Netflix surprised a lot of people when it was announced in late 2023 that several classic Grand Theft Auto titles were coming to the service as a part of its growing efforts to enter the gaming space. The move saw mobile ports of the divisive Definitive Edition trilogy of GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas become 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 these Grand Theft Auto titles will be leaving the service in December. While this does not mark the end of Netflix’s collaboration with the Grand Theft Auto franchise, it does come as a serious blow, especially when considering the likely explosion of interest and popularity that will surround GTA in the near future. With many fans expecting more concrete news around Grand Theft Auto 6 to surface before the end of the year, Netflix may have let two of its most important titles slip away at an integral time.
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Netflix’s Outgoing Grand Theft Auto Games Will Likely Experience a Renaissance in the Near Future
With Netflix possessing such a dominant presence in the world of streaming media, it is no wonder that the company is constantly attempting to branch out into other entertainment ventures. Netflix has recently tried its hand at offering high-profile live-streamed events to its subscribers, for example, with the service infamously struggling to cope with the large viewership numbers of its Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson boxing match live event.
Netlfix took its first steps into gaming media back in November 2021, with the service boldly building a catalog of mobile games that could be accessed and played by its subscribers. This catalog of Netflix-offered games has been growing ever since, with the addition of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition in December 2023 being a huge statement of intent for the streaming service’s gaming plans.
Including remastered versions of GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas, The Definitive Edition had 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 that Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City will be leaving the platform on December 13, leaving San Andreas as the only remaining GTA offering 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 on Grand Theft Auto as a franchise in recent months thanks to the immense anticipation surrounding GTA 6, with Rockstar finally starting to roll out promotional material for the project. The wave-making first trailer for GTA 6 was 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 iconic Grand Theft Auto games 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 another GTA 6 trailer releases over the coming weeks. The removal of Vice City in particular could be a sore point for Netflix, with GTA 6 sharing 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.
