Rockstar Shares Temporary Fix for GTA Trilogy Update on Steam Deck
For now, Rockstar is offering Steam Deck players a workaround while they work on a permanent fix for the update.
Rockstar Games has released a major update for the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy Definitive Edition, and while it's been largely well-received, the new patch has hit a snag on the Steam Deck. To remedy the issue, Rockstar Games has released a hotfix for the major update - patching a patch, if you will.
The headline addition in this latest update is the inclusion of a "Classic Lighting" mode, which aims to restore the original artistic vision of the three remastered games: GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas. Fans have been clamoring for this feature since the Definitive Edition's rocky launch, so Rockstar deserves credit for listening to feedback and making this change.
However, the update has also introduced a new "fatal error" that prevents the games from launching properly on the Steam Deck. This is the second time in recent memory that Rockstar's patches have created issues for players using Valve's portable gaming PC. It just seems like we can't take GTA with us on the go.
Fortunately, Rockstar has provided a temporary workaround to get the games running again on Steam Deck. Players can either add the launch option "DXVK_HDR=0 %command%" or "%command% -dx12" to the game's properties in their Steam library. These fixes seem to address the underlying problem, which are related to HDR and DXVK.
Rockstar has acknowledged the issue and said they are "currently investigating a solution." We can only hope that a proper patch is in the works. In the meantime, the community has already discovered that the problem may be specific to the Steam Deck OLED model, potentially due to its HDR capabilities. Standard Steam Deck users may not encounter the same fatal error.
Ultimately, the long-awaited addition of classic lighting is a welcome change that brings the GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition closer to the original experience fans remember. That said, the new Steam Deck compatibility issues are a frustrating setback, and Rockstar will need to move quickly to resolve this latest problem if they want to maintain goodwill with their dedicated Steam Deck player base.
