GTA III Radio Stations, Ranked
Nine in-game radio stations and the talk-radio masterpiece Chatterbox FM — every Grand Theft Auto III station, ranked, with the standout tracks worth seeking out.
Grand Theft Auto III shipped with nine radio stations plus the talk-radio centerpiece Chatterbox FM — ten in total. By the standards of 2001 (when most games shipped a single MIDI loop), this was a watershed. The stations span pop, hip-hop, classical, opera, and an absurd amount of original Rockstar-commissioned satire. Below is the ranking.
1. Chatterbox FM (talk radio)
Hosted by Lazlow — voiced by Lazlow Jones, who became a Rockstar staff personality across the entire 3D and HD universe. Chatterbox is GTA III's masterpiece. Multiple call-in shows, a recurring conspiracy-theorist caller, fake commercials, and the show "Bait and Switch" in which contestants are tricked. The writing predates and informs every later Rockstar talk-radio station — WCTR in San Andreas, the GTA V talk radios, all trace back to Chatterbox.
Standout segment: any episode where the listener call-ins go off the rails. The writing is uncannily ahead of its time.
2. Head Radio (pop / soft rock)
Hosted by Michael Hunt and Pepe. Original tracks commissioned by Rockstar from working musicians of the era — most famously "Fade Away" by Conor & Jay (closing-credits song that became one of the most-played GTA original tracks). Head Radio is the "default" station you tune to when entering most cars; it shipped as the radio you hear most often.
3. K-Jah Radio (reggae / dancehall)
Reggae and dancehall, with the standout track "Warriors" by Scientist (the dub-master). K-Jah is the station of choice for the Yardies missions in Newport — which is on the nose, but the music is genuinely good. The dub-heavy production gives the station a distinct sonic personality from anything else in GTA III.
4. Double Clef FM (opera / classical)
Hosted by Mona Lisa. Italian opera, classical orchestral pieces, and the kind of high-brow programming that Rockstar would never put on a talk-show comedy station. Double Clef is the Mafia driving station — it plays in Saint Mark's during many first-act missions and is voice-cast into multiple cutscenes.
Standout track: Verdi's "La Donna è Mobile."
5. Game FM (hip-hop)
Hosted by Stretch Armstrong and Reece "Loose" Cannon. East Coast hip-hop and golden-age rap — Royce da 5'9", Agallah, Sean Price, R.A. the Rugged Man. Game FM is the station you'd run on Staunton Island in particular.
Standout track: Royce da 5'9", "I'm the King."
6. Flashback FM (1980s)
Hosted in-character. The 1980s nostalgic-pop station — most notably plays the entire including Giorgio Moroder's "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)" and "Tony's Theme." The Scarface license was a coup at the time and the music alone is worth a Liberty City joyride.
