GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas remasters reportedly in the works for release this year
On Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC, and mobile.
Rockstar is reportedly putting the finishing touches to remasters of its open-world PlayStation 2-era classics Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, and San Andreas for release later this year.
Rumours of possible remasters for the games first bubbled up over the summer as fans began wondering why Take-Two's lawyers had suddenly started issuing a raft of takedown notices for classic GTA mods. Speculation grew further following Take-Two's recent confirmation it had three unannounced "new iterations of previously released titles" in the works.
Now, however, an investigation by Kotaku has revealed more tangible details, with its sources - who, the website says, have a proven track record providing accurate information on GTA Online and Red Dead Online - claiming Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, and San Andreas are indeed getting the remaster treatment.
The remasters, reportedly being developed by Rockstar Dundee (formerly Ruffian Games) in Unreal Engine, are said to offer a mix of "new and old graphics" - supposedly resembling a "heavily-modded version of a classic GTA title" - alongside an update UI. Gameplay, though, is claimed to be staying "true to the PS2-era GTA games as much as possible."
Kotaku says the GTA remasters were originally intended to be a bonus for players that purchased the next-gen ports of GTA 5 and GTA Online, but that plans have changed and the titles are now expected to be bundled together into a potentially digital-only release for a late October or early November launch on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC, Stadia, and mobile - although the PC and mobile ports may slip into next year.
The project is said to be part of a renewed interest for Rockstar in reviving its classic games, with the developer reportedly planning new ports of titles like Red Dead Redemption if its Grand Theft Auto remasters do well.