Grand Theft Auto 3: Entering Catalina's Helicopter

Classic GTA 3, not the Definitive Edition. A while back I saw a video that showed that using the RC Bandit, you can actually enter vehicles you otherwise couldn't. I can't find the videos now, but it was uploaded by ‪@SharkGangViceCity‬. I still think this information is valuable to have out in the world though.

   • Grand Theft Auto III (PS4): Unique RC...   - this video shows how to get the RC Bandit from the mission "Toyminator".

It's been known that on the PS2 version of GTA 3, the helicopter Catalina escapes in in "The Exchange" has a solid block in the middle that Claude tries to enter if you press triangle. But there was seemingly no way to enter it. However, if you can get an RC Bandit up there (which is quite a pain since you have to be parked under a vehicle to exit since Claude trying to exit normally crashes the game) and underneath that solid box, the Helicopter can be entered.

Of course, it's easier said than done. Most of the time, Claude just walks in circles, or he tries to enter the Stinger. Sometimes he even teleports into the RC Bandit. It can be an annoying process, but if you stick with it, eventually you'll get lucky. In this video I don't teleport in until 7:07.

I have the RC Bandit parked right next that concrete vent thing. Then using a Stinger to drive up the dam wall (which is crazy that it works, but works better when it's not raining), I push the Helicopter over the RC Bandit. Apparently this can't be done on PC as you can't push it or even get the enter animation. Not sure if it works on Definitive Edition either.

Upon teleporting in, you notice the vehicle name just says "Helicopter" at the bottom right corner. But you can't do anything with it. You can't move it, and you definitely can't fly it. Sometimes you can exit, but other times you're stuck inside. The only camera angles that work inside of it are first person, top-down, and cinematic. Once the mission fails when the timer runs out, the Helicopter vanishes. And if you're in it, then you will be Wasted and spawn at the hospital. So even though it's unfortunate that you can't do anything with it, it's still quite cool that it can even be entered in the first place.

Like I said, I can't find the original videos, but I remember the channel also showing off using the RC Bandit to enter other vehicles like the Train to glitchy effects. You can even use the RC car to enter the GHOST missing after being put in a garage (of course to get it in the garage you need to be playing on an emulated copy of the game). Pretty cool stuff. Of course, the GHOST can be stored and re-entered on the Definitive Edition of GTA 3.

I don't think this will work on the Definitive Edition. Claude doesn't try to enter the Helicopter on that version.

I should note that I'm playing on the delisted PS4 version of GTA 3 on PS5. You can no longer buy this version of the game. As such, I also can't confirm if this method works on any other platforms.