Last Updated on April 4, 2024 by Larious
The famous Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) could be launched on platforms like Android, Nintendo Switch, and Linux.
The unexpected leak of the GTA 5 source code in December last year has made it possible for third-party developers to try and launch the popular game on other platforms.
Modders Trying To Port GTA 5 To Android, Nintendo Switch & Linux
For those unaware, GTA 5 is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar Games. It was originally released on PS3 and Xbox 360 and continues to captivate players on PlayStation, Xbox consoles, and Microsoft Windows PC. However, this longest-running game in the GTA series is not yet available on mobile and Nintendo Switch platforms.
In the past, Rockstar Games has released titles like the GTA Trilogy Definitive Editon in November 2021 and Red Dead Redemption in August 2023 on Nintendo Switch but has refrained from releasing the popular GTA 5 on the platform despite the great demand for it.
Now, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), GTA Focal (@GTAFocal), a Grand Theft Auto news outlet, has claimed that a dedicated team of modders are trying to unofficially port the GTA 5 game themselves to make it playable on Nintendo Switch, Linux and Android.
“A group of modders are trying to port GTA 5 to the Nintendo Switch, Linux, and Android thanks to the source code leak from December,” the post read.
A group of modders are trying to port GTA 5 to the Nintendo Switch, Linux, and Android thanks to the source code leak from December pic.twitter.com/6Ij2c1ENcp
— GTA Focal (@GTAFocal) March 28, 2024
As the video above shows, GTA 5 is unable to progress beyond the loading screen on Nintendo Switch, which is occasionally interrupted by Switch UI messages reporting errors. Similarly, a screenshot of a loading screen showing an error message on Android can be seen.
The leak suggests that a lot of work still needs to be done in the development process to make the game playable on handheld consoles and smartphones. In other words, it is likely that the game could take a long time to appear on these platforms. Meanwhile, Rockstar Games has yet to announce the porting of GTA 5 to these platforms.
Having said this, it remains to be seen whether or not Rockstar Games will take any action regarding this move by third-party developers or modders.
In December 2023, the developer released the first trailer of its upcoming installment of the GTA series – GTA 6 – on its official YouTube channel, announcing that the game would be coming to Sony PS5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X/S consoles in early 2025.
However, a recent report suggests that the GTA 6 release date may be pushed until late 2025 or even into 2026, as its development is facing challenges that are causing it to fall behind the release date.