Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition release date revealed

Earlier this month, Rockstar Games confirmed long-running rumors which claimed that it was working on modern remasters of Grand Theft Auto III and its two sequels, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. However, while Rockstar’s announcement contained a fair number of details about the remastered trilogy – which is somewhat annoyingly called Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition – it left one out one key detail: the release date.

Today, we’re finally learning when Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will be launching, and release is just around the corner. Today, Rockstar said that the remastered compilation will be launching on November 11th, 2021, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via the Rockstar Games Launcher.

That’s the date for the digital versions of the game, but Rockstar also says that it will release physical versions of the game for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4. We’ll have to wait until December 7th for those.

Rockstar also released a trailer today that shows off the updated graphics we can expect from The Definitive Edition. The changes are pretty dramatic, and even though the trailer is brief, it’s long enough to make it clear that these are more than basic remasters. In a post to its website, Rockstar says that players can expect a “completely rebuilt lighting system; improved shadows, weather, and reflections; upgraded character and vehicle models; along with new higher resolution textures across buildings, weapons, roads, interiors, and more.”

We’ll also be getting several quality of life improvements which include “targeting and lock-on aiming, updated Weapon and Radio Station Wheels, updated Mini-Maps with enhanced navigation allowing players to set waypoints to destinations, updated Achievements, Trophies, and more.” If you’re playing on Switch, you can expect Gyro aiming controls and touchscreen camera controls, while those on PC will be getting NVIDIA DLSS.

In addition to announcing a release date today, Rockstar also revealed that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition will be going live on Xbox Game Pass on November 11th (the same day the whole compilation releases), while Grand Theft Auto III – The Definitive Edition will arrive on PlayStation Now on December 7th. So, if you’re on the fence about buying the whole trilogy, you can check out one of the remastered games using either Xbox Game Pass or PS Now to get a taste of what to expect.