10 Classic Video Games That DON'T Hold Up

6. Grand Theft Auto III

This one is another great example where you’ll think differently about it entirely based on how old you were when you played it. When I played this as a kid all I cared about was driving around and causing mayhem, I definitely didn’t think twice about the graphics. GTA 3 more than served what it could be and needed to be when it came out in 2001.

It just likely isn’t the GTA game you’d be reaching for now and a big part of that is Rockstar improving the formula with every entry.

This game was beloved for its sound, gameplay and world design when it first came out. The franchise embarked on 3D graphics for the first time and the models looked great. In short, this one was a slam dunk. It just happens to be that that slam dunk was 21 years ago so what was revolutionary at the time is now a little rough around the edges.

All of the older GTA games naturally suffer under the technical limitations of their time as you’d expect. The character models and animations haven’t held up, the indecipherable faces and low-poly graphics are forgettable, and there’s just very little reason to drop back to this one when Rockstar took every facet of it and improved it for each subsequent entry in the franchise. The controls are classically clunky for this period of games that were just getting to grips with 3D, and modern players will struggle with the lack of a cover system, frustrating vehicle handling, and cars that’ll seemingly blow up by just looking at them sideways.

While everything GTA 3 did was super important for setting the groundwork for what would come next, you’re better off spending your time with a more recent GTA and appreciating what GTA 3 built than actually trying your hand at it.