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 that rumored third trailer, nostalgia for earlier entries in the series is at an all-time high.

One of the most enduringly popular games in the series is San Andreas, which, until recently, still had a mural dedicated to it on the side of a building in Melbourne, Australia. According to GTA news source GTA 6 Countdown on X (formerly Twitter), the mural has since been painted over, leaving a blank wall in its place.

After 21 Years, A GTA Mural Was Taken Down

A piece of history

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 Google Maps‘ 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.

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.

In the comments of the post linked above, fans lament the loss of this piece of GTA history. “It looks worse being painted over,” one user commented, while several others suggested a GTA 6-themed mural should take its place.

San Andreas Still Holds Up

An enduring classic

Lest you think the fan outrage over the mural’s destruction is entirely motivated by nostalgia, may I remind you just how well San Andreas holds up, even today? Forget the wonky Definitive Edition graphics and the player-made visual overhauls; it’s one of the great classics of the GTA franchise, and deserves to be experienced in its original form.

Even if later GTA games surpassed it in the visual and gameplay departments, it can’t be overstated just how brilliant, ambitious, and fun San Andreas 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.

Really, it’s no surprise that so many fans are up in arms about the removal of this classic mural. San Andreas remains one of the most popular Grand Theft Auto games to this day, and, with the next entry still a long way off, it’s not going anywhere any time soon.

Systems

Released

October 26, 2004

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs

Engine

RenderWare

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer