Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition Reviews
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.
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.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition is anything but definitive, with too many issues that simply cannot be overlooked.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
Overall, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition was set up to be one of the best things for GTA fans and it failed to hit that mark. It will now be remembered as a failure to launch title but I am sure Rockstar will step in and continue to fix some items within their game world. Released on November 11, 2021, this trilogy is listed at 59.99 USD and is available for all current and next-gen consoles and on PC as well. I hope for some updates soon. The games are playable but not as you remember them.
Grove Street Games Studio has not been able to provide a GTA-worthy experience at all.
Review in Persian | Read full review
I cannot currently recommend Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition on the PC, and a lot has to happen until I do. The truth is that I've had a decent amount of fun with this remaster; part of it is based on nostalgia, and part of it is based on some ridiculous, unavoidable bugs that weren't as frequent as I'd feared. Given all of these issues and the abysmal performance of the three games on the PC, I'd stay away from the trilogy until several major updates have been released. Even then, this remaster may not be for everyone.
Despite its entertaining nature, GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition is disappointing. While there are much better graphics mods, it gives the impression of an unnecessary package with its bugs.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Even if all the technical problems are corrected, the new version is considered inferior
Review in Greek | Read full review
GTA: The Trilogy has a total lack of attention to details. At times it seems that Rockstar Games didn't even bother to oversee the work of Grove Street Games. There are some moments and small details that lead one to think that an algorithm was responsible for remastering the graphics and that no human reviewed the final product. GTA deserves more.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
So, to recap my advice at the beginning: stick to your original copies if you still have them. If you need to see this mess in action for yourself, either wait until developer Grove Street Games heavily patches this collection or wait for a deeply discounted sale.
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.
The remaster of three of the most important games in video game history in Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition fails in almost everything that it proposes, even if you can ignore a few contextual merits. However, this definitive version is far from the respect it owes to the originals and, mainly, to the audience.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas are one of the best games of all time and they deserved an opportunity to shine again, which was tragically and shamefully missed here.
Review in Slovak | Read full review