Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition Reviews
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
This trilogy oscillates between moving nostalgia and the disappointment of remembering the weight of the years.
Review in French | 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
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition on Switch delivers three of gaming's true greats in a shockingly rough package that manages to suck pretty much all of the fun out of Rockstar's stellar crime epics. This is a poor port, a shoddy, stuttery, low resolution mess full of bugs, glitches, audio problems and more besides. If can grab this one on any other platform, we'd advise you do so or, at the very least, hold off until it's been patched and hopefully improved in the future. As things stand, this is a very, very long way from 'definitive' - this isn't the way we want to remember these games.
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.
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
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
GTA: The Trilogy is an acceptable but loveless remaster that incorporates some welcome updates, but also new quirks.
Review in German | Read full review
Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition is one of those "Be careful what you wish for" games. While it has all the improvements that would be considered the bare minimum for Rockstar to put into something, it also exposes the ages of the titles, making the cheapness appear worse than it is. Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition is barely worth it for returning players, but is perfect for first-timers to this trilogy of games.
It’s not that I’m mad, I am just disappointed. These three PS2 games remain iconic, and I have enjoyed returning to Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas, but as a remaster, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is lacking the care and respect such highly regarded games deserve. It doesn’t have the quality we have come to expect from remasters recently. Yet, such is their quality, the underlying games, which deserved better, still hold up as a product of their time. They are worth returning to if the PS2 GTA Trilogy holds a special place in your heart, so long as you can temper expectations and accept the good, the bad and the downright ugly from a ‘that’ll do’ remaster. If not, you’re better off persevering them with those rose-tinted memories.
I'm a diehard fan of the GTA series, but I'm of two minds about this up and down port to the Unreal 4 Engine. The initial wow-factor of the visual upgrade is undeniable, but the more you play it, the more cracks appear in that pretty veneer. Some of those are legacy fissures that have not been repaired. Others are eyesore imperfections wrought by a new team of less-than-master craftspeople.
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.
Unfortunately, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is proof that nostalgia will only get you so far. It'll get you to boot up the game with rose tinted glasses, there waiting for you are the GTA experiences we have all loved from years ago. They aren't the same though. Improvements are masked by flaws, and they don't truly feel elevated close to "definitive" edition status. The CEO of Grove Street Games has promised updates and hopefully these can fix the qwirks, the bugs and the oddities, which chip away at those rose tinted glasses. We all wanted Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition to allow us to once again sink hours into those glorious games of old. Perhaps they will get there, it's been a rocky start and currently it's not the hidden package we were looking for.
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 - 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.