YouTuber creates GTA San Andreas trailers with Unreal Engine 5

Many GTA fans have remade parts of classic games from the GTA series in Unreal Engine 5 and have posted concept trailers on YouTube showing what these GTA games would look like with advanced graphics. YouTuber TeaserPlay has always been at the forefront of this trend, creating Unreal Engine 5 trailers for GTA games like GTA Vice City, GTA 3 and GTA San Andreas.

The YouTuber recently released an Unreal Engine 5 remake of one of the most iconic scenes from GTA San Andreas starring CJ and Big Smoke, and the video got a lot of attention.

Note: This article reflects the author’s subjective opinion and contains spoilers for GTA San Andreas

YouTuber newly created tThe final cutscene of GTA San Andreas with CJ and Big Smoke in Unreal Engine 5

In the aforementioned video released by TeaserPlay, Grand Theft Auto fans can revisit the iconic scene where Big Smoke is shot after betraying GSF and CJ is with him in his final moments asking him questions why he decided to sell her.

This is a truly devastating and emotional cutscene. Big Smoke initially appears to be a supportive and loyal friend of CJ’s, but players end up seeing him die as a man consumed by greed and selfishness.

The original scene in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is already ingrained in players’ minds, but this fan-recreated scene, powered by Unreal Engine 5 graphics, takes it to a whole new level of intensity.

When players compare the original death scene to the recreation, they will see many improvements. However, there are also minor changes that make this Unreal Engine 5 scene a little less effective.

The most significant change has to be the dynamic lighting. This was something Grand Theft Auto San Andreas couldn’t achieve since the technology wasn’t available at the time of the game’s release. With the realistic lighting provided by Unreal Engine 5, the scene is now visually superior and much more cinematic. Another improvement must be the level of detail in the characters’ facial expressions.

While it still leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to their mouth movements and proper audio syncing, it’s still impressive as players can now see how these two characters felt during the intense exchange.

TeaserPlay was also able to faithfully recreate the environment the scene takes place in, and the stack of CRT TVs and tall windows are still present in the room. Unfortunately, there was one crucial thing missing from this remake.

Differences between the original Big Smoke Death scene and the Unreal Engine 5 remake

In the original scene, Big Smoke dies in front of a safe while holding a stack of cash in his left hand, and this image is absent in the Unreal Engine 5 remake.

This doesn’t seem like an important detail, but the original scene is a good example of visual storytelling, as it clearly conveys the idea that Big Smoke has always valued money over his own life. Therefore, even in his final moments, he chooses to die with his hands full of cash rather than holding his friend CJ. This insight into Big Smoke’s character is purely visual, resulting in an iconic scene.

The lack of this small detail can spoil the impact of the cutscene, and players who are big fans of the original game will appreciate the change.

All in all, this Unreal Engine 5 remake is still commendable and gives a glimpse of what Grand Theft Auto San Andreas could look like if it’s ever remastered with Unreal Engine 5.