Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Grand Theft Auto, the groundbreaking action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by BMG Interactive, stormed onto the scene in November 1997. You’re dropped into a top-down, open-world playground where crime isn’t just an option—it’s the only way to climb the ladder of the criminal underworld.
00:00 GTA Prototype 1 (11/11/1994)
01:33 GTA Prototype 2 (2/2/1995)
*GTA Prototype 1*
In November 1994, Mike Dailly, working on a 486DX66, crafted the first prototype of what would become Grand Theft Auto. Back then, it wasn’t about carjacking or crime sprees; it was called Race and Chase (or Cops and Robbers as another name) and intended to be a multi-player car racing and crashing game. The prototype, written in Pascal and assembly, was a technical marvel for its time, using a rotating 3D cube array to render a dynamic world. Dailly’s engine placed four points on an ellipse, rotated them, and built a grid—then stacked cubes vertically to create a cityscape.
*GTA Prototype 2*
By February 1995, Grand Theft Auto was no longer just an idea. Inspired by the Sega Saturn’s Clockwork Knight, Dailly began experimenting with side-on perspectives, but his real breakthrough came when he realized his engine could do more than just side-scrolling. By adding a floor and stacking cubes, he transformed it into a fully realized, top-down cityscape. When he showed the prototype to Keith Hamilton, David Ozbourn and Dave Jones, the reaction was immediate—they decided to restart Race and Chase (the project that would become GTA) using this new engine. In the meantime, Hamilton ported Dailly’s engine from Pascal to C.
*What happened after these prototypes*
Some time later, after a tip from SciTech about upcoming video card support, DMA Design tested and adopted 24-bit modes, forcing a complete overhaul of the game’s graphics and palette system. This move not only set GTA apart visually but also caught the attention of other developers, including the SimCity team, who later released the much-maligned Streets of SimCity—a game Dailly humorously suggests could have been better with DMA’s engine.
Perhaps the most impressive feat was the 3Dfx version, which Dailly whipped up in just a week to impress visiting 3Dfx representatives. The result was a high-resolution, silky-smooth demo that ran so well it was integrated into the final release—all without BMG ever paying for the 3Dfx cards.
Grand Theft Auto, the groundbreaking action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by BMG Interactive, stormed onto the scene in November 1997. You’re dropped into a top-down, open-world playground where crime isn’t just an option—it’s the only way to climb the ladder of the criminal underworld.
00:00 GTA Prototype 1 (11/11/1994)
01:33 GTA Prototype 2 (2/2/1995)
*GTA Prototype 1*
In November 1994, Mike Dailly, working on a 486DX66, crafted the first prototype of what would become Grand Theft Auto. Back then, it wasn’t about carjacking or crime sprees; it was called Race and Chase (or Cops and Robbers as another name) and intended to be a multi-player car racing and crashing game. The prototype, written in Pascal and assembly, was a technical marvel for its time, using a rotating 3D cube array to render a dynamic world. Dailly’s engine placed four points on an ellipse, rotated them, and built a grid—then stacked cubes vertically to create a cityscape.
*GTA Prototype 2*
By February 1995, Grand Theft Auto was no longer just an idea. Inspired by the Sega Saturn’s Clockwork Knight, Dailly began experimenting with side-on perspectives, but his real breakthrough came when he realized his engine could do more than just side-scrolling. By adding a floor and stacking cubes, he transformed it into a fully realized, top-down cityscape. When he showed the prototype to Keith Hamilton, David Ozbourn and Dave Jones, the reaction was immediate—they decided to restart Race and Chase (the project that would become GTA) using this new engine. In the meantime, Hamilton ported Dailly’s engine from Pascal to C.
*What happened after these prototypes*
Some time later, after a tip from SciTech about upcoming video card support, DMA Design tested and adopted 24-bit modes, forcing a complete overhaul of the game’s graphics and palette system. This move not only set GTA apart visually but also caught the attention of other developers, including the SimCity team, who later released the much-maligned Streets of SimCity—a game Dailly humorously suggests could have been better with DMA’s engine.
Perhaps the most impressive feat was the 3Dfx version, which Dailly whipped up in just a week to impress visiting 3Dfx representatives. The result was a high-resolution, silky-smooth demo that ran so well it was integrated into the final release—all without BMG ever paying for the 3Dfx cards.
