Burnout 3: Takedown received numerous awards from the video games media and independent awards organisations following its release.
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine and
Official U.S. Xbox Magazine both ranked Burnout 3: Takedown as their "Game of the Year" ahead of
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and
Halo 2respectively.
[42] Eurogamer staff rated Burnout 3 in ninth place on their list of the top fifty games of 2004.
[43] At the
2nd British Academy Games Awards, Burnout 3 won three awards in the "PS2", "Racing", and "Technical Direction" categories, and received three further nominations in the "Art Direction", "Online Multiplayer", and "Xbox" categories.
[44] The game won "Racing Game of the Year" and was nominated for "Console Game of the Year" at the
2005 Interactive Achievement Awards.
[45][46] For its showcase at E3 2004, Burnout 3 won "Best Racing Game" from the
Game Critics Awards.
[47] At the
2004 Golden Joystick Awards, Burnout 3 won the "PlayStation 2 Game of the Year" category and was a runner-up for "Online Game of the Year".
[48] At the
2004 Spike Video Game Awards, Burnout 3 won "Best Driving Game" and was nominated for "Game of the Year". It also won the viewer's choice award for "Most Addictive Game". Alex Ward and Criterion were nominated for "Designer of the Year" for their work on Burnout 3.