In GTA 3 you can only shoot from a car with the Uzi, and you can only fire out of the left or right window, never forward. If you have been trying to shoot while driving with a pistol or a shotgun and getting nothing, the weapon is the reason. This is a much narrower system than the later games in the series, and that is the whole answer for most players asking the question.
The Weapon Requirement
The Uzi is the only drive-by weapon. You do not need to select it manually: as long as it is in your inventory, the game switches to it automatically when you get into a vehicle. If you do not own one yet, you cannot do drive-bys at all.
The Controls
Firing out of a window means looking out of it first:
- Hold L2 to look left or R2 to look right on PlayStation. The camera swings to that side.
- With the look button still held, fire with the attack button.
- Release to return to driving normally.
There is one habit that breaks this completely: do not hold L2 and R2 at the same time. That combination switches to the look-behind camera, and you cannot fire from it. Players who mash both shoulder buttons expecting a wider firing arc end up unable to shoot at all.
Why You Cannot Shoot Forward
There is no forward firing arc from inside a vehicle in this game. If a target is ahead of you, your options are to ram it or to get out. This is worth internalising before a mission that involves a chase, because lining a target up in front of your bonnet does nothing.
This restriction is one of the clearest differences between the original Liberty City and the modern games. Our guide on how to shoot while driving in GTA 5 covers the far more flexible version of the same mechanic, where the weapon selection and firing arc are both much wider.
Using It Well
Because you are limited to the sides, drive-bys in GTA 3 work best when you are driving parallel to your target rather than pursuing it. Pulling alongside a vehicle and matching its speed gives you a stable firing window. Chasing from directly behind gives you nothing at all.
The Uzi’s rate of fire is high enough that short bursts at close range are effective, and its accuracy holds up well from a moving car compared to anything else you could theoretically carry.
If you are still finding your way around Liberty City, our guide on how to fly the Dodo covers the other mechanic in this game that almost nobody works out on their own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use any other weapon for drive-bys? No. The Uzi is the only one.
Can passengers shoot in GTA 3? Mission-controlled characters may fire during scripted sequences, but there is no general system for arming a passenger.
Why does nothing happen when I press fire in a car? Either you do not have the Uzi, or you are not holding a look button, or you are holding both and are in the look-behind camera.
Does this work on motorbikes? There are no motorbikes in GTA 3. They arrived in Vice City.