# Grand Theft Auto III

> Rockstar reported over 11 million GTA III units sold amid TV mentions and lawsuits.

- Owner: Rockstar Games / Take-Two Interactive; developed by DMA Design
- Kind: Game
- Sector: Gaming
- Seed date: 2001-10-22
- Milestone date: 2002-12-23
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.
- Spread Score: 27 (Niche, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Controversy, Transgression, Platform jump, Dupe economy, Pairing

## Summary

GTA III reached PS2, games press, forums, TV and hip hop mixtapes. Take-Two reported about eight million PS2 units by December 2002, the milestone anchor here. An Australian withdrawal and a US lawsuit carried the debate beyond games.

## Timeline

- May 2001 — Rockstar Games / Terry Donovan (Press) — Rockstar pitched GTA III at E3 after feeding previews to websites and magazines.
- 2001-10-22 — Rockstar Games / DMA Design (Retail) — Rockstar released GTA III for PlayStation 2, letting players explore Liberty City in 3D.
- 2001-10-22 — IGN / Doug Perry (Press) — IGN reviewed the game as a crime simulation combining driving, shooting and exploration.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/grand-theft-auto-iii

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Grand Theft Auto III.” Case HIS-01462. Spread Score v1.3: 27/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01462