Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Videos
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
    • G+RLS Podcast
  • Edge
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • Home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Videos
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
    • G+RLS Podcast
  • Edge
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Edge Magazine
  • EDGE GTAVI exclusive
  • Join our monthly RPG Club
  • Golden Joystick Awards 2026
  • Deal of the Day
  • Countdown to GTA 6
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
  • RPG Hub
  • G+RLS Podcast
Want more Switch 2 news?

Sign up to our Switch 2 newsletter to make sure you get the very latest news on Nintendo's new console and its games every week


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Games
  2. Action Games
  3. Grand Theft Auto
  4. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy

Rockstar reflects on the journey from GTA 3 to Red Dead 2: "20 years doesn't seem like enough"

News
By Connor Sheridan
last updated 22 September 2022

"I can’t wait to see where we get to in another 20 years"

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

GTA Trilogy
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

Now that GTA 3 is officially two decades old, Rockstar Games is taking some time to look back - and is a little surprised that it's only been that long.

Rockstar North's Aaron Garbut spoke with our own Joe Donnelly about how GTA 3 took shape within the studio. Garbut was credited as the art director on GTA 3, and is now co-studio head and head of development at the flagship Rockstar studio. He  discussed how GTA 3 helped set Rockstar on a course for the open-world fundamentals that still guide the GTA series (and now Red Dead Redemption) today.

While that GTA 3 foundation has remained, Garbut finds it hard to believe the studio's made such advancements in just two decades.

Latest Videos FromGamesRadar+
Watch full video here:

"The reality is that some of it feels like yesterday, but when I take a step back and think about our journey, about how far we have come from GTA 3 to Red Dead Redemption 2 and beyond that, 20 years doesn’t seem like enough," Garbut says. "The complexity, the ambition, the detail, and scope has exploded - with each game being a chance for us to push where we go so much further. I can’t wait to see where we get to in another 20 years."

Speaking of the future, while Rockstar is still staying quiet about anything even potentially GTA 6-shaped, we do have a new take on some classics to look forward to very soon: the GTA Trilogy release date is set for November 11.

You may like
  • GTA 3 main character walking down airport runway "For most of development, GTA 3 was in a sorry state": Rockstar veteran reflects ahead of GTA 6
  • Claude runs through a plush room holding a pistol in Grand Theft Auto 3, from the PLAY Magazine GTA 3 20th anniversary Making Of feature "Releasing GTA 3 was cathartic," reflects its art director: "We were a young team, relatively inexperienced"
  • A GTA 3 screenshot showing protagonist Claude walking on the road in front of a car in Liberty City. An American flag can be seen on the side of a building on the right-hand side Rockstar had to fight to get people to care about GTA 3 at E3, former lead recalls

While we're waiting, you can check out the new GTA Trilogy trailer and see how it updates the games while holding on to their classic vibes.

Want more Switch 2 news?

Sign up to our Switch 2 Spotlight newsletter to make sure you get the very latest news on Nintendo's new console and its games every week

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
Nintendo Switch Xbox One Xbox Series X PC Gaming PS5 PS4 Platforms Nintendo Xbox PlayStation
Connor Sheridan
Connor Sheridan
Social Links Navigation
Former GamesRadar+ News Writer

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar+.

Read more
GTA 3 main character walking down airport runway
Grand Theft Auto "For most of development, GTA 3 was in a sorry state": Rockstar veteran reflects ahead of GTA 6
 
 
Claude runs through a plush room holding a pistol in Grand Theft Auto 3, from the PLAY Magazine GTA 3 20th anniversary Making Of feature
Grand Theft Auto "Releasing GTA 3 was cathartic," reflects its art director: "We were a young team, relatively inexperienced"
 
 
A GTA 3 screenshot showing protagonist Claude walking on the road in front of a car in Liberty City. An American flag can be seen on the side of a building on the right-hand side
Grand Theft Auto Rockstar had to fight to get people to care about GTA 3 at E3, former lead recalls
 
 
Driving by a fire in GTA for PC
Grand Theft Auto "I think one of the reasons GTA was so well received was the amount of detail," reflects an original dev
 
 
Grand Theft Auto VI screenshot which depicts Lucas wiping blood away from a cut lip, as something explodes behind him
Grand Theft Auto Rockstar had to up its game for GTA 6 – GTA 5's realism was already "showing its age" when it launched 13 years ago
 
 
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto GTA 6 took 13 years, but Rockstar says GTA 7 won't
 
 
Latest in Grand Theft Auto
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto GTA 6 pre-orders have already made over $730m, analysts estimate, and 74% of them are on PS5
 
 
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto GTA 6's weather will rock your boat, damage your plane, and send Vice City denizens seeking shelter
 
 
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto GTA 6 may have done Ocarina of Time remake and WoW: Forever a favor by scaring games out of November
 
 
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto Grand Theft Auto bonus that used to be free with every physical game is now a $1 purchase for GTA 6
 
 
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto GTA 6 preload date and times confirmed
 
 
Grand Theft Auto VI screenshot
Grand Theft Auto Rockstar confirms GTA 6 is 212GB, pre-loading opens earlier than previously announced for digital
 
 
Latest in News
A T-shirt with the logo for The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel
The Elder Scrolls Bethesda wants you to "show off your excitement" for Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel with a $35 T-shirt
 
 
Mass Effect 5, Mass Effect: Universe
Mass Effect BioWare co-founder wants to "get some of the band back" amid Save Mass Effect movement
 
 
Wolverine poses with his claws out in Marvel's Wolverine in his yellow battle suit
Games Physical copies account for 30% of console games owned in survey of 6,000 "premium gamers"
 
 
Nintendo Switch 2 console on woodgrain desk surrounded by Switch cartridges.
Games Nintendo's main Switch cartridge manufacturer is leaving – that's unlikely to affect Switch 2 games
 
 
Channing Tatum as Gambit in Deadpool and Wolverine
Marvel Movies Avengers: Doomsday star Channing Tatum is still "fighting" to get his solo Gambit movie made
 
 
Nicolas Cage as Yuri in Lords of War
Action Movies Nicolas Cage returns as an arms dealer alongside newcomer Bill Skarsgard in Lords of War trailer
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. There's a $65 hoodie, too
    1
    Bethesda wants you to "show off your excitement" for Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel with a $35 T-shirt
  2. 2
    BioWare co-founder wants to "get some of the band back" amid Save Mass Effect movement
  3. 3
    Physical copies account for 30% of console games owned in survey of 6,000 "premium gamers"
  4. 4
    Nintendo's main Switch cartridge manufacturer is leaving – that's unlikely to affect Switch 2 games
  5. 5
    Avengers: Doomsday star Channing Tatum is still "fighting" to get his solo Gambit movie made

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...