An XDNA Aurum 24K Ultra gaming PC
A Personal Computer (or PC) may refer to a desktop or laptop computer that is used for personal tasks such as browsing the Internet and gaming, rather than business or server functions. In relation to the Grand Theft Auto series, the PC has long been a traditional "platform" for GTA games.
Description
Because the computing power of a PC is not bound by strict standards by a single manufacturer, the PC platform is the most versatile, supporting modular upgrades. Being one of the earliest platforms to support Internet connections, this allowed early GTA games such as the first Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2 to support multiplayer modes whilst online capabilities on consoles were still in their infancy. PC versions of some GTA games also feature considerably improved graphics. PC GTA games are also the earliest games in the series to adopt custom radio stations and replays with the release of Grand Theft Auto III, as well as the short-lived ability to pick custom skins for the protagonist.
Modifications
Another notable advantage of the PC platform is their inherent ability to support third party utilities and modifications, which allows users to alter various aspects of GTA games. Some add in whole new features, which is commonly seen in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. Some modifications are designed purely to make the game look better visually, which is a common mod option for Grand Theft Auto IV.
Emulation
Another considerable advantage is the ability to emulate other platforms like handheld/PS2/mobile enabling titles to be played via software and use controllers.
Issues
Like consoles, weaknesses are also present in the PC platform. The wide variety of hardware configurations present in the PC market and the presence of custom built or upgraded machines means there are inconsistent hardware capabilities among every PC in use. This may impede the ability for some players to play PC games smoothly or with the best graphics available. The game developers try to accomodate this by incorporating sliding scales of graphic and processing detail in their PC titles which allows low specification hardware to run the game at a playable framerate with drastically reduced visual detail.
The adoption of the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine for Grand Theft Auto IV, for example, led to a jump in the required amount of processing from the last PC port (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which utilized RenderWare); many PCs in use during the release of GTA IV were found to be inadequate to run the game smoothly, even with the lowest graphical settings, due to what is widely considered a poorly implemented port. It required high-powered CPUs and mid-high end GPUs to provide the PC player with anywhere near the console player's experience. The wide range of hardware components on offer for the PC, making desicions on parts difficult for new builders, as well as the need to keep hardware driver software up to date, may also lead to incompatibilities that result in undesired glitches in graphics and audio or even instability in the game.
Release Pattern
Until GTA III, GTA releases for the PC platform were given some degree of equal treatment as the PlayStation, having been released simultaneously with or launched a week after the PlayStation version. The GTA series is also known to have a single PC-exclusive title, Grand Theft Auto: London, 1961, which was available only for download (at a time when gaming consoles had yet to extensively adopt online downloads). The release gap between console versions and PC versions was widened with GTA III and several more major GTA titles after, in which the native console version(s) is first released, followed by the PC port several months later, if not longer.
GTA titles which are native to handheld consoles (Grand Theft Auto Advance, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars) have not been ported to the PC; however, it is still possible to play these games via emulation.
After Grand Theft Auto V was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles on September 17, 2013 PC users wanted Rockstar to make a PC version of the game with some even begining a petition. After a lengthy wait Sony announced at the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2014 that Grand Theft Auto V would be released for the Playstation 4 in the fall of 2014, this was closely followed by a trailer and offical announcement by Rockstar Games that it would finally also be coming to the PS4, Xbox One and PC. On 12 September 2014, Rockstar announced that the PC version will be released on 27 January 2015. On 13 January 2015, however, it was announced that the PC release had been pushed back to 24 March 2015. On 24 February, it was announced that the PC release had again been pushed back to 14 April 2015.
GTA games on the PC
| Title | System Requirements | Original Release | PC Release | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Grand Theft Auto 1 (1997) |
Oct 1997 | Oct 1997 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Apr 1999 | Apr 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jun 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999) |
22 Oct 1999 | 27 Oct 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Grand Theft Auto III (2002) |
|
22 Oct 2001 | 20 May 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2003) |
|
27 Oct 2002 | 12 May 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
26 Oct 2004 | 7 Jun 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Grand Theft Auto IV (2008) |
|
29 Apr 2008 | 2 Dec 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City (2010)
|
|
Xbox 360 only
|
13 Apr 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Grand Theft Auto V (2015) |
|
17 Sep 2013 (PS3/X360) 18 Nov 2014 (PS4/X1) |
14 Apr 2015 (Preload from 7 Apr 2015) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Trivia
- The PC is the only system to include games from all three universe (2D, 3D, and HD).