GTA: San Andreas Gets An 8K Remaster And It Looks Incredible
It's hard to believe it's been nearly 17 years since we were thrown into the troubled life of Carl "CJ" Johnson, but with the already established Grand Theft Auto delivering yet another genre-defining outing, GTA: San Andreas has an acclaimed legacy that's still going strong in 2021. So, why have we never had a remaster?
Held by some as one of the greatest video games of all time, GTA: San Andreas blew the PlayStation 2 apart in 2004 to become the console's best-selling game and one of the best-selling titles of all time - to this day.
Despite all the love for CJ, Big Smoke, and even Officer Tenpenny, there's no escaping the fact San Andreas looks a little dated these days. Thankfully, an 8K remaster aims to fix that.
What does GTA: San Andreas look like in 8K?
This impressive build comes from YouTuber Grand Theft Auto Play HD, who has shown off their souped-up version of the classic GTA title. Remembering that the PlayStation 5 recently launched without support for 8K resolution, some might be questioning why Grand Theft Auto Play HD has opted for beefy 8K graphics. It turns out that 4K resolutions were too blurry, meaning they had to dial things up.
Be warned though, if you want to download the mod, it'll take a hefty 26 GB of your memory. In the video, they explained, "My goal was to rise the quality and definition of these old textures enough to see all details. I used AI upscale AI sharpen to increase definition Photoshop to reduce artifacts and bad details and noise".
What have fans said about GTA: San Andreas in 8K
Unfortunately, there's only so much you can do with a game that's limited by its 2004 software. When Grand Theft Auto Play HD shared their original video, critics were unimpressed. One wrote, "It's weird because this is how I remember it. Maybe it's just a testament on how far games have come along graphically", while another added, "I think this is some kind of joke. Apart from resolution fix, I don't see anything else. Looks the same as the unofficial remastered version".
The OP shared a follow-up video with a side-by-side to show off their work, which has gone down slightly batter with the game's critical fan base. Still, the project has led to questions about when/if we'll get a revamped GTA: San Andreas.
It's crazy to think that in the 24-year history of Grand Theft Auto, we've never had a remastered version of any game. Although it's easy to see why with the 2D era of the franchise, there are 3D games like San Andreas crying out to be given a fresh coat of paint. Only recently, we showed off the potential of a Vice City remaster, which also included a glimpse of what a San Andreas remaster could look like.
As it stands, Rockstar is moving ahead with its next-gen port of GTA V. After that, we hope it will finally be time to announce GTA VI - meaning a remastered San Andreas or Vice City is probably a way down the list. For now, we're left with fan mods to imagine what a next-gen GTA: San Andreas would really look like.
