How Rockstar fit an entire city into PlayStation 2 memory

Mark Brown explains the streaming, memory management, and level-of-detail techniques Rockstar used to fit GTA III onto the PlayStation 2.

🔴 Get my premium monthly newsletter - gamemakerstoolkit.com/digest/ 🔴 With Grand Theft Auto III, Rockstar North performed a magic trick: it squeezed an entire 4 kilometre wide city into the tiny 32 megabyte chip of the PlayStation 2. Here's how they did it. === Sources === [1] Hackers Reveal Rockstar Earns Over $1 Million A Day From GTA Online | Kotaku kotaku.com/hackers-reveal-rockstar-earns-over-1-million-a-da… [2] ABC Nightline Broadcast, July 2002 | YouTube youtube.com/watch?v=zeWMXFkJAU0 [3] Tapping into the power of PlayStation 2 | SCEE web.archive.org/web/20110720105403/http://www.technology.sce… [4] IDUSTNE.IPL | GTA 3 Files [5] Streaming | Inside Rockstar North gist.github.com/WillPresley/d57d48b3d5f7f7b4bde4a2a3547c7de6… [6] WORLD.H | GTA 3 Files [7] STREAMING.CPP | GTA 3 Files [8] Crime of The Century | Play Magazine pocketmags.com/us/playstation-official-magazine-uk-edition/x… [9] Soul Reaver's Gex Engine | The Lost Worlds thelostworlds.net/TechDocs/Soul_Reavers_Gex_Engine.html [10] POOLS.CPP | GTA 3 Files [11] @ObbeVermeij | X x.com/ObbeVermeij/status/1790730197286752530 [12] MEMORYHEAP.CPP | GTA 3 Files [13] 191 - Obbe Vermeij Interview On The GTA Trilogy, GTA VI, Rockstar And His Indie Game Plentiful | Kiwi Talkz rss.com/podcasts/kiwi-talkz/2094543/ [14] @ObbeVermeij | X x.com/ObbeVermeij/status/1783484201171321148 [15] Resource Streaming | GTA Mods Wiki gtamods.com/wiki/Resource_Streaming [16] The Road to PS5 | PlayStation youtube.com/watch?v=ph8LyNIT9sg [17] From Bedrooms to Billions: The Playstation Revolution [18] @ObbeVermeij | X x.com/ObbeVermeij/status/1876365778594812240?s=20 [19] Disc-Read Errors | GTA Forums gtaforums.com/topic/153520-disc-read-errors/ [20] @weaita_7 | X x.com/weaita_7/status/1841470960349688132 [21] @ObbeVermeij | X x.com/ObbeVermeij/status/1783489687522324609 [22] @ObbeVermeij | X x.com/ObbeVermeij/status/1783694998711452141 [23] @MikeDiskett | X x.com/MikeDiskett/status/1783608214170546610 === Chapters === 00:00 - Intro 00:57 - How Memory Works 02:13 - Liberty City Explained 03:40 - How Streaming Works 04:40 - Streaming Demonstrated 07:13 - A History of Streaming 08:47 - The Pop-in Problem 10:49 - More in Memory 13:28 - Memory Fragmentation 15:34 - Desperately Seeking DVD 17:40 - Slowing Players Down 21:15 - Outro 23:45 - Credits === Games Shown === The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) Cyberpunk 2077 (2020) Ghost of Yotei (2025) Psychonauts 2 (2021) Grand Theft Auto III (2001) Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (1999) The Last of Us Part 1 (2022) Metroid Prime Remastered (2023) Driver 2: Back on the Streets (2000) Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered (2020) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) Grand T