In the run-up to GTA 6's November 19 launch, Rockstar has multiple classic Grand Theft Auto games on sale on Steam – and, nearest I can tell, only on Steam.
The Nintendo Switch eShop actually has a competing deal for the Grand Theft Auto Definitive Edition Trilogy, which is down 67% to $19.79, but that sale ends in 11 hours from the time of writing. On Steam, several GTA games are discounted until November 19 for an obviously timed special promotion.
On Steam, you'll find four games on sale via two actual products:
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto III in the Definitive Edition Trilogy - $19.79 at 67% off
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition - $5.99 at 70% off
You can't argue with GTA 4 for $6, but you might argue with this version of, in particular, GTA 3.
The Definitive Edition Trilogy was famously panned at launch for wonky graphics and poor technical performance that, for the most part, has been patched up in the years since. However, the PC port for GTA 3's Definitive Edition is uniquely poorly rated for reasons that will sound familiar.
Here's how the three games in this trilogy compare in Steam reviews:
- GTA 3 - 66% positive overall, 63% positive recent
- Vice City - 83% positive overall, 87% positive recent
- San Andreas - 80% overall, 83% positive recent
The reception to the two other games in the trilogy improved over time while GTA 3 steadily declined. Much like the day-one reviews, today's Steam players complain of Rockstar launcher interference, bugs, shoddy art, broken cinematics, and performance dips.
Curiously, perhaps unrelated to the quality of the port, some of today's gamers also don't seem to take too kindly to GTA 3's design sensibilities, it being slightly older than Vice City and San Andreas, and certainly a rawer open-world experience.
Thomas Williamson, the CEO of the outsourced trilogy's original developer, Grove Street Games, said earlier this year that the criticism faced at launch was deserved.
"I agreed with most of the people's reactions," he said. "But unfortunately, I feel like we did not agree with how the game was released and the response to it from a development side. And I think that would have changed the narrative significantly."
However, he added, "at the end of the day, looking at the behind-the-scenes metrics on those games, there were a lot of people who were playing them and really enjoying them."
You won't find Grove Street Games listed on the store pages for these games anymore. Previously, Williamson called it a "dick move" for Rockstar to have Grove Street's name removed.
