Recompiled ports simply keep coming to Android. A new experimental version of GTA 5 has started circulating, and this time there is an important difference: the game is already running on smartphones equipped with Mali GPUs.
The build is still far from a final release and performance remains limited, but it can already start the campaign, enter Los Santos, use touch controls and even run on MediaTek-powered devices.
It is worth remembering that there is no such thing as a “fake recompiled port” if the project is genuinely based on static recompilation. The real challenge comes after the recompilation itself: fixing errors, improving shaders, removing bugs and optimizing performance.
GTA 5 port runs on Android with Mali GPU
One of the first tests was carried out on a Poco X7 Pro equipped with a Mali GPU.
According to information shown by the launcher itself, this is the first playable version of the project and there is still plenty of optimization work ahead.
Current requirements include:
- Android 10 or newer;
- ARM64 processor;
- Vulkan 1.1 or newer;
- 8 GB or 12 GB of RAM recommended;
- a high-end smartphone.
Compatibility is not guaranteed on every device.
MediaTek runs GTA 5 at around 20 FPS
Interestingly, the build documentation itself cites Dimensity 8000-series chips as a reference.
In open areas of Los Santos, performance currently sits around 20 FPS, varying considerably depending on the number of objects and the complexity of the scene.
Indoors, the game can stay closer to 30 FPS with better stability.
The most interesting part is that drastically lowering the resolution does not always produce major gains. According to the project information, the main bottleneck is currently the number of draw calls, not simply GPU fill rate.
Story Mode and Sandbox
The launcher already allows players to choose between two different modes.
In Story Mode, GTA 5 starts the campaign normally, including the opening Ludendorff robbery sequence.
There is also a Sandbox mode that lets players jump directly into Los Santos to test the open world without progressing through the first missions.
Users can also set the maximum amount of memory dedicated to the game and change the internal rendering scale.
Touch controls are already available
The project already includes controls adapted for a phone screen.
There are buttons for running, jumping, shooting, reloading, accessing the phone and performing other actions used throughout the campaign.
An additional menu also provides extra commands and launcher-specific options.
Physical controller support still appears inconsistent. During testing, the gamepad was detected, but there were issues with button configuration.
Gameplay video from TRC Games:
Higher graphics quality still comes at a cost
At a 0.25 rendering scale, GTA 5 can maintain better performance, but image quality drops significantly.
Increasing the scale to 0.50 or 1.0 makes the game look considerably better, but performance also falls sharply.
In Mali GPU tests, the 0.50 setting stayed around 20 FPS while exploring the city.
That makes it clear that this first version is still much closer to a technical demonstration than to an experience ready for a full playthrough on a phone.
The version still has several issues
Known problems include shadow glitches, LOD settings being reset after saving and major performance drops in more complex scenes.
The team also makes it clear that this is an experimental version and that future updates should improve compatibility and performance.
This is not GTA Online
The launcher includes some multiplayer and UDP connection options, but that does not mean GTA Online is supported.
For now, the focus remains on running the story mode and open world locally on Android.
Another unofficial GTA 5 project appears on Android
This new build is notable because another GTA 5 project adapted directly for ARM had recently been shut down following action from Take-Two.
Only a few weeks later, GTA 5 is already back running on phones through another experimental project.
And there is an especially interesting difference this time: while many recent ports initially worked only on Adreno GPUs, this version is already demonstrating the game running on Mali hardware as well.
Of course, 20 FPS at reduced resolution is far from ideal, but we are talking about GTA 5 running locally on a MediaTek smartphone.
For a first playable version, it is already an impressive demonstration — and at the pace these projects are appearing in 2026, we will probably hear much more about this port in the coming weeks.
This is an unofficial version and has no affiliation with Rockstar Games or Take-Two.
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