Grand Theft Auto It is one of the best-known franchises in the world of video games, and it is a merit that they have achieved thanks to launching some of the most important titles in the last generations of consoles and hardware for video games, in addition to the second best selling game in historyGTA V, of course.
However, many before Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online, the saga gave us incredible games that would last at least a decade, being very relevant in the world of gaming, including GTA San Andreas and GTA Vice City. These two titles, together with GTA IIIhave joined the Netflix “free” games catalog, and it is a very important step towards what will be the future of the streaming platform in the world of video games.
“Connecting to Netflix”
Many seem to forget it, but Netflix has been experimenting in the world of gaming for several years. They originally released games based on such successful series (or franchises) as Stranger Thingswhich were available in the App Store for iOS and Play Store for Android application stores.
In 2021 they hit the table: the company integrated a limited but interesting catalog of games directly into its service: If you pay for Netflix, you have access to these titles without spending an extra penny. And although their launch catalog was quite limited, over the years they have added excellent games, including some exclusives.
Exclusive, at least, in a way: they are titles that may be available for PC or consoles, but the only way to access them is on mobile devices It is through a Netflix subscription.
To play Netflix titles the process is really simple: You can access the catalog of available titles from the same streaming platform application for iOS or Android, and when you select a game it will take you to the official store (App Store or Play Store) to download it. It is also possible to search for them directly in the virtual app store on your mobile device.
Once you download it, when you access the game the application will check that you are subscribed to Netflix (checking your subscription in the streaming app), and that’s it, you don’t need to log in to each game. It is a very practical method, but sometimes it can result in an inconvenience: if you do not have an Internet connection, the game may not be able to check your subscription and, therefore, you won’t be able to play it.
What is the experience of playing Grand Theft Auto on mobile?
This is not the first time that these classic games from the Grand Theft Auto saga come to iOS and Android devices. In fact, Rockstar celebrated the tenth anniversary of the launch of GTA III bringing it to mobile phones, for a price of about 4 euros at launch.
The company He did the same in 2012 with GTA: Vice City and in 2013 with GTA: San Andreas, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the launch of both titles. However, the experience of playing these versions was quite poor, both due to errors in the games themselves and the undeniable hardware limitations that mobile phones had at that time.
Today, the experience is very different, although it is not perfect.
The version of the GTA trilogy that Netflix has launched on mobile phones is an updated and improved version that Rockstar has called “Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition”. It is an update of the classic games with improvements in the visual section and in the technical section, which debuted in 2021 for PC and consoles.
I have tried Vice City (my favorite GTA to date) and San Andreas on my Android smartphone, which has a processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2hence there is plenty of hardware for the game. The experience is correct and very fun: the graphics look considerably good (remembering that these are games that are two decades old, and it shows, even with the visual improvements in this version), and the soundtrack is as exquisite as always.
The on-screen touch controls are better arranged than in previous versions of GTA for mobile, however, my only big complaint is that the virtual motion control joystick not very precise when drivingand those of us who have played these titles know that good driving is necessary in some missions.
Even so, The gaming experience is fluid on mobile, although it is not free of some technical problems, although I did not suffer from serious problems such as image freezing or game restarts. The experience was even acceptable when I cast the mobile screen to my TV. It was a risky experiment, with considerable latency, but I couldn’t help but try it.
Of course, On a mobile phone with low-end hardware the experience will not be as fluid. The game allows you to adjust the quality of the graphics, so it will be a matter of testing until you find the exact point at which you obtain the best possible gaming experience and the best visual section, according to each mobile.
Considering that this is not the first time I have played any of these titles, the possibility of having GTA in my pocket (in better quality than the versions from 10 years ago) to do a couple of quick missions a day, I It seems like a very interesting idea, an ideal game to enjoy both short and long sessions wherever you are. However, if you have never played these classics, my recommendation is that, if possible, do it for the first time on a big screen.
The idea seems to be to follow in the footsteps of Xbox, but also with series and movies
I know that comparing what Netflix is doing in gaming with Xbox and its Game Pass service is perhaps too much extremebut this seems to be Netflix’s ambition, at least on a smaller scale: offer series and movies, but also games and not only on mobile phones but also on huge screens. After all, the company has already commented on its plans to offer games via streaming on televisions.
But beyond that, what they need is an interesting catalog, and that is something they are achieving. GTA’s definitive trilogy is just the latest examplebut by 2024 we expect the arrival of successful titles such as Hades, a Hugo Award-winning game from the studios of Supergiant Games, and also the acclaimed indie Death’s Door.
Mobile gaming (and other devices) is a strong bet for Netflix at a time when it has received complaints about the service’s price increases and its measures to prevent users from sharing their accounts (although the ad-supported plan seems be being a success). If the idea is to offer high-quality movies, series, documentaries and games in the same package, it seems like a more than interesting plan.
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