Prepare to throw it back to 1991.
First conceived by creator deltaCJ in 2018, GTA 1991 began life as a hobbyist take on the often rumored, yet never officially acknowledged, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Stories.
As a prequel to Carl Johnson’s Grove Street adventures, the total conversion mod could fit that description, but over the years it has expanded into a larger project. Approaching its August showcase, GTA 1991 aims to illustrate the project’s size, stature, and complexity.
For starters, GTA 1991 delves into the origins of the base game’s sweeping crack epidemic. Through multiple missions, it narrates the story from the perspective of Little Devil—a character mentioned only by name in GTA: San Andreas and assumed to be deceased by the time CJ reaches Los Santos.
It features a bespoke drug dealing system designed not as a mere gameplay gimmick but as a necessary component of the story. This development enhances the understanding of the original 2004 crime sim’s narrative, marking it as a massive undertaking.
“If I take it back to 2018, then through 2020, Covid, all the way to today… I must have put in thousands upon thousands of hours into it,” deltaCJ reflects. “I mean, I’ve got over a thousand hours in 3DS Max alone, probably the same in Sanny Builder and various other modding programs.”
For those who may not know, the Grand Theft Auto series has seen its Stories offshoots with titles focused on GTA 3 and GTA: Vice City—Liberty City Stories released in 2005 and Vice City Stories the following year on the PSP. These expansion titles later launched on the PS2, but San Andreas did not receive a similar installment. GTA 1991 isn’t San Andreas Stories, but it certainly seems set to scratch a similar itch.
DeltaCJ has seen the development team grow both in numbers and skills, allowing them to advance closer to his original vision for the project in recent months. With a dedicated workspace, he has spent countless hours on motion capture and refining animations, along with writing and rewriting the mod’s story repeatedly.
Looking forward, a trailer and a playable demo are anticipated. DeltaCJ and his team are committed perfectionists, determined to present “Rockstar quality” work without compromise, a meticulous process that may explain the extended time required for its creation.
DeltaCJ adds: “By August, the plan is to unveil the first introduction mission showcase, which will include cutscene dialogue and the mission itself. Afterward, I aim to release bits and crumbs that lead to a larger rollout, possibly culminating in a link for everyone to download it.”
To track the development of GTA 1991, you can visit its dedicated space on GTAForums.
