The Best Fan Remasters of GTA Games

On January 25, GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition was released, a reissue of Tommy Vercetti's adventures on the engine of the fourth part. But this is far from the only graphics mod for the Grand Theft Auto series of games. You will learn about other similar modifications that can proudly be called a remaster from our article.

Many of the mods that we will talk about in this article are currently unavailable for download. Publisher Take-Two Interactive requires the removal of almost all major modifications that improve the graphics in the Grand Theft Auto series of games. Many assume that this eliminates possible competitors to the official remaster of GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas, which was released in 2021 with the subtitle Definitive Edition. And some fans perceive the fight against mods for the fourth part as a hint that work is underway on a remaster of this game. But there has been no official announcement yet.

This mod was developed by a team from Russia called Revolution Team. It transfers Vice City to the engine of the fourth part of the series, with all the main and additional tasks, as well as various challenges in the spirit of unique jumps. In addition, the game has added some cars from the Xbox version of the game and GTA: San Andreas, neon on buildings from Vice City Stories, as well as weapons and an improved version of the city from Definitive Edition. Among the pleasant bonuses, we can note the return of all the cut tracks, as well as a full localization from GamesVoice, which is included in the mod.

Some resources call the Nextgen Edition modification a remake. This is a big exaggeration, because against the background of GTA 5, it still feels like a guest from the past. But Revolution Team has made a really high-quality remaster. For fans, it can be a reason to play through their favorite Vice City again, and for beginners — a convenient way to get acquainted with the classics.

If the previous mod recreated Vice City based on the fourth part, then this modification uses the GTA 5 engine. It looks beautiful, but the project has obvious problems with character models — it is almost impossible to recognize Lance Vance, Ken Rosenberg and Phil Cassidy. Meanwhile, the work has been colossal, for example, the correct functioning of traffic and traffic lights has been configured, and the lighting has been redesigned. However, Take-Two did not appreciate the efforts and demanded that the modification be removed.

A transfer of the third part of the GTA series to the engine of the fourth. The modification recreates all three districts of Liberty City, and also adds interiors to some buildings, for example, in Marco's bistro. However, in this case we are talking only about the city itself, there are no story missions or additional tasks.

This mod improves the picture of San Andreas using neural networks. The changes apply to every element of the game, from buildings and cars to weapon icons. In addition, the sound quality is improved. Also worth noting is the elimination of bugs and support for widescreen monitors. Unfortunately, the modification attracted the attention of Rockstar and was removed.

Grand Theft Auto Advance remained exclusive to the Nintendo portable console. Like the first parts of the GTA series, it is two-dimensional, and its action took place in 2000, between the events of Liberty City Stories and the threequel. However, enthusiasts decided not only to transfer the game to personal computers, but to recreate its history on the Grand Theft Auto 3 engine. Work on the mod was carried out until 2019, after which it stopped being updated. And in 2021, Take Two demanded that the modification be removed from the network.

With this mod, you can transfer Liberty City from GTA 4 to the engine of the fifth part. However, we are talking only about a detailed recreation of the city, with all districts and metro stations. There are no story campaigns for Niko Belic, Johnny Klebitz and Luis Lopez. You will have to play for Michael, Franklin and Trevor. The project is designed for RP servers, so it has the functionality for playing various roles. If desired, you can add radio stations from the fourth GTA and more detailed textures.

The mod became available for download on January 6, 2025, but after 10 days, access to it was closed at the request of Rockstar representatives. A similar fate befell Liberty Rewind, another modification that recreated Liberty City based on GTA 5.

To make the picture of the fourth part modern, you can get by with one collection of mods. For example, GTA 4 Remastered Gillian changes the textures to more detailed ones, improves lighting and adds graphic effects, and also corrects the shortcomings of the original game.

After the release of the PC version of GTA 6, enthusiasts will probably try to transfer Los Santos from the fifth part to the new engine. In the meantime, graphics mods are used to improve the game's graphics. For example, NaturalVision Evolved changes textures, lighting system, weather effects and tone mapping. Of course, the mod cannot be called a full-fledged remaster, but the picture really becomes more beautiful.

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Have you installed graphics mods on GTA games? Share your opinions in the comments!