On October 22, 2021, Grand Theft Auto III will celebrate its 20th anniversary; interestingly, Rockstar Games has “fun surprises” planned to mark the occasion. This tease came alongside news about the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S upgrades for Grand Theft Auto V, which are slated to release later this year on November 11.

GTA III undeniably altered gaming’s trajectory as a medium, thanks in large part to genre-defining open-world gameplay. The title went on to spawn several spinoffs on console and handheld devices, all of which managed to become top-sellers. However, another numbered sequel wouldn’t hit store shelves until Grand Theft Auto IV touched down in 2008, introducing a Liberty City adventure overflowing with dynamic characters, a compelling story, and plenty of open-world activities to explore. 2013’s GTA V took the series a step further, with its ambitious three-protagonist structure and expansive online suite. Soon, the adventure that laid the groundwork will shine in the spotlight once more.

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In a Rockstar Newswire post announcing this fall’s release of GTA V’s current-gen upgrades, Rockstar Games teased fans with promises of a few “fun surprises” for Grand Theft Auto III’s 20-year anniversary. What exactly the surprises may entail remains a mystery; however, the studio’s post does hint that celebratory content of some kind will make its way to GTA Online. A quick GTA III-related blurb in the write-up reads as follows: “Plus, in honor of the upcoming 20th anniversary of the genre-defining Grand Theft Auto III, we’ll have even more fun surprises to share — including some specifically for GTA Online players.”

An announcement of the rumored remasters for GTA’s PS2 trilogy would inarguably constitute the most welcome surprise of all. For years, fans have patiently awaited modern versions of the classics, though neither Rockstar nor publisher Take-Two Interactive have expressed any interest in pursuing such an endeavor.

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A number of Grand Theft Auto faithful are committed to ensuring a wider audience can gain access to the experience, though. One example of this is evident in the releases of reverse-engineered source code for GTA III and Vice City. For its part, Rockstar unleashed Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas on PSN years ago, each complete with Trophy support. But these efforts are a far cry from the modern iterations fans long to one day get their hands on.

Source: Rockstar Newswire

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Brianna Reeves
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A Senior Writer on Screen Rant’s Game News team, Brianna Reeves graduated from Sam Houston Statue University in 2018 with a Master of Arts in English Literature. Brianna’s enthusiasm for games dates back to Mortal Kombat Trilogy on PlayStation 1, along with classics like MediEvil, Syphon Filter, and THPS2. However, Red Dead Redemption reinvigorated her love for the medium; hopefully, that passion reflects in the work she has contributed to Comic Book Resources, PlayStation LifeStyle, GVMERS, and Screen Rant.

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