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Grand Theft Auto IV

EMAIL PRINT pc

4.5 User Score:

Universal acclaim

Based on 40 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 611 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Developer: Rockstar North

Genre(s): Action, Adventure

Players: 32

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: December 2, 2008

Summary

(Also known as "GTA IV") What does the American Dream mean today? For Niko Belic, fresh off the boat from Europe. It's the hope he can escape his past. For his cousin, Roman, it is the vision that together they can find fortune in Liberty City, gateway to the land of opportunity. As they slip into debt and are dragged into a criminal underworld by a series of shysters, thieves and sociopaths, they discover that the reality is very different from the dream in a city that worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them an a living nightmare for those who don't. The PC version features an "expanded" multiplayer mode. [Rockstar Games]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Grand Theft Auto III Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website Rockstar Social Club

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Meristation

Grand Theft Auto IV means the matureness for Rockstar, abandoning -though not completely- all its insane humor and arcade action, this chapter of Niko Bellic captures the essence of the american society with black humor, great narrative and the characteristic 'sandbox' gameplay that the franchise has featured all this years. For the PC version all stays the same: only the great technical optimization, the original video-editor and the 32 players online modes are present as news. But, when you leave a masterpiece exactly the same, its a right move.

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100

Cynamite

This game is a masterpiece! We have never seen such a harmonic virtual world before. The story is as good as a movie and the graphics offer tons of incredible moments. GTA IV is more than a game.

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100

GameSpy

A game that could keep anyone busy for a long, long time. Although it's got plenty of excellent features, it's ultimately the storytelling that makes it an instant classic, a game unlike any we've played before. As is the case with many great books and movies, you'll want to know what happens to the characters after the game ends, and one can't help hoping that all of their American Dreams comes true.

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100

VideoGamer

If you've been waiting for the ultimate version of GTA 4, then this is it, providing you can put up with a fair amount of hassle to get the game running well and all the services you need to sign up to in order to play the game in the first place.

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100

BigPond GameArena

The gorgeous graphics, proper radio customisation, the much better multiplayer and the phenomenal video editor and what it boils down to is... Grand Theft Auto IV on the PC is the definitive GTA IV experience. You haven't played GTA IV before now - not properly. I guess what I'm really saying is... PC Supremacy.

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100

Gamer.nl

We can talk hours and hours about it, but it won't change the fact that Grand Theft Auto IV is a very good game. The brand new video editor will offer tons and tons of extra gameplay and makes up for a lot of the waiting time the PC-gamers had to endure. Gamers that still aren't satisfied can wait for the hundreds or so mods that will appear after the release. And with that enough gaming material to last at least until Grand Theft Auto V shows up.

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100

Total PC Gaming

There hasn't been a better game this year. [Issue#15, p.55]

3DJuegos

PC receives, finally, its own version of a game that will remain, Grand Theft Auto IV. For those who dream about living different lives, with doing what the society bans or considers immoral, and with becoming the darkest guts of the worse human beings, GTA IV is their game. As a great trip to the lowest and the shadiest passions of men, the new game of Rockstar is an epic tale, with a scope never seen before in a videogame.

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Gameplanet

The multiplayer alone makes it a must-buy.

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InsideGamer.nl

GTA IV delivers on the PC, as it did on the next-gen consoles. The game breathes quality from start to finish. The story remains interesting and entertaining, visually it’s a new milestone in the series, and the gameplay just as good as it was on the console. The added video-editor and extended multiplayer-modes make for an even more complete experience, which no PC-gamer should be allowed to miss.

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Computer and Video Games

Impressively bumped-up visuals, more multiplayer carnage and a well-built video editor; this is the ultimate version of 2008's premier sandbox game. If you've got the specs to run it.

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GameStar

The basics are still the same, but GTA 4 is a masterpiece. The game world created by Rockstar North is simply amazing. The shootings, radio, TV, the story and the characters create more than just a sandbox game. It's almost a parallel world.

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Games Master UK

A violent, giant triumph; shame about the performance and login fascism. [Jan 2009, p.79]

Play.tm

It loses a few marks for being so technically daunting, but if you haven't had the opportunity to play GTA IV yet, and you've got a PC that can handle it, then this is probably the best version of the game.

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PC Gamer

GTAIV works well as a multiplayer game. [Feb 2009, p.70]

Computer Games Online RO

In short, the best Grand Theft Auto so far and an interesting platform for a sequel in the spirit of Vice City or San Andreas. A pity that its launch on the PC was eclipsed by so many technical issues.

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PC Games (Germany)

More than six months after the console-launch GTA 4 hits the PC. With better graphics and the teriffic replay-editor the story about Niko Bellic will arrest your attention to your PC for weeks or even months... promised.

PC Gamer UK

It's the peripheral distractions of both going out with Roman, and meeting your girlfriends, that really make your virtual life so worth living. Although incredibly simplistic, they're oddly touching...One of the finest videogames ever. [Christmas 2008, p.87]

IGN

The overall GTA formula has been refined and retooled in this version to be more convenient, more realistic, and ultimately more mature, though it still gets stuck on brambles held over from games past.

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PC Zone UK

The PC version brings enough additions and improvements to the fundamental GTA IV experience to make it an essential purchase for anyone who hasn't played it yet. [Feb 2009, p.74]

Pelit (Finland)

Even the shoddy conversion can not destroy this fine game. But as agme, GTA IV shows worrying tendency slipping towards oversripted missions. [Jan 2009]

YouGamers

The PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV is definitely the best version of the game and almost a must-buy if you haven't already seen it all. Just don't underestimate the hardware needed to run it properly - a quad core CPU is almost mandatory for acceptable performance as is a high end video card. PC-specific Video Editor is a nice bonus but the gameplay is untouched and just as good as on the consoles.

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GamePro

A demanding port of an excellent game, GTA IV PC is only worth a look from gamers that missed Niko's venture to America the first time around.

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Gamers.at

Even though GTA IV is enormously hardware-hungry, it remains one of the prime examples for a console-game that only got better by releasing it for the PC. [Issue#17]

Eurogamer

A genuinely ground-breaking blockbuster in videogame history. There were moments playing GTA IV that I thought back to my initial experiences with games, and realised exactly how far we've come. There's never been anything quite like GTA IV in the world. That there makes me genuinely happy to be a gamer.

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GameZone

Grand Theft Auto IV is a solid port, adding in some compelling features to reward PC gamers for their patience. However, they’re going to want to sit tight and wait for Rockstar to issue a patch to fix the game’s stability problems.

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GameSpot

Performance issues prevent this lazy PC port of a superb console game from being the best Grand Theft Auto yet.

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PC Format

The most grown-up GTA and the best realised, but it doesn't respect the PC much. Enjoy the multiplayer madness if you can. [Christmas 2008, p.96]

NZGamer

Grand Theft Auto IV is very much a console-friendly game, and the PC port brings enough problems – albeit ones that won’t apply to everyone – to make me hesitate to recommend it over the original.

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Absolute Games

It's basically a remake of GTA 3 with a bigger budget, a new cast of characters and solid storytelling. And it's still incredibly captivating.

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Gameplayer

If you’ve already conquered Liberty City on PS3 or Xbox 360, there really isn’t enough extra stuff to demand that you fork out more money for the PC version. But if you have yet to savour the GTA IV experience, this is a must have because of the unforgettable single-player experience and frantically fun multiplayer as well as the extra PC features.

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Gamer 2.0

As it stands, Grand Theft Auto IV is a rather poor port, but a fantastic game all the same.

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PC PowerPlay

GTA4 is what it was always going to be: an expertly fashioned port. If you've clocked up 100 hours on the 360, there's not much point picking it up now. But if the idea of the video editor intrigues you, or somehow incredibly you HAVEN'T played the game yet, GTA4 is a must-buy. [January 2009, p.45]

Play (Poland)

This game is like a beautiful girl who stutters terribly and often wanders off topic - you want to be with her and talk to her, but sometimes the way she speaks drives you crazy. And even leaving the frame rate fiasco aside, the compulsory Windows Live and Rockstar Social Club login just to save your progress is an enormous nuisance. [Feb 2009]

LEVEL (Czech Republic)

Splendid but old-fashioned. Excellent characters, video editing tools, and multiplayer are the greatest pluses of this new arrival to the GTA franchise. Now focus on story and intelligence of friendly NPCs. [Issue#173]

Game Over Online

At the core, GTA 4 is a pretty good game in the GTA series, hindered by the “bromances” and bloated by 15GB of television shows I’ll never watch, joke Internet sites I have no interest in surfing, extensive and lengthy cutscenes, a mediocre bowling game, a downright poor darts game, and a middling pool game.

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AtomicGamer

It's kind of a lose-lose for Rockstar at this point, and it's too bad, because GTAIV is a wonderful game that doesn't deserve the problems this PC port has.

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1UP

The game design is often thoughtless and shortsighted. Rockstar treats Liberty City as a backdrop...when it should have been the stage itself.

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2404.org

Overall, I’m simply disappointed with Rockstar when it comes to Grand Theft Auto IV. PC gamers already get shafted with the slow GTA releases compared to the consoles. To have all the bugs at launch that it did makes me wonder what happened during the testing period. It’s also missing a lot of great features that were included in San Andreas.

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Worth Playing

The entire game has a feeling of misdirected effort, as if Rockstar sat down to rejuvenate the franchise without knowing particularly how and simply stuck every idea, gimmick and cliché they could think of into one big ball, like some sort of Katamari of game elements with the old GTA feeling at the core.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 4.5 (out of 10) based on 611 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

H J gave it a7:
Let's start out with the good things, the game looks absolutely brilliant, there it has not disappointed. The Gameplay is not bad, but there's something missing that GTA: San Andreas had, it's the whole atmosphere. The Single Player campaign is certainly worth the money. The Multiplayer is very dull, especially for those who have played SA: Multiplayer, which was a mod. Of course i thought rockstar would be inspired by the great concept, but because the game is a console port with very few changes, they even left the "weaknesses" of consoles in, that's why you cannot have Multiplayer servers with lots of players, and the game is very hard to mod. Even worse than that is that you need a Microsoft live account to even just save.

Timothy L gave it a9:
People who give this game low ratings must be really, really stingy, or have computers that do not satisfy the high system requirements... It has been a long time since a game with such an expansive world and interactive interface has been released.. and do not be fooled by people who insist that steering can only be done with a mouse, because you can use the keyboard.. As for the issue people are complaining about having to having to sign up for the RGSC to save the game, you only have to sign up once and when you enter the game, you can choose to have an offline profile, and savegames can from then onwards be done offline and without signing on to RGSC.. However, it is true that GTA IV has relatively high system requirements, but even at low texture details, and low resolution, the game looks great, so maybe people can try turning down the graphics, unless one's computer is really a stone slab with an "on" button... >.< If one's computer can run the game smoothly, the person would undoubtedly be amazed by the sheer fun this game has to offer, so... DO GET THIS GAME!!! (pardon my english, i'm not a british or american...).

Charles B gave it a10:
This is without a doubt one of the best single player games of all time, and it is even more of a certainty that it features one of the ultimate video game story-lines. The plot is so engaging, the characters instantly likeable, and the cutscenes are anything but boring. Controls are not mastered instantly, but are gratifyingly responsive and comfortable from the beginning. Some have mourned the loss of the arcade feel of previous games in the series, but this is stupid; yes, it was a proven formula, but the jaded realism of Rockstar's youngest child makes for a sensationally fun game. You can't have honestly played this game and not have marvelled and spent hours pushing the limits of the ridiculous physics of the game world. The graphics deserve a whole passage to themselves in my opinion: I have played Crysis, but these graphics are on a totally different scale. The incredible attention to detail, accompanied by an original visual style, especially in the facial rendering, combine to make an experience that is simply irresistible. I have an 8800GT, 4GB RAM and an e6400 o/c to 3.2Ghz, and it runs on medium-high graphical settings with no lag or other problems. If you don't have a powerful enough P.C, as I did for a long time, don't be quick to down this game. Seriously, save for an upgrade as this game is worth it. Rockstar admittedly however made a terrible decision to integrate with Windows Live, and the unavoidable Social Club. Hopefully in time these services will improve or be phased out because at the moment they are a pointless obstacle, detracting from what is otherwise a masterpiece.

Martin Z. gave it a9:
I like it how the most users here whine about the shitty performance on their pcs. Well yes, the game requires a very powerful pc to run it smooth, yes, the game requires windows live ( which sucks, but you can make a offline profile to save your game), yes the game requires the shitty social club for multiplayer (which i dont play, so i turned it off), yes it comes with the motherfucking secure rom. BUT the game itself is addictive and beautiful. I can play it on my i7 920@2.67GHz and my gtx260 and 6gig of ram on all very high settings without a single crash and with decent fps. I played the game many days for now and not one bug occured to me. Besides of the damned programs you need to play it its a very very good game. I didnt enjoyed most of the gangster movies that i watched in my entire live that much than this game. And no, I am not a fanboy, I work hard for my money, and no, you dont need 5000 bucks to play this game, i payed 1000;) Surely a lot of the low rating user out there cant afford a new or at least a good pc;) And why i gave 9 instead of 10? Coz of the missing AA in the game which make look the shadows and a lot of the texture a little bit outdated.

Canon Y gave it a9:
People who give the game 0 because of problems with their pc are just being plain ridiculous. The game has so many merits. The characters, especially the protagonist, are well done. This game has a lot of satire and pokes fun of a lot of American culture. Playing the missions gets a bit samey after a while, but the game's got tonnes of extra material including hours of hilarious tv, comedy shows starring ricky gervais and cat williams, etc. Driving around is a pleasure as are the crashes with the rag doll physics: you can find as many fun ways to die as you like - throwing urself out of helicopters, crashing into trucks and being flung out of the windscreen for not wearing your seatbelt are just some of the possibilities. There's lots of bonus content and many side stories to follow. After each chaotic mission, there'll be a mention in the news on the internet or listen out on the radio about it. Make sure you patch up to the latest version (1.4) before playing, it makes a huge difference to the graphical optimisation of this game and it's virtually unplayable without the updates. I would recommend this game to anyone who doesn't mind violence in games.

M T gave it a9:
This game requires a very powerful computer to run it at high graphic settings. If you have the sufficient computing power, then this game is a blast! It has a much more realistic feel to it compared to the previous GTA games. I have experienced no significant bugs or problems with the game. It's been a lot of fun playing from beginning to end. KEEP IN MIND: Most of the people complaining and giving low ratings here seem to be suffering performance issues with the game. The gameplay itself is fun if you can get it running the way you want. You need a strong PC.

Jeff S gave it a0:
Basically? It's a slap in the face. Even with an outstanding rig the graphics look like something I'd expect from a game more than a half a decade old, Rockstar continually tries to shove its Social Club down your throat, and basic game functionality such as saving your game requires you to have a Microsoft Live for PC account. Trust me folks, the user ratings don't lie on this one. Pass it by.

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Grand Theft Auto IV

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