Playing GTA 5 on Nintendo Switch may soon become a reality, as a group of modders are working to port the game to Switch, Linux, and Android. This is largely because of the Grand Theft Auto 5 source code leak that happened in December 2023. This opened up a realm of possibilities when it comes to modding, and the first thing that many fans were thinking of was GTA 5 on Nintendo Switch.
Rockstar has released Red Dead Redemption and even the Definitive Edition GTA Trilogy on the Switch, but not Grand Theft Auto 5. Now, a modding group is formally taking the initiative to port the Rockstar Games title to the handheld platform.
GTA 5 on Nintendo Switch, Linux, and Android might finally be possible
The videos embedded in the above post show what looks like a GTA 5 loading screen on Android (an ARM64 device), as evidenced by the constant error messages that keep popping up.
However, it's not yet clear if the video is from the modders who are allegedly trying to port the game over to Switch, Linux, and Android. Several X users made some hilarious comments after learning the news.
One fan sarcastically said that the game is already available on Android, referring to the fake GTA 5 mobile ads that often pop up even on trusted websites like Google and YouTube:
Another posted a hilarious GIF, trying to show what would happen if you tried to play GTA 5 on Nintendo Switch:
However, this doesn't have to be the case, as the Switch is quite a capable console. Grand Theft Auto 5 was originally released on the PS3 and Xbox 360, which are much weaker compared to the handheld Nintendo Switch. Although not all mobiles would be able to handle the game, GTA 5 on Nintendo Switch is entirely possible.
Rockstar has already released two of their titles on the handheld console. They released GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition on Switch in November 2021 and then followed it up with Red Dead Redemption in August 2023. However, the HD Universe games — GTA 4 and 5, despite being much requested by the fan community, never made it to the handheld platform.
When the Grand Theft Auto 5 source code got leaked in December 2023, fans got to learn a lot about canceled Rockstar Games projects, Grand Theft Auto Online DLCs, and different endings to Story Mode. However, what piqued the attention of modders was that they could now compile the source code into playable builds, as this would allow them to port the game to other platforms.
GTA 5 on Switch might be the most exciting thing to happen as a direct consequence of the source code leaks. Nonetheless, the same modders working on the Switch and Linux ports are also working on a GTA 5 mobile port for Android. So, this should be exciting news for mobile gamers as well. In the meantime, we can only hope that Take-Two doesn't try to take the project down.