This doesn't mean Grand Theft Auto 3 is a bad game - far from it. From the way pedestrians act to the amount of vehicles at the player's disposal, everything about Grand Theft Auto 3 feels a bit less than San Andreas - and that's before factoring in the earlier game's aiming system.
Going from Vice City to San Andreas is fine - this is the same jump players would make whether they were playing in this order or in release order - but going from San Andreas to GTA 3 may seem like a chore for many. To enjoy the Grand Theft Auto franchise in chronological order, players will need to start with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, then move on to GTA: San Andreas, and finally end with Grand Theft Auto 3. If someone was to start playing the 3D GTA series for the first time with San Andreas and then immediately jump back to playing Grand Theft Auto 3, the lack of features might unnecessarily blemish Liberty City. Similarly, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas featured bicycles, gang warfare, and swimming - all things which were missing from GTA: Vice City. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City featured a lot of mechanics which GTA 3 didn't, including the ability to properly fly planes and helicopters. Related: GTA 6 Reveal Trailer & Look At the New Map Rumored to Drop in November With that being said, however, there are some gameplay changes and added features that may cause people who play the games in an odd order to become confused or frustrated. There's nothing wrong with playing Grand Theft Auto 3 first and then jumping straight to San Andreas, just like there's nothing wrong with beginning with San Andreas and moving on to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Each of the 3D GTA games contain their own stories, arcs, and characters, and no matter order the games are played in players will still get an enjoyable experience. Of course, this doesn't mean "release order" and "chronological order" are the only two ways players can enjoy GTA: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition's enhancements.
Those players have taken to Reddit and Twitter to call out graphical quirks, bugs, and texture and model changes to the games.Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Editionwill feature Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but what game is best played first? Should players attempt to tackle the GTA 3D Trilogy in a proper release order, or would it be better to go through the series chronologically? Given the amount of references, characters, and Easter eggs scattered throughout each of Rockstar's 3D GTA games, there are valid arguments for both. Players have pointed out graphical issues with the Definitive Edition’s version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - which seems to have gotten the most attention, thanks to its release on Xbox Game Pass on Thursday - related to overhauled faces, fog and weather effects, and misspelled text on signs. But players who have those versions of the game have been grousing about the fit and finish of Rockstar’s trilogy remaster, posting videos and screenshots of questionably updated graphics. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition is still available for sale on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox platforms. On Friday morning, Rockstar Games’ support team said on Twitter, “We thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work on restoring services for the Rockstar Games Launcher and supported titles.”
Players who owned the PC version were also unable to play the re-releases due to issues with the Rockstar Games Launcher.
The Windows PC version of the game has its own major problem: Rockstar had to pull it from sale due to major problems with the company’s own launcher. While the re-releases of Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, and San Andreas have clear and definitive improvements to controls and quality-of-life features, many fans are expressing their displeasure over the games’ updated graphics. Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition on Thursday, an enhanced collection of the PlayStation 2-era GTA games.