Fan-Made Bully Remaster Shows What Rockstar Won’t Deliver

Rockstar’s Bully hasn’t seen a sequel or a modern release in over 15 years, but one dedicated fan has stepped in to give the 2006 classic a complete visual overhaul. Using community mods, almost every texture, asset, and character model has been upgraded, resulting in a version of the game that looks like it could have launched today. With this unofficial “remaster,” players can finally revisit Bullworth Academy with crisp visuals, improved performance, and gameplay tweaks — without waiting for Rockstar to make a move.

Released in 2006, Bully quickly became one of Rockstar’s most beloved titles. Its mix of open-world exploration, mischief, and schoolyard drama made it a standout, but despite its popularity, the game never got a true follow-up. The only re-release came in 2008 with Bully: Scholarship Edition, which added minor content but left the visuals dated even by that era’s standards. Since then, Rockstar has focused on giants like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, leaving Bully untouched.

This fan-made remaster changes that. Screenshots posted online show the game in a completely refreshed state — sharper textures, improved shadows, smoother animations, and reworked character models. The difference is striking, especially when compared to the original’s blurry assets. While the creator didn’t share their exact mod list, the Bully page on Nexus Mods is packed with similar projects, and the community is still active, with new mods uploaded as recently as this week.

For those looking to replicate the upgrade, there are a few standout options on Nexus. The Bully HD Texture Overhaul Mod W.I.P. is one of the most downloaded, replacing the game’s original textures with high-definition versions and cleaning up environmental details. Bully Scholarship Definitive Edition (MOD PACK) goes further, boosting performance to 60FPS, adding widescreen support, fixing bugs, and enhancing lighting and shadows. Then there’s the Bully Ultimate Edition Pack, released just last month, which offers similar graphical upgrades while also improving cutscenes, loading screens, and interface icons.

Even with just a few of these mods installed, Bully looks like a modern game rather than a 2000s relic. The remaster effect is so convincing that it’s hard not to imagine what a true Rockstar-led update could achieve. Yet, official news on the series remains nonexistent.

The closest Bully fans have come to a sequel was through leaks and canceled projects. In late 2023, debug files from Grand Theft Auto V surfaced online containing references to “Bully 2” alongside mentions of Red Dead Redemption 2, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, and unused GTA content. Industry reports suggest that Bully 2 was in development at various points — as far back as 2009 and again in the mid-2010s — but was shelved multiple times to prioritize other major releases like Red Dead Redemption and GTA 6.

One of the most widely reported cancellations allegedly happened in 2017, when the project was paused so Rockstar could finish Red Dead Redemption 2 and focus on GTA 6. That decision may have marked the end of the sequel’s chances, at least for the foreseeable future. Earlier attempts in the late 2000s were also dropped in favor of the original Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3. This cycle of short-lived development stints has left the franchise dormant for over a decade.

Despite the uncertainty, Bully still holds a loyal fanbase, and the modding community has kept it alive in ways Rockstar hasn’t. With every new high-definition texture pack and gameplay tweak, the game becomes easier for modern audiences to enjoy. The fan remaster making the rounds now is proof that the appetite for Bully hasn’t faded — it’s only grown stronger in the absence of official support.

For now, these mods are the best way to experience Bully in a refreshed state. Whether it’s a full HD overhaul, smoother performance, or even just small bug fixes, the community has built a version of the game that feels like a genuine remaster. It’s a grassroots effort born out of passion, and it shows what can happen when fans decide not to wait for a developer to act.

Rockstar may one day return to Bullworth Academy, but until that day comes, this fan-made upgrade stands as the closest thing to a Bully remaster we’re likely to see. If you’ve been looking for a reason to revisit the game, this might be it — and given Rockstar’s track record, you’ll probably have plenty of time before the next official entry arrives.