February 8, 2026
Grand Theft Nostalgia, Mods & Meltdowns
A GTA modder has got the 1997 original working on modern PCs and Steam Deck
Fans cheer, skeptics shout, and 'I'm old' jokes flood the thread
TLDR: A fan mod makes the 1997 Grand Theft Auto playable on modern PCs and the Steam Deck, sparking cheers for retro vibes and easier multiplayer. The comments spiral into security warnings about risky downloads, “not about AI” gatekeeping, and a nostalgia fest, proving old games still ignite hot debates.
A modder just made the 1997 original Grand Theft Auto run on modern PCs and the Steam Deck, and the crowd went full nostalgia karaoke. Old-school fans are swooning over the retro vibe, praising the CRT filter and the easier multiplayer compared to the old “MAX PACK,” while nitpickers want the HUD polished and more language options. One joker called the yellow-lime color bug the “Mountain Dew mode,” and someone else begged, “please add [2022] to the title” like it’s a museum label. But the real drama? A security-savvy commenter warned the shared repo is a fork with “less eyeballs” and could trigger arbitrary code execution—aka you might unknowingly run sketchy stuff on your machine—raising eyebrows and heart rates. Meanwhile, gatekeepers chimed in with “this isn’t about AI,” turning the thread into a turf war over relevance. The nostalgia brigade is strong, with one user confessing they feel old when people say they’re old because they remember GTA III. Others pointed to LaunchBox and DOSBox, shouting “just use Exodos!” like it’s a magic fix. All in all, it’s a chaotic joyride: retro love, security paranoia, and comment-section comedy slammed into one big GTA pileup.
Key Points
- •A community package updates the 1997 Grand Theft Auto and related 2D entries to run on modern systems, with the title indicating Steam Deck support.
- •The build offers visual options including a CRT filter, aspect ratio settings, and multiple filters (bilinear, scanline, fast-sharpen, xbr-lv2-noblend).
- •Reported issues include London 1969/1961 using previous game scores, only two languages available, and missing HUD tooltips for VSync and aspect ratio.
- •Suggested improvements include a richer HUD, in-HUD controls configuration, per-game unique menus/backgrounds, optional 2D map access, and potential 3DFX/low-color modes.
- •The author reports improved performance and simpler multiplayer setup versus the MAX PACK; notes wsfix causes color palette issues in GTA2.