Can I Run Grand Theft Auto III?
Grand Theft Auto III is an action adventure game from Rockstar Games, released in 2002. Rockstar Games both developed and published it. It offers a single player campaign. 13 languages are covered by the store listing. Completionists have 29 achievements to work through. The game ships for Windows alone. At more than a decade old it predates every current graphics architecture, which helps compatibility and limits how well it exploits a modern card. Steam gates it behind an age check at 17. Over 7 thousand players have left a Steam review, so this is a title whose performance is widely reported. A gamepad works without remapping, since controller support is complete.
Can your PC run it? →System requirements
Minimum requirements
| CPU | Pentium III 450 MHz CPU |
|---|---|
| GPU | 16 MB Direct 3D Video Card |
| VRAM | 0.016 GB |
| RAM | 0.096 GB |
| Storage | 0.5 GB |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 2000/XP |
| DirectX | Microsoft DirectX 8.1 |
Recommended requirements
| CPU | 700 MHz CPU |
|---|---|
| GPU | 32 MB Direct3D Video Card |
| VRAM | 0.032 GB |
| RAM | 0.128 GB |
| Storage | 0.5 GB |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 2000/XP |
| DirectX | Microsoft DirectX 8.1 |
Single source, verify with the publisher source
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Setting and environment
The game is set in an open sandbox. Play is structured around one continuous open world. The publisher supplies 5 storefront screenshots of these environments. That openness is what costs performance. Grand Theft Auto III has no loading walls to hide behind, so terrain and detail keep flowing in as the player moves. Play is presented from a third person view.
Why Grand Theft Auto III is demanding
Disk footprint is light, near 1 GB. Grand Theft Auto III needs only 0.128 GB of RAM. At 0.032 GB, VRAM is a non issue for Grand Theft Auto III.
This reading comes from the published requirements and our own benchmark tables, not from the store listing.
Can you run Grand Theft Auto III?
Grand Theft Auto III targets a mainstream modern PC: 16 MB Direct 3D Video Card and 0.096 GB of RAM for the minimum, stepping up to 32 MB Direct3D Video Card for the recommended experience. No single part dominates the requirements, so a balanced mid-range build clears it.
Bottleneck: RAM
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Frequently asked questions
Can my PC run Grand Theft Auto III?
Upload your DxDiag file to Idxdiag's free checker and get a component by component compatibility verdict for Grand Theft Auto III in seconds. No install required.
What are the minimum system requirements for Grand Theft Auto III?
The minimum requirements are CPU: Pentium III 450 MHz CPU; GPU: 16 MB Direct 3D Video Card; 0.096 GB RAM; OS: Microsoft Windows 2000/XP.
How much storage does Grand Theft Auto III need?
Grand Theft Auto III needs about 0.5 GB of available storage.
What is the bottleneck for Grand Theft Auto III?
On a typical modern PC (Ryzen 5 5600, RTX 3060, 16 GB RAM), the tightest component for Grand Theft Auto III is the RAM.