gothamor/gta-vcs-recomp

This project recompiles the PS2 executable of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (USA release, SLUS-21590) into C++, producing a native Windows or Linux build that runs the game's own code rather than emulating it. It suits players who own the USA PS2 disc and want PC features like higher frame rates, widescreen and rebindable controls on a modern machine.

What you need

The repository ships no game code or data, so you must supply your own .iso. The disc must be the USA release; other regions are rejected during the build. Windows uses Direct3D 11 and Linux uses Vulkan, so Linux needs a Vulkan 1.3 driver (README, Linux build notes).

The build is done on your machine. On Windows, the launcher can install Microsoft's free C++ tools (about 6 GB); by hand you also need Python 3 with PATH enabled and Git, and the first build downloads libraries (launcher guide, README). On Linux you need Python 3, Git, clang 19 or newer, glslang, FFmpeg and SDL3 development packages, which --check-deps lists (Linux build notes). The first compile is documented as 20–60 minutes via the launcher, or about 15 minutes on a 4-core laptop for the generated C++ build.

How it works

A build reads the executable from the disc and turns it into roughly 200 MB of C++ that is then compiled and linked with a native renderer. The finished game still reads assets from the disc at runtime, so the ISO must remain available. Windows builds can be produced through the launcher or by hand with the same tools; both come from the same source (README).

Optional checks include tools/vcs_disc.py for disc identity and tools/doctor.py for folder, compiler, disc and build state. The project's issue table documents common failures such as a missing Visual Studio install, a missing Clang toolset, an unidentified disc, and missing Vulkan drivers.

What changes in play

Defaults match the PS2 game except for frame rate: 60 fps with frame-rate-independent timing, selectable up to 240 fps or back to the original 30 fps. The README reports 100+ fps nearly everywhere at original resolution on an i7-7700K with GTX 1080 Ti, and a locked 60 on a 2015 laptop with Intel HD 520 under Linux, with details in the performance notes. Widescreen up to 32:9 with Hor+ framing, internal resolution up to 8x, MSAA, anisotropic filtering, mouse look, rebindable keyboard/mouse/gamepad controls and a built-in trainer (F5) are options rather than defaults (README, trainer notes). Saves are written by the game's own save code into %LOCALAPPDATA%\VCSRecomp on Windows or ~/.local/share/VCSRecomp on Linux.

Limits

The port is marked in development, and the progress notes are the place to check what works; some behaviour at high frame rates is still being fixed. The trainer is never saved. Updates through the launcher keep your built game, settings and saves, and only changed parts are recompiled; manual git clones rebuild with --recompile-if-needed. The code is GPL-3.0, inherited from PS2Recomp, and the game content remains Rockstar/Take-Two property.