Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — Definitive Edition is out now on Steam, two years after its disastrous 2021 launch. So, does the GTA Trilogy work yet?
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition launched on Steam on January 19, after a long period of exclusivity in the Rockstar Games store for PC players. Featuring remastered versions of Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the bundle launched back in late 2021 in not-so-ideal shape. Multiple performance and visual issues plagued each entry, and while Rockstar has released some patches since, this re-release demands caution.
At the moment, it’s not possible to purchase the original versions of the three games on Steam, which means the Definitive Edition package is now the solely available bundle on the store. After some hands-on time with each title, here is a breakdown of what you can expect (or rather what to prepare for) from the GTA Trilogy’s Steam version.
Well, the answer is complicated. Yes, you can largely boot up the GTA Trilogy on Steam and play each one of the games without that many issues. At least from my experience, I didn’t encounter any particular bug that prevented me from going to point A to B without that many issues (I’ll tell you more about the hostile car drivers later on). Glitches such as the heavy rain that made it almost impossible to see are no longer present.
That said, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is largely from being in an optimal state. In all three cases, the games get stuck loading during the first boot-up. After the Rockstar Games launcher opens — which, yes, continues to run in the background even with the Steam version — I get a black screen and the game’s process doesn’t respond. So each time I have to open up the task manager, end the process, and open the game again. All games also asked for firewall permission, too, in case you’re interested in knowing.
Presentation-wise, the games are a mixed bag. I went with GTA Vice City’s Steam version first, and to my surprise, the top right corner of the UI was present throughout the whole starting cutscene. This didn’t repeat itself afterward, but it wasn’t the best first impression.
