Rockstar remain schtum on the inevitable PC version for GTA V, and we all have our ways of dealing with that. Some form support groups; others sign petitions. Here at PCGN, we’re intent on synthesising our own. It’s still in-progress, but our homebrew GTA V is currently one part Goat Simulator, where we can simulate the slapstick pratfalls of Rockstar’s ragdoll-happy pedestrians, and one part San Andreas: the five-year-old city that shares some of the same streets as Los Santos, now visitable on itty bitty tablets.
You’ll now find GTA: San Andreas on the Windows App Storefor $6.99. That’s significant, because it denotes compatibility with all tablets running Windows RT – the mobile version of Windows 8 – running a x86, x64 or ARM processor.
San Andreas most recently made the stunt jump to iOS and Android devices, and its key features seem to have made it to tablet PCs too: namely ‘remastered’ graphics rebuilt to take advantage of mobile devices – including fancier lightning, a less-brown colour palette and better character models.
There’ll also be faux-analog sticks – and in case you don’t like those, two other customisable control schemes. Buttons can be configured to display only “when you need them”, so they don’t take up too much real estate on your screen.
San Andreas is the weird cousin of the GTA series. It baked RPG progression mechanics and long stretches of countryside into a series that’d always been immediate and urban. It was also dead good, as if you needed telling.
I played some GTA III on my phone recently, and the driving in particular took some getting used to. Nevertheless, this is the real deal, now playable on the train. Will that help tide you over till Rockstar get their act/porting squad together?