It wasn’t that long ago when GTA Online cut support for Steam Deck with its anti-cheat update, and now another title in the popular franchise is reportedly broken on the Valve gaming handheld. Well, not just one game, but three. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition just got a surprise update that brings a ‘classic lighting’ option to the game, much like the mobile versions of the trilogy that launched late last year.

However, players are now reporting that all three games are now “unplayable” on the Steam Deck. The update has rolled out to console and PC, but seems to be affecting owners of the handheld; we don’t yet know whether it affects other Linux users. In the trilogy, you’ll find the following titles:

• Grand Theft Auto III – The Definitive Edition
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition

What’s included in the new GTA Trilogy update?

The Definitive Edition games have received a patch that adds the ‘classic lighting option’ into the game. We haven’t actually spotted any official patch notes from Rockstar on this change – people simply noticed the game updating and decided to investigate. The lighting option is the biggest difference so far, and any change that makes it feel more like the original is welcome as the trilogy didn’t exactly have great reviews on release; GTA III still holds ‘Mixed’ reviews on Steam to this day.

As for any other changes, there is reportedly a fix for water and swimming speed, as well as new weather variant options. Ambient clouds have also been added back into the mix, so the update seems to offer some visual changes and small bug fixes for the most part. There are now also visible dates and times in the save menu, and, interestingly, Grove Street Games (the small development team that helped work on the Definitive Edition), has been removed from the splash screen and main menu.

Broken on Steam Deck for now

Without any clear reason as to why the games are no longer working on Steam Deck, it’s worth waiting around to see if any further updates resolve the issue. For the time being, it is reported that you’ll receive a ‘Fatal’ or ‘Unsupported’ error upon trying to launch the game, regardless of which Proton version you are using.

It’s worth noting that all three of the games are still rated ‘Playable’ on the Steam Deck, though this is expected to change if Valve cannot soon resolve the issue.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.