Rockstar announced it is bringing back the classic Grand Theft Auto games that dominated the early 2000s with a complete remaster back in 2021. Fueled by ample nostalgia, fan expectations were quite high for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition. However, the state of its release wasn"t something many were expecting, with many technical and art issues being apparent.
Three years later, a fresh update has hit the collection that aims to improve the lighting of the remastered releases. As reported by RockstarIntel, the graphics options menu now features the Classic Lighting toggle, which is available in the remastered versions of Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Classic Lighting is not a brand-new development, however. It first appeared in the mobile port of the Definitive Trilogy, which arrived in late 2023.
The updated lighting is said to restore "the look and feel of the sky in the original games." It is now enabled by default in all versions of the game. The update is also said to include improvements to character animations, heat haze effect, and clouds. Users are also spotting various bug fixes and tweaks to make the ports" gameplay mechanics mimic the original releases, like being able to run and shoot at the same time in GTA III and Vice City.
Unlike the PC and console versions developed by Grove Street Games, the Android and iOS port was made by Video Games Deluxe, which added improvements like better lighting effects and hordes of bug fixes. It"s unclear if Video Games Deluxe is now developing the PC and console version of the Definitive Edition too.
Looking towards the future of the series, the latest installment in the action franchise, Grand Theft Auto VI, is on track to launch in fall 2025.