Free ‘GTA’ Mod Transports You to ‘San Andreas’

Rockstar has a history of creating fan-favorite games, but they don’t often offer official VR support for them. However, the modding community always finds a way, and in this case, it’s modder ‘Holydh’ who has stepped up. Holydh has brought the iconic GTA: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition (2021) into virtual reality for PC headsets with a nifty plugin called the ‘GTA San Andreas Definitive Edition – 6DoF UEVR Plugin.’

This mod transforms the game into an immersive VR experience with full first-person perspective and 6DOF motion controls, but there’s a catch—it’s only compatible with the Steam version of the game. So, if you’re using the Epic Games Store or the Rockstar launcher, you’re out of luck on this one.

The mod builds on the Unreal Engine VR (UEVR) plugin by ‘praydog’ but with some significant additions. In its unmodified state, the game’s camera tends to follow CJ’s movements automatically. This plugin changes the game, offering manual control over all movements, including crouching, driving every vehicle (yes, even the jetpack), and numerous camera comfort tweaks. It ensures movie-like cutscenes are viewed perfectly with auto-handling UEVR camera settings. Weapons use motion controllers, and sniper scopes are fully functional, allowing players to complete the entire game in VR.

Curious about how it all looks in action? You can see Holydh’s mod in action below.

If you’re eager to try it for yourself, Holydh’s mod is available for download on Nexus Mods at no cost. It’s fairly straightforward to set up—just follow the steps on the Nexus Mods page, but make sure you have the Steam version of the game. Additionally, you’ll need Praydog’s UEVR Nightly 01042 build, which you can conveniently find linked there.

Regarding system requirements, some users recommend an NVIDIA RTX 2080 or better, though there are plenty of graphical settings to tweak if your system isn’t quite there.

The project is open-source and can be copied or modified from GitHub. But beware, Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent company, has been known to take legal action against similar projects. In fact, they previously issued takedown notices for several of Luke Ross’ beloved Rockstar mods, such as VR adaptations for GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Mafia Definitive Edition. Those cases were mostly about monetization—Ross was offering early access through paid tiers on Patreon, which isn’t the case here. Holydh’s mod is entirely free, potentially offering a solid, risk-free way to experience GTA: San Andreas in VR.

On another note, if you were hoping for an official VR release on Quest, you might be waiting for a while. Rockstar has postponed that project “indefinitely.” So, for now, Holydh’s mod seems like the best path forward for VR enthusiasts eager to dive back into the world of San Andreas.