is EXPANDDOME.
If your game uses Black and White buttons, you are looking at the original Xbox version. If you are playing the 2015 PS4 release, use the classic PS2 combinations. If your game is part of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition, use the modern PS4/PS5 or Xbox One/Series guide instead.
GTA III cheats can restore Claude's health and armor, award money and weapons, change the wanted level, spawn a Rhino tank, alter vehicle physics, change the weather or transform pedestrian behavior. However, the game has no true invincibility, infinite-health, unlimited-money or infinite-ammo cheat.
| Cheat Category | Examples of Available Effects |
|---|---|
| Player and Weapons | Get all weapons, add $250,000, restore full health or armor, and change Claude's character model. |
| Wanted Level | Add two wanted stars or clear the current wanted level. |
| Vehicles | Spawn a Rhino tank, enable Flying Cars, improve handling, hide vehicle bodies or destroy active vehicles. |
| Pedestrians | Arm newly spawned pedestrians, make them attack Claude or trigger a citywide riot. |
| Weather and Time | Switch between clear, cloudy, rainy and foggy weather or accelerate the in-game clock. |
| Gameplay Speed | Make the entire game run faster or slower. |
Create a separate clean save before entering any cheat. Some effects can be disabled by entering the same code again, while one-time cheats simply apply their effect once. Pedestrian Riot and Pedestrians Attack Claude are especially risky because they cannot be safely reversed during normal play and may disrupt missions if their effects are saved.
Cheats may also affect achievements in The Definitive Edition. The safest method is to experiment in a separate save and reload your untouched file when you have finished.
The original GTA III has been released in several forms. Some are direct ports of the classic game, while The Definitive Edition is a remastered version with updated visuals, modernized controls and a modified selection of cheats.
| Release | Year | What It Is |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 2 | 2001 | The original release and the basis for the classic console cheat combinations. |
| Windows PC | 2002 | The original PC port, using typed cheat keywords instead of controller combinations. |
| Original Xbox | 2003 | An enhanced port first released through Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack, with Black and White button inputs. |
| Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition | 2011 | A mobile adaptation released for the game's tenth anniversary. |
| PS4 Conversion | 2015 | A conversion of the original PS2 version with trophies and enhanced PS4 system features. |
| The Definitive Edition | 2021 | The remastered version included in Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition. |
GTA III is part of the franchise's 3D Universe, the continuity shared by Vice City, San Andreas, Liberty City Stories, Vice City Stories and GTA Advance. Later games such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto V take place in the separate HD Universe, where familiar cities are reimagined rather than treated as the same locations.
| Game | Story Year | Connection to GTA III |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | 1986 | An earlier story in the same 3D Universe that expands the mission structure introduced by GTA III. |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | 1992 | Claude and Catalina appear years before the Liberty City bank robbery, providing background to their relationship. |
| Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories | 1998 | A direct prequel set in Liberty City, starring Toni Cipriani and showing the Leone family's rise before GTA III. |
| Grand Theft Auto III | 2001 | Claude's story and the final chronological visit to Liberty City within the 3D Universe. |
| Grand Theft Auto IV | 2008 | A new continuity and a completely redesigned Liberty City; it is not a direct sequel to Claude's story. |
| Grand Theft Auto V | 2013 | A later HD Universe story set in Los Santos, building on the open-world structure GTA III established. |
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is not another version of GTA III. It is a separate prequel starring Toni Cipriani. If you are playing that game, use our complete GTA: Liberty City Stories cheats for PSP and PS2, including the PSP-only multiplayer unlock codes.
Yes. GTA 3 is the common shortened name for Grand Theft Auto III. The Roman numeral III is the official styling used in the game's title.
No. Liberty City Stories is a separate game and a prequel set in 1998. It stars Toni Cipriani, while GTA III takes place in 2001 and follows Claude.
No. GTA III has no built-in god mode, permanent invincibility or infinite-health cheat. Full Health restores Claude's health once but does not prevent him from taking damage afterwards.
No. The money code adds $250,000 each time it is entered, and the weapons code can be repeated to receive more ammunition. Neither effect is permanently unlimited.
No. PC uses typed keywords, PlayStation uses button combinations and the original Xbox uses its Black and White buttons. The Definitive Edition also has a slightly different selection of effects, so always choose the guide for your exact version.
There are two relevant releases. The 2015 PS4 conversion is based on the original PS2 game and uses the classic 23 button combinations. Grand Theft Auto III - The Definitive Edition is a separate remastered release available on PS4 and PS5 with a modified cheat selection.
They can. Cheats that change pedestrian behavior may disrupt missions or become unsafe to reverse after saving. Create a separate clean save before experimenting and do not overwrite it after activating Pedestrian Riot or Pedestrians Attack Claude.
