Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition did not exactly have the most successful launch of 2021. Its mishandled debut invited comparisons to Cyberpunk 2077 and other disastrous launches of recent years. While that may not be a wholly accurate comparison, there’s no denying that the initial release was a massive disappointment to many fans.
Rockstar hasn’t been idle since launch, attempting to bring Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition up to the standards fans expect. The publisher also tried to make amends by offering free copies of the original games to disgruntled PC players. Now, the company’s going a step further by offering a free PC game to the same fans.
Trilogy owners can choose between free copies of Grand Theft Auto 5: Premium Edition, Grand Theft Auto 4: Complete Edition, Max Payne 3, LA Noire, or Bully: Scholarship Edition. GTA 5: Premium Edition, the most expensive of those titles, usually goes for around $15 to $25 on sites like Steam and the Epic Game Store. However, fans who already own or aren’t interested in those titles can instead choose between a Great White Shark Card in Grand Theft Auto Online or 55 gold bars in Red Dead Online.
Note that gamers who haven’t purchased Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy can pick it up now and still get the free game or currency. It’s currently 20% off as part of the Rockstar Store Holiday Sale. However, players who want to take advantage of this deal need to act fast, as the offer ends on January 5th, 2022. Unfortunately, Rockstar’s not offering any such deal for console players, though Xbox users at least get a free upgrade to the Series X version.
The Trilogy’s developers are working to patch the game, which debuted in an at-times hilariously incomplete state. Problems included ugly character models, glitchy weather effects, and an over-reliance on AI upscaling, among other issues. The remaster even failed to fix known bugs from the original game, and many were disappointed with its performance compared to previous versions of the GTA Trilogy.
Recent updates fixed many of the known problems with Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy. This included the visually unappealing and often extremely glitchy rain effects. The update also removed a variety of bugs, repaired aesthetic inconstencies, and sanded off the rough edges of specific mechanics.
However, none of that changes that GTA: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition was an extremely rushed production that Rockstar contracted out to a smaller studio. The game is also still plagued with strange design decisions, like the above-mentioned character models. It’s therefore debatable if the recent updates or current deals make Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy worth picking up.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Rockstar Games
