Modder Runs the Entire GTA PlayStation 2 Trilogy Inside San Andreas

While Rockstar Games prepares Grand Theft Auto 6 for its November 19, 2026 console launch, modder Dryxio has produced one of the most technically impressive experiments involving the original Grand Theft Auto PlayStation 2 trilogy. The project allows Grand Theft Auto 3 and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to run inside Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, with all 3 games operating simultaneously within the same PC process.

As demonstrated in a new gameplay video, Dryxio integrated the open source re3 and reVC reverse engineered engines directly into the San Andreas process. Players can switch between CJ, Claude, and Tommy while each game maintains its own engine instance, game logic, mission progress, configuration, and save data. The surrounding San Andreas world also continues running while the embedded games are active.

The experiment goes beyond simply launching 3 games through a shared menu. Vice City can run inside a texture displayed within Grand Theft Auto 3, which is itself running through a surface inside San Andreas. This creates a layered demonstration where one Grand Theft Auto game can operate inside another without shutting down the other active engine instances.

Dryxio, whose additional reverse engineering projects can be found through his GitHub profile, has effectively created a technical version of the playable arcade machines found across franchises such as Shenmue and Like a Dragon. Instead of loading a small retro game, however, the project embeds complete open world titles with independent systems and progression.

The demonstration also highlights what community developers can accomplish with older game engines. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition attempted to modernize the same 3 releases under a unified commercial package, but Dryxio’s experiment approaches the collection from a very different direction by keeping each original engine running independently inside San Andreas.

Rockstar is simultaneously preparing for the next major evolution of the franchise. Grand Theft Auto 6 is officially scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar has not announced a PC edition, although Take Two has indicated that its major releases generally expand to additional platforms over time.

GTA 6 release date remains unchanged, with Take Two confirming that Rockstar’s marketing campaign will continue expanding before launch. The console first strategy means PC players may have to wait longer, but it could also give the modding community access to Rockstar’s most advanced open world platform once a PC version eventually arrives.

Dryxio’s project is impressive because it demonstrates more than nostalgia. Running multiple independent game engines inside a single process requires careful management of memory, rendering, input, game logic, and save systems. It also shows how modders continue finding new technical possibilities inside games released more than 20 years ago.

It would be fascinating to see Rockstar eventually place playable classic Grand Theft Auto titles inside GTA 6 or its wider online ecosystem. However, even without official support, this project proves the PC modding community will continue pushing Rockstar’s technology in directions the original developers may never have anticipated.

Would you like Rockstar to include playable classic Grand Theft Auto games inside GTA 6, or should these experiments remain community driven projects?