Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition Reviews
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.
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.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition is anything but definitive, with too many issues that simply cannot be overlooked.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition can be tolerable on the right system. Both PS5 and Xbox Series X offer users the best chance of brute-forcing past the performance barriers but, even then, occasional bugs and glitches can occur. Fun can be had on those current-gen systems, especially by those with some sentimental attachment to the original trilogy, but there’s still likely to be moments of frustration. When it comes to the Nintendo Switch version, as enjoyable as a portable version could be, the experience is heavily compromised and I can’t recommend players drop serious cash on this product.
Lazy, amateurish, and half-finished are not how you usually expect to describe a Rockstar game, but this easily avoided mess shows three classic games in the least flattering way possible.
GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition is defective, disappointing, and surprisingly disrespectful to three classic games and their many legions of fans.
There's an old saying that goes "You can't polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter". Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is almost the exact opposite of that proverb, with the core foundation of the three titles still retaining their charm, albeit in an anachronistic way, but the sterling gold nugget that is the original trilogy is now slathered in so many scoops of steaming shit that it's hard to appreciate them for what they are.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition was set to be one of this year's biggest and most celebrated releases. Unfortunately, due to multiple questionable decisions by those involved in the project, what we received was a collection that did little to deserve the nickname “definitive” registered in its name.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
GTA: The Trilogy is an experience that suits fans of the original version and who are willing to overlook the technical problems to play the game again other than that it is recommended to wait for updates coming from the company for the game.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
3 brilliant games are back in a quality that is hard to swallow. I can not recommend GTA The Trilogy The Definitive Edition today and it's best to wait for the reactions of the developers. Will it get better? I hope so...
Review in Polish | Read full review
A disappointing revisit to something fondly remembered, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition struggles to remind you of what made these games so memorable in the first place.
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
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 - The Definitive Edition is definitely ... a disappointment. The technical restyling on the three chapters of the saga was half successful but does not pay the right homage to the original trilogy, while the improvements to the gameplay are not enough to make us forget the many bugs and glitches of this unsuccessful collection.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Overall, the final edition of the GTA Trilogy is a disingenuous reset, although the quality of light and shadow, map compared with the original has significantly improved, but the game is full of a variety of poor-quality modeling, as well as many f bugs.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
If Grand Theft Auto The Trilogy – Definitive Edition was $30 and on Steam I could perhaps justify buying into the hype and being excited about these games. But, $60 on Rockstar’s own launcher that you will forget even exists and never turn this game on? No, I can’t recommend this game with good conscience.
It is impossible not to classify this offer as disappointing. There is merit in the work of making these classics more visually appealing and mechanically more modern, but the flaws are too many and incomprehensible. The three games are technically extremely defective, with huge crashes and numerous bugs plaguing the overall experience. Still, playing Vice City and San Andreas remains incredibly fun and enjoyable. So there is value here, but these games deserved much more love and affection from everyone involved.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
GTA: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition brings all the fun of the classic games of the saga that has always seen its career ascend. However, it shows a hard fall with this remaster due to lack of work in its execution.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition can be fun to play thanks to the inherent strengths of the three all-time classics it remasters, but the remastering itself feels shoddy, thoughtless, and rushed.
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.
