Everything we know about the GTA Remastered Trilogy
Old-school GTA gets a fresh coat of paint.
Are you ready to go back to Vice City? GTA Remastered Trilogy rumors recently hit a fever pitch, with at least one major news outlet claiming the oft-rumored remasters of Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas are deep in development.
Below, we outline all we know about the project including its expected release date, leaks, and a possible port for Nintendo Switch.
What are the basic gameplay rumors about the GTA Remastered Trilogy?
According to an August 12 report from Kotaku, the GTA Remastered Trilogy is real, it’s deep in development, and includes remade or remastered versions of the three PS2-era GTA titles. The games are reportedly being reworked in Unreal Engine using a mix of new and old graphical techniques. One of the outlet’s sources said the final products will look like heavily modded PC iterations of the base games, similar to EA’s Mass Effect Legendary Edition, which made its way to modern platforms earlier this year.
Vice City is among the three retro GTA games expected to be remastered in the near future.
While all the original UI will be updated to look sharper and more readable on modern displays, the inclination is that these remasters strive to maintain the integrity of their original code as much as possible. In other words, the GTA Remastered Trilogy likely won’t contain full-blown remakes using modern GTA 5 engine tech, but it’ll still be a nice way to enjoy those classic titles.
On what platforms will the GTA Remastered Trilogy release?
The above-linked Kotaku story suggests the GTA Remastered Trilogy is being developed for “a multitude of platforms, including the portable Nintendo Switch.” In our estimation, it seems likely the full trilogy will also make its way to current-gen consoles, last-gen consoles and PC.
Do we have a release date or trailer for the GTA Remastered Trilogy?
Will you return to San Andreas if the game’s graphics get improved?
Not yet, but we assume that information will be shared once Rockstar officially announces the details of the project.
What can leaks tell us about the GTA Remastered Trilogy?
Despite Kotaku’s high-profile blowout in August, the GTA Remastered Trilogy has been something of an open secret in the GTA community for quite some time. As far back as 2019, Rockstar-owned Ruffian Games (now called Rockstar Dundee) tweeted that the team was hiring for work on an upcoming Rockstar Games project. The most critical detail to know, however, is that Ruffian has a long history as a support studio, helping finish projects like Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and Crackdown 3.
Fast forward to January of this year, and we see this tweet from a GTA Forum moderator, allegedly depicting some fan-made Shark Card designs. Look closely at the digits on the cards, however, and you’ll see 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2011 “B46.” The implication widely suggested amongst fans is that players might see remasters of 2001’s GTA III, 2002’s Vice City, 2004’s San Andreas, and 2013’s GTA 5 before the inevitable release of Grand Theft Auto VI.
Were these Shark Cards the first hint that the GTA Remastered Trilogy was on the way?
The mystery compounded the next month, when a well-connected leaker named Mach1bud invaded the dedicated GTA Forum thread about possible DLC speculation simply to type the word “soon.” The source further added that the upcoming project is “fucking awesome and I can't wait,” concluding, “I've wanted this to happen for many years now and I'm glad it's happening sooner rather than later." Shortly thereafter, mods on the forum added tags for GTA3, Vice City and San Andreas to the thread. Additional encrypted discussions suggested “the truck should have plenty of power with this engine,” which could refer to the old games playing better with supposed engine upgrades. Mods also suggested Rockstar was working on “nostalgia stuff.” These conversations and more are catalogued in a well-organized thread on the Gaming Leaks & Rumors subreddit.
In case those rumors weren’t enough to convince you that a GTA Remastered Trilogy is likely on the horizon, even statements from Take Two Interactive itself lend some credence to the speculation. During its May earnings call, the publisher indicated that it plans to release six new iterations of previously released titles in fiscal 2022, following that projection up in August to suggest at least three of those re-releases are fairly imminent. In-game, Take Two has also recently begun issuing DMCA takedowns for mods depicting assets from these older games. All things considered, the stars seem almost perfectly aligned for the GTA Remastered Trilogy to arrive in the near future.
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