Following the launch of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition, Rockstar has had to shuffle some resources around to start patching the games and squashing the many bugs present at release. As work on updates is still underway, Rockstar has delayed the physical release of the trilogy for consoles.
Physical copies of GTA: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition for PlayStation, Xbox and Switch consoles were supposed to release on December 7th, but according to Rockstar Games, that's no longer the case. Following a delay, the PlayStation and Xbox versions will now release on December 17th, while the Switch version will be coming out in early 2022.
The release dates for the physical versions of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition have changed.
Xbox Series X / Xbox One and PS4 will now release on December 17. The Nintendo Switch version is coming in early 2022.
Check your local retailer for availability. pic.twitter.com/6avP8yp6la
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) November 30, 2021
The reason for the delay hasn't been disclosed, but it is likely related to on-going patches. It seems likely that Rockstar wants a more up-to-date version of the games on disc, rather than the launch-day version, which was plagued by various performance, gameplay and graphical issues.
Just yesterday, the game received a major patch (1.03) with over 100 fixes that also introduced a cinematic camera and a cloud cover at high altitudes.
KitGuru says: The physical versions of these games should be playable offline without downloading any patches, so delaying them to put a newer build on the disc or cartridge makes a lot of sense in the long run.