GTA 3 almost had us obeying traffic laws before Rockstar yanked it out, and if you're wondering if GTA 6 will bring it back: 'I'm sure they'll realize it's a bad idea'

An image of a criminal in Grand Theft Auto 3 running from the police.

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Bad news folks: turns out Grand Theft Auto 3 could have been really cool. In a post on X, the Everything App (via GamesRadar), former Rockstar dev Obbe Vermeij has been reminiscing about his time on the era-defining third GTA, and recalls that—for a brief, shining moment—the game actually required you to obey traffic lights.

That's right, GTA 3 was almost as daring as Mafia 1, the only open-world crime game I can think of that actually stuck to the rules of the road and punished players with wanted levels for running red lights. Was it weird? Yes. Was it tedious? Kinda. Did even Mafia's devs jettison it for the sequel? Absolutely (although you still got in trouble for speeding).

So it's probably no surprise Vermeij and co killed the idea in the crib. "During GTA 3, I gave players a 1-star wanted level for running red lights," says the dev, but alas, "This was not popular with the team. I quickly removed it."

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Which was, undoubtedly, the correct decision, but I almost wish I lived in the world where a game as definitional as GTA 3 set open-world crime sims to evolving along a route where we all had to obey traffic laws. Or, you know, I wish I could visit it and then come back. I don't want to deal with that nonsense.

One of the commenters on Vermeij's post actually brings up the case of Mafia 1, and it turns out the ex-Rockstar dev is a fan. "It suits Mafia a bit better I think," he says, since "That game was a bit more slow paced."

I reckon Vermeij was a bit keener on the idea at the time than he seems to be now: he notes that he even tried tweaking the system so that you'd only get a wanted level if you ran a red light with a cop car nearby. "It was still annoying. The cops were quite aggressive even at one star so you'd get nailed immediately." Even if no cops were about, it still "forced you to scan all cars around you before running a light," with dire consequences for the game's pace.

So no traffic laws in GTA. Ah well, maybe the mad lads at modern-day Rockstar will stick them back in for GTA 6? Vermeij is unconvinced: "It was really really annoying. I'm sure they'll realize it's a bad idea."

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One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.