Grand Theft Auto III is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It is the first main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series since 1999's Grand Theft Auto 2. Set within the fictional Liberty City (loosely based on New York City), the story follows criminal Claude's quest for revenge against his girlfriend, who betrayed and left him for dead during a bank robbery, which soon leads him to become entangled in a world of crime, drugs, gang warfare, and corruption. The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. The open world design lets players freely roam the three islands of Liberty City.