Unreal Engine 5 GTA III Shows The Remake We Could've Had

One fan's Unreal Engine 5 GTA III build shows the potential of what Rockstar could've given us with the Definitive Edition trilogy but failed to do.

23rd Jun 2022 12:43

Rockstar Games

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We don't talk about the GTA Trilogy, we just don't talk about the GTA Trilogy. Doing what Rockstar Games seems unable to do with GTA favourites, one fan has built an amazing Unreal Engine 5 GTA III remake that finally looks worthy for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox series.

While Rockstar Games hyped the new-gen revamp of GTA IIIVice City, and San Andreas as one of its biggest releases ever, development was given to Grove Street Games to deliver a buggy and pixelated mess. If that wasn't bad enough, GSG got the Rockstar logo wrong and GTA III gave gang members the wrong numbers. We're not saying it's easy to make a game, but come on guys, at least make it look like you're trying.

What Does The Unreal Engine 5 GTA III Look Like?

Earlier this week, TeaserPlay shared a glossy concept trailer for an Unreal Engine 5 GTA III, it blew fans away with its new-gen lighting and reflections. Looking like a whole new Liberty City, even the silent Claude gets a 21st Century makeover. Given that GTA III is the oldest in the 3D era of GTA games, it was always going to be the hardest to remaster. Still, TeaserPlay has undoubtedly left Rockstar and GSG looking a little red-faced.

In a comparison video, TeaserPlay did a side-by-side of Rockstar's original release from 2001, The Definitive Edition, and its own Unreal Engine 5 version. The video is called "Evolution of GTA III," and if this is the future of the franchise, we say go for it. Putting the remake to shame, the video's description reads: "In this video, we compared the Rockstar's GTA III, with our recent remake video, I hope these videos raise the expectations of gamers and force companies like Rockstar to make better quality remakes".

Gamers loved this new and improved GTA III remake, and although it's not playable, it has us hopeful for what developers could do with their time. "With the definitive edition I hate to be negative but we got the bare minimum. Now what you've done is EXACTLY how it should have been," wrote one support. Another added, "If anything this shows people how lazy/cheap these big companies are. Great work is done here," while a third simply said, "Rockstar please hire this guy."

 

Will We Get An Unreal Engine 5 GTA?

This isn't the first Unreal Engine 5 GTA we've seen, and we previously covered a spruced-up CJ from San Andreas. Sadly TeaserPlay confirms there are no plans to release the Unreal Engine 5 GTA III. There could be some silver lining though, as Rockstar is reportedly updating its RAGE Engine to handle GTA 6. Although it's not confirmed, it's suggested the rumoured RAGE9 could rival Unreal Engine 5 in terms of graphical capabilities. Come on, give us what you've got.

By the time we get to GTA 6, Unreal Engine 5 will probably be out of date anyway. In the meantime, it's back to NOT playing The Definitive Edition, and instead, watching videos like TeaserPlay's to imagine what we should've got from a GTA III remake. Well, if Bethesda has taught us anything with Skyrim and more ports than you can shake a stick at, it's that this probably isn't the last time we've seen a GTA III remake. 

Tom Chapman

About The Author

Tom Chapman

Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.

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