It's simply nuts that it's been ten years since Rockstar unleashed GTA III on an unsuspecting public back in 2001. One decade into the lifespan of the open world version of the franchise and there have been numerous spinoffs across consoles and handheld platforms, lawsuits, write-ups, scholarly discussions, millions of copies sold, awards, merchandise, ubiquitous street team marketing programs, and most importantly, fond memories for millions of gamers worldwide.
The beauty of the GTA games from the first third-person crime spree in the fictional Liberty City onward is that no two play experiences could be exactly alike. These most open of open world games allowed us to completely go wild in the 1001 ways to roam and wreak mayhem in the universes Rockstar created. And after a decade of memories, (and in advance of the premiere of the big trailer for GTA V tomorrow) take a look at five of our big firsts with the franchise.