Yep, it's that time of year again! Things are looking a lot more optimistic on the GTA scene this time round. The announcement of GTA V two months ago peaked our collective interest in Grand Theft Auto once more, but as we anticipate the release of another trailer and the first screenshots and previews to come forth, there's not much to do but continue to speculate. We can't be sure when new info will appear, but it's best to keep checking back here as often as possible, you never know when Rockstar might treat us to something special.

Since news of GTAV broke, The GTA Place has been undergoing a bit of a revamp behind the scenes, and we've got some exciting changes to show you very soon. We're now ready to announce that on New Year's Day we'll be revealing an updated layout to the main website, with more improvements to come soon after. Some of these improvements include some much-needed changes to our downloads database which will make uploading and managing your mods a whole lot easier, as well as the launch of a dedicated mobile version of the website for a better experience on mobile devices and tablets. We'll have more details on all this and more for you in the new year.

Just as an FYI, we'll be offline for about an hour on 1st January while we update the site. The forums will remain online during this time, though, and we'll keep you informed via our social network pages as usual.

Thank you all for continuing to visit The GTA Place, and thanks again to those of you who are our fans on Facebook, Twitter and our recently launched Google Plus page. Following us on these websites is a great way to ensure you stay up to date with all the latest news, and your support is always greatly appreciated.

We hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year!

Rockstar have today updated the Android version of Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition to version 1.1 with a number of fixes and added support for the Droid Bionic, Galaxy Nexus and Samsung Galaxy S II devices.

This fixes include:

• A fix so that immediately skipping cutscenes will no longer cause issues
• The addition of PowerVR GPU support
• Improved shader error handing and a few additional technical fixes

To update your game, just go to the Android Market on your device where you'll be prompted to download the latest version.

Last week we showed you the Vice City RAGE mod for GTA IV that is looking very good already and due to be released next month, and if you've been following GTA IV modding news you may remember we reported on a similar project a few months ago, one which brought San Andreas into GTA IV. Today, the GTAIV: San Andreas team have finally released the second beta of their mod, adding new features including radio, a new HUD, improved map, new lights, plus many more. Here's a video of the mod

The download is a rather large 1.5GB, but there are a number of sites hosting it as well as a torrent available. Download links can be found on the GTAIVSA website. We'll have our own mirror up soon.

Grand Theft Auto III has finally made its way on to select Apple and Android devices today. We'd definitely recommend getting this game if your device is compatible - just think of all the nostalgia! App Store and Android Market links are below. New features added to the game include:

• an intuitive, fully scalable and customizable user interface;
• upgraded textures;
• greater resolution and draw distance;
• new mission replay and autosave features for an all-new experience on mobile devices.

Welcome to Liberty City. Where it all began.

Rockstar Games celebrates the 10th anniversary of one of the most influential games of all time. The critically acclaimed blockbuster Grand Theft Auto III comes to mobile devices, bringing to life the dark and seedy underworld of Liberty City. With a massive and diverse open world, a wild cast of characters from every walk of life and the freedom to explore at will, Grand Theft Auto III puts the dark, intriguing and ruthless world of crime at your fingertips.

With stellar voice acting, a darkly comic storyline, a stunning soundtrack and revolutionary open-world gameplay, Grand Theft Auto III is the game that defined the open world genre for a generation.

Thankfully the app is a universal binary, so for those who own an iPad and an iPhone will only have to purchase the game once to play it on multiple devices, the same goes for those of you with Android devices. Let us know in the comments if you've bought it and how it plays on your device, on which you'll need around 690MB of free space by the way. I'll be trying it on my iPad 2 tonight and I might post a short review for you all later.

Apple owners: iTunes Link - $4.99 (£2.99 / 3,99 €)
Android owners: Market Link - $4.99 (£3.23 / 3,85 €)

NOTE (for Android users): Localised versions of the game have been made for users in Australia, Germany and Japan, presumably to comply with local laws and/or language issues. If you reside in one of these countries you'll have to purchase the localised version.

Currently supported devices:

• Apple iOS Devices: iPad 1 & 2, iPhone 4 & 4S, iPod touch 4th Generation
• Android Phones: HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, T-Mobile G2x
• Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive

For over a year, a team of talented modders have been working on an ambitious project to bring Vice City into GTAIV using RAGE. Proving that the GTA IV mod scene is alive and kicking, they have kept up their work and have now reached a point where the mod is almost ready for release, the first beta apparently being 98% complete. To show off their mod the team have released a trailer, and we have to say, it looks pretty damn awesome. Take a look...

Impressive stuff don't you agree? We should clarify this mod is actually for Episodes from Liberty City rather than GTA IV itself, and is due to be released on 5th January. For more information see the GTAForums topic.

As part of the 10 year anniversary celebration for Grand Theft Auto III, Rockstar Games have made available for the first time ever the original music heard on Head Radio and Lips 106, exclusively available on iTunes at a special low price. Complete tracklists are listed below. Individual songs are just $0.69 (£0.59) each or either station's complete 7-track album can be bought for just $2.99 (£1.79).

Head Radio: Complete Album

• Conor & Jay - "Change"
• Craig Gray - "Fade Away"
• Dezma - "Life Is But A Mere Supply"
• Dil-Don't - "Stripe Summer"
• Frankie Fame - "See Through You"
• Scatwerk - "Electronic Go Go"
• Whatever - "Good Thing"

Lips 106: Complete Album

• April's in Paris - "Feels Like I Just Can't Take No More"
• Boyz 2 Girls - "Pray It Goes Ok?"
• Da Shootaz - "Grand Theft Auto (Joyride)"
• Fatamarse - "Bump To The Music"
• Funky BJs - "Rubber Tip"
• Lucy - "Forever"
• Marydancin - "Wash Him Off"

Rockstar have announced through the Newswire that the 10th anniversary edition of Grand Theft Auto III will be arriving on mobile devices next week on the 15th December. The game will launch on the App Store and Android Marketplace at a low price point of just $4.99 (£2.99 / 3,99 €). Rockstar have also updated the list of devices the game will be compatible with:

Apple iOS Devices: iPad 1 & 2, iPhone 4 & 4S, iPod touch 4th Generation
Android Phones: HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, T-Mobile G2x
Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive

Personally I cannot wait to play this game, as you can see from a few screenshots that Rockstar included in the news post, it's easily one of the best looking mobile games out there right now. Let us know in the comments if you'll be getting the game and what device you'll be playing it on.

Tomorrow marks the third anniversary of GTA IV's release on the PC. To celebrate, Rockstar are holding another special Multiplayer Event featuring themselves as well as various webmasters from some of the long running GTA fansites. The event takes place tomorrow, 2nd December from 4-7PM Eastern Time (that's 9PM to 12AM GMT) and both GTA IV and Episodes from Liberty City will be played. I myself will hopefully be playing a few games, my gamertag along with all the other webmasters participating is listed below, so feel free to add any of us and we'll try and get you into a game!

• chicagoenigma of @RockstarNetwork - Gamertag Chicago Enigma
• Gamerzworld of @RockstarWatch - Gamertag Gamerzworld
• Andy of @gtanet - Gamertag Jigswag
• Chris of @TheGTAPlace - Gamertag LazyPyro88
• SimpsonsFan007 of @PlayingGTA - Gamertag SimpsonsFan007
• Joker64 of @GTATurk - Gamertag Joker0064
• Rafioso of @GTAvision - Gamertag GVRafioso
• RoamPT of @gtaportugal - Gamertag RoamPT
• Reverie of @GTAWarehouse - Gamertag JCMoorehead
• Jared of @RockstarWatch - Gamertag JaredLinwood
• Zidane of @gtagaming - Gamertag Ottomancer
• sdr of @GTAthegame - Gamertag dawidpajak
• Daniel of @GTASeries - Gamertag THE M4D JOK3R
• Nicholas of @GTASeries - Gamertag alessioseries

For more details including R* gamertags and information on the sweepstakes, head on over to the Newswire post. And don't forget, if you can't join in the fun, you can always watch the live stream of the event on the Social Club multiplayer page!