A developer has rewritten the source code of Grand Theft Auto 3 to show how the Liberty City assets, totaling around 130 MB, fit into the PlayStation 2's mere 32 MB of memory. The solution was to divide the map into thousands of small sectors and load only those near the player as they move, unloading those left behind. This technique, called streaming, made it possible to create a detailed city without compromising performance.
How streaming and LODs prevent the city from exploding 🎮
Developer Mark Brown modified the code to visualize the process in real time. The game loads map sectors based on the player's position, using low-quality versions (LOD) for distant objects, which are replaced by detailed models as they approach. This prevents objects from popping in suddenly and reduces memory load. The technique was not only key in 2001 but remains standard in modern games like today's open worlds, where streaming is essential for handling large volumes of data.
So the PS2 wasn't magic, just an efficient file manager 🧠
Turns out Rockstar didn't summon spirits from the 8-bit era to make Liberty City work. They simply invented a system that decides which buildings deserve to be in memory and which can go to digital limbo while you're not looking. It's like having a friend who stores and takes out toys from the box as needed, but without losing any along the way. Good thing they didn't use my grandmother's method: force everything in and hope it doesn't creak.