Latest news with #GTAIII
Time of India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
5 GTA 6 cameos that would blow GTA fans' minds
Image via Rockstar Games Vice City is back. And so is the nostalgia. With GTA 6 bringing us back to palm-lined streets and neon-lit nights, there's a quiet hope buzzing in every fan's head: Who's coming back? Rockstar has always loved sprinkling in cameos that hit hard for longtime players. Here are 5 legendary returns that could absolutely blow the roof off the fanbase if they happen. 1. Claude — The Silent Assassin in the Shadows He doesn't talk. He doesn't flinch. And he's one of the most dangerous men in GTA history. Claude from GTA III has always been shrouded in mystery, and with Leonida (GTA 6's setting) being a criminal hotspot, there's every reason to think this mute menace could show up on the sidelines, maybe as a silent fixer or a mythic figure who 'never misses.' Tommy Vercetti Returns To GTA 6.. 2. Tommy Vercetti — The Ghost of Vice City Tommy was the face of the original Vice City. Even though Ray Liotta (who voiced him) passed away in 2022, fans are hoping Rockstar will find a respectful way to reference the character - maybe a statue, mural, or whispered legend in the streets. Just a glimpse of Tommy's legacy would send old-school players into overdrive. He is Vice City. 3. Niko Bellic — A Smuggler in a New Land Last we heard, Niko had disappeared off the radar. But imagine this: the Eastern European war vet-turned-criminal pops up in Leonida, older, more cautious, running guns or quietly advising a new generation of crooks. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Direct shopping From Adidas Franchise Store... Adidas Buy Now Undo A tired Niko, caught between regret and survival, would hit hard emotionally and be a major lore boost for GTA VI. 4. CJ — Back With Grove Street Wisdom Carl 'CJ' Johnson is the heart of GTA: San Andreas, and players have begged Rockstar for years to bring him back. An older CJ mentoring young criminals? Or maybe running his own empire from afar? The Grove Street OG deserves a return, and if Rockstar pulls it off without ruining his arc, it'll be historic . Michael De Santa In GTA 6 (HE'S BACK) 5. Michael De Santa — Hollywood to Leonida Michael faked his death, moved to Vinewood, and tried to live the good life. But what if he's got connections in Vice City? Whether it's a cameo in a mission, a news report, or a phone call, seeing Michael — older, maybe even wiser — would make the GTA V trilogy feel tighter and more connected to GTA 6's evolving story. GTA 6 is already hyped for its massive open world and the return to Vice City. But sprinkle in even one of these iconic characters, and it won't just be a new chapter — it'll feel like the ultimate love letter to fans who've been along for the chaos since the beginning. Here's hoping Rockstar knows exactly how to hit us in the feels.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
PlayStation Plus celebrates ‘Days of Play' with GTA III remastered release
Source: Rockstar Games PlayStation Plus is celebrating its annual "Days of Play" event by including a flagship title to its game roster: the remastered Grand Theft Auto III from the GTA Trilogy: Definitive Edition. Beginning June 10, 2025, Premium and Extra level subscribers will be able to download and access this classic open-world game for free. This action allows fans to go back to Liberty City with improved graphics and gameplay on PS4 and PS5 systems. GTA III remastered free for PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra subscribers The star of the Days of Play event is the inclusion of Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition with PlayStation Plus for Premium and Extra members. As of June 10, gamers get the fully remastered classic for free without any additional charge. The Definitive Edition comes with refreshed visuals, enhanced lighting, and contemporary controls, giving new life to this milestone title that was first released in 2001. This isn't the first time GTA III has seen a run on PlayStation Plus. It was available on the service's catalog for six months in 2021 shortly after the Definitive Edition's initial launch. This was followed by GTA: Vice City in October 2022, furthering the rotation of the trilogy titles through the subscription service. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The release follows the plan of Sony to keep PlayStation Plus new and interesting to fans amidst the Days of Play celebration. Additional details and community reactions to the GTA III remaster The remastered GTA III will still be offered on PlayStation Plus for roughly six months, probably going off the service in November 2025. This aligns with other Rockstar games on the service, like GTA San Andreas, which went up during last year's Days of Play and went off after a half-year. The Definitive Edition was originally met with widespread criticism when it was first released because of a myriad of bugs and performance problems. Rockstar has put a lot of effort in the last three years patching and enhancing the trilogy, though. A major 2024 update rectified a lot of the big issues, so now is the perfect time for enthusiasts to enjoy remastered Liberty City on PS4 and PS5. Meanwhile, in further news, committed fans have even managed to port GTA III to its originally intended platform, the SEGA Dreamcast, demonstrating the passion of the community for this classic title. PlayStation Plus's Days of Play event offers a great opportunity for both returning and new players to dive into the remastered Grand Theft Auto III. With enhanced visuals and improved gameplay, this release reminds players why Liberty City remains a timeless setting in gaming history. Don't miss your chance to explore this classic on PlayStation Plus starting June 10. Also Read: Rockstar surprises fans with new GTA San Andreas iOS update
Sky News
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
How chaotic gang of British 'geeks' launched one of most lucrative gaming franchises of all time
It took "soul-destroying" hours late into the night for a dozen inexperienced programmers like Keith Hamilton to meet the July deadline. The DMA Design staff, all "geeks" in their early 20s, were surrounded by a chaotic scene of maps, sound systems and hefty beige computer monitors typical of 1997. They had done no market research and no focus testing, but from an unremarkable industrial estate in Dundee, Keith and his team were about to launch one of the most successful video game franchises of all time: Grand Theft Auto. "Disorganised chaos. Looking back on it, it's amazing how we actually came together and finished a game," Keith, now 55, remembers. He led the team responsible for coding GTA and GTA II. "You'd be shocked if you saw it now - but it worked." The GTA series has sold 430 million copies, with its most recent edition, GTA V, reportedly becoming the third most popular game of all time, beaten only by Minecraft and Tetris. There were 15 editions released between 1997 and 2013, followed by 12 years of silence. But now the wait is almost over, with publisher Rockstar promising the launch of GTA VI this autumn. So far, there's only been one trailer - published 16 months ago. "It's getting ridiculous how long it's been since the last one," Keith says. "They really have to get something out, so they will be under a lot of pressure because the value, the importance of GTA to the parent company, Take-Two, is gigantic. It's billions." In fact, the last game in the franchise is the most profitable entertainment release ever - of all time - in any medium. So its success now goes well beyond the world of video games. How first game changed the industry The first GTA marked a turning point for the entire industry by simulating a working city; an open-world game which didn't stop when the player sat still, but carried on without them. The game wasn't fantasy, or science fiction or military - instead it allowed players to play as themselves and do what would be immoral or illegal in real life. That didn't go unnoticed. Former Conservative peer Lord Gordon Campbell asked the Home Office at the time: "Is it true, as reported, that that game includes thefts of cars, joyriding, hit-and-run accidents, and being chased by the police, and that there will be nothing to stop children from buying it?" The controversy only boosted the game's reach, Keith remembers, with gamers feeling "a bit subversive in playing it". "There's a whole cultural aspect to it that we never intended." GTA III came with 'biggest technical jump' These core aspects of the first game have been essential to the franchise's continued success, Keith thinks. "In terms of the design, they stuck to it quite closely, really. The basic structure of the game is the same." There were, of course, massive upgrades, Keith said. GTA III would revolutionise the industry once again, removing separate levels from the game and expanding the world into huge, interconnected, 3D cities. What Keith calls the "biggest technical jump" of the series saw the world loaded from a DVD in real time as the player moved, rather than from computer memory, meaning the size of the cities was only limited by the amount of time developers wanted to spend designing it. It became the second-best-selling game of 2001 in the UK and stayed in the top three the next year - alongside its best-selling sequel, GTA: Vice City. Multiplayer GTA V took profits to record-breaking level GTA: San Andreas was another best-seller in 2004. But all these prior editions pale in comparison, statistically, when up against GTA V. It was among the top five best-selling video games in the UK for five years running after it was released in 2013. But its success goes beyond video games. GTA 5 was the fastest entertainment release - from any medium - to reach $1bn in retail sales. "It's great to see something made in Scotland competing on a world stage. I think that's a really important thing," Keith says. One of the keys to its success was how it introduced multiplayer to the role-playing experience, allowing 30 players to enter an island full of cities and complete heists, fight each other and build custom race tracks. "That's a massive difference in GTA 5," Keith explains. And quite the step up from 1997, when four GTA players could huddle around a dial-up modem for two game modes: race or deathmatch. It's online play that has kept fans interested and - crucially - invested in the 12 years of waiting for GTA VI. Over those years, GTA V has earned Rockstar and Take-Two billions more than that initial $1bn - making it the most profitable entertainment release ever, at least as of 2018. Goal to 'push the limits' with long-awaited GTA VI Much of GTA VI is still shrouded in mystery. Friends at publisher Rockstar won't even spill their secrets to Keith. Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games, said in December the sequel will "push the limits of what's possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences". In February 2022, Rockstar tweeted: "Our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we've previously delivered." The game itself will already be finished, Keith says. Staff will be "working all hours" trying to fix increasingly complicated bugs. "The pressure will be on the development team right now, I don't envy them that. "I'm hoping they're not stuck in that sort of scenario for too long because that becomes soul destroying. You lose your family life and everything." What Keith wants from next game Each day will likely begin with a meeting analysing the results of play tests, where the development team will decide which bugs to fix and which fixes could risk introducing bigger bugs. "That sort of call will be going on all the time right now. They'll be desperately playing the game, coming across some bug that's horrifically difficult to fix," Keith explains. He says he wants to see more freedom and a more complex working city in this edition, with more consequences attached to player actions rather than more tasks fed to them. But one thing remains paramount to GTA's success, in Keith's view.
