Grand Theft Auto III

Grand Theft Auto III arrived on mobile phones more than ten years after its original release, bringing with it the same open world of Liberty City, the criminal story, and the freedom to choose between main missions and aimless rampaging through the streets that once, on PlayStation 2, redefined the entire genre of 3D action sandboxes. Rockstar's port only slightly improved the textures and added support for higher resolution and native controllers; otherwise it's a faithful preservation of the original game, warts and all, such as the stiff camera or the harsher checkpoint system.

It's a paid game with no ads, which makes sense for a title of this caliber – Rockstar sells its mobile ports as full-fledged one-time purchases, not as free-to-play products. This is arguably the most fundamental difference from the vast majority of mobile competition and one of the reasons why the port to this day retains a reputation as a solid choice for players who want a classic without being blackmailed by timers or ads.

The conversion to touch controls is the port's biggest weakness – a virtual joystick and on-screen buttons will never replace the precision of a physical gamepad, especially when shooting while driving or in more demanding chase missions. The game supports connecting an external controller, which is strongly recommended for smooth play. Even with this caveat, the port remains a respectable preservation of a historically pivotal game, right in your pocket.

Why play: For fans of the series and game industry historians alike who want to experience a groundbreaking game again on a small screen, ideally with a connected gamepad due to the more demanding touch controls.