Netflix surprised a lot of people when it was announced in late 2023 that several classicGrand Theft Autotitles were coming to the service as a part of its growing efforts to enter the gaming space. The move saw mobile ports of the divisiveDefinitive Editiontrilogy ofGTA 3,Vice City, andSan Andreasbecome available through Netflix’s gaming section, providing a great boost to the growing catalog of titles that the popular streaming service has amassed over the years.
With that being said, some disappointing news recently surfaced about Netflix, with it being confirmed that two of theseGrand Theft Autotitles will be leaving the service in December. While this does not mark the end of Netflix’s collaboration with theGrand Theft Autofranchise, it does come as a serious blow, especially when considering the likely explosion of interest and popularity that will surroundGTAin the near future. With many fans expecting more concrete news aroundGrand Theft Auto 6to surface before the end of the year, Netflix may have let two of its most important titles slip away at an integral time.
Netflix’s Outgoing Grand Theft Auto Games Will Likely Experience a Renaissance in the Near Future
Including remastered versions ofGTA 3,Vice City, andSan Andreas,The Definitive Editionhad an extremely controversial and unpolished launch, though the mobile ports for these games largely escaped a lot of these criticisms. Following a year of being available through the service,Netflix announced thatGrand Theft Auto 3andVice Citywill be leavingthe platform on December 13, leavingSan Andreasas the only remainingGTAoffering from the streaming giant.
Future Updates Around GTA 6 Would Have Been the Perfect Match For Netlfix’s GTA Offerings
Of course, a huge amount of attention has been placed onGrand Theft Autoas a franchise in recent months thanks to the immense anticipation surroundingGTA 6, with Rockstar finally starting to roll out promotional material for the project. The wave-making firsttrailer forGTA 6was released almost a year ago in December 2023, with some fans expecting a follow-up trailer for the title to release before the end of 2024.
This could make the inbound removal of two iconicGrand Theft Autogames from Netflix in December a poorly timed move, with it being likely that a lot of fans will be revisiting past games from the IP in the increased anticipation that is likely to occur if anotherGTA 6trailer releases over the coming weeks. The removal ofVice Cityin particular could be a sore point for Netflix, withGTA 6sharing the same primary setting as the 2002 title, meaning the streaming service might miss out on what could have been a huge boost to its gaming sector.
