Summary
- Meta disappoints VR fans by putting GTA: San Andreas VR version on indefinite hold, leaving excited fans in the dark.
- Meta focused on AI, leaving GTA: San Andreas project in limbo, despite potential popularity and success in VR market.
- Disastrous release of GTA: San Andreas remastered version may have contributed to hold on VR project, with uncertain future plans.
Virtual reality enthusiasts waiting for Meta's VR version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will be disappointed to hear that the game has been put on "indefinite hold." Unfortunately, after years of silence, it seems that the GTA: San Andreas project is dead in the water.
Meta initially announced that GTA: San Andreas was going to be one of its big releases for the Meta Quest line of VR headsets. Meta made good on some of these promises, with titles like the VR version of the original Resident Evil 4, which received praise from VR enthusiasts and fans of the survival horror title. However, after initially being announced in 2021, excited fans have been left in the dark regarding GTA: San Andreas until now.
Meta has now officially issued a statement on the long-awaited GTA: San Andreas VR version. As spotted by IGN, responding to a video, an official representative of Meta stated that GTA: San Andreas has been put on hold "indefinitely" while both Rockstar and Meta focus on other projects. Meta went on to note that it looks forward to working with Rockstar in the future, but offered no further information on what that might entail. Meta has notably been shifting much of its attention to AI as of late, which may have put this game further on the backburner.
Why Didn't GTA: San Andreas Happen on Meta Quest?
With Meta having the most successful VR headset line at this time, it seems like GTA: San Andreas could have sold like hotcakes and helped to propel the popularity of virtual reality further. This would have been a good thing for Rockstar and especially Meta. However, it's possible that the disastrous release of the GTA: San Andreas remastered version had something to do with the hold on this project.
While no gameplay was ever shown, it's possible that the VR version of GTA: San Andreas was originally intended to be built upon the remastered edition. However, as fans of GTA will recall, the GTA Definitive Edition trilogy was a serious mess at launch. The game was riddled with glitches, poor visuals, and performance issues. Virtual reality demands a certain level of graphical fidelity and smooth FPS performance in order to be enjoyed without motion sickness. Rockstar went back and patched the game to fix the most heinous of the release's problems, but given the condition of the game and the understandable caution of the fanbase following it, trying to push an improved version of that release on the VR headset line may not have worked out well for either company.
While it's not out of the question for GTA: San Andreas or another Rockstar release like Grand Theft Auto 6 to eventually be playable in VR, fans shouldn't hold their breath for this particular game to launch anytime soon.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 54 /100 Critics Rec: 12%
- Released
- November 11, 2021
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Grove Street Games, Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience the blockbuster classic, updated for a new generation with across-the-board enhancements including brilliant new lighting and environmental upgrades, with high-resolution textures, increased draw distance, Grand Theft Auto V-style controls and targeting, and much more.
Five years ago, Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson escaped the haze of Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption. Now, it's the early 90s. CJ’s got to go home - his mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart, and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster. On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of cops frame him for homicide, forcing CJ on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets in the next iteration of the series that changed everything.
Developed by Rockstar Games, adapted by Grove Street Games.
- Engine
- RenderWare
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- Platform(s)
- Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Shooter
- How Long To Beat
- 30 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
