Which GTA Trilogy game has the best graphics?

The Definitive Edition GTA Trilogy is here, and it has received an overwhelming amount of negative reviews. The games are riddled with bugs, the lack of changes has been complained about, and the character models have not been well-received by fans.

The graphics and visual effects have been another point of contention. Most fans believe that the Definitive Edition of GTA 3 looks more polished and visually appealing compared to the rest. This article looks at the reasons behind this and why the others are worse.

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The Definitive Edition of GTA 3 has the best graphics

The Definitive Editions of all three games are inarguably much better looking compared to their original versions. However, when compared against each other, there appears to be an inconsistency in the graphical quality. It almost seems as if development was rushed through in the later stages.

This has resulted in the last game being a buggy mess and far less graphically impressive than the first one. Hence, GTA 3 DE comes out as the most stable and playable game, and it also had a better overall graphical upgrade. GTA Vice City DE doesn't come quite far behind from it, with its upgraded neon lighting and recreated vegetation.

However, GTA 3 DE beats it in every regard, even though the differences are not always that noticeable. In terms of weather effects, shadows, lighting, or reflections, it is much better than the rest. GTA San Andreas DE, for example, has been heavily criticized for its dumbed-down weather effects. The rainfall is like a GIF that doesn't render over water bodies.

Besides, it reduces visibility severely and looks extremely unnatural. Similarly, the sandstorm and fog effects have also been greatly downgraded. The rainfall issue is specific to the Definitive Edition of GTA San Andreas, as the weather effects in Vice City DE aren't that bad.

The environmental textures, on the other hand, are more or less the same for all three games. When it comes to character models, the ones in GTA 3 look less ugly than the others. Candy Suxx in GTA Vice City DE has been likened to a gorilla by fans. Meanwhile, Denise in San Andreas DE looks a lot like Yoda from Star Wars.

This is why the Definitive Edition of GTA 3 is much better looking than those of Vice City or San Andreas.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinion of the writer.