Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Played on a Smartwatch Sparks Hope Amidst Meta's VR Struggles

A dedicated fan has accomplished the impressive feat of running Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on a smartwatch, making the game surprisingly playable on such a compact device. This achievement was shared on social media and took a light jab at Meta's ongoing VR adaptation of San Andreas, which has seen a protracted development process.

As Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas approaches its 19th anniversary on October 26, it's important to remember that this critically acclaimed title has seen releases on a wide range of platforms, including its availability on Android and iOS devices. Artur Sychov recently took to Twitter to reveal a short video clip showcasing the game running smoothly on his smartwatch. While specific details about the setup were not provided, it is likely that he sideloaded the Android version of San Andreas onto his Wear OS device. Wear OS is based on the Android operating system, allowing gadgets running it to technically support APK files meant for smartphones and tablets, even if most applications are not optimized for tiny screens.

Sychov's experiment highlighted some of the limitations of this endeavor, as the game was displayed on the smartwatch's round screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, cutting off some of the UI elements. Nevertheless, the game ran impressively well, with swift loading times and smooth performance as demonstrated in the video. To enjoy the game, the fan used an 8Bitdo Zero 2, a compact Bluetooth gamepad often recommended for budget-conscious Switch owners.

Sychov humorously framed his accomplishment as a glimmer of hope that the Grand Theft Auto community will eventually experience San Andreas on more potent hardware, alluding to Meta's ongoing development of the Quest 3 VR version. This remark poked fun at the fact that Meta (formerly Facebook) has been working on a VR port of the game since 2021 with little progress to show for it. Earlier this month, Meta confirmed that GTA: San Andreas VR is far from completion.

In the past, the modding community had made attempts to bring VR functionality to the PC version of San Andreas, but these efforts were largely abandoned following Meta's official announcement of the Quest version of the game.