How Rockstar fit an entire city into PlayStation 2 memory

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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
https://kotaku.com/hackers-reveal-rockstar-earns-over-1-million-a-day-from-gta-online-2000687207

[2] ABC Nightline Broadcast, July 2002 | YouTube
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zeWMXFkJAU0

[3] Tapping into the power of PlayStation 2 | SCEE
https://web.archive.org/web/20110720105403/http://www.technology.scee.net/files/presentations/agdc2000/ThePowerOfPS2.pdf

[4] IDUSTNE.IPL | GTA 3 Files

[5] Streaming | Inside Rockstar North
https://gist.github.com/WillPresley/d57d48b3d5f7f7b4bde4a2a3547c7de6#streaming

[6] WORLD.H | GTA 3 Files

[7] STREAMING.CPP | GTA 3 Files

[8] Crime of The Century | Play Magazine
https://pocketmags.com/us/playstation-official-magazine-uk-edition/xmas-2021

[9] Soul Reaver's Gex Engine | The Lost Worlds
https://www.thelostworlds.net/TechDocs/Soul_Reavers_Gex_Engine.html

[10] POOLS.CPP | GTA 3 Files

[11] @ObbeVermeij | X
https://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
https://rss.com/podcasts/kiwi-talkz/2094543/

[14] @ObbeVermeij | X
https://x.com/ObbeVermeij/status/1783484201171321148

[15] Resource Streaming | GTA Mods Wiki
https://gtamods.com/wiki/Resource_Streaming

[16] The Road to PS5 | PlayStation
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ph8LyNIT9sg

[17] From Bedrooms to Billions: The Playstation Revolution

[18] @ObbeVermeij | X
https://x.com/ObbeVermeij/status/1876365778594812240?s=20

[19] Disc-Read Errors | GTA Forums
https://gtaforums.com/topic/153520-disc-read-errors/

[20] @weaita_7 | X
https://x.com/weaita_7/status/1841470960349688132

[21] @ObbeVermeij | X
https://x.com/ObbeVermeij/status/1783489687522324609

[22] @ObbeVermeij | X
https://x.com/ObbeVermeij/status/1783694998711452141

[23] @MikeDiskett | X
https://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
17:56 - Slowing Players Down
21:31 - Outro
24:02 - 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 Theft Auto V (2013)
Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (2023)
Grand Theft Auto VI (Unreleased)

=== Credits ===

Music provided by Epidemic Sound - https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/vtdu5y (Referral Link)

How a Hard Drive works in Slow Motion | The Slow Mo Guys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3owqvmMf6No

GTA 3: Scenic Dodo-flight over Liberty City | GeckonCZ
https://youtube.com/watch?v=iIMFEd10IVk