So by now, you’ve probably heard the rumors that Rockstar Games is preparing a remastered Grand Theft Auto trilogy for release on consoles this October, including Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. This sounds like it’ll be another home run for the company, reintroducing a new generation of players to the games that helped define a franchise before the best-selling Grand Theft Auto V came along.
But there’s more importance here than you might realize. For the longest time, players have been clamoring for Grand Theft Auto to make some kind of debut on the Nintendo Switch. And while a port of GTA V still remains quite possible on the platform (possibly to go alongside its PS5 and Xbox Series S/X re-releases), the remastered trilogy should have no trouble filling in that gap, as it’s rumored to come to that platform as well.
And the timing couldn’t be better, for a number of reasons.
The more classic experiences for Switch, the better
A lot of folks enjoy playing new games on the Switch, but there’s also a surprising amount of those that want to enjoy nostalgia. Like being able to play the likes of Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World again, this time on a more viable platform. So, of course, being able to re-experience three of the greatest Grand Theft Auto games on a system like the Switch makes perfect sense.
Rockstar Games will probably leave most of the gameplay alone, though there is the possibility it’ll fine-tune things a slight bit in the hopes of making the games feel a bit more “modern,” as it were, possibly with weapon aiming or other systems. Of course, the core experience will remain intact, so that’s nothing to worry about. But Rockstar obviously wants this to be the best re-release of classic games it can possibly put together.
It could be timed alongside the Nintendo Switch OLED
Not everyone is going to upgrade to the new OLED model of the Nintendo Switch, but there are going to be more than enough people interested to make it a best-seller. And the timing of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy couldn’t be better if it arrives around the first week of October, which it’s currently rumored to do.
Alongside Metroid Dread, the GTA games could easily show just how great the games can look on a Nintendo platform, especially on something as clear and beautiful as an OLED screen. Granted, it’ll still look great on the regular Switch as well, along with the Switch Lite. But a new title such as this could easily highlight what makes a handheld such as this stand out in a growing market.
We’ll be waiting a while for GTA 6, so…
Considering that GTA V is nowhere near the Switch yet, Rockstar Games needs to release something to satiate the audience on the system, and it makes sense. Not to mention that the company will easily sell millions of copies just in time for Christmas, with players rediscovering everything from remote control exploding cars to hanging out with prostitutes to getting into all sorts of trouble (if the previous examples didn’t point that out). And they can take these adventures on the go in a much more convenient way than mobile phones can provide, which is a huge plus.
Now it’s just a matter of waiting for Rockstar Games to make the official announcement so we can get ready for it. And, for that matter, egging on the company to give other re-releases a try. The Max Payne trilogy would be right at home on the Switch, and a Red Dead Redemption port wouldn’t be out of the question either…
