GTA: San Andreas Definitive Edition may have found its perfect home on the iPhone 15 Pro Max – and anyone with a Netflix subscription can now try it for free
That’s no big secret Grand Theft Auto: Trilogy – Definitive Edition had a Very bad start in November 2021. With a multitude of bugs, poor performance, and unpopular changes to signs, graphics, and more in the game, it was one of the most controversial releases RockStar has ever put out. Thankfully, with the entire trilogy now available via Netflix on iPhone, it’s a much better experience.
If you’re looking for an easy way to play one of the most critically acclaimed sandbox titles of all time, you can now get it for free with your existing Netflix account in the form of this new mobile port, if you have one iPhone XS or later, or an iPad 8 or later. This is a wide range of supported devices, over 30 in total.
If you’ve somehow never played it before, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is an open-world action game in which you play as CJ, returning to his old home after his mother is murdered. He soon finds himself caught up in a vicious cycle of gang violence, coercion and blackmail as he tries to figure out why his house is being taken over by another gang. It’s captivating, iconic and incredibly fun. The game’s release on Netflix Games is a big win for the service and another reason to keep up your streaming subscription. We would imagine that Apple Arcade Executives are upset that they didn’t bag this collection.
Supported by Netflix?
Netflix, through excellent titles like The Door of Death, Before your eyes, Dead cellsand more has become surprisingly good for gaming. As long as you have an account, you can play the entire library without ads.
What makes this particularly good for the GTA trilogy is that, as opposed to trying to play the console ports over Xbox Game Pass for mobile devices or PS Remote Play, you can fully download the game and play offline. If you have a long flight ahead of you or, in my case, a poor internet connection, there’s no need to worry. Launch it and lose yourself in San Andreas.
A different style
The Definitive Edition looks slightly different than the PS2 original, with a more cartoonish, vibrant art style. The Definitive Edition is also much clearer, with less muddy colors and a longer render distance. There’s no option to switch between graphical styles in any of the three games, but The Definitive Edition looks pretty good on the iPhone and still feels like an older title in scope and mechanics, but is more modern in presentation. It’s nostalgic without being boring.
As for graphics settings, there aren’t many, with the ability to turn off some features like lens flare and bloom, but the most interesting addition is a resolution slider. Pulling it down makes the game look less textured and sharp, while pulling it up makes everything look crisper and fresher. This is a great addition, especially for older devices, although I would have liked a few more specific graphical options. My iPhone 15 Pro Max The performance difference between these modes was very small and the frame rate remained constant. However, owners of older models will notice some slowdown at higher resolutions, making this slider handy.
Moving
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Definitive Edition works beautifully on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, currently this best iPhone, in highest resolution. The gameplay is super smooth, even in San Andreas’ more hectic moments, and looks pretty good too. The sound on my AirPods is a little tinny, especially when firing a weapon or crashing into a wall, but that seems to be a limitation of the game itself rather than the port. San Andreas’ soundtrack is killer, but the actual sound effects can be a bit poor.
Luckily, the game plays pretty well with touch controls, so it never feels too cumbersome. The button layout is well organized and doesn’t take up too much screen space, allowing you to drive away at high speeds or mow down enemies. It runs natively the best game controllers and plays even better here than with the touch, which is admittedly not a high bar.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is one of the most popular sandbox games in the world for a reason. It looks great, the story is fascinating and the gameplay is even better. I haven’t been back to San Andreas in a few years, largely because of the convenience of new games such as their graphical fidelity and ease of accessibility, but as I lay on the sofa with my iPhone, I found the perfect excuse for a trip back to the Make a hood.