Grand Theft Auto Has Another Remaster On The Way?
Another Grand Theft Auto remaster may be taking priority at the studio.
This article is more than 2 years old
“Have you heard the news? GTA 6 is in development, and progressing nicely.” This is probably the best joke within the Grand Theft Auto gaming community, ever since the announcement of Grand Theft Auto V’s third porting to modern gaming systems. The comedic value of that joke only increased when Rockstar Games announced GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, which encapsulates three remastered titles of the series: GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas. And while the fandom is growing impatient for Grand Theft Auto VI, Rockstar Games continues its push to cash in on the high demand for remade and remastered gaming titles. Now, the newest internet chatter suggests that a Grand Theft Auto IV remaster might be in the works.
According to Game Rant, a leaker named RalphsValve shared Grand Theft Auto IV art on his Twitter account, claiming that the remaster will be released in 2023. The purported remaster will release for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, with no mentions of the Switch version of the game – which is clearly present when it comes to the upcoming GTA: The Trilogy. If his claims are believed, the GTA IV remaster will come with the Episodes from Liberty City DLC included in the game. Additionally, the leaker added that Rockstar Games might opt to release the single-player mode only and completely omit the multiplayer mode from the remastered version of the game.
It’s worth pointing out that the original Grand Theft Auto IV has an implemented, fully-functional online multiplayer mode, though nothing as grand as GTA V’s Grand Theft Auto Online multiplayer component, which is currently earning Rockstar Games a substantial sum. Perhaps the sum is astronomical, which would explain why the company purposefully neglects the desires of its customers for Grand Theft Auto VI – which could actually be stuck in development hell. Regardless, removing multiplayer modes from remastered games isn’t an uncommon practice, so RalphsValve might be onto something.
RalphsValve is a relatively new Twitter account that mostly shared supposedly leaked information on the Call of Duty gaming series, so his credibility for this Grand Theft Auto leak could be questioned. However, some of his claims about the upcoming Call of Duty games were later corroborated by more reliable sources, so he does earn a bit more legitimacy than most online “leakers” and speculators. Even so, all unofficially claimed information should be taken with a grain of salt since developers could back out on certain features or even entire titles. It has happened before.
Ultimately, having Grand Theft Auto IV remastered would be an excellent addition to the upcoming GTA: The Trilogy, set to release in approximately one week. And while some fans may be disappointed by the continuous lack of news regarding GTA VI, the next-gen version of GTA V is set to release in 2022. So it would seem that a pattern emerges; following this year’s release of The Trilogy, GTA V next-gen remaster in 2022, and alleged GTA IV in 2023, GTA VI might just happen in 2024-2025 – as we have previously reported. And if that happens, we suppose the game will remain popular for some time, enough to warrant yet another full-fledged Grand Theft Auto V remaster, probably aimed at the future-gen consoles.
