GTA 3 released 20 years ago to critical acclaim. The following years, the release of Vice City and San Andreas saw similar success, as critics praised their open world design and the stories they told. 20 years later, Rockstar Games decided it was time to bring these titles into the modern age, with a trilogy remaster.
Rockstar made the announcement earlier this week with a reveal trailer and newswire piece. Each game will be enhanced for a new generation of consoles, and available in one purchase. The trilogy will be available November 11th, for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, X and S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
The changes are technical
Rockstar explains in their article that the remaster was developed by Grove Street Games. The engine in which it was remastered is Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. The company also revealed a new website to promote the trilogy.
The remaster includes many technical updates to help bring the game into the modern age. These upgrades include a wide range of modern control upgrades, including improvements to targeting and lock-on aiming. The HUD and UI is also seeing some work done, with new weapon and radio station wheels, as well as useful features such as custom waypoints. The Nintendo Switch addition will also feature Switch-specific controls, such as gyro aiming and touch screen zooming, panning, and menu selection.
The PC addition will also feature Nvidia’s state of the art DLSS technology. The feature uses deep learning AI to upscale image quality. This creates a higher resolution image without the hit to performance that resolution would otherwise cause. New Accomplishments via the Rockstar Games Social Club will also be added for PC players.
Overhauls to the games visuals are also a key point Rockstar is focused on showing off. The trilogy will have a rebuilt lighting system, improved shadows, weather, and reflections. The trailer shows off the new character and vehicle models as well.
The wait for GTA 6
The franchises flagship title GTA 5 was released all the way back in 2013. You would hardly notice if you just looked at the numbers. The accompanying online mode has been popular ever since, with updates coming out as late as July of this year. Fans have stuck by the game for nearly a decade, creating player driven experiences through gameplay with friends. Player count still peaks at 100,000 on Steam to this day, showing the games relevance isn’t going anywhere. But fans have been wondering when GTA 6 will arrive, with earliest estimates placing the games release anywhere between 2023 and 2024.
Despite the far out projection, fans are sure to continue to meet their fill of the franchise. With an online community thriving and 3 remastered titles hitting consoles, there’s plenty of content to keep old and new fans entertained till a new experience debutes .
