Historical eventOctober 232001

Grand Theft Auto III

Grand Theft Auto III was released, helping to popularize open-world and mature-content video games.

25th anniversary in 2026

Everything on October 23Original source

In context

When
Tuesday, October 23 200125 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
21st century · 2000s
Anniversary
25th in 2026
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 2001.

What happened

Grand Theft Auto III was released, helping to popularize open-world and mature-content video games.

October 23 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 2001Grand Theft Auto III
  2. 20112011 Van earthquakes
  3. 2015Atmospheric pressure
  4. 2015Hurricane Patricia
  5. 2017War against the Islamic State
  6. 20182018 Rome escalator accident
  7. 2020Libyan civil war (2014–2020)
  8. 2022Xi Jinping
  9. 2022Myanmar civil war (2021–present)
  10. 2022Myanmar Air Force
  11. 2022Arshad Sharif

Also in 2001

  • September 9Al-QaedaTwo al-Qaeda attackers assassinated Ahmad Shah Massoud, a pivotal Afghan resistance leader, two days before the September 11 attacks in t…
  • September 9Ahmad Shah MassoudAhmad Shah Massoud, leader of the Northern Alliance, is assassinated in Afghanistan by two al-Qaeda assassins who claimed to be Arab jour…
  • September 11Al-Qaedaal-Qaeda hijacked four passenger airliners to carry out a series of terrorist attacks (one pictured) against targets in New York City and…
  • September 12Ansett AustraliaAnsett Australia, Australia's first commercial interstate airline, collapses due to increased strain on the international airline industr…
  • September 13September 11 attacksCivilian aircraft traffic resumes in the United States after the September 11 attacks.
  • September 14Washington National CathedralHistoric National Prayer Service held at Washington National Cathedral for victims of the September 11 attacks. A similar service is held…
  • September 15Championship Auto Racing TeamsDuring a CART race at the Lausitzring in Germany, former Formula One driver Alex Zanardi suffers a heavy accident resulting in him losing…
  • September 17George W. BushAmerican president George W. Bush delivered remarks at the Islamic Center of Washington (pictured) condemning Islamophobia in the afterma…

Everything we record for 2001 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Grand Theft Auto III”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/grand-theft-auto-iii-2001-october-23, accessed October 23, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Grand Theft Auto III happen?

October 23 2001 — 25 years ago, on a Tuesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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