Classic Grand Theft Auto games reportedly getting a remaster and Switch versions

According to a report from Kotaku, three of the Grand Theft Auto franchise’s oldest and most revered titles are being remastered. The report, which cites unnamed insider sources at developer Rockstar, claims that Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas are all being remastered. These remasters won’t be simple ports, either, according to the report. Instead of simply upscaling each game to HD resolution, Rockstar is remastering each using the Unreal Engine, mixing “new and old graphics” from each game. The report also claims that Rockstar has plans to release three remastered titles this fall, but whether or not they are the three previously-mentioned GTA titles have not been confirmed. Regardless, each remastered Grand Theft Auto title, whenever released, will be available on not just the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S but also on the Switch. Kotaku’s report goes on to say that Rockstar Dundee, the publisher’s most recent acquisition, is the main studio behind these remasters. Before joining Rockstar, Dundee was known as Ruffian Games, the studio that developed Crackdown 2 and Crackdown 3. Apparently, remasters of these classic GTA titles have even affected other Rockstar titles. One source in Kotaku’s report claimed that the shift in priority to completing the remasters has resulted in Red Dead Online‘s own lack of meaningful content updates. That detail certainly tracks, as the multiplayer western title’s largest update, Blood Money, was added to the game just last month. Prior to Blood Money‘s release, Red Dead Online‘s content updates have been sporadic and anemic. Rockstar Games has acquired Video Games Deluxe, soon to be renamed Rockstar Australia. The studio is based in Sydney and is responsible for the 2017 re-release of L.A. Noire as well as the more recent Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy. The news might come as a surprise; after all, the two studios have worked alongside one another for years. However, it was just a partnership until this point. “It’s been an honor to work closely with Rockstar Games this past decade,” said Brendan McNamara, founder of Video Games Deluxe. “We are thrilled to part part of Rockstar Games and to continue our efforts to make the best games possible.” A lot of long-awaited video games will finally release in 2025. But don’t let them be the only ones to grab your attention this year. If all goes according to plan, 2025 will contain the launches of Nintendo’s Switch successor, Metroid Prime 4:Beyond, and Grand Theft Auto VI. Other high-profile games like Elden Ring: Neightreign, Doom: The Dark Ages, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and Ghost of Yotei flesh out Digital Trends’ most anticipated games of 2025 list. It’s likely that these AAA adventures, and whatever Nintendo decides to deliver with its new console, will dominate gaming conversations throughout the year. On a personal note, 2024 was one of my favorite years for video games in recent memory. It may not have been filled with giant franchise sequels, but it was loaded with surprises that made for an eclectic year. If all goes according to plan, that’s going to change in 2025. And that’s something I didn’t even realize until I sat down to write this list of Digital Trends’ most anticipated games of 2025. While only a handful of big games have release dates currently, publishers have some major releases slated to release at some point in 2025. That’s, of course, headlined by Grand Theft Auto 6, but there’s so much beyond that (so long as delays don’t derail plans). And this is all before factoring in the Nintendo Switch 2’s impending launch, which will undoubtedly fill the year with some top-tier games that are currently a deep secret. It’s difficult to narrow a “most anticipated” list down to just 10 games this year, but I’ve done my best here. These are the games that should be on your radar in 2025 — at minimum!
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