Grand Theft Auto III - The Definitive Edition is the latest update to our wonderful GTA 3. A present to all fans for the 20th anniversary of this beloved classic. It comes with updated graphics, controls and more... or so Rockstar wants us to believe. Definitive Edition is actually a disgusting mobile port, redone by a small mobile studio and ported over to all major platforms in 2021. Not only is this version one of the worst, but it's also the only one you can officially buy on Steam now. The core of this remaster is the mobile port from 2011, which if you can imagine, was intended for cellphones and not major consoles and PC.



Despite all issues I have with the definitive edition, and boy are they many, I can't deny that there are also some good things about it. The game uses Unreal Engine 4 for its rendering, which incorporates a fantastic lighting system into all three games. This is undeniably the best part of this version, because lighting is one of those things that can't really be achieved to this extent with mods.


The foundation of 3D era GTAs was RenderWare. All games up to GTA IV used it and all suffer from similar issues caused by the engine. Physics, animations, camera and pretty much everything else you can think of is built around 30FPS, exceeding this causes major issues. Why is this important though, you may ask, well because under the hood the Definitive Editions also use RenderWare. This time, however, they run at 60FPS by default, which causes all kinds of weird bugs (it is not such a big problem in gta3, but it's a huge one in San Andreas). On top of that, Unreal graphics really look odd when combined with 20 year old animations.


GTA 3 Definitive has a number of quality of life changes. Many of these are great, and while most can be achieved in the original game via mods, it's good to have an out-of-box package that comes with them. There is an actual map in the Pause menu now, all parts of the HUD are in crisp HD and there is a GPS line to follow during missions (in gta3 the line works well). Autosaves and mission retries also make the game more forgiving, which is undestandable for today's standards. You can also move the camera in vehicles now and aim properly thanks to Unreal.


One of my main gripes with the whole Definitive Trilogy is the completely butchered atmosphere of the original games. GTA 3's color scheme was dark and gray with overcast skies and rainy nights. It's a clever companion piece to Liberty City's criminal underworld. Grove Street Games (the studio that was hired by Rockstar to remaster the Trilogy) completely misunderstood this and now all 3 games look bright, sunny and "happy". If you thought that only the art direction was a problem, think again. There are also legacy bugs carried over and many new bugs as well. Solid NPCs on the street that can break your car, dozens of texture misplacements, character models taken out of Wallace & Gromit and much, much more. This is unacceptable, especially at a price of $60. That's a bigger robbery than the final heist in GTA V!!!


GTA 3 is one of the greatest games of all time, this remaster is not. You can only purchase the Original trilogy from the Rockstar Launcher now (convenient, isn't it?). If you don't want to get it there, the high seas are also an option. Do whatever you want, but make sure you play this properly at least once. In case you really want Definitive (for those sweet achievements), I would only recommend it for $15 or less!

[h1]The trailblazer of open-world games - DEFECTIVE edition[/h1] Grand Theft Auto III - The Definitive Edition is the latest update to our wonderful GTA 3. A present to all fans for the 20th anniversary of this beloved classic. It comes with updated graphics, controls and more... or so Rockstar wants us to believe. Definitive Edition is actually a disgusting mobile port, redone by a small mobile studio and ported over to all major platforms in 2021. Not only is this version one of the worst, but it's also the only one you can officially buy on Steam now. The core of this remaster is the mobile port from 2011, which if you can imagine, was intended for cellphones and not major consoles and PC. [h2]Technical aspect[/h2] [h3]Unreal to the rescue[/h3] Despite all issues I have with the definitive edition, and boy are they many, I can't deny that there are also some good things about it. The game uses Unreal Engine 4 for its rendering, which incorporates a fantastic lighting system into all three games. This is undeniably the best part of this version, because lighting is one of those things that can't really be achieved to this extent with mods. [h3]RenderWare is still here[/h3] The foundation of 3D era GTAs was RenderWare. All games up to GTA IV used it and all suffer from similar issues caused by the engine. Physics, animations, camera and pretty much everything else you can think of is built around 30FPS, exceeding this causes major issues. Why is this important though, you may ask, well because under the hood the Definitive Editions also use RenderWare. This time, however, they run at 60FPS by default, which causes all kinds of weird bugs (it is not such a big problem in gta3, but it's a huge one in San Andreas). On top of that, Unreal graphics really look odd when combined with 20 year old animations. [h3]Quality of Life[/h3] GTA 3 Definitive has a number of quality of life changes. Many of these are great, and while most can be achieved in the original game via mods, it's good to have an out-of-box package that comes with them. There is an actual map in the Pause menu now, all parts of the HUD are in crisp HD and there is a GPS line to follow during missions (in gta3 the line works well). Autosaves and mission retries also make the game more forgiving, which is undestandable for today's standards. You can also move the camera in vehicles now and aim properly thanks to Unreal. [h2]Art direction, bugs and price[/h2] One of my main gripes with the whole Definitive Trilogy is the completely butchered atmosphere of the original games. GTA 3's color scheme was dark and gray with overcast skies and rainy nights. It's a clever companion piece to Liberty City's criminal underworld. Grove Street Games (the studio that was hired by Rockstar to remaster the Trilogy) completely misunderstood this and now all 3 games look bright, sunny and "happy". If you thought that only the art direction was a problem, think again. There are also legacy bugs carried over and many new bugs as well. Solid NPCs on the street that can break your car, dozens of texture misplacements, character models taken out of Wallace & Gromit and much, much more. This is unacceptable, especially at a price of $60. That's a bigger robbery than the final heist in GTA V!!! [h2]Get the OG version... somehow[/h2] GTA 3 is one of the greatest games of all time, this remaster is not. You can only purchase the Original trilogy from the Rockstar Launcher now (convenient, isn't it?). If you don't want to get it there, the high seas are also an option. Do whatever you want, but make sure you play this properly at least once. In case you really want Definitive (for those sweet achievements), I would only recommend it for $15 or less!