-1.jpg?q=50&fit=contain&w=1140&h=570&dpr=1.5)
Rockstar's announcement of the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: Definitive Edition has made a lot of fans excited, and for good reason. GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas were amongst the best games of their times, and they still manage to draw in new fans today.
Part of the reason these games have remained in popular memory is due to the huge array of locations within them, from the sun-drenched beaches of Vice City to the grimy underbellies of Liberty City and Los Santos. Some of these locations have since appeared in GTA 4 and 5, but thanks to the remasters, they're all going to get a much-needed makeover. Here's where we'll be heading off to first.
10 Malibu Club (Vice City)
The Malibu Club is THE nightclub to own in Vice City. This party hotspot can be accessed from the beginning of the game and serves as the backdrop for several important moments within the story, such as the planning for the bank heist.
It's the most expensive property to purchase at $120,000, but the $10,000 it generates per day more than makes up for it. A remastered Malibu has a chance to rework the interior for the better, and there's also a possibility for more music to be featured.
9 Las Venturas (San Andreas)
Las Venturas is San Andreas' hotspot for everything luxury. This Las Vegas-inspired city is filled with various casinos and the fanciest vehicles in the game. It's only appeared once outside of San Andreas, and that was in one of GTA 4's TV shows which mocked poker tournaments.
Given that GTA 5 showed how good an HD Los Santos can look (and also has a casino now), Las Venturas' city of casino lights would surely look stunning in a remaster.
8 Cochrane Dam (GTA 3)
This huge dam serves as the climactic setting for GTA 3's final mission. Claude learns what CJ chronologically discovered nine years earlier (that Catalina isn't to be trusted) and sets off on a chase to take her down and rescue Maria.
Final missions in GTA games always feel like a big spectacle but GTA 3 feels quite dated in terms of graphics and gameplay (there isn't even any weapon lock-on). Fortunately, there's a chance that the remasters may have GTA 5-esque controls to go with the updated graphics.
7 Ocean Beach (Vice City)
This is one of the best starting locations in any GTA game for two reasons. Firstly, you have an exquisite hotel room that's opposite Vice City's best beaches. Secondly, its wealthy status means that you have access to some of the best cars in the game from the very beginning.
You only need to walk down the street and you'll be met with roughly three or four supercars, and even if the cops spot you hijacking one, they'll have have trouble keeping up with an Infernus.
6 San Fierro (San Andreas)
San Fierro is Rockstar's version of San Francisco, complete with its own version of the Golden Gate Bridge (known as the Gant Bridge). It's where CJ meets Woozie and Zero, and is also where he starts to build his criminal empire. The hilly roads are perfect for stunt jumps and the remasters would be able to add more to the Chinatown aesthetic.
Most importantly, the remasters may finally give Rockstar the opportunity to fix Zero's missions such as Supply Lines, which rank amongst the worst in the series.
5 Saint Mark's (GTA 3)
This location in GTA 3 works as the base for the mafia families and is also where some players built up a trust with Salvatore Leone. The interior design is what really sold it, with the luxury chairs, and the tailor-made suits that were probably more expensive than all of Claude's clothing combined.
Both the setting and Salvatore would eventually tie-in to San Andreas thanks to CJ's meeting with the latter and going on a mission to the former (in the mission "Saint Mark's Bistro").
4 Vercetti Estate (Vice City)
Ricardo Diaz is a thoroughly unpleasant character in Vice City, which makes it all the sweeter when you finally take his mansion for yourself. This enormous estate boasts two garages, a pool, and a helipad, potentially making it the fanciest safe house in the whole series. It also features as the setting for some of Vice City's most climactic missions, including the final one.
Depending on how Rockstar tinker with the remaster's draw distance, the views from this mansion may end up being a glorious sight to behold.
3 Verdant Meadows Airfield (San Andreas)
This small airfield in the middle of the desert is home to all of your unlocked aircraft after you've finished the various flying challenges, or by finishing the appropriate missions.
Rockstar has already brought over the Hydra and the jetpack to GTA Online, but others such as the Hunter and the Rustler would also benefit greatly from the HD treatment. Furthermore, if any new content gets added to the remasters, there would be plenty of space for Rockstar to add another aircraft and hangar here.
2 Sunshine Autos Import Garage (Vice City)
In any GTA game, you want to have the nicest car. After all, what's the point of owning a criminal empire if you're still driving around in an everyday saloon?
Once you purchase it and complete the required delivery checklists, Sunshine Autos hosts some of the most exclusive cars in Vice City, including two which can't even be unlocked via cheats (the Deluxo and the Sandking). And when you finally obtain them, going for a drive along the various waterfronts feels all the more rewarding.
1 Grove Street (San Andreas)
Grove Street. Home. Both for CJ, and for many GTA players. This small cul-de-sac is possibly the most famous starting area in the series, serving as a space to relax after a hectic mission. (Grove Street technically appears in GTA 5 as well, but the original setting from San Andreas is where the fondest memories lie.)
CJ's house can even be entered, and whilst there isn't a lot that can be interacted with (just the wardrobe and a simple video game), the remasters may add something new.