The trilogy of 3D GTA games first released on the PS2 are among some of the greatest titles ever made, but Rockstar’s dismal Definitive Edition really disappointed earlier in the generation.
While they added some contemporary conveniences, like checkpoints, they practically ruined the art direction of the originals, and were panned by fans. We gave the collection a 5/10 in our review: “Rockstar built its reputation on attention to detail, and while all three of these games still come highly recommended, this disappointing compilation will go down as a stain on the label’s record.”
But the developer has been quietly updating the games in collaboration with an unexpected partner: Netflix. For those who don’t know, you can play titles like GTA: San Andreas on your mobile phone as part of your subscription to the streaming service.
Now a new patch has implemented improvements from that mobile version into the PS5 and PS4 remasters. A toggle, named Classic Lighting, maintains the original PS2 era art direction. Character models have also been improved, while fog effects have returned to give the games that hazy look they’re known for.
We’ll need to spend more time with the remasters to properly appraise whether they’re worth playing now, but based on our first impressions of San Andreas, it undoubtedly looks a lot better three years removed from its original release.