GTA III Cheat Codes: The Canonical Guide for PC, PlayStation, Xbox

Grand Theft Auto III shipped on PlayStation 2 in October 2001 with a built-in cheat system that's still functional in every re-release including the 2021 Definitive Edition. The PC version uses typed text codes; PS2/PS3 and the original Xbox port use button combos entered on the controller. Below: how the system works, the codes worth knowing, and what each one breaks.

How GTA III cheats work

Cheats are entered during gameplay — no menu, no pause. PC players type the cheat letters with a normal keyboard. Console players enter button-combo sequences (typically 8-12 buttons). A successful entry shows "Cheat activated" in the corner.

Most cheats are toggleable. A few are one-shot (vehicle spawns). Some are permanent until save reload. Saving with cheats active can corrupt the save in some original PS2 builds — Rockstar fixed this in subsequent re-releases, but the safest practice is to save in a free slot before experimenting.

Health, armor, ammo

• GESUNDHEIT — full health
• TORTOISE — full armor
• GUNSGUNSGUNS — all weapons
• NOBODYLIKESME — pedestrians attack Claude (not exactly survival, but useful for stress-testing cheats)

The GUNSGUNSGUNS code is iconic — it's GTA III's "all weapons" cheat and has been parodied across the series since.

Wanted level

• MOREPOLICEPLEASE — increase wanted level
• NOPOLICEPLEASE — lower wanted level

These don't disable the wanted system entirely; they just step it up or down by a tier.

Vehicle and traffic

• CHITTYCHITTYBB — cars fly when accelerating (GTA III's flying-car cheat predates the SA version by three years)
• BANGBANGBANG — explode all nearby cars
• ANICESETOFWHEELS — invisible cars (chassis only — wheels remain visible)
• ITSALLGOINGMAAAD — pedestrians riot
• ILIKEDRESSINGUP — change Claude's skin (cycles through pre-set NPC models)

Weather

• ILIKESCOTLAND — foggy weather
• PEASOUP — heavy fog
• ICANTSEEATHING — fog (different intensity)
• ALOVELYDAY — clear sky
• SKINCANCERFORME — sunny

Console button combos

The PS2 / Xbox button combos are completely different from the PC text codes — they're 8-12 button sequences. For example, GUNSGUNSGUNS on PS2 is R2, R2, L1, R2, LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, UP, LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, UP. Xbox uses the same combo with PS-to-Xbox mapping (X→A, ◯→B, ☐→X, △→Y, L1/L2→LB/LT, R1/R2→RB/RT).

Definitive Edition preserves the original combos one-for-one across all platforms it ships on.

What cheats break

Cheats in GTA III have a few specific consequences:

• 100% completion is invalidated if the save is exposed to certain cheats. The completion-percentage tracker checks for cheat exposure.
• Active cheats lock several missions — the game refuses to start specific story missions while certain cheats are active.
• Save corruption in the original PS2 build was a real risk for some cheat combinations. Patched in DE.
• Achievements / trophies in DE disable when cheats are active.

What's not in GTA III

A few cheats people search for don't exist:

• No "Bigfoot" cheat — Bigfoot is a San Andreas myth (and not real there either). Not in GTA III.
• No jetpack — the jetpack debuts in San Andreas, not GTA III.
• No phone-based cheats — phone-based cheats are a GTA IV / GTA V innovation.

Definitive Edition compatibility

The 2021 Definitive Edition preserves all original GTA III cheat codes. Cheat input is identical on PC (typed) and console (button combos). The DE adds achievement support, which means cheats now disable achievements while active — the original PS2 release had no achievement system.

Where to find every code

Per-platform cheat lists with the exact PC + PlayStation + Xbox combinations live at /games/gta-3/cheats. Pick PC, PlayStation, or Xbox at the top of the page and the list switches to that platform's input format.

For Vice City and San Andreas cheat guides, see Vice City Cheats and San Andreas Cheats. For why "BIGFOOT" doesn't work in any GTA, see Mount Chiliad and the Rural Easter Eggs of San Andreas.