Back in 2021, Meta announced that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was coming to its Quest 2 VR platform. "Get a new perspective on Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas as you experience (again or for the first time) one of gaming’s most iconic open worlds," Meta said at the time. "This is a project many years in the making, and we can’t wait to show you more of it."
Alas, Meta did not show any more of it after that announcement, nor would it even say anything about the state of the game's development: When asked about it by UploadVR in 2023, for instance, Meta simply refused to comment. Now, finally, it has revealed what's happening with the game, and the news is not good.
"On hold indefinitely" is not the same as being cancelled, but it's not a good place to be either. The KOTOR remake we still don't have was "delayed indefinitely" in 2022, for instance, while Life By You suffered the same fate just two weeks ahead of its planned early access release, before being axed outright not long after. In the case of San Andreas VR, Meta's statement that it looks forward to working with Rockstar "in the future"—but not necessarily on this game—does not grant added confidence.
The "not dead but sleeping" status of San Andreas VR could be seen as a reflection of the broader state of VR gaming. Adoption rates remain stubbornly low (the latest Steam Hardware and Software Survey indicates that well under 2% of Steam users are rocking VR headsets, a figure that hasn't moved meaningfully in years), there still hasn't been a killer game for VR platforms, and of course there's the whole upchuck thing that still hasn't been overcome—and even if you're not a puker, VR hardware is typically bulky, uncomfortable, and a headache to set up.
Take-Two may have also lost interest in the project. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has previously expressed doubts about the VR market, and while that particular comment predates the announcement of San Andreas VR, not a whole lot has changed since then. It's also fair to say the company is probably focused right now on the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6.
Whatever the reason for the indefinite hold, it's still possible that we'll see Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on VR platforms someday, but is it likely? At this point, I'm not overly optimistic. I've reached out to Take-Two for comment and will update if I receive a reply.