GTA Remastered Trilogy tipped to breathe new life into PS2-era classics

For quite some time, multiple rumors have claimed that Rockstar is looking to remaster classic Grand Theft Auto titles and re-release them on modern platforms. Thus far, those rumors haven’t materialized into any confirmation from Rockstar, but according to a new report today, that confirmation may not be very far off. If you were a fan of GTA games like Grand Theft Auto 3, GTA: Vice City, or GTA: San Andreas back in the day, then it might not be long before you’re able to play them with a fresh coat of paint.

This rumor comes from Kotaku, which spoke to sources familiar with Rockstar’s plans who claim that the company is approaching the finish line with these long-rumored remasters. In all, Kotaku said that it spoke with three different sources, all with corroborating details on the development of these games, noting that all of them have “reliable track records” when it comes to leaks related to GTA and Red Dead Redemption.

Those sources say that Rockstar is currently working on remasters of all the PS2-era games we listed above and that they’ll come with refreshed graphics and updated UIs. The goal, it seems, is to update these games for modern platforms while at the same time keeping the overall classic feel of them intact.

Kotaku’s sources also note that Rockstar Dundee is working on these remasters while at the same time helping Rockstar bring GTA V to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Originally, it seems Rockstar planned to offer these as a bonus for those who buy that upgraded version of GTA V, but now the plan seems to be to offer the GTA Remastered Trilogy as a standalone product this fall – we’re told to expect them to launch around the end of October or the beginning of November.

One interesting thing revealed by this report is that Rockstar plans to release the GTA Remastered Collection on pretty much every platform under the sun: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC, Stadia, and even mobile devices. However, it’s important to point out that Nintendo consoles have historically missed out on the GTA franchise’s biggest games. While the first two GTA games were ported to the Game Boy Color and there were a pair of spin-offs developed for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS, Nintendo’s home consoles have never received a proper GTA release.

So, if Kotaku’s report is correct, this would be a big release for the Switch. These sources also claim that Rockstar could remaster the original Red Dead Redemption as well, but that isn’t necessarily in the cards just yet as the company works to finish the GTA remasters first. All in all, it’s a very fascinating report, and if everything pans out, it may not be long before we have official confirmation of the GTA Remastered Trilogy.