Grand Theft Auto 3 immerses the player in the criminal world of Liberty City. The main character is nameless, other characters call him by nicknames. The protagonist was arrested after a botched robbery, but he managed to escape and go on the run. After hiding from the police, the hero re-enters the game and joins the Italian mafia family, where he soon earns authority. The player will have to complete missions from crime bosses and find himself in the very center of a gang war. As they progress, gamers will encounter real gangster adventures and unexpected plot twists.

The plot tasks of GTA 3 are very diverse, because the player will have to fulfill all the whims of the crime bosses. Eliminate a target, escort the boss, carry out a cleanup, obtain information, steal a car – only a small part of the available missions. The character has access to an assortment of weapons, which can be picked up from killed enemies or purchased in the store. Also in Liberty City there is a large selection of vehicles that can be stolen at a convenient opportunity. The character can die, after which he will wake up in a hospital or in a police station without a weapon and a certain amount of money.

There are various criminal gangs in the game Grand Theft Auto 3:

• The Devils are a gang of Puerto Ricans who sell drugs.
• Triads are Chinese groups based in Chinatown.
• The Yardies are a gang of Jamaicans who trade drugs together with the Colombian cartels.
• The Hoods are a gang of African Americans who control the ghetto.
• The Yakuza is a Japanese group engaged in counterfeiting money and protection rackets.
• The Mafia is an Italian group that engages in blackmail and racketeering. The mafia is divided into several families.
• The cartel is a gang of Colombians that control most of the drug trafficking.