Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition

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.

Even though a new coat of paint can’t cover every imperfection (and creates a couple new ugly streaks in the process), Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy is still a serviceable update for three absolute classics. With the quality of life improvements and visual upgrades, it’s still a fine way to enjoy three amazing games beloved by so many.

GTA Trilogy The Definitive Edition is a worthy remaster (and not a remake, do not confuse) of the classic GTA opus that defined the open-world genre. It's far from perfect, but it does make a 20 year old game widely playable nowadays.

The compilation isn't the most beautiful or detailed addition to the series, but it plays the smoothest. If you're prepared to overlook, or at least work around, the faults, GTA The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition is well worth considering.

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.

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.

We are once again dealing with three great works from the world of video games, it is undeniable. Despite the passing years, the three open-worlds still deliver unforgettable atmospheres and cities teeming with details. The latter precisely are as incredible as they are coherent with these passers-by who go about their business, these multiple secondary axes which add credibility to the whole and especially these new plays of light which sublimate the whole. But it is clear that despite this little more than welcome facelift (which still lacks homogeneity), the experiences show their age. Their gameplay can be dated, especially GTA III which, today, is really difficult to handle. As you can see, this compilation will undoubtedly delight the most curious who want to discover three legends, or even the nostalgic who wish to rediscover the sensations of yesteryear while enjoying a refurbished visual, but will disappoint those looking for more current mechanics.

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.

A painful missed opportunity. These half-cooked remasters show some qualities but are clearly not enough to celebrate such masterpieces like GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas.

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.

In the end, you’ll hate that you can’t love GTA Trilogy Remastered, at least in its current state, as tons of bugs and performance issues really ruin the fun. That said, if you grew up playing these titles and you can’t wait to get back into the good old days, the game is still playable, although we recommend that you wait for future updates to iron out the issues. As for new generation gamers who are used to modern gameplay and design, there is probably not much to look for here as the core gameplay mechanics of this package are really old.

Warts-and-all remasters that accept the failings of the original games and make amends where possible, but ultimately too flawed to live up to the name. [Issue#9, p.82]

If you had high expectations for GTA: The Trilogy Definitive Edition, that’s going to be your downfall with these games. The Trilogy is just alright and the upgraded graphics don’t cancel out the missing content and the infuriating bugs. Either play the originals or wait until the remastered games are on sale.

The first polygonal trilogy of GTA is back on the shelves with a definitive edition that struggles to hide the results of a gestation that is perhaps all too fast, a matrix of remasters that would undoubtedly have deserved greater attention in the polishing phase. Although the three titles in the package showcase valuable technical interventions, as well as a good assortment of playful revisions, the result of the modernization process put in place by Grove Street Games stops at sufficiency. This is because the collection shows qualitative fluctuations on almost all fronts, which in some cases significantly affect the enjoyment of the experience. However, the new version of the GTA Trilogy proves to be able to offer fans hours and hours of nostalgic "juggling", as long as they are able to overlook the obvious rough edges in the offer.

If these games shaped or changed you, you might find the notion of their being shaped and changed, in turn, an unwelcome one.

GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition feels far from the ultimate version of these great games right now. Three magnificent open-world adventures have been made available on modern consoles, and they feel much better to play than ever thanks to a set of mechanical tweaks, but the visual overhaul has summoned scores of new problems that make the package difficult to recommend in its current state. Newcomers without nostalgia could still find a lot to love in this collection, but you’d be much better off waiting for patches and updates that will hopefully bring the Trilogy up to scratch so that it can reflect the enduring brilliance of the source material.

These games are all masterpieces and as such deserve a better collection than this. In spite of the flaws it can still be a fun nostalgia trip for old fans or a good way for newer fans to discover the games before Grand Theft Auto V, but between the dated mechanics and inconsistent visual performance, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition is far from perfect.

While not the same level of technical mess as the Switch edition, the PlayStation 5 version still suffers from some hiccups that it really shouldn’t, and the changes to how the characters look won’t be for everyone, but it’s still a good way to play three of the best games ever made.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition is a reset without sincerity, the picture has been significantly improved compared with the original version, but the poor modeling, behind-the-times operation methods, and many BUGs are a constant detriment to the experience. Almost all of the enjoyment I got from the game stemmed from the gameplay of the original itself.

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.

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.

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.

A disappointing remaster of some of the most influential games of all times leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

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.

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.

Three legendary games that are part of the all-time gaming pantheon. Too bad that in their definitive editions they didn't get the respect and care they truly deserved.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition lets us re-experience the great stories of three beloved titles. Unfortunately, it fails more than it succeeds.

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.

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.

There’s no question that the three games in this GTA Trilogy are all-time classics, but they’ve unfortunately been remastered with a ham-hand instead of a Love Fist. New features are slight and only partially implemented, visuals are mixed, performance is inconsistent at best, some content is missing, and bugs and glitches abound. In its existing state, this collection of three classic GTA games is far from being considered definitive; it’s defective, disappointing, and surprisingly disrespectful to both the legacy of the games themselves and their many legions of fans.

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 - Definitive Edition is anything but definitive, with too many issues that simply cannot be overlooked.

Three anthology titles to be played at least once in your life as a gamer, but not necessarily through this GTA Trilogy which is only definitive in name. The new graphic design and the few gameplay modifications sound like cover for the pile of bugs and problems that completely distort the original material. A mirror to the lures sold at an exorbitant price considering its proposal and still unavailable for PC players at the time of closing this review.

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.

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.

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.

From the Definitive Edition of the iconic GTA titles emerged a technically unfinished remaster, which remained halfway. The content is and will always remain timeless, but the way to get to it and to enjoy it is simply not good.

In simplest terms, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is a mess of a release and isn't anything close to the level of quality that we have come to expect from the Rockstar Games name in the past.

These versions of Grand Theft Auto III (2001), Vice City (2002) and San Andreas (2004) are in no way definitive. Seeing them like this is more than a disappointment. It is infuriating.

What should have been a glorious celebration of three leading open world games has turned out to be a major disappointment that is definitely not the 'definitive' way you should experience the games. Don't get me wrong, the games themselves remain great, but the updated (camera) controls and some graphical updates are far from being able to compete with all the missing content and the numerous graphical misses that this collection makes. This makes Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The (So Called) Definitive Edition feel like a lazy cash grab that Rockstar Games should be ashamed of.

A textbook example of how not to remaster games from the PlayStation 2 era, these defective "definitive" releases are just desecration of three classic titles that deserve much better treatment.

The final score is three points, one for each of the brilliant games hidden underneath this pile of garbage.

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.