Driver 3 - Xbox Original

DRIV3R for Xbox Original

DRIV3R for Xbox Original is an action and driving game in which undercover officer Tanner investigates an international car-theft ring. With Tobias Jones, he follows the trail through Miami, Nice and Istanbul. Chases through busy traffic form the core, but Tanner also gets out to explore buildings and shoot. A stolen car is therefore more than transport to the next assignment: its handling determines how you approach an escape or pursuit.

Cars bounce, slide and take damage when you misjudge a corner. You can also drive motorcycles and boats, so routes do not all feel alike. Alongside story missions, you can roam freely and select short driving challenges. Film Director lets you replay events and position cameras. This allows you to watch a successful manoeuvre from another angle without having to perform the chase again.

You play the story alone with a standard Xbox controller. The cities are open spaces, while the campaign takes you through a set crime story. This is the original 2004 Xbox game, also known as Driver 3. Shooting sections require different actions from driving and do not form a separate cooperative adventure. Old online film-sharing features are not offered as a functioning service; this description focuses on local driving missions and replays.

Region and language

Our Xbox Original games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.

Manual

DRIV3R for Xbox Original includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.

The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.

The history of DRIV3R

Reflections Interactive developed DRIV3R, and Atari released it for Xbox and PlayStation 2 in 2004. The series began with Driver on the first PlayStation and drew on car chases from crime films. Martin Edmondson cited Bullitt and The French Connection among its influences. DRIV3R brought that interest into larger three-dimensional cities where Tanner did not always have to stay behind the wheel. Driving and on-foot action were intended to carry one undercover story together.

The production placed considerable emphasis on cinematic presentation. Michael Madsen voiced Tanner, with Ving Rhames and Mickey Rourke also contributing voices. Reflections simultaneously worked on traffic, collisions and different vehicle types. The collision physics shared technical roots with Stuntman, but most of DRIV3R’s systems were its own. That distinction matters: rather than following a stunt director who prescribes every movement, you control vehicles during missions in a continuous city.

The combination proved ambitious. Gareth Edmondson later explained that the team attempted too much at once and had to scale back near the end. He identified the handling and cities as strengths but acknowledged problems with the overall execution. That reflection led towards Driver: Parallel Lines, which refocused more strongly on driving. DRIV3R therefore holds a distinct place in the series: the move towards full on-foot action, with the technical and design choices that accompanied it.

Similar games for Xbox Original

DRIV3R and Driver: Parallel Lines combine driving and shooting in an open city on Xbox Original. DRIV3R follows undercover officer Tanner through three cities and uses Film Director to revisit chases. Parallel Lines follows criminal TK in New York across two eras, with customisable cars. The difference therefore lies both in your role and in how the city and vehicles recur.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City also alternates driving and on-foot action on Xbox Original. Tommy Vercetti builds a criminal position in a city full of side activities and businesses. DRIV3R keeps police officer Tanner central and divides its campaign between Miami, Nice and Istanbul. Traffic matters in both, but their crime stories take a different direction and scale.

True Crime: Streets of L.A. also follows a police officer who drives, fights and shoots on Xbox Original. Nick Kang investigates crime in Los Angeles, where his approach affects how assignments unfold. DRIV3R places more emphasis on chases and Tanner infiltrating a car-theft gang. Both combine different actions, but develop the police role within a different mission structure.

Midtown Madness 3 also turns city streets into a playground for driving through ordinary traffic on Xbox Original. It emphasises races, delivery work and routes through Paris and Washington, without Tanner’s gunfights. DRIV3R builds its journeys around a violent undercover story. Those interested in reading junctions, jumps and traffic will recognise the spatial challenge, but not the same tone or role outside the car.

Burnout 3: Takedown uses collisions and dangerous driving to make racing faster and more aggressive on Xbox Original. Eliminating rivals directly benefits you in defined events. DRIV3R instead uses vehicle damage during chases through open cities, where you must follow a target or escape. Both require a feel for traffic and speed, but a collision means something different within their respective tasks.