Grand Theft Auto 3 shook the world when it came out in 2001. If you owned a PS2 early in the console's life and were of the age to play such a mature title, you almost definitely owned it. Now, 20 years later GTA 3 is receiving a re-release for modern consoles, along with the rest of the trilogy, to let old fans relive the glory and to show younger gamers where the modern open-world adventure started.
If you're jumping into the game for the first time or need a small refresher, follow these tips below. Many of them are things you should do as soon as possible, while a few others are just pointers to keep in your head throughout the whole adventure.
9 Do The Ambulance Missions Right Away
If you jump into an ambulance, you are able to do missions where you pick up injured pedestrians and drop them off at a hospital. You are not doing this simply through the kindness of your heart. Save 35 people to earn a health pickup at your safe house.
Do the full 70 and you earn the ability to sprint forever. We recommend doing this right away so it is easier to make the stops in Portland and you can take advantage of the pluses right away.
8 Do The Vigilante Missions
GTA protagonists often have a complicated relationship with the law. Claude Speed is not against helping out the cops every once in a while. They are activated by stepping into a cop car and triggering the mission with a push of a button.
Doing ten and then 20 on each island earns you a police bribe icon and the safe house of the area, respectively. These help exponentially when you want to cool off a small wanted meter quickly and you don't want to use the pay and spray.
7 Enter The Ambulance For Extra Health
It is quite easy to have your health drain from bullets and other hazards. Even falling down will take out a big chunk of your health points. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to regain your health.
The most surefire way to do this is to simply enter an ambulance, of which there are plenty in Liberty City. If you have done the ambulance missions already, there is also a health icon at your safe house.
6 Do The Taxi Missions
Like the ambulance and vigilante missions, you can do taxi missions simply by stepping into a cab and pressing a button. We recommend doing these at the beginning of the game so you have less area to cover when doing the fares.
Do 100 trips and you unlock the Borgnine, a special red cab that spawns in Portland. It is one of the best cars in the game. If that is not enough for you, then at least the missions will net you quite a bit of cash, which you'll need for some of the missions near the beginning.
5 Enter Cop Cars For A Shotgun
You can buy guns from the Ammu-Nation, but that is not the only place where you can find guns. In the beginning of the game when you are particularly strapped for resources, enter a cop car to receive a shotgun free of charge.
It's not much, but in the starting hours of the game, it can definitely come in handy for some of the early missions. Additionally, cop cars are some of best vehicles you can commonly find.
4 Stamina Increases Over Time
At first, you are barely able to run a few feet before Claude has to take a break. However, the stamina stat is hidden and increases the more you run around on foot. You can also extend the sprinting time by tapping the button instead of just holding it.
This problem becomes a non-issue if you do the paramedic missions first, however. Having a wealth of stamina or an unlimited amount is tantamount to success in some of the harder missions.
3 Causing Mayhem Gives You Money
Grand Theft Auto 3 still retains a lot of arcade sensibilities, a far cry from the realistic approach future entries would embrace.
There is no better indication of this than the fact that simply causing mayhem gives you money. Go all out and blow up cars, raise your wanted level, and steal cash from everyone possible. It doesn't take long to earn enough scratch to buy your own arsenal at the Ammu-Nation.
2 Get Into New Cars Often
In Grand Theft Auto 3 you are unable to jump out of moving cars. This becomes a big problem when you cannot leave a burning vehicle just because it has not come to a full stop.
With this in mind, don't be afraid to leave a banged-up vehicle in search of a new one; it just might save your life. Fortunately, later GTA games added the ability to jump out of moving cars, preventing this hassle.
1 Find All The Hidden Packages
There are numerous collectibles to find throughout Liberty City. Hidden Packages earn you a bonus for every ten that you find. The first ten earn you a pistol that spawns at every hideout. The weapons get more impressive with each upgrade.
By the time you have collected around 50, you already have a formidable arsenal waiting for you for free. By 100, it is simply an absurd amount of firepower. There are 33 in Portland alone, so find these before continuing the story to already start out with some free guns.