GTA Trilogy's Physical Edition On Switch Appears To Require A Download

25.4GB isn't that large compared to certain Resident Evil games

I'm less annoyed about the storage issue, and more annoyed with the fact that it unnecessarily says "The Definitive Edition" at the top when there isn't really a reason to.

Well that sucks, Finally we get GTA on the switch after all these years, then this, TBH its better then cloud, Could have been.

Went from an instant buy to a easy pass. This practice needs to stop. We buy physical to not have to download part of the game outside of the odd patch. Forcing a download makes no sense.

Well, thphhtpt.

Did everyone forget about Monster Hunter Stories 2?

Everyone was up in arms about it requiring a download, then it turned out the US rated release needed a partial-download wheras the EU/UK rated version was entirely on the cartridge.

While there’s no confirmation this is the same situation, it’s at least smart to wait and see what the deal is with the GTA Trilogy.

Rockstar totally understanding the current 2021 climate with that boxart of three questionably clad women...

whenever i see these limitations i am always reminded to never buy them used - ever. it also severely devalues the physical version IMHO.

Why is this a bad thing? You still get to play. Is this really a “if the servers go down” thing?

I knew this would be the case but for GTA this is okay. There's ton of these games already out there in the wild as common physical edition anyways so this collection having only one on the cartridge is good enough. I'm just glad it is not cloud.

Uugggghhhhhh, this is getting annoying…

@Ocaz Part of it is that when (not "if," when) the servers go down, then yes, two of the games will be unavailable, invalidating the physical cart someone bought. It's a matter of preservation, many collectors want everything on the cart. It's also an extra hassle that defeats the purpose of putting it out physically, and if someone with slow/no internet connection happens to get it as a gift, they're out of luck. Rockstar has no excuse given that they could easily afford 32GB carts and I doubt this won't be anything other than a smashing success given the demand for GTA on Switch. I'm not into GTA, but as a collector, I'm pretty tired of this practice and I sympathize with the GTA fans who are understandably upset about this decision.

Wow… They really don’t learn.. well, they are not getting my money

@empower As long as it's not just a code, there's no issue with buying used (assuming you still purchase/download it before servers are shut down). That said, Capcom loves their codes, so many of their games are worthless when purchased used.

@Ocaz
Because they are physical games. It defeats the purpose of having a physical altogether.

@wonderclassic Oh stop it, thats what GTA has always been about. Stop getting offended over fictional people.

@VIIIAxel
Or more than one cart in a box maybe?

Apparently this is not the case in Europe where retailers are listing the boxart without the banner on it.

lol I won't buy it then. This personal rule of mine has saved me a lot of money!

Anything is better than a cloud version tbh as @Specter_of-the_OLED said. I wouldn't even care if the physical version requires a download.

Also it is not confirmed whether it will need a download or not yet so don't get too worked up, guys.

@wonderclassic I think New super mario brothers is a little more your speed.

It's to be expected. Glad the games are coming either way.

Ouch!

Expensive game cards strike again.

@VIIIAxel I guess u could just grab it on yuzu eventually. Giving Rockstar support should let them know you’d want it in the future. Besides the modern infrastructure of current game consoles is pretty solid. You’ll definitely still have these servers up for a while. Lots of people don’t know that if u move the contents of a switch SD card onto a computer or portable drive u can move it to any micro and card and play everything normally. Just make sure u plug that microsd into the switch first then move the data onto it. Downside is it has to be the same switch or the data says it’s corrupted. So keep ur console alive! Not a good solution but it’s something…

If all three games aren't on the cartridge, then that's gonna suck.

https://imgbox.com/Iee4q2lp

^^ Might just have to stick with that, a shame as this is one of the rare times I was actually gonna double dip (last time I did that was with Rocket League, picked it up on the Switch, even though I had it on PS4).

like some people said theres no confirmation if its a big or just a small download like for multiplayer or something.

@HotGoomba There is a 2005 PS2 release called “Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy”, so that may be why they added “Definitive Edition” here. As this contains extra changes etc it probably makes some sense to differentiate from that release. Not that people should get confused between the PS2 and current gen editions.

@EliteXeos
Yeah, I think it's best to wait for clarification from Rockstar/Take-Two or Nintendo before people jump the gun on this.

As much as it pains me to say, but this is a hard pass from me. Completely unacceptable. Some games already cost an extra tenner on new-gen platforms. What the hell is stopping them from doing the same for the Switch’s heftier releases?

You mean to tell me that the same company that issued GTAV on SEVEN DISCS for PC (which tends to sell far fewer units than dedicated home consoles), each with textured artwork can’t afford to cough up the goods for a 32GB cart?!

The writing was on the wall when Vice City’s “file size” was said to be about 170MB while GTA3 was over 2GB and San Andreas over 10GB. My guess is that Vice City will still spawn an icon upon insertion of the cartridge, but will require a “software update” to the sum of about 10GB (if the 25GB total is anything to go by).

So much for a “definitive edition”. Utterly pathetic.

Similarly, all three Crysis games would fit on a single 32GB cartridge, but instead, diehard fans will need to pay almost three times the cost of the trilogy on other platforms (not including shipping!) by buying the other two games via LRG. What genius decided to issue three $50ish releases over a $60 or $70 trilogy release?

@Baker1000 : They don’t show the download warning via online retailers because they know it’s bad for business. I don’t recall seeing the download banner for L.A. Noire or - more recently - for Need For Speed Hot Pursuit via Amazon, EB Games etc.

Wow with all their billions you’d think and maybe even expect Rockstar to spend the money and invest into 32G cards for this special release!! Hopefully at least 2 of the 3 games will be on the card but still that just sucks! 🤬

To be honest: I couldn't be bothered anymore. I am 39. I always collected physical. If you don't wait for a couple of months and if the publisher does not bring out a goty edition on card, it doesn't really mean anything. They want us to go all digital. Day one patches show it. So let's do it. They will regret it some day. I don't illegally download software anymore. Since 1996. But somehow they want it back.

I hope everybody will pay for the games. But saving the patches as a necessity seems a bit odd...

So is there any saving on storage by getting the physical version? That’s the whole reason to get the physical version really.

Meanwhile, the PS2 and Xbox boxsets from years gone by include each game on their own discs. No installation or download requirements whatsoever either.

@Smigit I mean I guess that makes sense but I'm still wondering why they put it on the top rather than under the logo.

@GameOtaku physical doesn't make much sense these days because just about every game nowadays require patches and updates.. physical is nice for collecting sake tho and I only buy physical on my switch for "certain" games...you should try playing on PC where its now 100% digital only... Don't make pointless limitations for yourself, you're missing out

I don’t know… It’s bad, ok, but they are at least bringing it to our o’good and loved hybrid.
The other way around would had been MUCH worse.

Does this mean there will be a code in the box for the two other games?
As long as it is a download like LA Noire I will still buy, not ideal, but better than a code for resale value

I don't understand why is that bad for collectors?

@Tsuchinoko : Real collectors want full games on the supplied media, not just pretty boxes and useless trinkets. Any one of us can make our own cases, but we can’t produce our own cartridges.

If true..another fail.

I just modded my PS2 and N64. I'd be willing to spend whatever to have these games on cart. I bought WWF No Mercy back in the day for 80 dollars. Worth every penny. I'll play the trilogy on my PS2.

And this is on Nintendo. They are epic clowns. They pulled similar garbage charging a ton for carts with the SNES and N64. That spawned playstation, which didn't require ridiculous cart fees. I was a fool buying so many Switch games that require downloads with a physical version.

@ParadoxFawkes : At least update data (unlike DLC) can be backed up, albeit you will need a second console to pull that off, which makes the incredibly annoying prevalence of software updates easier to swallow.

DLC, however, remains problematic as there are so few physical releases that include DLC on the cart.

@wonderclassic That's the original boxart.

I'm starting to see why GTA 6 is having difficulty becoming a thing now though.

As soon as I saw this I wasn't surprised in the least, digital it is then because there is no point in going physical on this one, which at least means I don't have to wait until December. Just waiting on word of the performance of the Switch version.

Going to wait for an official word from the people making it but looks like I’m going digital on this one. That sucks but it’s not the end of the world.

@ParadoxFawkes
Outside of patches anyway. You should’nt have to go to two different store fronts to play a single game.

@GameOtaku I get that point of view, but i don't see why an extra download would make you just not buy the game, like, that doesn't speak anything about the game itself, i understand, we'd all like everything in one cartridge, but is one download really gonna make you pass up all together? I respect all points of views, I'd just like to know, why is it? Storage?

Defeats the purpose of getting the physical version. In that case I'll just go digital, but I'll wait for reviews first. If sound track is intact, there's no censorship and we get solid 30fps at least, then I'll eventually get this when my wallet permits.

Well guess might as well get it digitally then. I think mortal kombat 11 was the same though. I bought the mk11 physical and still had like a 25gb download. So either the game wasn't on the physical cartridge or the game was that big it couldn't fit it all on there.

@Snatcher Hahaaaaaa!!! I had no idea you were capable of such genius!

@Edwirichuu
Storage is definitely a concern. Downloads such as these take up a pretty good amount of real estate. Plus I also would rather own it and play it in the future like I do my other game carts.

Easy skip if Rockstar is being cheap. Don’t need to play the GTA 3D trilogy games again.

My money can go toward game port jobs that put in the effort.

@Arawn93 Or you can get them for dirt cheap already on Mobile or PC

@Ocaz It's a "when the servers go down" kind of thing. Some people look at their backlogs for SNES or PS2 and think "I need to get to playing this game someday" but in fifteen years we'll be looking at our backlogs for Switch and regret we may have missed our chance to experience some of these quirky, interesting pieces of gaming history (that is to say, weird or ambitious ports, because those are sometimes my favorite kinds of things) The fact that I can own Doki Doki Literature Club on a Nintendo console, and have the option to go back to it any time, is a really neat piece of history.

@Edwirichuu
The mobile GTA games has plenty of issues and not playing PC just for old GTA games

@Arawn93 aight, just saying, mr negative xd

We knew this was coming. Next.

Like best girl Ryoko @GameOtaku said, this was going to be an eventual pick up for me but I'm not interested at all if I can have the entire collection physically. Here's hoping that it's just the multiplayer that requires the download. If Panic Button can fit all of Doom: Eternal (a current gen game) on one cartridge minus the multiplayer, there's no reason RockStar can't do the same with 3 decades old games.

Considering these are three PS2 games, I have to admit I'm a bit baffled they don't just throw all three on the one cart, but I'm guessing they still aren't that confident in the Switch, and/or think this is a 'happy medium' between accessing the physical only market, and saving on the cost of using 32GB carts.
Either way, a bit of a weird decision.

@Chlocean cool. U guys are neat. Keep fighting that fight then! U guys talking like this makes me feel like someday I won’t be able to play breath of the wild on my switch again. I’m gonna try and safeguard my switch forever.

Nooooo—!! I was afraid they would cheap out like this.
It was pretty much physical or nothing for me for this trilogy. I’ll never knowingly buy one of these annoying half-game-on-a-cart releases, nor do I buy full price eShop games. Maybe I’ll hold out hope Europe or Japan will get an intact physical release.
Otherwise I’ll wait for a massive eshop sale.

Or the Vice City soundtrack could be nuked and then it’s all a moot point anyway. 😵‍💫

@TheJGG Why thank you. (which comment are you talking about, Just to be sure)

@Snatcher Something along the lines of “Super Mario’s more your speed”. A sharp wit’ll do wonders, keep it up.

They are definitely going to sell each game separately eventually. Visit the eShop, each game has its own tab (like how DLC is sold) on the Trilogy page just not available yet for separate purchase. Nothing can stop my excitement to play this Trilogy on a Nintendo console. Nothing. 😎 💯

@BenAV Switch is region free so we can import the regions that don't require a download. Not making excuses at all, just pointing this out for diehard physical copy guys. ✌️

I pretty much assumed this would be the case, but the real question is how much of the game is on cart and how much will we have to download? The ratio of these two percentages will affect whether I bother waiting the extra month for the physical drop or just cut my losses and get it early on the eShop. I can make space pretty easily but this is one I would love a physical cart if it can be less than 10GB of space otherwise.

Because of course it does.

@TheJGG Ok I was sure that was the comment you were talking about, Again, Thank you.

Truly disappointing. Maybe GTA 3 and Vice City are in the cart with a San Andreas download?

I knew it... Oh boy.

A few days ago I posted something related on Twitter and added the hashtag #DoTheWitcher3
Unfortunately no one picked it up. We need to show 2K and Rockstar Games what we think about and what we want! Please, go on, use #DoTheWitcher3

@super-nintendo

I just did that with final fantasy x/x-2, got the asian release with games on the cart. Also FF7/8. Hopefully have the same opportunity with this. Otherwise, I'll buy it used (if it's an auto download and not a code) or wait a few years for a deep discount on PC

It’s all a joke.

You don't say...

I understand it. They couldn't ask for 32GB cards because the 60 (insert currency) they will charge aren't enough to justify this.

@EliteXeos The American version of MHS2 is all on the cartridge, as I recall.

You rather cloud or this? Your pick.

I don't understand what the fuss is with this. 🤷 of course it's great when the whole game is on cart, but not a total deal breaker for me if it isn't. Each to their own i suppose.

A physical switch version will go nice alongside the ps2 versions I still have.

@ParadoxFawkes The thing is, a 1 TB memory card runs out pretty quickly if you buy enough large games from the eshop. The difference on PC is that you can use large hard drives to play from.

@wonderclassic is the current climate like it is because of people like you making something out of nothing? Probably.

People need to stop being over sensitive and offended by everything, it’s getting ridiculous…

Still buying physical, doesn't bother me at all. Got loads of games already like this, Doom 2016, LA Noir, Bayonetta etc. Really don't see the issue here

Still a joke in 2021. Rewind back more ten years, and realize it would have been impossible / ridiculous back then. And they have guts to call it definitive. Obviously kids and teens do not care.

I'll never get tired of people complaining about "having to download part of the game". And they say the world still has problems ?

@EliteXeos
Or like FF X/X-2 we’re only the Asia release was completely on a cartridge. I wait too and will pass when there is no version which is completely on a cartridge.
What speaks against two cartridge if it should not fit on one? Yeah I know, the cost 🙄

I'm not suprised, but still quite dissapointed, hopefully this is US only, please let one version have the full game

@empower yeah it’s a shame, when switch download servers go offline in the future even the physical version won’t be playable (if you don’t have it installed) - I hate that

@EliteXeos This site's ethos these days seems to be publish first, update later...

The big question that remains is whether or not they're playable on Switch.

I assume we'll see the standard reviews like "While they are markedly better on other platforms...it's still a decent way to play these classics on the go."

Where did you guys get the 25.4GB figure from? According to the eShop in the UK it's 13.1GB. Which is the correct figure? I hope they haven't cheaped out on having a 16GB cart...

@GameOtaku this can’t be true. Preorder on Eshop says 13GB file for the whole Deluxe edition-that must easily fit. So I do t believe this crap!

Does anybody know if you'll be able to buy just 1 of the games without the other 2?

Being primarily a PS5 player this is nothing, every game I play requires to install first and most have hefty day one patches, I have games that take up uo to 100GB (destiny 2 and red dead) but you all moan at a 14GB download?

You want the switch to get bigger and better games then youre going to have to get used to it

@GameOtaku ah a fellow otaku 😀😂

@ATaco the original boxart for each game had 10 varied mini-pics. They’ve deliberately picked those 3 out of the 30 options. The previous PS2 Trilogy box set did a similar thing to this, but the Vice City pic was a close up of a man’s face instead, and the 2 women have been reframed here to show more body…

@QueenKittenWrite yes they’re fictitious, but hand waving it away with “oh it’s just GTA, misogyny is what they do” is wilfully ignorant. It’s one step away from “oh Weinstein, Epstein, Jimmy Saville, it’s just what they do”.

The art team made a number of choices, and this is what they came up with. Probably quite deliberately to try and stoke up some controversy and headlines, because that works well for GTA.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m gonna get the games, because they’re fun, I want a decent portable version of them and I’ve still not played San Andreas. But that doesn’t mean I’m happy with unnecessarily misogynistic box art, or that you get a free pass to attack someone else’s opinion.

(By the same token, you’re free to be tired of other people’s sensitivity, that’s your opinion, fine, but if it bothers you, ignore it. Like I’m just gonna ignore this box art, and go digital anyway)

In the words of Olivia Newton John:
“Let’s get digital, digital
I wanna get digital
Let’s get into digital”

Not according to Amazon Australia tho, there is a listing for the Switch port with no mention of a download on the cover (and it’s PAL territory so I hope the Monster Hunter Stories 2 incident repeats)

@datamonkey it makes me chuckle. We mustn’t objectify women and anything that does or by a select few is considered to is evil. You then go on tiktok or read about only fans and think…. How was the 90s worse than this?!?!? “It’s not ok today” yeah ok. People see what they wanna see.

@Slowdive It's exactly that. 2K games has a horrendous reputation. So it would not be surprising if they use the cheapest card possible and require you to download most of the game to storage.

@gaga64 annoyed by box art! That’s a whole new level of being triggered by something so inconsequential…….as for ‘one step away from Epstein’ you’re seriously kidding. Those pieces of dirt were running a child sex trafficking ring…..this is video game box art.
But hey! Good for you I say. You have your morals and standards and obviously stand by them……..but wait, you’re still buying it ( insert worlds biggest eye roll emoji here )

At least with the eShop version, each title is an individual download, so you can only have one at a time, if you have limited storage available.

Our past selves from the 2000s would laugh at how easily offended people have become only 20 years later…

@Ralizah Turns out it indeed doesn’t. After checking the fiasco out again, the 15GB download required was a misprint error on the US box-art.

@Flashlink99 the thing is I don’t actually think people are really offended, they just want to be part of something that helps to convince themselves that they’re holding this moral high ground, like they’re some kind of saint or do-gooder but in reality those people are the worst because it’s all pretence to try and suck people in to their nonsense. Just like the flat earth brigade and the anti vaxxers.

@Brommel thank you. I had previously passed on Final Fantasy X/X2 because it required a download, but have just ordered it from PlayAsia thanks to your information ^_ ^ I have a number of Asian territory games for this very reason, but I missed that one somehow.

The article doesn't mention this, but in the case of L.A Noire the discs pulled the same thing on PS4 and Xbox. They still required a download even though the entire game would have easily fit onto the disc. With this in mind, we can see that putting out incomplete physical titles isn't just a restriction caused by the cost of the medium, it's ideological. They want you to own nothing and keep paying forever.

@gaga64 are you sure you should really play this game at all? It has strip clubs and sex workers in it. You're probably not going to be able to see past the tears streaming down your face as you play, anyway.

@Zag_Man SD cards are more expensive than ever.

Its not a cloud service and its GTA on the switch. Sold for me.

Of course... Not a day 1 purchase anymore

This is a huge release for Nintendo on quite a few levels. If they are the ones distributing the game, I would regard it as a mistep from them if they go for a partial physical. If it's Take Two...well...a partial physical release is about right for them (gah, it's infuriating such a thing even exists) and wouldn't alter how little I regard them.

The Witcher 3, well ported onto a portable console, with all the DLC on physical is regularly sold for like £35 in the UK. And we couldn’t get a proper physical release for £50 and Rockstar still make profit? I will probably hope and wait for a deep sale with this as I buy physical so I can play or resell years down the line but a fraction of a game won’t be much use down the line.

@wonderclassic Have you ever stopped to think that it's only part of the population that views this as a problem? A vocal minority at that. The rest of us don't care about the social issues that rub you the wrong way.

Since the game costs $59,99 I expect a 32GB game cartridge... If the game was $34,99 I expect a game that needs to be partiality downloaded. So for full price I can't imagine they won't put all games on there.

@HotGoomba But that’s what R* is calling it…

@EliteXeos after LA Noire I think we can say this is an established pattern of behavior from R* and extrapolate

@Flashlink99 in the year 2000 we weren’t even at the stage of being easily offended by seeing a nipple ring at the super bowl so maybe get off the high horse

Gonna have to see what the JPN and Asian version are doing. Wouldn't be surprised if the Asian version is all on the cart

@GannonBanned The FCC would like a word.

@PoliticallyIncorrect Apparently you care enough to comment, so...

Name checks out anyway. Welcome to 2021. You're a dinosaur.

Physical games requiring a download is another proof that the advantages of physical media are dying.

People talk how buying digital downloads is not safe, because you don't actually own your games, but even if you buy physical, so many games require a download to play the complete version of a game, the good version of a game or just play at all, if Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft shut down, you can't download the required updates anymore.

Ohhhhh... poor kids.😁
Will get it on Playstation either way.

Remember kids, when things are attacked, banned or censored by christians and conservatives and their family values, they are soft and whiny, and you have all the right to complain, defending your hobby is being a hero.

But when things are attacked, banned or censored by leftists and feminists and their progressive values, you are soft and whiny for disliking censorship and complaining.

@victordamazio Or worst of all you buy a physical single player game that requires an "online check-in" before ypu can play.

I like when conservatives attack shows and movies because it brings it to everyone's attention. It happened with Married with Children, and all the GTA games. Everyone wanted to see what the fuss was about and ended up liking it. Married with Children went on for 10 years after almost being canceled in the first couple of seasons, and GTA now being an over 20 year franchise that makes billions.

@Zag_Man this is a Nintendolife article with micro sd card prices from 2017

https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/best-nintendo-switch-micro-sd-cards

@Ocaz
Why play it on Yuzu when the PC version literally exists?? 😂

I like to collect cartridges. Do not know if it has something to do with the slot

But seriously... call me an old school guy but using a cartridge to play Xenoblade or a round of R-Type is something completely different... at least for me.
I can play them directly after opening the box instead of downloading the remaining 50% or so. The cartridges are big enough.

If a retail version of a game gets published I kinda expect the complete game to be on the cartridge. If there is no 100% physical version I will pass for sure.

No purchase from me then - not that it will make any difference!

@wonderclassic Wow! So hurtful 😢 and witty at the same time! /sarcasm

@wonderclassic I can see the satire is lost on you , properly best you don't play the games as you would just take it way too seriously.

@GameOtaku You know, getting upset about a stupid download is petty.
It's like this with Playstation and Xbox as well. It would be too costly to make a cartridge with extra storage when most people these days are going to download it anyway. Just be glad you get the damn case and cartridge, that's all physical is anyway.

@Bermanator
But it’s not fully playable on the cartridge. It defeats the purpose of a physical release if I buy it at a local store to have to go somewhere else to go to the eshop and download the rest. It’s anti consumer. Rockstar is not a small Indy dev that can’t afford the larger capacity carts. There is no excuse.

@gaga64 Well the fact that you're going to buy it anyways kind of makes your stance moot. Why would they listen if you're still going to give them money?

But yeah, you probably shouldn't play this series at all due to its notoriously rotten treatment of women. They're all almost literally just sex objects in these games.

@wonderclassic
If you actually cared about the issues you claim to, you’d be wise to present them with a measure of maturity.

As it is, it’s obvious you’re just interested in attention.

@HotGoomba isn’t it the definitive version? Its the remastered version

@GameOtaku I mean since the PS4/Xbox One all the disc does is a key check like early 2000 cd rom games on PC. There have been a lot of games that when you get the disc version either you have to download the rest of the content or critial patches. So unless you have modded systems to pull that as well the idea of having everything complete in this day and age is getting ridiculous. The only benefit to having Switch carts is sharing and not eating all the space up on the SD card.

@Bermanator
"Just be glad you get the damn case and cartridge, that's all physical is anyway."

Are you being sarcastic? Otherwise what an utterly inane and dismissive thing to say.

@gaga64 I've yet to see any news outlets or people comment on the box art, other than a few people in the comment sections here. So no it wasn't because controversy, it's because GTA doesn't give two sh** about stuff like that. You can call it "Misogyny" but the Truth is that plenty of women IRL dress and act like that; and it fits the themes of the games.

But whatever, I'm not here to debate people who get offended over everything. Just know your a vocal minority.

Unless the EU version is different then this is out of the question for me to buy the physical version. Now I don't mind day one patch that adds more storage but aslong as all 3 games are fully playable (as in you can play them even if there are performance issues that the patch fixes) then that is fine with me.

There are a few exceptions to this. DOOM now if I didn't own it on PC and wanted to get it Physical then that is the correct way in doing it. Have the SP on the cartridge but have the Multiplayer portion as the download.

@QueenKittenWrite fair enough, just a theory

@Brad_Hogan Word around the net is eventually. Since PlayStation is getting GTA 3 alone for its subscribers. Xbox is getting San Andreas alone on Game Pass. ✌️

Physical releases are becoming more and more obsolete, but the trouble is the preservation of digital titles is nowehere near good enough yet to make this OK.

@super-nintendo Great news my man. Thanks!

@Arehexes
Hence why I’m no longer a Sony PlayStation gamer. Easily the best part of the switch is the cartridges so you don’t have to worry about precious space being eaten up. They have large hard drives on the others the switch not so much.

@SilentHunter382
If only the multiplayer was an optional download. It gives it like it’s an update eating up space.

@GameOtaku I mean carts are always going to be more expensive and limiting what we will get. Square has no problem giving US digital only or limited cart releases because of the cost of releasing games outside of Japan. Even so you praise carts because you own all the content. However you really don't, because internet distributed content will alqays be a thing. It can be patches or even content. That isn't a cart/disc argument, and unless you have the means to dump that data and store it off the system the whole argument about you owning the content you paid for is meaningless. I say this as someone who does do this. I don't just dump my carts, I even dump latches and stuff of stuff I care about keeping. 3DS for example is annoying to deal with on that.

@theGamerPad Yes, but I've never liked it when companies put a small banner at the top, but I hate it when they do it on Switch since it just looks wrong to me.

The fact that it's 25 gb means I need a physical copy. If the physical version requires a download, then I probably won't buy the game at all. I don't want to buy a new microSD card just for this one (old) game.

Well, I guess I'll buy the download version instead. Doesn't sound like Nintendo picked up the publishing rights to it. Take Two is handling this one.

From Hero to Zero

@Arehexes
No you’re so wrong. The Wii service has shut down and gone are many games that were only on it.

Yeah, and I own old computers and retro hardware that have aging and dying components in it. Those go and it doesn't matter if I have the cart/disc (Hell even CDs are at risk of disc rot in general). There is more to it than just having the cart. You have to ARCHIVE that data to work down the line. Even owning the physical media now doesn't matter if publishers have chunks of data download only. Yeah I have a copy of a game, but either important data held back for release or content down the line is lost when those servers go (Hi Kingdom Hearts 3). We are in a era now where owning the physical media almost doesn't matter because how reliant everything is on pulling data from a server. Since you mentiones the Wii guess what else you can't do, parch your physical copy of Skyward Sword if you lost that data. Which that whole setup felt like a response to the Other M issue of mailing your SD card to Nintendo so they can patch it.

Even so, the Wii Service shut down and the games only on it are gone. Do you know how many PC games are out there on disc that just won't work because the OS's are too new? Emulation is how we preserve games. Not just clutching onto a cart, and even so it's very easy to dump a downloaded game.

There may be hope for the Asian version having all 3 games on a single cart but you'll pay above rrp from importers.

I don't have internet at home, so this is a deal-breaker for me.

@Arehexes
Yeah and carts are more durable and will outlast any disc.

@wonderclassic Yeah the women could have been wearing a bit more revealing stuff. Two of them atleast, the one one the left should have been seen from the front. But sadly, ESRB has a issue with "too" sexy covers.

Well i guess that's another physical copy game being absolutely pointless. Decades from now i can imagine collectors staring longingly at these games knowing they're good for nothing more than decoration purposes.

Hmmm. The eShop says it is 13GB. And 13GB not fitting on a 16GB cartridge is sad. Well, other games like SMTV are probably better value anyway.

Other than that the physical version is still better than a download. I can take the cart with me to play (and show the game around) on other consoles. That's what I do with many games, like playing Pikmin 3 Deluxe alone at home, but then taking it to a friend for a co-op playthrough. Updates are no problem as they're free.
If I had those games digital I couldn't share, borrow, or sell them. They would be locked to my console.

@Jeronan I'm really not sure why 2k even bothers with a physical storage at all. Damn game is 40+ gb download. Just go full digital 2k no need to waste the plastic.

@GameOtaku I thought the whole point of physical releases was to have something tangebile you can put on the shelf that's also resellable...
There's a reason why companies are straying away from it these days.
Look, just treat it like a day one patch and it won't hurt as much.

@Bermanator
No the point of physical is so you can play it without need for additional downloads. Complete physical games on the switch can be played without the patches. You can’t play it if you don’t have internet to download it as it stands now.

@GameOtaku Look buddy, it isn't gonna be getting any better. It's just going to get worse...
Soon, we won't be able to get games physically at all besides limited releases... What are you gonna do then?

Your protesting isn't gonna solve anything... I'm not saying you have to buy the game, but if the extra download is the only reason you're not getting it... I'll be honest, that's kinda pathetic. We need to look on the bright side, in that the game is ACTUALLY running on the system, and not some stupid stream that can only let you play online.

@Bermanator
Physical releases are never going to go away. Physical future proofs our games my nes, snes, Genesis and Gameboy lines still work after all. If they are going to force partial downloads then it should be digital only.

@GameOtaku Businesses don't care about future proofing as much as they do saving money.
Businesses are all about money and nothing more.
They're already trying to shove streaming down our throats saying that's the future...
The real future is allowing console players to mod their games.

@Bermanator
The internet infrastructure needed for that is an impossibility.

It says something about a company to release a game fully available to the consumers out of the gate whether it be digital or physical. Like how the Witcher 3 is available completely on cart. Even without the patches it was fully playable. The MSRP is the same regardless of digital or physical the difference is the storage medium. I’m sure if I went all digital now a 1TB memory card wouldn’t be enough as I have well over 100 switch carts not to mention the ones that are only digital.

You wouldn’t stand to go to a store and buy say I new tv only to be told you’d need to travel several miles to another to get the components necessary for it to work just to show your receipt and gave them installed. Or would you? That my friend is what you are insinuating.

Looks like the EU version will be requiring a download after all. Retailers have started to update their listing with image similar to the US version. Had my hopes up with Nintendo publishing the game. Imagine when Nintendo themselves are being a cheapskate about using the 32GB cards why do they expect 3rd party companies to pioneer this trend? Now 64GB cards is a whole different story lol 🤦🏻‍♂️😂

@Ocaz Breath of the Wild, thankfully, will be playable forever on your switch cartridge (There is no additional download required for that game). The DLC, however, if it is deleted from your console, will likely be lost to time.

@Chlocean Yeah I have a backup of my switch's SD card saved to a 5tb hard drive. Im not deleting that. If I were to lose data on the switch itself it'll have backups. Plus hopefully someone could hack the v2 switch soon so it can live on forever.

1 week till release and still no Switch footage.

At least that I'm aware of.

The games industry is being very bad with regards to this practise, they don't even have the respect to tell people the extent of the download required, they just lie about it actually being a physical release.

And we still haven't seen a single screenshot of the Switch version a mere week before release. Very suspicious. I'm betting it's going to be rushed and full of bugs.

That's a shame.
I was gonna buy it, but not like this.

@Chlocean : Nintendo have recently reissued BotW with the expansion on the cartridge (and it will have the latest software update on it as well), so there is a version available for prosperity. It has English on the cart as well and should be identical to the version released internationally, so one can use their existing save data without issue. I’m really tempted to import it but I’m cautiously holding out for a local release.

There is a similar Splatoon 2 release, however, the Japanese edition of Splatoon 2 only includes Japanese support, sadly.

Oh for F*** sake, what is the point in a physical with only half the game on it?? Money.
Cheap A** B******s

They should not call it a physical, they should call it an installation disc, well cartridge. Or website shortcut to download game.

I hate this crap

Irrespective of the point around cheaping out on the cart - it appears that Take2 (and subsidiaries) are generally the worst compressors of game file size out there (roughly half the top 20 switch game file size list is Take2 - see the post on the forum about file sizes)

That seems to be another form of corporate greed as they don’t want to spend the money doing it and probably makes less of a difference on other platforms

@Baker1000
I'm in EU and the local retailer has the preorder opened and the boxart has the banner...

What's the point of a physical edition if half of it isn't in the cartridge?

Lost all interest, no matter how great the remasters are, I won't be buying it anytime soon. But I do wish it does well, so Rockstar would consider releasing games for the Switch in the future too.

I'll absolutely buy this one, day 1 probably, I just can't decide if I should go physical or digital.

I'll stick to Xbox for this one. Having the entire mainline series on one platform is more appealing to me than the option of handheld play.

@OorWullie no console specific footage anywhere I don’t think but that’s typical Rockstar, they release their trailers and that’s it until launch day

@Domino this is clearly fake, since the eshop says 13.1GB, which easily fits on a cartridge!

No surprises there and frankly unacceptable when you consider how much Rockstar are charging for these

I really hope that this game still will support all the cheats from before. That always made the game so much more fun! GTA San Andreas being able to fly around in your car was so much fun!

@Bunkerneath yeah, it was day one but now it's off my radar. I may get the eshop version but it would have to be with a massive discount, but that probably won't ever happen

Here's something to add, I usually rent some of my games from BoomerangRentals and message to see why they had gta trilogy for playstation and xbox but not the switch, they said it was not possible as their was no cartridge or a downlaod code provided necessary to play the game

@wonderclassic I know. I want this and will get it but it's an embarrassment on the shelf.

This doesn't bother me. Will get it physical on Switch. Looking forward to having GTA on the go.

Will get this digitally, i just need to deep breath wait patiently for about 2 - 3 weeks for an inevitable sale. I must stop buying games the day they release for me to only not touch them for months/years on end.

I've got it pre-ordered digitally on PS5, the days of physical are dying and i think many just need to accept it.

@OorWullie There's no gameplay footage for PS5 either, the only footage we have is the trailer. I wouldn't worry they are PS2 games after all, the only differences between Switch and PS5 is the framerate and resolution i'm betting.

Shouldn’t be a deal breaker for the average gamer.

@rushiosan
It’s not even half! They cheaped out with the smallest cart and expect the consumers to fork out more for larger sd cards to download around 20 gb and still charge $60 like the complete disc based ports.

I’m getting the physical version but I’m annoyed they cheaped out on the game card.

@GameOtaku 100% behind you i will resist this one like i resisted LA Noir, duped into some others without realising like NBA 2k19 and DOOM, but enough is enough, its not like they make anything cheaper. This reminds me of when everyone stated that the move from cart to DVD would make games cheaper, but they were in fact more expensive than ever before. I remember the N64. Expensive sure, but you had all of your game on those carts. RIP carts with the whole game on i guess. we must fight this with our wallets.

So unfortunate, it's like getting half your big Mac then being told you'll have to come back after 10pm for the other half.

It's not going to stop me from playing them all, and I'll probably just go full digital instead since the cart basically won't be worth having.

@wonderclassic
Nobody who is going to buy GTA, that includes women, gives a damn.

@NintendoByNature
Yup, unfortunately at this point if it's a big third party release, especially from Western devs, I expect some portion of a game to require a download. Disappointing but bigger memory cards are affordable enough and there's definitely other stuff going on behind the scenes that lead to devs making these kind of decisions (might be laziness in some cases but definitely not all of them). Still better than a cloud version and I'd like to see more Rockstar games, especially future GTAs, on Nintendo platforms going forward so I have to support this.

I’m more offended this is a full priced release. No thank you.

It's not going to prevent me from buying the game but it's really unfortunate and scummy. I use the word scummy because they never officially said or released a statement even though people were wondering about this. They knew what they were doing...

Anyway, I'm going digital I guess. And I'm waiting for a review on how Switch handles it. I just want it to play well and not crash. I'll accept the almost guaranteed hiccups existing in basically all open world games on any platform.
SO let's recap: Rockstar and all other publishers need to get their heads out of the arses and stop this nonsense. Next, not buying physical because...well, why would I do that now? And last, only if it Reviews well performance-wise, I'll buy on Switch.

Bonus info: Happy Friday!

@wonderclassic You really don't have more important things to care about, do you?

@Bermanator But it'll hurt tremendously when the day comes that they shut down the servers where the mandatory download comes from. That renders the game useless.

@Arehexes I learned this all too well when I tried playing my disc version of RoN only to find out it either couldn't do it or had to jump through some hoops that still wouldn't guarantee success. But surprise, surprise it's available digitally for me to purchase again, which works on the latest software.

@Gwynbleidd Not necessarily. I bought the Bioshock Collection and the thing that required a download was the Burial At Sea dlc. I hope its not like the new Wolfenstein where its a box with a code, or a half download like the MMLC2 Collection. Its gonna be annoying anyway, whatever it is.

@Gamer83 oh for sure. And if I had a choice, half DL or cloud, I'd choose half DL 10 times out of 10.

Oh well, that's 2 strikes for this "Definitive Incomplete Edition."
Still hoping maybe the Japan/Asia version will kindly include the games on the cartridge.

@wonderclassic Ah the good ol days

@NintendoByNature I was just having this same conversation. Even physical only purists can concede that cloud is terrible. If having to download doesn't mean you don't own it, what does cloud mean?

I'm all for physical but at least at the very least I can back up the actual download and store it should servers go dark.

@GameOtaku I do not know what the durability of a cart has to do with anything in this, sure you are right (mostly). Doesn't change the fact the consoles themselves are also capable of dying. I just recently had to repair my gameboy, screen and speaker were completely dead. I have a NEC Turbo Express that had to be recapped and barely works. Hell some of the less popular consoles can brick themselves cometely due to a dead battery. People keep coming up with fixes and repairs for stuff like the NES pin issue. Hardware breaks, this physical stuff becomes rare and rare to were it will be too expensive to enjoy.

Stuff like Everdrives or even software like Retroarch with emulation opens the ability to play old games with no worries. I wanted to play Popful Mail in Sega CD. That game at my local store is 600 USD which is just not an option. So I can ay it on my RG351V and even play a versions were fans undid the stuff Working Designs did.

My copy of Pokemon Blue is unuseable cause of the dead save battery. I can fix it sure, but I rather just play on a emulator or get a Gameboy Everdrive. Then I can play the game proper or a randomized game or a fan patch someone made.

I know groups who buy hard to find evemt distribution carts for Pokémon. They don't just hide the cart away, they dumb the data for everyone to use. That physical cart when all said and done is going to be worthless as the march of time happens.

This is Take-Two Interactive.
In the last 5 to 10 years they made clear that they don't want anyone to really own their games. I hear they skimp games on other consoles too, even when there's enough space on the media at no additional cost.
It's a bad company that unfortunately has a bunch of good games.
The only reason this isn't a Cloud Version or code-in-a-box is because the whole gaming world would backlash against them.
Take-Two Interactive (which consists of Rockstar, 2K, and Private Division) cannot wait for the era of Cloud gaming to start properly so that they can get away with their scummy practices more easily.

They found the cheapest way possible right at the knife's edge.

And that has me not getting the physical release at launch. I will be buying at some stage but it won't be a day one.

Lots of people in here they don’t understand how publicly traded companies work…

And the reason this isn’t cloud isn’t because of a backlash… it’s because cloud isn’t very popular and therefore it wouldn’t sell very well

So many ungrateful people here. Can they just be grateful that GTA is finally on Switch even though Saints Row made it first? Think of this. Three classic open-world PS2/Xbox games remastered, has GTAV controls, no need to go back to mission start every time you lose and other stuff. Hopes this does well to get a GTA IV, Vice City Stories, Liberty City Stories, Chinatown Wars, GTA1, GTA2 and GTA London ports to modern consoles. As for GTA V, despite being released on PS3 and Xbox 360 first is unlikely due to the very huge map full of life and I'm pretty sure Rockstar would have to make GTAV Cloud-only cause of the details, map size and other stuff the Switch might suffer with GTAV.

Really don't give a rat's ass if the cartridge requires download or not as long as I get to play the game. Although I'm buying the PS4 version.

@Cyberbotv2

what?
the switch is a MOBILE device.
should they have crammed a blu-ray disc drive into it or what?

@Ocaz yes there is. When I buy something physically I want it physically. If I was going to buy it digital I would, there is no in between.
With that being said they will lose a few million sales if it requires any download. I will not be buying it for one and will just play it on the original formats.

@streetzman yea no. Screw the download crap. There is mo need for it at all for one, for two if I buy something I buy it to own it not rent it. I refuse to buy anything with a download until it is on an extremely cheap sale and for this that would be $10. I’ll just play it elsewhere like on the original platforms until then..

@SKTTR it’s the same thing just a marketing ploy to make people feel like their actually getting something when their not.

This will be a hard pass for me if any downloads are required period. I was going to buy it day one for physical but now I’ll have to wait and see and if any download is required I will go buy something else instead.

Is there a list out there with full info on what games require downloads and for what specifically, eg final fantasy x on card but x2 must be downloaded, is it a code or multiple downloads of necessary such as if traded?

There's just no reason for this really, a 32Gb cart can't be that expensive anymore compared to when the Switch first released.

@Tempestryke I didn't purchase the Bioshock Collection because it's incomplete on the cart, so I was actually interested again, reading your comment. However, every source I can find states that Bioshock Collection on Switch requires a 31gb download. That can't be just the Burial at Sea dlc.

@Morph for the price to come down you need to first produce more 32GB carts.

There has been no mass production so I doubt the price is that much cheaper compared to four years ago.

Not a great cover, it doesn't represent the content of the games well.

I’m just getting it digital. Its a game I know as long as I have a switch, I’ll want to just have at the ready. Fun for just running around and causing havoc in the city

The Asian version has all games on one card. It's mostly the case wih Asian Switch releases. They always have a larger capacity card that has all games on no download. If I decide to get on Switch rather than Series X, then I'll most definitely get the Asian release.

@kobashi100 I'm not sure that's the case, if Asian publishers can manage to do it then the cost can't be that prohibitive

It's a bummer, but I can't understand people not buying it digital if they want to play it.

@Ocaz customers also have to pay for more data storage, and 25 Gb is half of my monthly data I also have to pay for. Which is why I don't pay for Nintendo online, or any of the countless other subscriptions. And why I would say pirate the living hell out of everything that's like this. Being cheap with a full price release of old games, sorry, but I don't think that's even remotely anything other than disrespectful, and when I have to download, well, I don't NEED a license to do that, it's up to them to make the "legal" option attractive (and no, legal punishment for the "illegal" option does not make me want to support legality), I need a reason to WANT to support what they release. People buy games on cartridge to have a game on a cartridge, not a license to download said game on a data storage, both at my own extra expense.

That's not to say I won't get it, buy it even, at one point, cheaper. Just to say I totally get that people can be upset about this.

@WhiteUmbrella If you say so. Burial at Sea made a lengthy game even longer as far as I could tell. I never played the originals so you'd probably know better then I.

@Bunkerneath It's about as pointless as words are when half of them need to be censored, and the other half alone just isn't enough to communicate what you need to communicate, such as a strong emotion.

You could argue a code in a box is better then. At least in those (empty) cases, you don't need to switch the cartridge in your system, and still have the box if you wanted a box on your shelf. Half games on cart has zero advantage for the customer, but some people love to defend companies that don't give a damn about what people love. I hope it's at least so that we'll get one game on card and two others as standalone downloads that don't require the card, but I highly doubt it.

@Tempestryke I've played the games in the collection on numerous formats, but I searched in response to your information about only the dlc being missing from the Switch cartridge, not to disprove what you were saying, but because if I found your information to be true I would have bought it and thanked you in the comments.
However, the only information I could find contradicts you. I guess it's possible that you have the asian version, and that is complete?
I don't know.

@electrolite77 Also a very valid point, one I can get behind completely, so the argument shouldn't be whether or not we should get it all on the cartridge or not, it should just be physical IS all on the cartridge, download is download. And patches shouldn't be an excuse to rush an unfinished product on a cartridge either, just a way to correct whatever they may have overlooked. And dlc shouldn't be used to sell incomplete experiences and then sell you the rest of it separately. Download has its good and bad points, patches have their very welcome value, dlc has its amazing value at times, and physical media has it as well, but all of those are being abused and exploited by companies, and still the customers are taking it to the internet and fighting each other over it in a battle only the company walks away from victorious.
It all has a lot of potential, and where there's potential, there's those using it for good, and those using it for bad.

I get San Andreas on Gamepass so I will pass on the Switch version.

@Shambo You might want to look into Starlink, no data caps.

@ChromaticDracula They are also forcing people to buy them together without the ability to buy them standalone digitally which is very anti consumer.

@Jokerwolf yikes… is that so? It seemed like we’d be able to buy the separately judging by the eshop listing having an “in this bundle” section listing each game separately.
Yeah giving people an option to just get what they want would be best. But if it’s designed with a “Home Screen” where you pick the title you want from there I can see that being difficult to work around. Nonetheless, that’s the way they designed it I guess.

@ChromaticDracula Yeah and it doesn't make sense because they split them specifically for playstation now and game pass as separate games but then they can't do that for switch? That's a whole load of bull to me.

@Morph but Asian publishers were using 32GB carts early after the switch was released. The cost was expensive then so there is no evidence it is now cheaper.

Some Asian publishers are prepared to use 32GB while Western publishers are not. If the price was lot cheaper we would have heard something as it would have been leaked.

@Dirty0814 It's sad that a autistic person like me has patience for downloads than non-autistic people. Like GTA III, VC and SA portable is a dream come true and with actual buttons and not fake buttons on the touch screen like the mobile releases. Missing out, bud. It's your lost.

@Dirty0814 GTA Switch >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> GTA Android/Apple mobile

@kobashi100 the fact they were using them early on proves the point though doesn't it? The cost is clearly not prohibitive otherwise Asian publishers wouldn't do it.

If anything the cost will have decreased over the last 3 years or so, it's unlikely to have increased. Memory prices have decreased significantlyin that time, but obviously the cost of the Switch Game card production itself adds to that cost.

@Morph the costs were more 60% more expensive than producing 50GB Blu-ray discs.
Switch cartridges are an expensive format.

LRG were quoted saying "I get the feeling a lot of you wouldn't believe me if I told you the cost of a 32GB cart.

I am not defending anyone by the way. Just pointing out the facts we do know and not simply speculating.

Like I said before I very much doubt the cost of 32GB carts are much cheaper now as there has been very little production. remember Nintendo said 64GB carts were available to produce a few years ago. Do you think that cost is any cheaper?

I would argue the cost is exactly the same due the reason above.

@streetzman well first of all it’s not about the patience of the dl. I have game pass and play it religiously but that’s a rental service. If I’m buying something I better be able to play it 20 years from now after they stop supporting the servers. I’m not renting any game for 60 bucks. Maybe when it goes on sale for 10 bucks a year from now but then again known all three of them on their original platforms so I can play them there as well so no I’m not missing out at all.
I get it digital is easier for some people but even so if this or any game comes out and you have to dl the game off the internet then it’s pretty stupid to even sell it physically. I mean it would cost these companies literally maybe a dollar more to be able to put it on a bigger card for the switch. It’s nothing but a bait and switch tactic these companies use even though it says it requires downloads on the front. Pretty lame if you ask me, That’s pretty much my whole point.

@Dirty0814 Whatever. Take it or leave it! Like normal people like me don't give *****! Now stop gatekeeping me and let me play GTA on Switch in piece when I get a copy of that after I get my PS4 copy.

@Dirty0814 a dollar more?? We have had people in the industry confirm its much more expensive but hey let's ignore them and believe you. Random dude on the internet.

@kobashi100 I don't really see why comparing it to Blu Ray discs is relevant in this case. They are obviously cheaper to produce due to the lack of tech involved and the greater numbers they are already produced in, plus the fact that lots of different companies manufacture them.

I appreciate 32gb carts are more expensive, this stands to reason, however that still doesn't get away from the fact that there are publishers out there who have used them in the past, so obviously the cost isn't that prohibitive and it mustn't have hurt their bottom line that much.

LRG aren't a great comparison due to the small numbers they will produce games in therefore they aren't going to be buying carts in the sort of numbers where you are going to see a significant discount.

I don't believe the 64GB cards have ever been released which is likely due to the low demand for 32GB cards. While this may be speculation, I would suggest that it is unlikely cart production is exactly the same as 4 years ago decreased part costs and greater production runs are naturally going to see costs decrease over time. Perhaps not by as much taking Covid into account but I would still suggest there will have been drop.

Regardless though, it would be understandable for a small publisher to opt for smaller carts but a company the size of Rockstar could absolutely have used 32GB carts instead of the halfway house of part physical, part download.

Getting the physical copy. So I guess I'll have to wait a little long. Oh well.

Don't buy this game!!! San Andreas crashes on a regular basis. Shame on nintendo for releasing this untested. Save your money.