GTA Trilogy DE: Is it really worth buying in 2025?

Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition, or simply GTA Trilogy DE, back in November 2021. This wasn't a new title, but a remaster of three of the series' most iconic entries — GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas. Fans were quite excited, but the end product was quite disappointing, plagued by bugs, glitches, and other issues that impacted the overall experience.

The situation did improve over time, and the remasters are comparatively in a much better state today. However, is GTA Trilogy DE really worth buying in 2025? Read on for the answer.

Note - This article is subjective and only reflects the writer's opinions and analysis.

Is GTA Trilogy DE worth buying in 2025: Everything you need to know

As mentioned, GTA: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition features remasters of Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, and San Andreas. Hence, one can experience these classics with a slight modern touch in 2025.

The remasters originally launched on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. Then, in December 2023, Rockstar Games released their Android and iOS ports.

The visual effects and lighting have been upgraded, but the art style is still faithful to the originals to a good extent. Most of the gameplay mechanics and physics are the same as the original ports too. This can be perceived as good or bad based on personal preference.

Some new features have also been added, such as a map in Grand Theft Auto 3's pause menu, GPS route in the mini-maps, as well as the ability to move around while shooting in Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City, all of which can be considered as much-needed improvements.

Fans may also remember the Definitive Edition remasters lacking the distinct atmosphere from the classics. That has been fixed to a great extent with the addition of Classic Lighting, a feature that can be toggled in the settings.

Check out: 5 biggest issues fixed in GTA Trilogy DE (PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC)

In fact, many of the issues that existed in GTA Trilogy DE's initial iteration have been fixed. Multiple bugs and glitches have been patched, character posture and animation issues, particularly those related to CJ from GTA San Andreas are now gone. Sadly, the character models still look a bit cartoonish.

Furthermore, a lot of the original soundtrack is still absent from radio stations, likely for licensing reasons, which is certainly unfortunate. However, few mods can help in adding them to the remasters on PC.

Is GTA Trilogy DE worth buying in 2025? Final verdict

Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto Vice City Definitive Edition (Image via Rockstar Games)

GTA Trilogy DE has improved over what was offered at launch in November 2021. So anyone interested in checking them out can have a go and should have a satisfactory experience.

Playing Grand Theft Auto Vice City Definitive Edition would help in preparing for any potential call-backs or Easter eggs that might show up in Grand Theft Auto 6, as its map will also feature Vice City.

A glimpse of Vice City from the first GTA 6 trailer (Image via Rockstar Games)

If you have access to the original ports and don't care about a visual upgrade, there's not enough change in GTA Trilogy DE to really warrant a purchase. Playing the classics will be just as fun.

If you wish to save for whatever the GTA 6 price might be, you may want to hold off buying GTA Trilogy DE, and wait for a major sale, since there are only some months left in the highly anticipated title's Fall 2025 release window.

However, if you have an active Netflix subscription, note that Grand Theft Auto San Andreas Definitive Edition can be downloaded and played for free on your Android or iOS devices.

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About the author

Suyash is an Esports and Gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in Rockstar Games' GTA franchise. Suyash uses in-depth research and knowledge of his immense experience with the game series to ensure readers have access to the most reliable information. His insightful content pieces have raked in more than 5 million views in just a little over a year's time.

Suyash holds a B.Tech degree and ventured into the world of gaming at a young age through the Prince of Persia Sands of Time trilogy. However, upon encountering GTA Vice City’s 1980s aesthetic, music, and vintage cars, he became enamored with the game, leading him to explore the rest of the franchise.

Suyash prefers solo titles to multiplayer, especially ones with a well-crafted story and character arcs. He admires journalist Jason Schreier for the respect he commands in the industry and the reliability of his news pieces. To ensure the accuracy of his own pieces, he checks multiple reputable sources and insiders.

If he were to recommend a game to a skeptic, it would be Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series. When he’s not roaming the streets of Los Santos in GTA V, you can find him playing football, watching movies, or working out.

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Edited by Angad Sharma