Rockstar announces LA Noire for PC

By Tom Phillips Published 23 June, 2011

Autumn launch clued up with 3D support.

Rockstar has announced a PC version of dark detective drama L.A. Noire for release this autumn.

In development at Rockstar Leeds, the PC version of Team Bondi's thriller promises 3D support, improved graphical capabilities and gamepad functionality.

Retail and digital versions will be available.

L.A. Noire launched for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 last month. It's already sold four million units worldwide and is the top selling new video game IP in UK history.

Oli described the game as "slow but quietly engrossing; its mechanics are suspect, but you can't fault the ambition, attention to detail and commitment that went into its making" in Eurogamer's L.A. Noire review.

Eurogamer's review of the latest DLC case, Nicholson Electroplating, just went live.

Digital Foundry captures L.A. Noire's world in motion.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Phillips

Tom joined Eurogamer in 2010 and has quickly made his mark writing news and columns and coming up with puntastic straplines. Questionable beard. @TomPhillips151 on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Phillips archive page.

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Comments (50) Latest comment 11 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Vitor #1 11 months ago

    CANNOT WAIT. If you've seen the developer diaries, you'll notice that the facial scans are actually of a significantly higher resolution initially before they're downsized for the game. Hopefully they'll retain the detail for the PC.

    Plus, considering how sparse the open world is, this isn't going to be the CPU behemoth that GTA 4 was. Waaaaay less calculations going on. And, since you can auto drive almost anywhere, I doubt it'd be hard to maintain 60FPS in the indoor areas/interrogations with a modest rig.

  • Hunam #2 11 months ago

    What!? I only bought it for the PS3 because I thought they'd be fuck all chance of a PC version :(

  • the_dudefather #3 11 months ago

    cool, shame Red Dead didn't get the same

  • thesonglessbird #4 11 months ago

    If they'd announced this from the start, I'd have waited and saved money / got (probably) the best looking version! Bah.

    Wouldn't fancy the download much though.

  • O2L #5 11 months ago

    if there is proper controls then fine, but if i have to use a gamepad like in gta 4 then im gonna give it a miss unfortunately

  • Timotei #6 11 months ago

    Ah fucking great news, thank you ar star!

  • apoc_reg #7 11 months ago

    Great but red dead too please

  • Er-El #8 11 months ago

    Please port Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar.

  • Darren #9 11 months ago

    Well that was totally unexpected, wasn't it, after the non-appearance of Red Dead Redemption on the PC? :o

    Not that I'm complaining because I almost certainly will buy it (again!) as it'll hopefully address my one complaint with the console versions, namely the sometimes poor framerate which feels like 10-20 fps at times. Hopefully, it'll ship with all the console content to date to make up for the delay in coming.

    My only concern is that it'll be an unoptimised mess like GTA IV was and require hardware far in excess of what you'd reasonably expect for a console port. I mean GTA IV runs fine on my machine now but so it should as my PC is relatively high-end! Rockstar said at the time it came out that it was designed with future PCs in mind... my arse, was it hell, it was just lazily converted!!! Still doesn't support anti-aliasing either. Please don't make the same mistake with L.A. Noire, it deserves better.

  • Darren #10 11 months ago

    Considering Red Dead Redemption sold more copies, I wonder why they decided to port L.A. Noire over and not the other game? Or is it because the game wasn't a huge GTA-style hit on the consoles that the PC is getting it?

  • teenlonewolf #11 11 months ago

    OH MY FREAKING BABY JESUS!

  • OnlyMe #12 11 months ago

    Wow, that was a surprise. Although this kind of game should do even better on PC's considering it's seen as an adventure game in most ways. Not long from being point'n'click with action elements from what I hear, and people who love point'n'clicks plays on a PC mostly.

    Now, announce Red Dead as well. Then I'll get both.
    Edited by OnlyMe at 23/06/11 @ 16:48

  • metalangel #13 11 months ago

    Maybe someone can mod it so it's always nighttime, raining, and with lots of moody lighting and steam pouring out of the sewers?

  • cianchristopher #14 11 months ago

    That's great news - I held off getting it for Xbox cos I've got a billion games in my backlog.

    Now I can get it for my PC, and have a billion-and-one games in my backlog. Yay!

  • Darren #15 11 months ago

    It'll be interesting to see if the PC is enhanced in any way or whether it'll be a port of the console versions, including all their assets.

    As someone mentioned earlier, it'd be nice to see higher quality motion-capture used in the game, if it was downsampled for the consoles, and faces would benefit from sharper textures and self-shadowing to give a more photo-realistic look. Also you'd expect the draw distance to be much longer and maybe, like GTA IV, we'll be able to ramp up the number of cars to give the city a busier feel to it?

    Guess we're just going to have to wait and see but I'll be keeping my eyes peeled from now on for leaked screenshots and videos!
    Edited by Darren at 23/06/11 @ 16:57

  • Vixremento #16 11 months ago

    For Red Dead Redemption I couldn't wait but for L.A. Noire nothing really said "GRAB ME NOW!"...I mean it's nice having cool faces but it's hardly a selling point (especially when I can't splatter peds all over the place). I made the decision a while back to wait for the game of the year edition (or at least a platinum copy) because I just didn't see it as my type of game.

    Now a PC release however is much more enticing! Consider me pre-ordered!

  • Xabarin #17 11 months ago

    YES, YESSSSSSSSSSS!!! I've lost all hope for Read Dead Redemption on PC, but this is great news!!!

  • God_Octo #18 11 months ago

    Well, Rockstar thought it would sell 4 million units, and it has. It seems those analysts that said the game has underperformed were incorrect. I don't know why people bother listening to individual analysts- we could-and probably did- do a better job than the likes of Patcher and co.

    Anyway, enjoy the game PC players- I think the whole experience is much better than its individual parts. As John Teti said in the Nicholson electroplating review, taking the game apart hides its brilliance.
    Edited by God_Octo at 23/06/11 @ 17:55

  • deadstoned #19 11 months ago

    About time! Now wheres Red Dead redemption? And I hope GFWL is removed this time *shudder . Hate that crap.

  • Inmediasress #20 11 months ago

    I will be entirely honest tough I'm going to be hated for this but I would like RDR more on the PC.
    Tough LA Noire seems a nice touch also, but I just can't get the little bug from my head that maybe the disapointing sales (well according to what they would have liked that is) is responsible for this sudden PC port.

  • UncleLou #21 11 months ago

    see pc gamers this is why consoles are better. you are 100% have a chance of being able to get the game.

    Cool, looking forward to playing Forza on my PS3.

  • UncleLou #22 11 months ago

    I will be entirely honest tough I'm going to be hated for this but I would like RDR more on the PC.

    Yeah. And just imagine if it was moddable, even.

  • narked #23 11 months ago

    wicked :D i'm hyped for this game

  • bad09 #24 11 months ago

    Well it is certainly nice Rockstar finally remembered the PC is out there and I'll pick it up at some point but in all honesty, with some of the disappointing feedback I'm hearing about LA Noire from the console guys, I'd so much prefer they threw us RDR as our scraps to be honest I'm gagging for that one.

  • hiddenranbir #25 11 months ago

    Might buy for PC. Feels a chore having to turn my xbox on to finish it on there.


    Considering Red Dead Redemption sold more copies, I wonder why they decided to port L.A. Noire over and not the other game?

    Cause I think they think that LA Noire is less actiony and didn't appeal much to the consolers so they're thinking "oh it must be for the PC people then". Cause we only like to think. We don't like to shoot shit. Sort of.
    Edited by hiddenranbir at 23/06/11 @ 17:44

  • Daeltaja #26 11 months ago

    News post regarding Wife of Rockstar Leeds employee incoming.

  • Caimbeul #27 11 months ago

    Awesome news, was looking to pick up the ps3 version as I too thought that there was fu k all chance of seeing a pc release. Good news indeed. Now release red dead redemption.

  • Vitor #28 11 months ago

    @hiddenranbir

    Uh, didn't LA Noire outsell Red Dead, at least initially? Makes your idea that the console crowd don't like less action orientated games a little questionable.

    I'm not complaining about the port - loved it on PS3 and will likely gush over the visuals at higher resolutions but still.

  • Leolian #29 11 months ago

    Good. Hope it's not a broken mess like GTA IV.

  • Leolian #30 11 months ago

    I wonder if releasing it late on pc is somewhat of a marketing ploy. I'm guessing there will be more than one person that bought it on console that will also buy it on pc as well for the upgraded graphics... just a thought.

  • thiagots85 #31 11 months ago

    was waiting for a chance to buy it for my ps3..... I think i'll wait just for the pc version

  • bad09 #32 11 months ago

    "enjoy waiting for RDR lol you will be waiting a while thats for sure. "

    The rumour mill says July/August when the consoles get a Game Of The Year edition. A guide is being released around the same time so one is certainly coming for consoles. Whether it comes modding it's way to superior hardware though well we'll see :)

    EDIT - Actually amazon UK have the GOTY edition guide down for 1st September now.
    Edited by bad09 at 23/06/11 @ 21:10

  • StooMonster #33 11 months ago

    Bugger, I would've waited.

  • RageRiot #34 11 months ago

    Red Dead Redemption please :)

    Whilst I'm on the subject, all future titles on PC at the same time from now on please (GTA 5 for example).

  • hiddenranbir #35 11 months ago

    @vitor

    But the reception received wasn't as big, was it?

  • orangpelupa #36 11 months ago

    OMG!!!!!! ROCKSTAR why not announce PC will be released later when PS3/Xbox released.....

    now im stuck with xbox version...

  • Claudiov1.0 #37 11 months ago

    Well i bought gta 4 for the ps3 and didnīt regret it, im gonna buy LA Noire in a few weeks, and since ps3 is the best console version, i really am not gonna regret it...

  • azic #38 11 months ago

    I hate that I've got 360 version and all DLC! Why not just say PC Coming soon, I might buy it but i am annoyed, it seems a bit of a ploy to me!

  • natureboy #39 11 months ago

    As long as they fully credit everybody that was involved in the game (not like how they did to the poor guys on the console version) then yes i am getting this

  • rayscoota #40 11 months ago

    I guess if the console sales had been better this wouldnt be happening, still more the merrier for the PC :)

  • Rack #41 11 months ago

    Hmm, given what GTA took and how lazy everyone is getting in regards to console ports these days I wouldn't be surprised if this ran poorly on a Xeon 5680. Then they'll blame piracy on poor sales and won't port anything else for a while.

  • Xardan #42 11 months ago

    Oh yes fantastic thanks Rockstar how kind of you, oh and dont forget to port Red Dead Redemption too so 90% of PC gamers can just steal it off the internet. Thanks very kind of you. Yes.

  • BloodSaint #43 11 months ago

    HOLY SH*T I LOVE U ROCKSTAR

  • Lord_BeeJee #44 11 months ago

    Lovely!

  • RobTheBuilder #45 11 months ago

    Excellent. I knew it was coming but had no idea when!

  • Zaiz #46 11 months ago

    Before I played Red Dead on a friend's PS3, I wanted it really bad for PC.

    ...I still want it really bad. This? Not nearly as interesting to me - the fable of the West is a much more interesting period than Noire, at least for me.

  • Nephirion #47 11 months ago

    gamepad functionality gto!!!!!

  • ruddiger7 #48 11 months ago

    They didnt announce it till now cause they wanted everyone to go out and buy consoles for the console version.

  • mornegroth #49 11 months ago

    uuuuu yes

  • Toothball #50 11 months ago

    While I'm usually an Xbox gamer, I was looking out for a PC version of this at launch. Since there wasn't one I went with the Xbox version. Haven't played it much, so I'd probably have been better off waiting a while. These things happen I guess.