5 biggest reasons fans hated GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition so much

Modified Mar 31, 2025 11:38 GMT

GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition was once one of the most despised Grand Theft Auto titles. Rockstar Games had a rough start after launching the game in November 2021, and while most of the issues have been ironed out so far, one cannot easily forget the frustrations during its early days.

This article lists five of the biggest reasons why the GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition was once hated so much.

Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and only reflect the writer’s opinions.

5 notable reasons why fans once hated the GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition

1) Bugs and glitches

The title was infested with game-breaking bugs and problems (Image via Rockstar Games)

GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition was arguably one of the most bugged titles in the Grand Theft Auto series. During the early days, bugs and glitches were so common that they hindered mission progress at times.

The glitches made the game chaotic at times. You could see objects falling through the ground, a lack of visibility barriers, Claude could walk on water, and many other things vexed the player base.

2) Poor character models

The character models in GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition were notoriously bad. They did not resemble the original figures, and most of them looked cartoonish. The trilogy included some of the most beloved Grand Theft Auto characters, and fans were angry that the developer ruined their looks.

Even though Rockstar Games fixed most of them and also put special emphasis on the protagonists, there is still room to improve the character models. Despite having low-quality graphics, the original models look more detailed than the updated ones.

3) Removal of some content

Rockstar Games removed various things from GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition before its release. The original three games are two decades old, and fans are already familiar with most features. As a result, it did not take much time for them to find out the missing content.

The developer removed many popular songs, Easter eggs, and cheat codes. It is also worth noting that the original version of GTA San Andreas still has a multiplayer mode on PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. However, Rockstar did not provide it in the remastered trilogy, making the veteran players angry.

4) Optimization issues

The GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition was simultaneously released on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. However, none of the platforms provided a smooth gameplay experience during the release period. The game had severe optimization issues, causing it to lag even on the most powerful PCs.

The aforementioned issues, along with the optimization problem, made GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition unplayable after launch. What caused more anger among fans is that Rockstar Games removed all three original titles from digital stores after the release of the remastered version.

Also read: 5 locations in GTA San Andreas that are puzzled with mystery

5) Poor animations and effects

The effects in GTA Trilogy Remastered were sub-standard (Image via Rockstar Games)

The animations and effects in GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition were very poor for a remastered game. The characters' movements, their interactions with various objects, and many other similar things were straight-up bad.

The hideous rain effect nearly made the game unplayable before getting patched. The raindrops were so big and bright that they made the surroundings hard to see.

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About the author

Mridul completed his post-graduation in Mass Communication, Journalism, and Media Studies. His career as a journalist began at Sportskeeda, and he has been associated with the Esports & Gaming division for over 1.5 years. He has produced 1600+ articles on Grand Theft Auto, his favorite gaming franchise of all time.

Mridul writes detailed and well-researched articles, relying solely on official sources and reputable insiders for credible information. His immense love for the GTA series shines through in his work, which resonates with readers, with five of his articles having crossed the 100,000 reads mark each. Overall, his reads count stands at close to 8 million.

GTA: Vice City served as Mridul's introduction to Rockstar Games, and he has dedicatedly made his way through the publisher's catalog since then. If given a chance, he would love to drop into the world of Bully and relive his school days. However, he would like to recommend Grand Theft Auto 4 to beginners due to the depth of its narrative and in-game mechanics.

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Edited by Ashmita Bhatt