Modders Use Leaked Source Code to Get GTA 5 Running on Switch
Using the leaked source code, modding group Superstar South got GTA 5 running on the Nintendo Switch.
A year after Grand Theft Auto V's source code was leaked to the public, a group of modders has released footage of the seminal open-world game running on the Nintendo Switch.
Modding team Superstar South posted a two-minute clip on the official X/Twitter account (spotted by GamesRadar) showing GTA V on the Switch. Superstar South announced in March that it was trying to create an unofficial port of GTA 5 for the Nintendo Switch, Linux, and Android.
Obviously you want to at least see how far we got...
(the recording is not as smooth when compared to hardware video output) pic.twitter.com/y0oSRterbD— Superstar South (@SuperstarS31668) April 17, 2024
The project is based on source code that has been circulating publicly for at least year. Rockstar has been the victim of several major hacks, one of which resulted in a host of materials from GTA VI.
The Switch's technical specs being what they are, the performance leaves a lot to be desired. Aside from the obvious dip in visual fidelity, the clip shows lagging and a frame rate constantly dipping from as high as 70 to as low as 27 frames per second. A separate post reveals that the Switch was running at a handheld mode clock rate with no overclocking enabled.
Of course, Grand Theft Auto 5 is more than a decade old now, first releasing in 2013 for Xbox 360 and PS3 before eventually getting ported onto PC, then PS4, Xbox One, and PC. GTA 5 received a current-gen release for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2022. There are any number of reasons that the Switch may struggle to run GTA 5 despite its relative age, including engine compatibility issues.
To this day, a version of GTA 5 native to Switch has never been released. At the moment, the closest people can get to playing one of the most critically-acclaimed games of all time is to buy a handheld gaming PC like the Steam Deck. GTA 5 was previously made available on cloud streaming services Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming before being removed from both services.
One way or another, it's unlikely that Superstar South will ever releas its version of GTA V on the Switch given that Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, has a history of cracking down on unauthorized projects. A notable example is last year when a modder looking to create an AI-powered GTA 5 Story Mod decided to cancel the project after Take-Two issued a copyright claim on a video demonstrating the mod, after which it was removed from NexusMods.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
