GTA fans who've been waiting two years for the San Andreas VR port will not be too pleased by Meta's decision.
In a disappointing turn of events for virtual reality enthusiasts and Grand Theft Auto fans alike, Meta has confirmed that the long-awaited VR port of GTA San Andreas has been put "on hold indefinitely." This announcement comes nearly three years after the project was originally revealed during Facebook Connect in October 2021.
Meta, the parent company of Oculus (now Meta Quest), shared this update via email and also responded to fan inquiries on their official YouTube channel. The company stated, "GTA: San Andreas is on hold indefinitely while we both focus on other projects. We look forward to working with our friends at Rockstar in the future."
The VR adaptation of the 2004 PlayStation 2 classic was expected to bring the sprawling fictional city of San Andreas to life in unprecedented ways. However, since its announcement, details have been scarce, with no gameplay footage or release window ever being shared.
As expected, this indefinite delay raises questions about the future of high-profile VR adaptations and Meta's strategy in the VR market. The company's Reality Labs division, which focuses on VR and AR technologies, reportedly accrued $16 billion in losses in 2023 alone, according to a recent report on Yahoo Finance.
Given Meta's previous success in bringing classic games to VR, such as their well-received port of Resident Evil 4, GTA fans will be feeling hard done by this new development. For Rockstar Games, this would have been its second foray into VR gaming, following L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files, which was released in 2017.
While Meta's statement leaves the door slightly open for future collaborations with Rockstar, the indefinite hold suggests that fans shouldn't hold their breath for a release anytime soon. After all, Rockstar's current focus is solely on GTA 6, which is slated for release in October 2025, if we're to believe a recent leak.
