Two Grand Theft Auto Classics Leave Netflix in December

Grand Theft Auto fans have less than a month to play remastered versions of two classic games in the franchise via Netflix’s library of mobile games.

Grand Theft Auto 3 – The Definitive Edition and Grand Theft Auto Vice City – The Definitive Edition are both set to leave Netflix on Dec. 13. On the bright side, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition is set to stay on Netflix, at least at the time of writing. 

The soon-to-be-removed titles are still available for download on Google Play and Apple Store, though gamers will need to fork out roughly $20 each for the privilege.

The move comes roughly a year after the remastered titles, which were both originally released in the early 2000s for the PlayStation 2, came to Netflix.

Netflix first entered the mobile gaming market in November 2021, and some parts of its future direction seem uncertain.

In October, Netflix confirmed it shut down its “AAA” gaming project Blue without the studio ever having released a game. The studio had hired experienced game industry talent who had worked on games such as Halo and God of War. Blue was reportedly working on an AAA game based on original material, though any further details about the game never materialized.

Despite making multiple big acquisitions of game studios to expand its portfolio, which now includes titles such as lifestyle simulator Too Hot Too Handle, the vast majority of Netflix users seem focused on its core business of film and TV streaming. Research from October 2023 found that 1% of all Netflix subscribers played a Netflix game on a daily basis.

Though Netflix’s AAA gaming ambitions have taken a blow, there are signs we could be seeing more from them in the world of AI-led gaming.

Though specific posts have yet to be announced, Netflix executive Mike Verdu announced he’d been named the company VP of GenAI for Games. In a post on LinkedIn, he argued that generative AI could bring the gaming industry back “to those days of seemingly unlimited potential and the rapid pace of innovation” which were seen in the 1990s.

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About Will McCurdy

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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.

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