The game's success also led to controversy. The success of Grand Theft Auto III's 3-D open world inspired an entire genre of sandbox action adventure video games, known as Grand Theft Auto clones, including games like Saints Row, Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, and Sleeping Dogs.

However, this new generation of GTA games placed greater emphasis on story by taking inspiration from classic crime films and American popular culture. Like previous games, players could explore and cause havoc in whatever way they chose.

Grand Theft Auto III introduced the franchise to fully three-dimensional character models through the use of a 3-D game engine. In order to advance to the next city, players earned points through criminal activities such as stealing cars and killing non-player characters (NPCs). Viewed from a top down perspective, players possessed free rein to roam around the city and cause chaos and destruction.

The first Grand Theft Auto game, released in 1997, was divided into a set of three cities-Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas. Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is a video game series published by Rockstar Games.

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