The cinematic camera in the Grand Theft Auto series is one of its most iconic features, but its origin story is rooted in an unexpected place: a “boring” train ride in GTA 3.
Former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij recently shared how this now-essential feature came to life.
The Birth of the Cinematic Camera
During the development of GTA 3, Vermeij found riding the train dull and initially considered letting players skip ahead to the next station.
When working on the train in gta3 I found riding it boring.
— Obbe Vermeij (@ObbeVermeij) January 7, 2025
I considered letting the player jump ahead to the next station but this would cause streaming issues.
Instead, I made the camera switch between random viewpoints near the track. This made the ride more interesting.… pic.twitter.com/pcl0Kd5ewo
However, this approach faced “streaming issues,” as the game would need to load the entire map for the new location instantly. Instead, Vermeij experimented with switching the camera to random viewpoints near the train tracks, making the ride more engaging.
From Trains to Cars
What started as a solution for the train quickly evolved. Another developer suggested applying the same concept to cars, leading Vermeij to create multiple dynamic camera angles, including a “wheel cam” and a view from chasing cars. The team found the feature so entertaining that it became a staple of the series.
The Cinematic Camera’s Legacy
The cinematic camera remained mostly unchanged in Vice City but was revamped for San Andreas by Derek Ward, who joined Rockstar after working on Manhunt.
Beyond GTA, the feature also made its way into Red Dead Redemption 2, where Vermeij noted it felt “better suited” due to the game’s slower pace.
As Rockstar gears up for the release of GTA 6 this fall, fans are eager to see how the cinematic camera might evolve in the series’ next chapter.