Student Creates GTA-Inspired Game That Lets Players Roam San Francisco

A new homemade video game inspired by the popular "Grand Theft Auto" is drawing attention for allowing players to explore a digital version of San Francisco. The game was created by Stanford University computer science student Thijs Simonian using data from Apple Maps, reported NYPost.

In videos shared on social media, players can be seen getting into cars and driving through the city's roads. They can also use a hang glider to fly across San Francisco's skyline.

Watch Video Here:

i turned the entire actual city of san francisco into a video game!

with apple maps data, i made it so you can climb buildings, 'steal' cars, and explore anywhere. and you can play it!! pic.twitter.com/fA8NdTUH1k

— thijs (@cdngdev) August 24, 2026

Simonian reported on Monday night that the game had recorded 884 hours of playtime. He also mentioned users had walked 15,913 miles (25,609.49 kilometres) across the digital version of San Francisco.

He wrote, "With Apple Maps data, I made it so you can climb buildings, 'steal' cars, and explore anywhere. And you can play it too!"

As the number of players grew, Simonian added several new features to the game in response to user requests. These include options to teleport to any address, multiplayer functionality, the ability to choose different avatars, and the option to share location links.

The game is attracting attention amidst a growing number of players exploring the digital version of San Francisco and utilising its various features.

Social Media Reaction

The post received numerous reactions on social media.

One user commented, "This is so good."

Another user noted, "This is sick."

"Thank you for this," added a third user.