Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition Reviews
This trilogy oscillates between moving nostalgia and the disappointment of remembering the weight of the years.
Review in French | Read full review
While it isn't without merits, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy Definitive Edition is also plagued by many technical problems. You might relive some nostalgia if you're a fan of the classics, but new players should wait for Rockstar to release some patches before diving in.
Review in Italian | Read full review
There is so much wrong with Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition that we doubt that any amount of updates could fix the game in any significant way. As of now, we can only hope that moving forward, Rockstar Games will learn for their mistakes. Or at the very least will find more experienced development partners and invest in quality control. The work done by Grove Street Games is just straight up bad.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Here’s the thing, though; despite every issue that the GTA: DE suffers from, I’ve still been having a good time with it. Which is simply a testament to how well-written the Grand Theft Auto series is. The GTA: DE needs a patch. Or, maybe, it needs a boatload of patches. Though, I still find myself enjoying the over-the-top storylines, ridiculous dialogue, and outrageous mission structure. It’s hard to call these definitive, but still easy to call them classics.
But this trilogy is just plagued with so many bugs, glitches and performance issues that really ruin this long-awaited comeback. Fans will have to wait in hope that any patches that are being planned happen right away.
All three mainline GTA games from the PS2 era are seminal pieces, and they still hold up to modern scrutiny – the outstanding GTA San Andreas especially. But as remasters these are weak: they chug on modern hardware and are undone by questionable artistic decisions. Rockstar built its reputation on attention to detail, and while all three of these games still come highly recommended, this disappointing compilation will go down as a stain on the label's record.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition collects some truly groundbreaking games that still provide their share of nostalgic fun, but little has been done to make them shine here in 2021. Ultimately, a shoddy visual upgrade, choppy performance, and a lack of meaningful updates or extras may leave you questioning why you loved them in the first place. Perhaps this collection can be brought up to snuff with updates from Rockstar (or modders), but for now, its Wanted Level remains low.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy Definitive Edition isn't exactly the disaster it's been made out to be, but it is still a frustrating, underwhelming attempt to modernize three very important games. The quality of life improvements are generally welcome, and in many places, there's a faithful upgrading of the iconic visual style of the PS2 era titles. Unfortunately, not every change is welcome, and in the case of San Andreas, perhaps a little less of it might have done it a few favours.
Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, and San Andreas are some of the PlayStation 2's best games and helped to both pioneer and define the open world genre. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition does not provide the best way to experience these titles, nor should this be considered the "definitive" edition of the games included. The Definitive Edition is often prettier and slightly more modern in its controls and presentation, but missing features and poorly optimized content let down what could have been ideal remasters. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition feels rushed - and after twenty years, that's disappointing.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition is kinda rough and kinda janky, but it isn't quite the disaster that the dogpile claims it is. Sure, the character design looks rough in high resolution and there are a fair number of bugs, but the games largely function as they did three generations back when they released. It ain't great, but we've certainly seen worse.
GTA: The Trilogy is an acceptable but loveless remaster that incorporates some welcome updates, but also new quirks.
Review in German | Read full review
The new version of the GTA Trilogy is still able to offer fans hours and hours of nostalgic "play", as long as they are able to overlook the obvious roughness within the offer.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Despite the complaints and all, the reality is that Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition is a pretty good remastered of three great PS2 classics. Something important to understand is that this are just remastered with few changes, not remakes.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Definitive Edition is a good way to (re)discover three legendary titles of the PS2 era. They're the same and yet very different in terms of visuals. But it's not really 100% good and even on PS5, it struggles to deliver a totally smooth experience. Not to mention that they feel a bit old if you talk about gameplay. Still effective, but be prepared.
Review in French | Read full review
Two of the three games are still pretty great, but this is one of the most brazenly offensive cash grab releases I've seen in recent memory.
The Grand Theft Auto series will always be seen as a cultural milestone in video gaming which led to the open world games that we cherish now, but the years have been a bit harsh on the trilogy and the complete lack of care put into what is essentially an afterthought of a remaster doesn't help matters much. The few updates made with controls, shooting, and lighting are nice, but not enough to justify the $60 price tag. The games are still worth revisiting, especially if you've never played the original releases, but only if you aren't playing on PC or the Switch as those versions seem to share the bulk of issues the game is currently experiencing. So far PS5 is the way to go for a hassle-free trip into Liberty City, just maybe wait for a price cut first.
A messy remaster of three genre-defining open worlds, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition fails in giving GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas the treatment they deserve, but beneath the slightly shabby veneer, those same great games remain.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is an interesting package; despite doing a number of things fairly well such as gameplay tweaks and refreshed visuals it’s hard not to feel a little let down. When you consider all of the possibilities or additional improvements that could have been made, it just feels like Rockstar could have gone further and created some truly memorable remakes or high-quality remasters. All of the games here do look better and play better than the originals, which technically does make these versions the definitive ones, but it feels like a missed opportunity at the end of the day. A few patches will likely take care of some of the more obvious issues, but at this point it is hard to recommend to anyone other than the GTA faithful.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition is a lazy attempt at bringing three classic games into the modern era. Visually inconsistent, riddled with bugs and below par in so many other areas, the only thing this collection has going for it is nostalgia and solid foundations.
It's hard to shake off the feeling that someone wanted to get money from nostalgic fans. GTA Trilogy - The Definitive Edition is an interesting but painful journey. I liked revisiting Vice City the most - new graphics suit this game more than the other two.
Review in Polish | Read full review