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Buckle up folks – GTA 3 on the Sega Dreamcast now runs at a smooth, crisp 60fps, but the performance mode really tones down the textures and almost everything else to get it there. Who needs GTA 6?
Falco Girgis, one of the developers working on porting GTA 3 to the Dreamcast, shares a video on Twitter showcasing the performance mode.
Our team mad scientist, Esppiral, just added a 60fps "performance mode" toggle to our Sega Dreamcast port of Grand Theft Auto 3.... WHAT NOW, PS2 AND XBOX!? ...also, Sega 32x homebrew scene, we've given you a head start on your port of GTA3! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/DIorAXOU4yMarch 30, 2025
Now look, I like 60fps as much as the next gamer, but I also like buildings to load and cars to spawn properly, so I don't think I'd use this mode in its current state.
In the video, you can see the concept of a car cruising the barren streets of Liberty City. Its wheels are blocks that don't move, its paint is a nondescript chrome, and the door doesn't even open when Claude gets in. It is 60fps though, I'll give it that.
"Our team mad scientist, Esppiral, just added a 60fps 'performance mode' toggle to our Sega Dreamcast port of Grand Theft Auto 3.... What now, PS2 and Xbox!?" tweets Girgis.
It's a cool proof of concept that clearly still needs some work. You can barely see more than a few meters in front of the car, and other vehicles pop in as the rest of the models and textures load, meaning you'd crash frequently as there simply isn't enough time to hit the brakes when they appear.
The standard mode of the port looks amazing though. I can't believe they've made a playable version on the Dreamcast of all things. Hopefully the performance mode gets updated and it's actually playable, but until then, I'm glad 60fps has been achieved so that the Dreamcast can be somewhat vindicated.
While you're here, check out our list of the best retro games of all time.
