Rockstar has issued an apology to disgruntled GTA fans regarding “unexpected technical issues” that exist in Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition.

The trio of remakes, developed by Grove Street Games, have been widely vilified by critics and fans alike due to a plethora of bugs and performance problems. This situation would’ve been less problematic had Rockstar not delisted the original versions of GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas.

More frustratingly, PC players found themselves unable to play the trilogy when Rockstar blocked users from buying or accessing the games on their launcher; the trilogy is exclusive to the Rockstar Games launcher on PC, meaning issues like this are unavoidable for PC players.

In a statement published to the developer’s website, Rockstar apologises to unhappy fans and addresses the ongoing issues that plague the games.

“Firstly, we want to sincerely apologize to everyone who has encountered issues playing these games.” The statement begins. “The Grand Theft Auto series — and the games that make up this iconic trilogy — are as special to us as we know they are to fans around the world. The updated versions of these classic games did not launch in a state that meets our own standards of quality, or the standards our fans have come to expect.”

Rockstar has assured fans that there are “ongoing plans” to improve the trio of games, with the goal of ensuring that they “reach the level of quality that they deserve to be.” The statement also confirmed that the next patch is due to arrive for all platforms “in the coming days”.

The developer has also decided to U-turn on the decision to delist the original versions of these games, albeit with a catch: The games will only be available on the Rockstar Games Launcher. However, as a gesture of goodwill, Rockstar will be giving away the original trilogy for free to all owners of the definitive edition till June 30th 2022.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition is available now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. For now, it would be wise to wait for a few patches before picking this up, or stick with the originals if you have them.