Comparison

GTA vs GTA III

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

GTA

Experience a crime drama on the East Coast as a former mobster returns home to a city in chaos. Battle warring families, political corruption, and organized crime to regain control. Play a free trial or unlock the full game with a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Open-world exploration
  • Crime drama storyline
  • Vehicle driving and combat
  • Mission-based gameplay
  • Free trial available
  • Full game unlockable
Features
Read full description

Download and play up to thirty minutes as a free trial.* Purchase the Liberty City Stories Full Game as a one-time, in-app purchase to play without any time limits. Get ready to head back to the East Coast in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Former trusted wise guy for the Leone family, Toni Cipriani returns home to Liberty City after spending time in hiding for killing a made man. Now, the streets of Liberty City are in turmoil, as warring families vie for control and the town begins to self-destruct under waves of political corruption, organized crime, drug trafficking and union strikes. Deranged hit men, morally depraved tycoons, cynical politicians and even his own mother stand in the way as Toni tries to bring the city under Leone family control. Software license terms in game and at www.rockstargames.com/eula; online account terms at www.rockstargames.com/socialclub. Non-transferable access to special features such as exclusive, unlockable, downloadable or online content, services, or functions may require single-use serial code, additional fee and/or account registration (varies 13+). Access to special features require internet connection, may not be available to all users, and may, upon 30 days notice, be terminated, modified, or offered under different terms. Violation of EULA, Code of Conduct, or other policies may result in restriction or termination of access to game or online account. For customer & tech support visit www.rockstargames.com/support. This videogame is fictional; doesn’t depict any actual event/person/entity; & any similarities are coincidental. Take Two doesn’t endorse or encourage engaging in any conduct depicted in game. Unauthorized copying, reverse engineering, transmission, public performance, rental, pay for play, or circumvention of copy protection is strictly prohibited. *Free trial limited to one per user. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited.

About

GTA III

Experience a revolutionary open-world crime game set in Liberty City. Explore freely, take on missions, and rise through the criminal underworld. A free trial is available, with the full game unlockable via a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Open-world exploration
  • Criminal underworld gameplay
  • Mission-based progression
  • Free trial available
  • One-time in-app purchase
Currently charting
Read full description

Download and play GTA III - Definitive for up to thirty minutes as a free trial. Purchase the full game as a one-time, in-app purchase to play without any time limits. GTA+ Members can enjoy unlimited access while subscribed for as long as it is included in GTA+. It all starts in Liberty City. With 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. Rockstar Games, Inc. 622 Broadway, New York, NY, 10012. © 2001–2023. Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto III and R* Logo are marks/logos/copyrights of Take-Two Interactive. Unreal® Engine, Copyright 1998–2023, Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved. Uses Oodle. Copyright © 2008–2023 by Epic Games Tools, LLC. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other marks and trademarks are properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Screenshots

GTA4 screens
GTA III3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: GTA III at 4.7 against GTA's 4.4. GTA's advantage is ratings volume (11K vs 580) and chart position (#52 vs #196). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. GTA sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and GTA III sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GTA III holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GTA has 11K ratings behind it against 580, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of GTA's written reviews are positive against 63% of GTA III's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
GTA versus GTA III: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGTAGTA III
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (11K ratings)4.7 (580 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.1% of reviews — better63.1% of reviews
Number of ratings11K — better580
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#52 — better#196
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB1.7 GB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperRockstar GamesRockstar Games

Customer experience

GTA

All ratings10,824 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral5.1%
Negative10.9%
Written reviews718 reviews
Positive68.1%
Neutral9.3%
Negative22.6%

GTA III

All ratings580 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral1.0%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews160 reviews
Positive63.1%
Neutral8.8%
Negative28.1%

User reviews

GTA

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Pristine graphics
  • 👍 Great for what it's worth
  • 👍 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Nostalgic experience
  • 👍 Fully-fledged GTA title

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes on certain missions
  • 🐛 Driving controls issues
  • 🐛 Audio problems
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🐛 Glitches and bugs

GTA III

From 580 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Improved graphics
  • 👍 Classic GTA gameplay
  • 💡 Ported to mobile
  • 🎮 Enjoyable experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔋 Performance issues
  • 💰 Paid content
  • 🔇 Missing features (sound, cloud saves)

Bugs and requests

GTA

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes on "Calm Before the Storm" mission
  • Crashes when accessing map
  • Crashes when saving game
  • Driving controls issues
  • Audio problems

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add GTA Vice City Stories
  • Improve camera controls
  • Add cheats
  • Improve mission checkpoints
  • Add controller mapping options
Show 2 more
  • Optimize for newer devices
  • Add multiplayer mode

GTA III

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • No sound on iPad
  • Screen flashing issues
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • Paid content after update

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add cloud save support
  • Improve performance and stability
  • Add more control options
  • Localize to more languages

In-app purchases

1 purchases

GTA

One-time1
  • Liberty City Stories Full Game$6.99
1 purchases

GTA III

One-time1
  • Full Game Access$19.99

Questions

Is GTA free?
GTA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GTA III free?
GTA III is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, GTA or GTA III?
GTA III is rated higher. GTA averages 4.4 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while GTA III averages 4.7 from 580 ratings.
Do GTA or GTA III have ads?
Neither GTA nor GTA III shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GTA or GTA III?
GTA ships an update every 2 months, and GTA III every 2 months. Most recently, GTA was updated on September 24, 2026 and GTA III on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, GTA or GTA III?
GTA currently peaks at #52 in the App Store charts, and GTA III at #196. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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