Play Grand Theft Auto (dos) Online

Grand Theft Auto is a crime-themed action-adventure game released in 1997 for the MS-DOS platform. It was developed by DMA Design Limited and published by ASC Games. The game presents its world from a consistent top-down perspective, which adjusts dynamically to provide a wider view during high-speed driving sequences.

Players assume the role of a minor criminal seeking to advance within a criminal organization. The primary objective is to achieve a target score to complete each of the six levels, which are set across three distinct cities inspired by real-world American locations: Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City. Progression involves freely exploring these expansive urban environments to engage in various unlawful acts. Core gameplay systems include stealing and driving a wide array of vehicles, each with unique handling characteristics, and undertaking specific missions. Missions are acquired by answering payphones or entering marked vehicles and range from ditching stolen cars to assisting in robberies. Criminal actions, from collisions to more serious crimes, contribute to the player's score, with successful missions providing substantial point increases and raising a score multiplier for subsequent activities.

A key mechanic is the wanted level system, where crimes witnessed by police increase pursuit intensity from a single patrol car to coordinated squads and roadblocks. Players can evade police by locating respray shops to change a vehicle's appearance, at a cost deducted from their score. The game world is populated with collectible crates containing items such as weapons, armor, extra lives, police bribes to clear a wanted level, and items that mitigate penalties from arrest. Being arrested or killed does not end the game, as players have multiple lives; incarceration results only in the loss of weapons and a reduction of the score multiplier.