12 years after launch, this GTA style crime game just got a surprise update

Whenever I see that an old game has received a surprise update out of the blue, it immediately gets my attention. Is it preparing for some kind of revival or unexpected new content? Did a huge bug get uncovered after all these years? Is it preparing to be in a huge sale or bundle? Whatever the reason ends up being, it’s hard not to pique my interest when this situation arises – a situation that GTA-style crime game Retro City Rampage DX just found itself in.

It’s been 12 years since Retro City Rampage DX, an enhanced version of the original game, arrived on PC, and it hasn’t received a significant update in a very long while. The open-world game is a chaos-fest with glorious arcade graphics and audio. Channeling (and also poking fun at) classic Grand Theft Auto games, it lets you hijack cars, unleash mayhem with over 25 different weapons, visit stores, vibe to different radio stations, play secret minigames, and yes, you can drive a tank. Its campaign features more than 60 story missions, but arcade and free-roam experiences also exist if you just want to cause havoc. If you’re sitting around waiting for the GTA 6 release date to arrive, this will give you a similar open-world crime game hit – albeit with an outrageously-retro flavor.

While it is an incredibly enjoyable romp, it has understandably faded into obscurity. At the time of writing, just three people are playing the game on Steam, and it hasn’t had more than ten concurrent players since January 2020.

That makes it all the more strange that developer Vblank Entertainment has today pushed live a quality of life update for Retro City Rampage DX. This patch delivers a new audio engine to the game, prevents the game from summoning leaderboards in offline play to make things run smoother, provides better support for controllers, and fixes a quest issue where you could occasionally collect the wrong type of key.

So, no new content, no massive overhauls, just a small (but welcome) quality of life patch to a 12-year-old game with just three players on Steam right now. Let the head-scratching commence…

The new update for Retro City Rampage DX is live right now. To learn more about this GTA-like experience that time forgot, head to its Steam page here.

For more great games that you never knew you needed, head over to our best indie games guide. Alternatively, take a look into the future with our breakdown of the biggest upcoming PC games.

You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.