As remasters grew in popularity, it was inevitable that we would see a return to the Grand Theft Autos of generations past. GTA 3, GTA: Vice City, and GTA: San Andreas saw the Grand Theft Auto series fully come into its own. Beloved characters, settings, and stories are back with upgrading graphics and modern controls thanks to the new trilogy release.
While it hasn’t been without its problems – many users reported terrible rain effects and optimization ruining the experience – many people are still interested in reexperiencing games that defined their younger years. Still, the overall experience seems greatly improved, and the trilogy serves as a welcome reason to go back in time.
The system requirements are more demanding than Grand Theft Auto V, which surprised some. While that game did come out all the way back in 2013, it set a landmark for graphical fidelity that many games still strive toward. Let’s see what they are now and how to best upgrade for the nostalgia trip.
Can I Run Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy?
While the system requirements have seen an upgrade since Grand Theft Auto V, they’re still within reach for most gamers. A dedicated graphics card, 8 GB of RAM, and a decent processor will get you into the game with ease. In fact, most systems still in use today will probably hit the recommended specifications as well.
Despite the slight differences in requirements, Grand Theft Auto V is a good benchmark for running the new trilogy remasters. If your system is truly old – a decade or more – you’ll want to start by upgrading your graphics card, followed by your RAM.
For a good place to start, check out our PC building guide. Along with a full showcase on how to replace and build your computer, you’ll find a great list of parts to consider for different budgets. Or, if you want concrete evidence, just compare your computer to the minimum requirements below.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy System Requirements
Minimum Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy System Requirements
Processor: Intel Core i5-6600k or AMD FX-6300
Video Card: Nvidia GTX 760 2 GB or AMD Radeon R9 280 3 GB
Memory (RAM): 8 GB
Storage Space: 45 GB
Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10
Meeting the minimum requirements for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy won’t break the bank. Lenient RAM and Video Card requirements ensure that most people will have no trouble getting a consistent 30 FPS on low settings. If you want slightly better performance, you can check out our $500 build guide. Everything there will put you above and beyond these requirements while keeping costs low. Otherwise, look at our guide on prebuilts under $500. While the performance will be worse, you’ll avoid the hassle of building and still beat the minimum specs.
Recommended Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy System Requirements
Processor: Intel Core i7-2700K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Video Card: Nvidia GTX 970 4 GB or AMD Radeon RX 570 4 GB
Memory (RAM): 16 GB
Storage Space: 45 GB
Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10
These recommended settings represent a sweet spot in PC building right now. The GTX 970 and RX 570 are some of the last graphics cards that haven’t seen drastic price increases over the past few months. Especially for people just entering the PC gaming space, they are attractive options. Plus, most games will run on medium to medium-high settings using the card. Our $600 PC guide is a perfect launching point for those looking to build an entire system around these specs.
If you want to get the maximum experience for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy, consider upgrading even more. Costs are hard to estimate these days, but our $1000 build will get you firmly into 1440p gaming in San Andreas and beyond.
Running Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy
This game’s recommended specifications hit a wonderful balance of achievable and cheap, which is hard to do right now. Especially if you’re building a new computer or upgrading parts, we suggest aiming for more than the minimum. The price difference between builds is small enough to be worth it.