The Absolute Disaster of GTA: The Definitive Edition
Credibility score: 52/100 — Mixed Credibility. Several questionable claims detected. Watch with healthy skepticism.
BSmeter analyzed "The Absolute Disaster of GTA: The Definitive Edition" and rated it 52/100 for credibility (a BS score of 48/100 — mixed credibility), on 2026-05-19. Its weakest claim — "Remasters cost $75" — scored 40/100 and was flagged as dubious. 15 claims were checked against the video transcript. Scores are produced by BSmeter's AI analysis of the transcript, not independent human verification.
Of 15 claims analyzed: 0 scored under 40, 14 between 40 and 69, and 1 at 70 or above.
Claims analyzed
Video opens with nostalgia highlight reel about old games — Just Vibes (50/100)
At 0:00
Classic intro vibes — sets up the nostalgia angle before the real talk starts.
Why this score: Just setting the scene.
- No specific claims to fact-check yet
- Speaker is building emotional connection through shared memories
- This is standard video structure, not a factual argument
Original quote: “We all have that one game you'd play as a kid that has stuck with us all the way through to being a dusty 30-year-old, sneaking their way to the back of our minds and staying there until we randomly remember them as adults. And then you cry about being corpse. There's just something about booting…”
Remasters cost $75 — Dubious (40/100)
At 0:30
Most remasters land at $40-60 — $75 feels like the high end, not the norm.
Why this score: The speaker uses $75 as an example price for a loaded remaster. While some special editions hit that mark, standard remasters and remakes usually range $40-60. The figure works as exaggeration for effect rather than a precise claim.
Original quote: “That'll be $75, please.”
San Andreas made Rockstar $100 million minus $20 million Hot Coffee lawsuit — Dubious (40/100)
At 2:30
The $100M figure is way too specific and probably made up — we have no solid public sales data from that era.
Why this score: Sales numbers from 2004-2005 are murky.
- No verified public figure of exactly $100 million exists
- Hot Coffee settlement amount is also not publicly disclosed
- Both numbers feel like estimates turned into "facts"
Original quote: “And of course, it made Rockstar like $100 million. Although, we will need to subtract 20 million from that after Rockstar was sued by some very angry parents once the hot coffee miniame was found in San Andreas's code.”
Rockstar forgot GTA 3's 20th anniversary and rushed a remaster — Opinion (50/100)
At 4:30
They did a quick social post, but calling it 'forgot' is fair shade for a company this size.
Why this score: Opinion on intent. Rockstar posted a short anniversary message but no real celebration. Key points:
- No dedicated event or marketing push
- Decision to remaster came later, not anniversary-timed
- Speaker's frustration with corporate priorities is reasonable
Original quote: “Uh, turns out they forgot. Happy birthday to you. Okay, they maybe didn't forget about it entirely, but they definitely didn't leave themselves with a lot of time to capitalize on GTA 3's 20th birthday.”
San Andreas 360/PS3 versions were just mobile ports running at 15 FPS — Dubious (40/100)
At 6:30
Those console ports were separate from mobile versions and ran better than 15 FPS — the claim mixes up two different releases.
Why this score: Mixes up different ports. Key issues:
- The 360/PS3 San Andreas versions were full console ports, not mobile ports
- Mobile versions were released years later and had their own technical issues
- Frame rate complaints existed but the 15 FPS figure is not accurate for the console releases
Original quote: “the only other thing that Gross [ __ ] Games had done was develop the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of San Andreas, which apparently were just a mobile port slapped onto consoles that ran at a smooth 15 frames per second.”
GTA Definitive Edition was just old code dumped into Unreal 4 — Dubious (45/100)
At 8:30
Sounds right but skips that Gro Street did actual porting work beyond a raw dump.
Why this score: Porting process is more nuanced than a simple copy-paste. Key issues:
- The team had to rebuild rendering pipelines, input systems, and physics for Unreal 4
- Raw code dumps rarely compile cleanly across engines
- Speaker presents it as the entire story while downplaying legitimate technical hurdles
Original quote: “nowadays, the Renderware engine is a relic of the past with most AAA developers opting to use the Unreal Engine instead, which naturally was the engine Gro Street decided to use for these remasters, which in theory sounds fine. In practice, though, all Gro Street actually did was take these…”
Only 2 years given to remaster all three GTA games — OK (60/100)
At 8:51
Timeline checks out from public reports, though exact start date is fuzzy.
Why this score: Development window was tight. Key points:
- Official announcement came in May 2021, release November 2021
- Work likely began earlier but full engine switch compressed real dev time
- Two years is short for three full remasters of this scale
Original quote: “The thing is, this wouldn't have been a bad idea if Gro Street had enough time to fix any issues this would have caused. But apparently, the development timeline for this remaster was only 2 years.”
GTA Definitive Edition used AI upscaling for most assets — OK (65/100)
At 9:16
AI upscaling happened but not as the sole or dominant method — mixed with manual work.
Why this score: Asset pipeline involved multiple approaches. Key facts:
- AI tools helped upscale some textures and models
- Many assets were still manually recreated or adjusted
- Results varied heavily by asset type, matching speaker's "mixed results" comment
Original quote: “they went with option B, AI. That's right. Using the wonders of artificial intelligence, Gro Street AI upscaled pretty much everything. Buildings, vehicles, textures, character models, all of it was hit with those AI upscales, which led to, well, mixed results.”
Rockstar ignored obvious need for 6 more months of development — Opinion (50/100)
At 9:41
Fair criticism of rushed release but "abundantly obvious" is subjective hindsight.
Why this score: Release pressure is well documented. Key issues:
- Take-Two Interactive pushed the November date despite internal warnings
- Post-launch patches and community backlash confirmed quality gaps
- Whether six months would have fixed everything is speculation
Original quote: “However, these development issues clearly weren't a problem for either Rockstar or Take 2. Because despite the insane amount of pressure Grocery was under, that November deadline wasn't going anywhere, even though it was abundantly obvious that the game was going to need at least six more months to…”
Remaster would let fans play in 4K with better load times and frame rates — Opinion (50/100)
At 10:30
Classic pre-release hype — everyone assumed the remaster would be the best version until it wasn't.
Why this score: Hype was real but expectations were sky-high. Key points:
- Fans expected major upgrades based on typical remaster standards
- No gameplay shown to set realistic expectations
- Rockstar's own marketing fed into the "definitive" idea
Original quote: “But that confirmation was enough to get fans hyped knowing that they'd finally be able to play their childhood favorites now with shiny 4K resolution, new features, better load times, higher frame rates. Clearly, this was going to be the defensive way to play these games.”
Rockstar removed older GTA versions from stores to push remaster sales — Solid (85/100)
At 10:45
This part checks out — they pulled the originals right before launch, which felt pretty aggressive.
Why this score: Digital storefront changes are documented. Details:
- Steam and other platforms removed original versions around November 2021
- Move coincided with remaster marketing push
- Later reversed after backlash and poor reception
Original quote: “A thought that Rockstar also shared, so naturally they decided to remove any other version of these games from digital stores.”
Physical copies delayed to make refunds harder since game was in bad shape — Opinion (50/100)
At 11:00
Speculation with no official word — Rockstar stayed silent on the physical delay reason.
Why this score: No official explanation ever given. Points:
- Physical versions were delayed without stated cause
- Speaker's refund theory is common fan speculation
- Digital-only made returns more difficult for many buyers
Original quote: “Now, why were the physical copies delayed, I hear you ask? Well, uh, I don't [ __ ] know because Rockstar never actually gave a reason. Although, if I were to put my Tim Fall hat on, it was probably because they seen the state of this game before release and figured if they made it completely…”
GTA Definitive Edition became the worst game of 2021 — OK (60/100)
At 12:30
Solid launch disaster story — but 'worst game of the year' is more opinion than hard fact.
Why this score: The release was a notorious mess with major bugs and performance issues right out the gate. - Critics and players widely called it one of the most disappointing launches of 2021. - No formal 'worst game' award exists, so the label is hyperbolic but captures the backlash.
Original quote: “Rockstar released GTA the Definitive Edition, and it very quickly became the worst game of the year.”
GTA Definitive Edition was the buggiest Rockstar game ever — Just Vibes (50/100)
At 14:30
Strong take — the launch was a mess, but 'ever' is a big word.
Why this score: Subjective but understandable.
- Launch was notoriously broken with physics glitches and missing assets
- Rockstar's track record usually avoided this level of issues
- 'Ever' depends on how you weigh it against other troubled releases
Original quote: “I don't think it's hyperbolic to say that this game is probably the buggiest Rockstar game ever made. Like, it's obvious there is no real care put into this project because, well, [ ] look at it.”
Older GTA games weren't designed for 4K remasters and the Definitive Edition was rushed for GTA 6 money — Opinion (50/100)
At 16:30
Fair take on remaster quality, but 'rushed for GTA 6' is pure speculation.
Why this score: Opinion on visual style is reasonable.
- Original games used low-poly art that doesn't scale to 4K
- No public evidence ties the remaster's quality to GTA 6 funding
- Remaster criticism is common among fans who prefer original aesthetics
Original quote: “What I will say though is that playing this game 5 years later in 2026 really makes me think that these older games were never meant to be in 4K high definitionin. I mean, they obviously weren't visual masterpieces back in the day. But they had a clear style that I don't think was ever going to…”
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