Summary
- An analysis of GTA 5 source code suggests that a Nintendo Switch port of the game was never in development.
- Reddit user RafaelSwi discovered that the game's recently leaked source code contains just a select few inconclusive references to the Switch.
- The leaked data indicates that any GTA 5 Switch port plans were likely scrapped prior to 2017, assuming they ever existed in the first place.
A Nintendo Switch port of Grand Theft Auto 5 was likely never in active development, an analysis of the game's source code suggests. The full GTA 5 source code leaked online in late December, together with a number of other Rockstar files.
September 17 marked the tenth anniversary of GTA 5's widely acclaimed release. Rumors of a GTA 5 Switch port have been circulating the industry for nearly as long, since before Nintendo's hybrid console even hit the market in early 2017. The fact that some of Rockstar's other ambitious open-world games such as L.A. Noire and Red Dead Redemption made their way to the Switch over the years inspired additional hope among the fandom that the fifth mainline entry in the Grand Theft Auto series would eventually follow suit.
Grand Theft Auto 5 Leak Reveals Eight Canceled Single-Player DLCs
The leak of Grand Theft Auto 5's source code reveals the existence of eight canceled single-player DLCs for the game.
Be that as it may, a Switch port of GTA 5 was seemingly never in development. That's according to a newly shared analysis of the game's source code conducted by Reddit user RafaelSwi, who discovered that the entire GTA 5 codebase contains just two references to the Nintendo Switch, and only a couple more mentions of the console's NX64 codename. And while that observation alone might suggest Rockstar once had plans to bring the game to the Switch, all of the discovered references appear to be tied to utility functions and objects that in no way indicate Grand Theft Auto 5 was ever close to running on the ARM system-on-chip architecture utilized by the Nvidia Tegra X1 powering the Switch.
Any GTA 5 Switch Port Plans Were Likely Scrapped Prior to 2017
Reflecting on this find, RafaelSwi speculated that Rockstar might have initially left open the possibility of bringing the game to the Switch, but canceled those plans after it was announced that the Wii U successor would use the 64-bit ARM architecture. That theory would explain why the source code contains more mentions of the console's NX codename than its official Switch moniker. The chances of this theory being based on a severely outdated codebase appear slim, as the latest files found in the massive leak are dated from the second half of 2021.
The Switch port of Red Dead Redemption that was released in August 2023 is still the only RAGE engine game that has made its way to Nintendo's hit console to date. RafaelSwi asserted that trying to run GTA 5 on the Switch before the engine itself was ported to the console would have been "a waste of time," concluding that there's no indication that the game was ever in active development for the hybrid console.
Whether GTA 5 might finally make its way to Nintendo hardware with the rumored 2024 launch of the Switch successor remains to be seen. But given recent precedent, what's clear is that Grand Theft Auto fans shouldn't hold their breath for GTA 6 on the Switch 2, for all the same reasons that made the Switch miss out on the previous game.
Grand Theft Auto 5
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 92%
- Released
- September 17, 2013
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
WHERE TO PLAY
When a young street hustler, a retired bank robber and a terrifying psychopath find themselves entangled with some of the most frightening and deranged elements of the criminal underworld, the U.S. Government and the entertainment industry, they must pull off a series of dangerous heists to survive in a ruthless city in which they can trust nobody, least of all each other.
Grand Theft Auto V for PC offers players the option to explore the award-winning world of Los Santos and Blaine County in resolutions of up to 4k and beyond, as well as the chance to experience the game running at 60 frames per second.
The game offers players a huge range of PC-specific customization options, including over 25 separate configurable settings for texture quality, shaders, tessellation, anti-aliasing and more, as well as support and extensive customization for mouse and keyboard controls. Additional options include a population density slider to control car and pedestrian traffic, as well as dual and triple monitor support, 3D compatibility, and plug-and-play controller support.
- Engine
- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
- How Long To Beat
- 32 Hours
- File Size Xbox Series
- 84 GB (July 2023)
- Metascore
- 81
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
