Ultimate GTA 3 Strategy Guide for Gamers

Although Grand Theft Auto 3 was launched in 2001, it continues to attract a dedicated player base even today. This GTA 3 strategy guide aims to provide insight into the game’s essential framework, facilitating a comprehensive gameplay experience. Earlier installments of the GTA franchise featured smaller maps and a 2D overhead view. In contrast, Grand Theft Auto 3 marked a significant shift with its 3D environment and intricate storytelling combined with immersive gameplay mechanics.

This guide will cover several key components:

Main story missions
Optional side missions
Top vehicles
Achievements and Trophies
Checklist for 100 percent completion

By utilizing this guide, players can enhance their gameplay journey. It’s important to note that achieving full completion may require considerable time investment. If you’re eager to explore the rich 3D world of Liberty City, let’s delve into the detailed GTA 3 strategy guide.

Overview of the in-game content in GTA 3 strategy guide

Screenshot for GTA 3 strategy guide readers (1/8) (Image via Rockstar Games)

Even more than twenty years since its launch, the core narrative of Grand Theft Auto 3 remains captivating and feels suitably lengthy. For those engaging in continuous play, finishing just the primary storyline takes roughly five hours. However, exploring side activities, hunting down collectibles, and earning all trophies and achievements requires a more extended commitment. It’s worth mentioning that this edition was one of the more compact titles in the broader Grand Theft Auto series.

Here’s a breakdown of activities available in Grand Theft Auto 3:

50 Main Story Missions
17 Payphone Missions
15 Side Missions
20 Rampage Missions
20 Stunt Jumps
100 Hidden Packages
29 Achievements and Trophies
56 Vehicles to operate

The following sections of this GTA 3 strategy guide will provide an overview of each of these elements. Considered a classic, this game is a worthwhile investment of your time, especially with Rockstar Games set to launch a new title in 2025.

Complete list of 50 story missions in Grand Theft Auto 3

Screenshot for GTA 3 strategy guide readers (2/8) (Image via Rockstar Games)

Creating a game with 50 story missions back in 2001 was a significant feat, especially when most titles followed arcade-style formats with brief narratives. Rockstar Games magnificently achieved this, contributing to GTA 3’s standout status in the early 2000s. Below is the complete list of missions available:

Introduction (Cutscene)
Give Me Liberty
Luigi’s Girls
Don’t Spank Ma Bitch Up
Drive Misty For Me
Pump-Action Pimp
The Fuzz Ball
Mike Lips Last Lunch
Farewell ‘Chunky’ Lee Chong
From Heist
Cipriani’s Chauffeur
Dead Skunk in the Trunk
The Getaway
Taking Out the Laundry
The Pick-Up
Salvatore’s Called a Meeting
Chaperone
Triads and Tribulations
Blow Fish
Cutting the Grass
Bomb Da Base: Act I
Bomb Da Base: Act II
Last Requests
Sayonara Salvatore
Under Surveillance
Paparazzi Purge
Payday For Ray
Two-Faced Tanner
Kanbu Bust-out
Grand Theft Auto
Deal Steal
Also
Smack Down
Silence the Sneak
Arms Shortage
Evidence Dash
Gone Fishing
Plaster Blaster
Liberator
Waka-Gashira Wipeout!
A Drop in the Ocean
Grand Theft Aero
Escort Service
Decoy
Love’s Disappearance
Marked Man
Bait
Espresso-2-Go!
Ransom
The Exchange (finale)

Players should be aware that Rockstar Games has historically embraced a non-linear style of gameplay, which is evident in this 2001 installment. This means, with the exception of the introductory and concluding missions, players are at liberty to tackle the remaining missions in any order. However, it’s essential to unlock and progress through the story to access specific missions.

For those interested in speedrunning, there is a Grand Theft Auto 3 speedrun guide available that might be worth exploring.

Complete list of 17 Pay Phone missions in Grand Theft Auto 3

Screenshot for GTA 3 strategy guide readers (3/8) (Image via Rockstar Games)

The Pay Phone Missions form a part of the overarching narrative but aren’t essential to it. Players should pay attention to the following missions indicated on the various Pay Phones scattered throughout the map:

Tourism
I Scream, You Scream
Trial By Fire
Big’n’Veiny
The Crook
The Thieves
The Wife
Her Lover
Bling-bling Scramble
Uzi Rider
Gangcar Round-up
Kingdom Come
Uzi Money
Toyminator
Rigged to Blow
Bullion Run
Rumble

These missions are assigned by various characters through the Pay Phones located in Portland, Staunton Island, and Shoreside Vale. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the missions:

Portland (Assigned by El Burro and Marty Chonks)

Tourism
I Scream, You Scream
Trial By Fire
Big’n’Veiny
The Crook
The Thieves
The Wife
Her Lover

Staunton Island (Assigned by King Courtney)

Bling-bling Scramble
Uzi Rider
Gangcar Round-up
Kingdom Come

Shoreside Vale (Assigned by D-Ice)

Uzi Money
Toyminator
Rigged to Blow
Bullion Run
Rumble

This strategy guide recommends attempting these missions promptly while remaining on the corresponding islands. Liberty City is populated with various gangs that grow increasingly aggressive as the plot unfolds. Some of the Pay Phone missions are interconnected with these gangs. Leaving them for later may pose significant challenges.

Complete list of 15 side missions in Grand Theft Auto 3

Screenshot for GTA 3 strategy guide readers (4/8) (Image via Rockstar Games)

Grand Theft Auto 3 categorizes its side missions into four distinct types:

Four vehicle-focused sub-missions.
Four off-road challenges.
Four remote-controlled (RC) missions.
Three Import/Export vehicle missions.

The vehicle sub-missions and their objectives include:

Firefighter: Extinguish 60 fire incidents throughout Liberty City.
Paramedic: Achieve level 12 in the Paramedic mission.
Vigilante: Arrest 60 criminals in Liberty City.
Taxi Driver: Complete 100 taxi fares across the city.

The off-road challenges and their objectives include:

A Ride in the Park: Navigate through 12 checkpoints in Belleville Park using the Landstalker.
Patriot Playground: Clear 15 checkpoints in the Supa Save! parking lot utilizing the Patriot.
Multistorey Mayhem: Drive through 20 checkpoints in the Newport Multistory Car Park with the Stallion.
Gripped!: Traverse through 20 checkpoints using the Patriot in Cedar Grove.

The RC missions and their objectives are:

Diablo Destruction: Take out the Diablo Stallion.
Mafia Massacre: Eliminate the Mafia Sentinel.
Casino Calamity: Destroy the Yakuza Stinger.
Rumpo Rampage : Annihilate the Hoods Rumpo XL

Screenshot for GTA 3 strategy guide readers (5/8) (Image via Rockstar Games)

In the GTA 3 strategy guide, note that there are three separate lists for import/export side missions. Two lists are found at the Portland Harbor Dock, while a third is available at the Shoreside Vale garage. The vehicles needed for these missions include:

Portland Harbor Docks – Emergency Vehicles

Fire Truck
Police Car
Ambulance
Rhino
Barracks OL
FBI Car
Enforcer

Portland Harbor Docks – Standard Vehicles

It shines
Bobcat
Bus
Coach
Dodo
Flatbed
Linerunner
Moonbeam
Mr. Whoopee
Mule
Patriot
Pony
break up
Securicar
Trashmaster
Yankee

Shoreside Vale Garage

Banshee
BF Injection
Cabbie
Cheetah
Esperanto
Idaho
Hell
Drying
Landstalker
We have
Perennial
Sentinel
Stallion
Stinger
Stretch
Taxi

Most of these vehicles can be found during general gameplay exploration.

Top vehicles in Grand Theft Auto 3

Screenshot for GTA 3 strategy guide readers (6/8) (Image via Rockstar Games)

While players can encounter up to 56 different vehicles in GTA 3, not all are equally advantageous or enjoyable to drive. The following is a list of some of the highest-performing vehicles available:

Hell – 149.13 mph (240.00 km/h)
Cheetah – 142.92 mph (230.00 km/h)
Stinger – 124.27 mph (200.00 km/h)
Banshee – 124.27 mph (200.00 km/h)
Mafia Sentinel – 124.27 mph (200.00 km/h)
Yakuza Stinger – 124.27 mph (200.00 km/h)
Triad Fish Van – 111.85 mph (180.00 km/h)
Diablo Stallion – 111.85 mph (180.00 km/h)
Cartel Cruiser – 108.74 mph (175.00 km/h)
Speed – 111.85 mph (180.00 km/h)
Mr. Wongs – 111.85 mph (180.00 km/h)
Mule – 111.85 mph (180.00 km/h)
Stretch – 111.85 mph (180.00 km/h)
BF Injection – 105.63 mph (170.00 km/h)
Blist – 105.63 mph (170.00 km/h)
Patriot – 105.63 mph (170.00 km/h)
Sentinel – 102.53 mph (165.00 km/h)
Bobcat – 102.53 mph (165.00 km/h)
Police Car – 124.27 mph (200.00 km/h)
Ambulance – 118.06 mph (190.00 km/h)
FBI Car – 118.06 mph (190.00 km/h)
Barracks OL – 111.85 mph (180.00 km/h)
Enforcer – 105.63 mph (170.00 km/h)
Fire Truck – 105.63 mph (170.00 km/h)
Borgnine Taxi – 118.06 mph (190.00 km/h)
Taxi – 111.85 mph (180.00 km/h)
Securicar – 105.63 mph (170.00 km/h)
Ghost Boat – 118.06 mph (190.00 km/h)
Reefer Boat – 118.06 mph (190.00 km/h)
Speeder Boat – 118.06 mph (190.00 km/h)
Predator Boat – 118.06 mph (190.00 km/h)
Dodo Plane – 124.27 mph (200.00 km/h)

This listing focuses on vehicles capable of exceeding 100 mph.

Complete list of 29 Trophies and Achievements in Grand Theft Auto 3

Screenshot for GTA 3 strategy guide readers (7/8) (Image via Rockstar Games)

The game features 29 Trophies and Achievements that players can unlock by meeting specific criteria. They are categorized as follows:

Bronze Trophies

First Day on the Job: Finish the Luigi’s Girls mission.
Hunting Season: Destroy five helicopters.
Disposing of the Evidence: Crush a car at the Harwood Autocrusher and Junkyard.
Repeat Offender: Get apprehended by the police 20 times.
Street Sweeper: Eliminate 100 gang members.
If You Ain’t Cheatin’, You Ain’t Tryin’: Blow up 2000 vehicles.
By a Mile: Complete the Turismo Pay Phone mission in under 180 seconds.
Wreckless Driving: Execute a flawless Insane Stunt.
Splish Splash: Extinguish 20 fires in a single Fire Truck side mission.
Going Rogue: Neutralize 20 criminals within one Vigilante mission.
Dirty Money: Accumulate a fortune of $1,000,000.

Silver Trophies

Population Control: Eliminate 1000 individuals.
Where we’re going, we don’t need roads: Complete the missions Patriot Playground, A Ride in the Park, Multi-Story Mayhem, and Gripped!
Where To?: Finish 100 taxi fare side missions.
Blood in the Streets: Successfully complete all 20 Rampage side missions.
Pest Control: Deliver all emergency vehicles to the crane at Portland Harbor Docks.
Play Fetch: Deliver all cars listed in the Portland Harbor Docks and Shoreside Vale import/export lists.
A Marked Man: Complete the Last Requests mission.
Offshore Delivery: Finish the A Drop in the Ocean mission.
A Gift from the King: Complete the Kingdom Come Pay Phone mission.
Man Toyz: Successfully complete the Diablo Destruction, Mafia Massacre, Casino Calamity, and Rumpo Rampage missions.
Playing Doctor: Achieve level 12 in the Paramedic side mission.
Right-hand Man: Attain a criminal rating of 2500.

Gold Trophies

Liberty City Secrets: Gather all 100 hidden packages.
Like a Boss: Achieve a criminal rating of 5000 or above.
Not So Fast: Finish The Exchange mission.
Wheels Up: Complete 20 unique jumps.
Is That All You’ve Got?: Achieve 100 percent completion of the game.

Platinum Trophy

King of Liberty City: Unlock all trophies.

For elaborate details on each trophy, check out the GTA 3 Platinum trophy guide.

Checklist of activities for 100 percent completion in Grand Theft Auto 3

Screenshot for GTA 3 strategy guide readers (8/8) (Image via Rockstar Games)

Achieving 100 percent completion in Grand Theft Auto 3 is a notable accomplishment. Below is a compiled checklist of all required activities from this GTA 3 strategy guide:

Finish 50 story missions.
Complete 17 Pay Phone missions.
Clear four vehicle sub-missions.
Finish four off-road challenges.
Complete four RC missions.
Finish three Import/Export vehicle missions.
Complete 20 Rampage Missions.
Achieve 20 Stunt Jumps.
Collect 100 Hidden Packages.

Once you fulfill this checklist, you will have accomplished all your in-game objectives. Players should be aware that they can continue their gameplay even after finishing the major missions; side activities like taxi driving, stunt jumps, vehicle Import/Exports, and various vehicle sub-missions remain available.

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