{"id":40899,"date":"2026-04-04T12:11:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T12:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=40899"},"modified":"2026-04-04T12:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T12:11:15","slug":"gta-fans-outraged-over-iconic-art-removal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=40899","title":{"rendered":"GTA Fans Outraged Over Iconic Art Removal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>An iconic piece of <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/tag\/grand-theft-auto\/\" target=\"_blank\">Grand Theft Auto<\/a> <\/strong><\/em>history appears to have been erased, and fans are devastated. While fans anxiously await news of <em>GTA 6<\/em>, including that <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/gta-6-trailer-3-graphics-jump-gamer-reactions\/\" target=\"_blank\">rumored third trailer<\/a>, nostalgia for earlier entries in the series is at an all-time high.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>One of the most enduringly popular games in the series is <em>San Andreas<\/em>, which, until recently, still had a mural dedicated to it on the side of a building in Melbourne, Australia. According to <em>GTA<\/em> news source GTA 6 Countdown on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GTAVI_Countdown\/status\/2038603437055652092?s=20\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">X (formerly Twitter)<\/a>, the mural has since been painted over, leaving a blank wall in its place.<\/p>\n<p><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"after-21-years-a-gta-mural-was-taken-down\">\n                        After 21 Years, A GTA Mural Was Taken Down<br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"a-piece-of-history\">\n            A piece of history<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape mobile-optimized\">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:50%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GTA-San-Andreas-Definitive-Edition.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GTA-San-Andreas-Definitive-Edition.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GTA-San-Andreas-Definitive-Edition.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GTA-San-Andreas-Definitive-Edition.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GTA-San-Andreas-Definitive-Edition.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GTA-San-Andreas-Definitive-Edition.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GTA-San-Andreas-Definitive-Edition.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The mural, pictured above, existed on the corner of 437 Spencer St, West Melbourne, Australia for 21 years, according to some fans; they say it had been painted by Rockstar to promote the game ahead of its 2004 release. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/Spence+Coffee+and+Food\/@-37.8102297,144.9498482,3a,75y,183.82h,82.88t\/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sJloWPJ5bXOEcPOcewtM6HQ!2e0!5s20130301T000000!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D7.121725777001927%26panoid%3DJloWPJ5bXOEcPOcewtM6HQ%26yaw%3D183.82435658667458!7i13312!8i6656!4m16!1m9!3m8!1s0x6ad65da1e434513f:0xb9de4beff480591f!2s420+Spencer+St,+West+Melbourne+VIC+3003,+Australia!3b1!8m2!3d-37.8103315!4d144.9504388!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F11vrzqydxw!3m5!1s0x6ad65d47d4c6b741:0x9e5c449802ffc7a2!8m2!3d-37.8103958!4d144.9499299!16s%2Fg%2F11c1xp81k_?entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDMyNC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Google Maps<\/a>&#8216; street view, the mural was covered by a billboard by 2009, partially painted over in 2013, and then intermittently covered and uncovered over the ensuing years.<\/p>\n<p>By 2022, the mural was at least visible enough to be recognizable, after which some fans claim it was maintained by street artists. The mural appears to have been painted over fully by November 2025, but images have made the rounds this week as fans rediscover the tragedy.<\/p>\n<p>In the comments of the post linked above, fans lament the loss of this piece of <em>GTA<\/em> history. &#8220;It looks worse being painted over,&#8221; one user commented, while several others suggested <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/grand-theft-auto-6-trailer-3-problem\/\" target=\"_blank\">a <em>GTA 6<\/em>-themed mural<\/a> should take its place.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"san-andreas-still-holds-up\">\n                        San Andreas Still Holds Up<br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"an-enduring-classic\">\n            An enduring classic<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:50%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/gta-san-andreas-drive-by.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/gta-san-andreas-drive-by.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/gta-san-andreas-drive-by.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/gta-san-andreas-drive-by.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/gta-san-andreas-drive-by.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=1\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/gta-san-andreas-drive-by.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/gta-san-andreas-drive-by.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=1\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"825\" height=\"413\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GTA San Andreas - Drive by\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/gta-san-andreas-drive-by.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=1\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/gta-san-andreas-drive-by.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=1\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Lest you think the fan outrage over the mural&#8217;s destruction is entirely motivated by nostalgia, may I remind you just how well <em>San Andreas<\/em> holds up, even today? Forget the wonky <em>Definitive Edition<\/em> graphics and the <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/gta-6-san-andreas-overhaul\/\" target=\"_blank\">player-made visual overhauls<\/a>; it&#8217;s one of the great classics of the <em>GTA <\/em>franchise, and deserves to be experienced in its original form.<\/p>\n<p>Even if later <em>GTA<\/em> games surpassed it in the visual and gameplay departments, it can&#8217;t be overstated just how brilliant, ambitious, and fun <em>San Andreas<\/em> was in its own time. Playing it today, you can recapture a great deal of that excitement, rediscovering things that even modern open-world games have failed to match.<\/p>\n<p>Really, it&#8217;s no surprise that so many fans are up in arms about the removal of this classic mural. <em>San Andreas<\/em> remains one of the most popular <em><strong>Grand Theft Auto<\/strong><\/em> games to this day, and, with the next entry still a long way off, it&#8217;s not going anywhere any time soon.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card type-video-game large\" data-show-streamrentbuy-links=\"true\" data-include-community-rating=\"true\" id=\"70f5-4c71-9c18bff6c80b\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content\">\n<div class=\"display-card-content image-column\">\n<p>                        <!--    Rating block community and brand ratings --><br \/>\n                        <!--  Image --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-img \" data-stnl-group-once=\"fa2YKEVS69\">\n<div class=\"body-img portrait \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  img-article-square\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/04\/gta-san-andreas-cover.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/04\/gta-san-andreas-cover.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/04\/gta-san-andreas-cover.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/04\/gta-san-andreas-cover.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/04\/gta-san-andreas-cover.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=1\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/04\/gta-san-andreas-cover.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/04\/gta-san-andreas-cover.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=1\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"480\" height=\"720\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"gta-san-andreas-cover\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/04\/gta-san-andreas-cover.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=1\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/04\/gta-san-andreas-cover.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=1\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        <!-- User Rating widget --><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"display-card-content info-column\">\n<div class=\"w-display-card-highlight-info\">\n                            <!--  Display card tags widget --><\/p>\n<p>                            <!--  Display card system widget --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-pills-group\">\n                                        <span class=\"pills-group-title\">Systems<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"pill-group-items\">\n                                                                                                                                                                                                        <a href=\"#\" class=\"pill-group-item\" title=\"Mobile\"><br \/>\n                                                                                                                                                                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"phone transparent\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/07\/phone-transparent.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=50&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/07\/phone-transparent.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=50&amp;dpr=2\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                                        <\/a><br \/>\n                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        <a href=\"#\" class=\"pill-group-item\" title=\"PC\"><br \/>\n                                                                                                                                                                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"PC-1\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/07\/pc-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=50&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/07\/pc-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=50&amp;dpr=2\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                                        <\/a>\n                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        <!--  Display card community and brand rating widget --><br \/>\n                                                                         <!--  Display card open critics widget --><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card main info widget --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-info main-info\">\n<dl>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Released<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 26, 2004<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>ESRB<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tM for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Engine<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tRenderWare<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Multiplayer<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLocal Multiplayer<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<\/dl><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card main info widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!--  Display card media widget start --><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card media widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to play button preview --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to play preview end --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <!-- Extra content section, display hidden by default --><br \/>\n            <input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"extra-content-70f5-4c71-9c18bff6c80b\" name=\"extra-content-70f5-4c71-9c18bff6c80b\" class=\"expand-extra-info-checkbox css-menu-checkbox\"\/> <!-- Checkbox: control the expandable behavior  of the extra info --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- Display card footer --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- PROS and CONS section --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/gta-san-andreas-mural-removed-2026\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An iconic piece of Grand Theft Auto history appears to have been erased, and fans are devastated. While fans anxiously await news of GTA 6, including&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertaonment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}