It may not be the sequel we've been hoping for, but the GTA series could soon be heading to current-gen consoles in the form of a new remastered collection.
That's according to a Kotaku report, which claims that the collection will bring together PlayStation 2 titles GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas, and will be available on the PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PC and mobile before the end of the year. Although Kotaku doesn't name its sources, it does say they have reliable track records and are familiar with what's going on at Rockstar Dundee, the division of Rockstar Games said to be tasked with developing the remasters.
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Given the last mainline game in the series — GTA V — was released two console generations ago in 2013, fans were probably hoping for more GTA 6 news rather than a new coat of paint on titles they may have already played. However, the prospect of playing these games easily on modern hardware and in a single package is still likely to be exciting for many people, particularly newer fans of the franchise who haven't experienced them.
The new report isn't surprising, given the recent activities of Rockstar Games and publisher 2K Games. 2K openly announced it was working on three remastered games, while also issuing takedown notices to fans working on GTA mods that added elements of the older games to the newer titles.
Kotaku's sources added that all three games would use a mix of "new and old graphics," such as redesigned UIs, and would be developed in the modern Unreal Engine. In terms of gameplay, however, these titles are supposedly aiming to preserve the experience of the PS2 originals.
The report also claims that Rockstar Dundee is working on the next-gen GTA V conversion. This really isn't a surprise, and means we've probably got several years to go until GTA 6 arrives. However, it will at least mean you can experience the GTA V campaign again in higher fidelity than the original or last-gen remaster, or continue to develop your profile in GTA Online, Rockstar's ridiculously profitable multiplayer mode. The game is due to arrive on November 11, and we now know that it will run at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, on PS5 at least.
As for GTA 6, it's hard to know what's genuine fact and what's just wishful thinking. All we can say for certain is that Rockstar Games is currently working on it in some capacity.
There have been rumors of the game taking place in the 1980s and featuring settings on either side of the U.S./Mexican border for a drugs trade-linked story, but these are poorly supported. Either way, if the remastered trilogy report turns out to be accurate, we'll at least have something fun to play while we wait.
