Those songs that remain can be heard at higher fidelity, Rockstar notes: "In addition to higher quality audio at 16bit 44hrz for all the source music from the stations as well as original ambient effects, players will also be able to experience the game in 5.1 Surround Sound."
That’s especially true in the case of Vice City, which is often remembered for its soundtrack above all else. Yet, those songs were an undeniable part of the GTA experience and a big part of the reason why the GTA games felt so different from everything else out there at the time.
After all, not only did the songs on the Vice City and San Andreas soundtracks already exist but there were obviously other ways to experience them outside of the games themselves.
I know that probably sounds a little ridiculous. To be perfectly honest, though, anything short of 100% restoration of the trilogy’s original soundtracks will always feel like a punch to the gut for a generation of gamers who consider those soundtracks to be as definitive to their childhoods as any album released at that time. That particular possibility would be especially devastating considering that Rockstar has also confirmed that they are removing the existing versions of these games from digital platforms starting next week in preparation for the “Definitive Edition’s” launch. Actually, there’s a possibility that Rockstar may have to remove additional songs from the soundtracks if they were not able to renew the rights to them for these remasters. While there is currently no word from Rockstar regarding whether or not these upcoming remasters will restore those songs, it’s highly unlikely that the remastered soundtracks will restore any lost songs.