Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition released in a poor state, resulting in overwhelming backlash against the game. Rockstar Games is now working to improve Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition with updates to address fan feedback and fix the various problems with the collection, having just dropped update 1.03.
The 1.03 update for GTA Trilogy is easily the most significant update for the collection since launch, making well over 100 different changes across Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Rockstar released an exhaustive list of GTA Trilogy update 1.03 patch notes so fans can see every single thing that's been changed, but there are some fixes that are especially noteworthy.
Here are the biggest fixes in Grand Theft Auto Trilogy update 1.03. Keep in mind that the GTA Trilogy Switch port has yet to receive the update at the time of this writing, so this only applies to the PC, PlayStation, and Xbox Versions of the game.
Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Update 1.03 Biggest Fixes
- GTA 3 and Vice City Menu Sound Effects Restored
- Misspellings Fixed
- Rain Effects Fixed
- San Andreas Definitive Edition Draw Distance Fixed
While the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy 1.03 update fixes some of the collection's many glitches and performance issues, it also addresses some other big fan complaints. For example, there were many upset when they discovered that the Definitive Editions of Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City used the San Andreas sound effects for their menus. In fact, it didn't take long at all for a GTA Trilogy mod to come out that restored the GTA 3 and Vice City menu sounds, but now fans don't have to download a mod to fix the issue. Rockstar Games has restored the original menu sound effects to GTA 3 and Vice City with the 1.03 update.
Rockstar has also addressed the various misspellings and errors that can be found throughout the entire GTA Trilogy. It fixed the janky Rockstar Games logo in the Vice City pool, and also corrected errors on various signs and storefronts in the games. Some of these seemed like pretty egregious oversights, so GTA Trilogy fans will no doubt be happy to see the problems fixed. They may not have had a direct impact on gameplay, but they could still be distracting.
Something that did have an impact on gameplay that's now been fixed are the GTA Trilogy rain effects. The GTA Trilogy rain effects were notoriously overbearing at launch, making it virtually impossible for players to see what they were doing in some instances. The GTA Trilogy 1.03 update goes a long way in fixing the rain effects, toning them down significantly.
Speaking of weather effects, the new GTA Trilogy update gives players the option to add Ground Haze to San Andreas - Definitive Edition. The lack of fog in San Andreas made it so the game had an increased draw distance, which on paper may sound like a good idea, but in practice, it had some unfortunate consequences. Many fans felt as though the lack of fog made the San Andreas map look much smaller, and it also in general made the game look worse.
There are still some changes necessary to bring Grand Theft Auto Trilogy to where Rockstar Games would want it to be, but this update is clearly a massive step forward, and hopefully a sign of what's to come.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.