Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition Review (Xbox Series X)

The Grand Theft Auto Trilogy era of games changed the way we looked at 3D games, becoming one of those series of games that defined the newer era of gaming alongside the likes of Mario 64. Over 20 years later, we are looking at a return to those same three games and see if giving them a few graphical boosts and gameplay changes is enough to move them into the same state of being as Grand Theft Auto V. Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition is an interesting attempt to revive one of the best trilogies of games from the PS2/Xbox era, but at the same time it might be too dated for modern audiences.

Name: Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X/Series S, Android, iOS
Developer: Grove Street Games
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Game Type: Action-adventure
Mode(s): Single-player
Release Date: 11 November 2021

Carl Johnson: Aw Shit! Here we go again…

Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition contains three games in the Grand Theft Auto series: Grand Theft Auto III (2001), Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002), and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004). They are action-adventure games played from a third-person perspective wherein players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. Outside of missions, players can freely roam the open world and have the ability to complete optional side missions. Some areas of the games become unlocked as the player progresses through the storyline.

Grand Theft Auto III is set in Liberty City, loosely based on New York City; it follows a silent protagonist, Claude, who is betrayed and left for dead by his girlfriend during a robbery and embarks on a quest for revenge that leads him to become entangled in a world of crime, drugs, gang warfare, and corruption. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, set in 1986 in the titular Vice City (based on Miami), follows mobster Tommy Vercetti who, after being released from prison and becoming caught up in an ambushed drug deal, begins slowly building an empire by seizing power from other criminal organizations in the city. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is set in 1992 within the fictional state of San Andreas, consisting of three main cities: Los Santos (based on Los Angeles), San Fierro (based on San Francisco), and Las Venturas (based on Las Vegas); the game follows former gangster Carl “CJ” Johnson, who returns home following his mother’s murder and is drawn back into his former gang and a life of crime while clashing with corrupt authorities and powerful criminals.

All three titles are remastered for Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition, including a rebuilt lighting system, upgraded vehicle and character models, new navigation and heads-up display designs, and improved shadows, reflections, and draw distances. The controls were also updated to match those of Grand Theft Auto V (2013), and the checkpoint system was improved to allow for an automatic restart. Some music tracks and cheats from the original versions of the games were removed.

Basically, if you have played any of the many remasters, re-releases, posts, etc, of any of these three Grand Theft Auto games, then you’ll know the stories behind Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition. Nothing has changed narrative-wise, nor the way people speak in these games, especially Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, where the “N-Word” is used very liberally and often. The only known removal at the time of publication was music tracks that Rockstar did not renew the license for, which sucks, but that’s business.

Lazlow Jones: Get lost, you’re just a cheap pimp from upstate get out of my studio!

The major upgrade of Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition is the graphics… kinda. Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition does have a graphical improvement over the PS2/Xbox era original games, which isn’t too hard to do, the upgrade really exposes the cartoony nature that was limiting the details that were done to run on the original PS2/Xbox hardware. Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition is still a long way from the graphics presented in Grand Theft Auto V, or even Grand Theft Auto IV, making Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition feel more like one of those cheap remasters where everything has been cleaned and upscaled, like going from DVD to early Bluray movie releases.

I’m not sure what method was used on the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition remaster, but I have to mention again that it really looks terrible in some places, with some games looking like they got more attention than others. For example Grand Theft Auto: Vice City looks like it got the most dedication and attention from Grove Street Games in terms of how much detail was improved, showing things like the neon lighting and overall distance draw actually works better than the other two games. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the other hand, looks like it was given some time, but did nothing when it came to the draw distance, pop-in issues, and other graphical problems that were in the original. Then you have Grand Theft Auto III, which is by far the worst of the bunch in terms of just about every documented problem that the original game had is still here, with pop-in with vehicles and buildings still being a thing during a time where Rockstar said that it wouldn’t be a thing anymore… AKA an outright misleading of the marketing.

While, at times, the graphical upgrades of all three games in Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition does look somewhat good, you have to remember that these are graphic systems that were put in place to play on consoles that are now very outdated, so you need to look at Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition in a different light than more recent games with full remasters or remakes, meaning if you enjoyed the cartoony look of the original series, then this improvement is just that, an improvement.

Big Smoke: I’ll have 2 number nines, a number nine large. A number six with extra dip. A number seven. Two number forty-fives, one with cheese, and a large soda

Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition is more than just a bunch of graphical upgrades, it did change all the very dated controls to fit those that were introduced, and became standard in this genre of games, with the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. To be honest, this is one of the best things to happen to the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy series of games with this remaster. Using the shoulder buttons to shoot and drive is something that has become muscle memory at this point and going back to the older versions of these games became an effort in having to remap your mind and fingers to work outdated controls. So this is the best thing that Grove Street Games did to improve Grand Theft Auto for Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition.

Another thing that I’m happy to report is that the difficultly of the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy is still there in all its punishing glory. Gone are the instant health regen bullshit, cops are a lot harder to get rid of than they are in later games, and you will be punished for not taking your time and aiming properly, and making your very limited bullets count. You also have to know every location and shortcut in the streets in order to find things like health recovery and notoriety lowering tokens while in the middle of a mission, also cars are a LOT harder to destroy too, with your vehicle often exploding long before you’ll knock someone off the road. Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition shows us that we are have become very coddled with Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto V in the way you have things like one-button attachment to walls and cover, and how much Rockstar has lowered the health of everything in those game compared to these three originals.

One complaint though is the GPS system, which was meant to be updated to work a lot more like the system in Grand Theft Auto V, but only seems to work some of the time. In times when you need to make a manual waypoint, the chances of the GPS actually giving you a route is about 20%, leaving you to have to rely on your memory, or going back and forth to the overworld map in order to make sure you are going in the right direction. This makes Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition seem like it’s a bit under-cooked when it comes to the improvements that we were promised.

Tommy Vercetti : [crashes his car] Good thing I don’t own this piece of crap.

The biggest question is: “Is Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition worth paying the $60 price tag for?” and honestly, no it’s not. Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition feels like a budget title that has been thrown together at the last minute by a program or AI system that puts in minimal effort in upgrading the games. I can see why Rockstar removed Grand Theft Auto Trilogy from the console and PC marketplace before releasing Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition because going back to those original games will make you see and understand that this is a cheap cash grab.

However, if you are looking to give these games a go for the first time, then Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition is going to be perfect for you. Since the controls are very similar to Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto V, you’re not going to suffer having to go back to some really bad controls when it comes to driving and shooting that most of us older players had to do when we wanted to go back to these classics, and that’s what Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition still is: A collection of classics with some improvements to appeal to a new generation of players in order to get them into these classic games, and that’s what is wanted in the end.

Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition isn’t a bad game, as it’s a collection of some of the best games in the Grand Theft Auto series, and there is a reason people wanted these upgrades for the last decade. However, Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition is one of those “be careful of what you wish for” types of collections, where a publisher looking for a quick buck can exploit player expectation and think they can get away with the bare minimal effort instead of putting that time into something that would be a true and lasting improvement to a classic series.

Review Disclosure Statement: Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition was bought by the reviewer for review purposes. For more information on how we conduct and handle reviews here, please visit our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy for more info. Thank you.