The VR version Grand Theft Auto San Andreas has been 'on indefinite hold' as Meta and Rockstar have other priorities.

Meta announced Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas would be coming to its Quest 2 platform in 2021. Meta announced at the time that you could experience Los Santos (again, or for the first-time) as one of the most iconic open worlds in gaming. "This project has been in the works for many years, and we are excited to show you more."

Meta refused to comment when asked by UploadVR about the game in 2023. Meta has finally revealed the bad news about the game.

The official MetaQuestVR account responded to a YouTube inquiry by saying that GTA: San Andreas was on hold indefinitely as we both focused on other projects. "We look forward working with our Rockstar friends in the future." Meta confirmed this statement to IGN.

"On hold indefinitely", while not the same thing as being cancelled, isn't a good situation either. Life By You, which we haven't seen yet, was also "delayed indefinitely", in 2022. It was only two weeks before its planned early-access release. Meta's statement in the case of San AndreasVR that it looks forwards to working with Rockstar, "in the future", but not necessarily on this particular game does not give any added confidence.

San Andreas VR's "not dead but asleep" status could be a reflection of VR gaming in general. The adoption rates are still low (the Steam Hardware and Software Survey shows that less than 2% of Steam users have VR headsets - a number that hasn’t changed in years). There is still no killer VR game, and there hasn't yet been one.

Despite these challenges, VR development doesn't seem to be slowing down. IO Interactive announced Hitman 3 Reloaded VR in early 2018, and a new Batman: Arkham VR is also in the works. The recent VR Games Showcase revealed many other VR games in the works, including VR versions of Flatout, Trombone Champ and Wrath: Aeon of Ruin.

Meta's situation is not good. Its Reality Labs VR department is burning through money at an alarming rate. There's no realistic chance of a turnaround any time soon.

Take-Two could have also lost interest. Take-Two's CEO Strauss Zelnick had previously expressed doubts regarding the VR market. While that comment predated the announcement of San Andreas VR, not much has changed since. It's fair to say that the company is likely focused on the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 right now.

It's possible, but not likely, that Grand Theft Auto San Andreas will be released on VR platforms in the future. At this point, I am not overly hopeful. I've contacted Take-Two to get a comment. I will update this post if I hear back.