Grand Theft Auto IV

 PC
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3664 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,227 out of 3664
  2. Mixed: 760 out of 3664
  3. Negative: 677 out of 3664
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  1. GregH.
    Dec 10, 2008
    6
    Numerous graphical, gameplay and stability problems mean this game only gets a 6. It's hard to shake the feeling that it was rushed out in time for Christmas. But if you can get playing and look past all the uneccessary garbage included in this game you will find the best GrandTheftAuto game yet. Alas quality control has let the team down which means it can never reach the perch it deserves.
  2. chrise
    Dec 2, 2008
    5
    Had already played and beat this on my brothers xbox.Should of just bought a 360 and took his game.Without a high end gaming machine,you'll most likely not be impressed.Wish i could return it for a refund. Cant play online without getting the MMA10 error which i have already found to be common among the community.
  3. MadeMan
    Dec 4, 2008
    5
    Simply brilliant game, let down by absolutely woeful performance issues. On a system that either meets or exceeds the recommended requirements, the game suffers random crashing roughly every 15 minutes requiring a full restart, terrible pop up, and a draw distance that very often doesn't update fast enough. The graphics are also largely unpolished, with heavy amounts of jagged edges. Simply brilliant game, let down by absolutely woeful performance issues. On a system that either meets or exceeds the recommended requirements, the game suffers random crashing roughly every 15 minutes requiring a full restart, terrible pop up, and a draw distance that very often doesn't update fast enough. The graphics are also largely unpolished, with heavy amounts of jagged edges. The controls also feel disconnected and unresponsive, either on foot or in car. Beyond all that, it is an outstanding game in terms of design, and most importantly, it's the game that GTA3 should have been. But at least GTA3 worked (eventually).… Expand
  4. MatthewB.
    Dec 8, 2008
    5
    I feel cheated by a massively buggy game. ok, the underlying game is great. But if the graphics keep crashing what's the point, because it becomes unplayable. There are other bugs too, but these pale into insignificance next to the terrible graphics problems.
  5. awdrifter
    Jan 19, 2009
    6
    Biggest dissapointment of the year! Don't get me wrong, this is not a horrible game, it's a solid average game. But that's it. All these reviewers giving it 9s and 10s are either never played the previous GTA or they are paid off. Let's start with the technical problems. This game requires XP SP3 to run, so I tried to install SP3, but for some reason it won't Biggest dissapointment of the year! Don't get me wrong, this is not a horrible game, it's a solid average game. But that's it. All these reviewers giving it 9s and 10s are either never played the previous GTA or they are paid off. Let's start with the technical problems. This game requires XP SP3 to run, so I tried to install SP3, but for some reason it won't install, I wasn't going to reinstall my OS for just one game, thankfully I found a registry hack that'll allow me to play the game. Now the game loads, but I had the missing texture problem, so I downloaded the patch, now it has the spinning camera problem. After many tried, I found out that I had to unplug the controller when the game starts, then plug it back it once the game is fully loaded. What a pain in the 455. There's no AA option in this game. This is a really big step back. I mean come on, even GTA:SA have AA. They developed this brand spanking new engine for this game and it can't do AA? Come on, that's bs. I know they are giving the defferred lighting bs, but if engines like Source, Schimitar, and Dunia can do HDR with AA, this is no excuse. I don't understand why they didn't just use one of the existing engine anyways, they clearly can't make a good engine. Now on to the problems with the gameplay and game mechanics. As everyone said, the cars' handling sucks. If I want to play a sim I'd go to play GT4. The cars handles worse that the cars of NFS. The friend system is ultra annoying. I don't mind having to gain their thrust and whatnot, but having them constantly calling me to go out and if I refuse the thumb down me, that's so damn annoying. They too out the planes, the car mods, the ability to buy properties, to own hoods, to level up your character's gun skills. Another thing is earning money is so hard in this game, I couldn't just blast everyone because the rockets and grenades are so expensive, sometimes I come out of an mission losing money. That's rediculous. Overall I think GTA:SA was a much better game. This game is very frustrating at times, and when you finally completed a mission, the rewards just doesn't feel like it's worth the effort. There are a few positive about this game though. The graphics looks better than the previous GTAs. The radio stations are great, and the ability to integrate you own music in the radio is awsome. The city feels pretty alive, especially at night. My advice, if you're a GTA fans, wait for this to hit the bargain bin, then pick it up for $20.… Expand
  6. BinaryS.
    Dec 10, 2008
    6
    So they're just giving out perfect reviews nowadays, huh? Must be nice being a game reviewer - the game publisher writes the review and you just sign your name to it. Wonderful!
  7. FredB.
    Dec 10, 2008
    5
    This is a game with some nice graphics, unfortunately it's buggy as hell. I have some serious issues with the controls. First, there are too many control keys and it's difficult to map to my liking (in part because, Return, Backspace and Home cannot be used). Also, having to drive with mouse-look is extremely annoying - this is a killer for me, it takes all the joy out of This is a game with some nice graphics, unfortunately it's buggy as hell. I have some serious issues with the controls. First, there are too many control keys and it's difficult to map to my liking (in part because, Return, Backspace and Home cannot be used). Also, having to drive with mouse-look is extremely annoying - this is a killer for me, it takes all the joy out of driving fast and recklass - you can't take a corner without mouselook messing it up - "Mouselook" means you need to control your view with the mouse all the bloody time (in the car). What finally killed my interest in the game, is the totally lacking first "date". Combining this with the rest of missions you get in the start, you realize the game tries to make it out to be so serious, but it's so lacking it just get's annoying. Previous GTA games where much more fun.… Expand
  8. OscarK
    Dec 30, 2008
    5
    Well, im playing it on a 2.2ghz Core 2 duo and a Sapphire 4870 toxic and im getting 30 fps at 800x600 with everything at lowest you can tell there is a slight problem here which is why im gonna deduct 5 points buuuut look past the graphics and all the errors and shizzle and you get an excellent game. Its taken San Andreas taken the best out of it and made it smaller and focused more.. it Well, im playing it on a 2.2ghz Core 2 duo and a Sapphire 4870 toxic and im getting 30 fps at 800x600 with everything at lowest you can tell there is a slight problem here which is why im gonna deduct 5 points buuuut look past the graphics and all the errors and shizzle and you get an excellent game. Its taken San Andreas taken the best out of it and made it smaller and focused more.. it works well and i find myself somewhat addicted to all the missions. The Vehicles handle well the taxi's are a great addition and I actually think the controls are somewhat decent. Shame they took out airplanes tho. they were my favourite things ever =( also.. im not sure about replayability after the missions are finished ive heard there is not much to do and the game grows dull quickly as the thrill of the physics and other new features wears of... So, I gave it 5 for gameplay and 0 for Graphics and bugs etc.… Expand
  9. ShawnD.
    Dec 4, 2008
    5
    Usually when a game is ported between platforms, the company at least puts some effort into making it run propertly. Rockstar can't be bothered with anything like that. It's as if they took the Xbox version and wrote an emulator to run it; that's how slow this game is. I can run games like Bioshock, Crysis, and Fallout 3 with very high graphical detail and a good frame Usually when a game is ported between platforms, the company at least puts some effort into making it run propertly. Rockstar can't be bothered with anything like that. It's as if they took the Xbox version and wrote an emulator to run it; that's how slow this game is. I can run games like Bioshock, Crysis, and Fallout 3 with very high graphical detail and a good frame rate, but this game can't even run at 20fps. They didn't even beta test this piece of garbage.… Expand
  10. JarkkoR.
    Dec 6, 2008
    6
    Bugs and performance make this game unplayable or very unpleasant for 8/10 of the people who i know that have bought the game, unacceptable release. Shame on Rockstar.No matter how good a game is, its completely irrelevant when it just doesnt work.. and considering the amount of trouble seen, its not accident.. they just wanted it out for christmas.
  11. Technicha
    Dec 8, 2008
    5
    A very fun and addicting game. Cops finally have a decent AI which means you can have a strategy against cops now instead of them showing up randomly no matter where you are like the earlier gta series. The storyline is good, not much to say there. The major downside with this game is the graphics and performance. Even with a great computer expect to run this game at low-medium settings. A very fun and addicting game. Cops finally have a decent AI which means you can have a strategy against cops now instead of them showing up randomly no matter where you are like the earlier gta series. The storyline is good, not much to say there. The major downside with this game is the graphics and performance. Even with a great computer expect to run this game at low-medium settings. Even with low settings expect major stuttering and lag. This game is poorly optimized. The graphics are jagged and shadows looks very unrealistic and grainy. There's a application with it called social club that slows the game's startup process and also being a resource hog in the background. There's still no free saving in this game, this is very annoying when the game keeps crashing that can make you lose hours of mission progress. Simply it's a fun game if you can just get it to run like it should.… Expand
  12. M.Alex
    Jan 21, 2009
    6
    I enjoyed the game immensly. I didn't enjoy the load of software i had to install to play this game (secuROM turned out the least irritating!), the fact that the was not optimised to a satisfying degree, and that it was buggy: if it didn't crash, than a button had to functions and irritating consequences, e.g.: the mouse wheel is used to change weapons. If you phone rings while I enjoyed the game immensly. I didn't enjoy the load of software i had to install to play this game (secuROM turned out the least irritating!), the fact that the was not optimised to a satisfying degree, and that it was buggy: if it didn't crash, than a button had to functions and irritating consequences, e.g.: the mouse wheel is used to change weapons. If you phone rings while changing weapons, you automaticaly hang up. Passed the game, had my fun, uninstalled without regrets.… Expand
  13. JamesL
    Dec 20, 2008
    5
    It's a nice game, if only it utilized the PC better! Low draw distances, the inability to tweak graphical settings to get a balance between frame rate and eye candy lowers the score. In terms of gameplay it is good old GTA with a huge open world concept but with a minimum requirements PC everything goes downhill. Quite unfortunate because they should have made it a little more It's a nice game, if only it utilized the PC better! Low draw distances, the inability to tweak graphical settings to get a balance between frame rate and eye candy lowers the score. In terms of gameplay it is good old GTA with a huge open world concept but with a minimum requirements PC everything goes downhill. Quite unfortunate because they should have made it a little more customizable (in terms of graphical options etc) so that most gamers could enjoy the game better.… Expand
  14. jp
    Dec 26, 2008
    5
    This game could be a 10 if Rockstar wasn't so lazy. They made the most graphically demanding game out for the pc right now, and they didn't include the option of utilizing dual video cards. Also the control options are extremely weak, especially for the helicopter. The fact that you can only map one key per control is just pathetic, and the fact that the game won't This game could be a 10 if Rockstar wasn't so lazy. They made the most graphically demanding game out for the pc right now, and they didn't include the option of utilizing dual video cards. Also the control options are extremely weak, especially for the helicopter. The fact that you can only map one key per control is just pathetic, and the fact that the game won't recognize a joystick is incredibly weak also. But, it's still fun to kill time and the story line is great, just too much to detract from the score until they patch the current problems. *Also, I'm running Vista 64 and with the new patch just released to make the online play work, I have to run the game in compatibility mode for Windows 2000..... that's just really lazy on rockstars part, considering they don't seem to be rushing towards any solutions judging by what I've read lately.… Expand
  15. Marmoo
    Dec 26, 2008
    5
    i agree with what has been said here on both sides of the arguement
    i will give it a 5 for now as i installed it and game ran and it looks superb but what has been declared on the box for spec is a load of bollocks...you need a quick proccessor(s), VERY LARGE ram and big hard drive and graphics gard...i got it all except ram (i got 1.5 RAM) so off out to buy at least another 2 gig of ram for me
  16. JimboS.
    Dec 3, 2008
    5
    After such a cracking debut on the consoles, the PC version has turned out to be nothing more than a poorly ported turd. This release reeks of a Christmas cash-in rush job. Numerous forums across the internet discussing the PC release will attest to the dismal performance issues experienced across the spectrum. Even the most highly spec'd rigs crumble before this shitty beta release. After such a cracking debut on the consoles, the PC version has turned out to be nothing more than a poorly ported turd. This release reeks of a Christmas cash-in rush job. Numerous forums across the internet discussing the PC release will attest to the dismal performance issues experienced across the spectrum. Even the most highly spec'd rigs crumble before this shitty beta release. Thanks for cashing in Rockstar. I don't think I'll be supporting your products in the future.… Expand
  17. A.N.O.
    Dec 8, 2008
    5
    bugs,Bugs,BUGS!!! so many glitches and bugs that it was almost unplayable. and if you take in account that i have a superb pc with a 9800 GX2 graphics card, 2.4 quad core cpu, and a 4 GB Ram and it still didnt work properly... i have it on the 360 and i got it as an early christmas present, and i was really disappointed. another could have been. (oh yeah, and look at the difference bugs,Bugs,BUGS!!! so many glitches and bugs that it was almost unplayable. and if you take in account that i have a superb pc with a 9800 GX2 graphics card, 2.4 quad core cpu, and a 4 GB Ram and it still didnt work properly... i have it on the 360 and i got it as an early christmas present, and i was really disappointed. another could have been. (oh yeah, and look at the difference between the critics and users score; weird?)… Expand
  18. MichaelK.
    Dec 21, 2008
    5
    Having played the game on the PS3, I know it's a quality game...but the port for the PC is simply atrocious. On above-the-recommended system requirements the game was simply unplayable even on on 800x600 resolution. It's a horrible, horrible port, and it's rather unfortunate that the BEST platform the game, turns out to be the worst treated. Just makes me sick...
  19. MarkK
    Mar 21, 2009
    5
    The game is great. It has brilliant graphics, but it is a rubbish port. It doesn't support SLI, and it needs a very high power computer to do what is only above average by modern standards. It's almost as if Rockstar couldn't be bothered with the PC market.
  20. VicMac
    Jul 26, 2009
    5
    A disappointing mess of a game, undecided if it wants full-on realism or diverse fun (See San Andreas). Though a very well done game, GTA IV falls short of all expectations, with boring and repetitive missions and badly done gameplay elements. The PC version, also is by far the worst PC port ever, if not the worst PC game ever.
  21. JF
    Mar 21, 2009
    6
    The storyline and gameplay are amazing, but once you include all the some times extreme glitches, stuttering framerates in certain areas, and terrible load times, the PC version really failed. Even with a high-end PC, you are doomed to +/-25fps, and it drops severely in multiplayer, rendering it unplayable at times. All in all, a great but horribly put together port put together by a team The storyline and gameplay are amazing, but once you include all the some times extreme glitches, stuttering framerates in certain areas, and terrible load times, the PC version really failed. Even with a high-end PC, you are doomed to +/-25fps, and it drops severely in multiplayer, rendering it unplayable at times. All in all, a great but horribly put together port put together by a team that takes weeks to respond to support issues.… Expand
  22. dejaime
    Feb 16, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While playing the game under a GTS450 and an Athlon II X2 260 (Nowhere near the best PC) The game went smoothly, no fps drops nor lags. The controls for the cellphone are awful, in fact. How many times haven't I rejected a call due to be pressing the reject button (that's shared with 2 other commands). Other than that, the movement controls on it's predecessor SA are way better than this one, still the GTA IV movement is more realistic. As I don't really play GTA thinking of realism, the bad movement controls are a problem. Nice hidden content. When I first played GTA III and save the girl, GTA Vice City and you own the world or GTA San Andreas and luck you tempenny! GTA IV makes you wish you hadn't finish the game, the usually warm fuzzy feeling of putting everything in place was ripped from the game. The friends minigames, Ok on the beginning, start to get bad as the game goes on and your phone list increases in size. The graphical quality improved, the radios are still funny, the "friends missions" found throughout the map are the best addition of GTA IV. --TLDR-- Bad Movement controls, boring "relationship quests" and awful story endings kill a good part of playing through GTA IV; But it may still be worthy buying if you find it used for U$15 or less.… Expand
  23. fn_must
    Nov 20, 2013
    6
    Just finished the game and I have to say that I did enjoy most of it. The story kept me playing and wanting to know what happens next. Characters were well written. Performance was decent, better what I expected. But here comes the big downside; it is a port and not a good one. The aiming felt terrible, everything but precise. I also felt some mouse input lag, though it might be partlyJust finished the game and I have to say that I did enjoy most of it. The story kept me playing and wanting to know what happens next. Characters were well written. Performance was decent, better what I expected. But here comes the big downside; it is a port and not a good one. The aiming felt terrible, everything but precise. I also felt some mouse input lag, though it might be partly because of the occasional slowdowns. Everything above I can deal with, since the story was quite good and the world was somewhat interesting, but there was this huge glitch in the last mission. Probably not news to anyone anymore but god damn was it frustrating. Google it. Never ever again. For the summary: Great story, great characters, decent world and decent frame rate but such a horrible pc port which is the reason why I wouldn't play it again on pc.… Expand
  24. publicimage
    Jun 14, 2011
    6
    Dear Grand Taxicab Auto, please, please, stop with the cut-scenes already! Give your script editor a red pen and ask him/her to "X" out big chunks of dialog next time, won't you? And won't my darn phone ever stop ringing? Especially when I answer it and then I can't run but instead have to walk... slowly... oh so very slowly....? I play games to escape from everyday chores such as deletingDear Grand Taxicab Auto, please, please, stop with the cut-scenes already! Give your script editor a red pen and ask him/her to "X" out big chunks of dialog next time, won't you? And won't my darn phone ever stop ringing? Especially when I answer it and then I can't run but instead have to walk... slowly... oh so very slowly....? I play games to escape from everyday chores such as deleting texts, ignoring emails and pointlessly driving across town during rush hour with a car load of social lowlifes. Only to arrive at my destination and be served a mediocre third person shooter. I never finished GTA San Treadmill for much the same reasons, and I was hoping your older siblings would've taught you a few lessons, but alas, I guess not. At least you let me hail taxis to skip the Auto part and get right to the Theft bits, but why oh why isn't there a cab around when you really, really need one? All said, you're a pretty game to look at and even to play sometimes, but only when you'll stop boring me with mundane tasks and actually let me escape with you, that is.… Expand
  25. theshonen8899
    May 13, 2011
    6
    Grand Theft Auto IV is a game I can respect but not appreciate. The enormous sandbox city and lifelike interaction are definitely impressive, but much of what I loved about GTA San Andreas was lost to me here. The game shifts very far from cars now as you no longer have a garage and customization is limited if not completely removed. Fortunately the graphics are fantastic, especially withGrand Theft Auto IV is a game I can respect but not appreciate. The enormous sandbox city and lifelike interaction are definitely impressive, but much of what I loved about GTA San Andreas was lost to me here. The game shifts very far from cars now as you no longer have a garage and customization is limited if not completely removed. Fortunately the graphics are fantastic, especially with a good PC, and the story is pretty good. I hope to see more of an automobile focus in GTA V, because c'mon, the game is named Grand Theft Auto!… Expand
  26. scootaboy
    Apr 20, 2011
    5
    Caved and downloaded it from Steam over the weekend given they were giving it away for just $5. Now that I have the game up and running it seems like fun but yes it was a PITA to get working. Windows Live took several installs and reboots to get running. I've skipped the "Social Club" entirely. I have a dual core OC'd to 3.6Ghz, 4 meg of ram and a GTX460 1Mb video card and I can just aboutCaved and downloaded it from Steam over the weekend given they were giving it away for just $5. Now that I have the game up and running it seems like fun but yes it was a PITA to get working. Windows Live took several installs and reboots to get running. I've skipped the "Social Club" entirely. I have a dual core OC'd to 3.6Ghz, 4 meg of ram and a GTX460 1Mb video card and I can just about get a steady 40fps at 720p. This is following the presumably several patches it has undergone previously. Like Crysis this is a system taxer to the point of ridiculousness. Unlike Crysis, even with everything cranked up it still doesn't look good. In the end I added the ENB mod which adds anti-aliasing and now it finally looks like a semi-decent game. GTA games were never known for their steady frame-rates or stellar graphics but at least you could jump in and enjoy the great gameplay on consoles. I'm happy with the install now but man it took some tweaking to get it to a point where now I can "just jump in."… Expand
  27. SethB
    Dec 23, 2009
    5
    10 for the game itself 0 for the PC version. My PC has well over the requirments yet the thing wont launch at all. well a black window pops up and then an error message "GTA4 has stopped working" searched the web and found stuff that helped others, but did not help me. if u r absoloutly inytent on geting it, then go ahead, i reccomend waiting for a real fix from rakstar. they havnet 10 for the game itself 0 for the PC version. My PC has well over the requirments yet the thing wont launch at all. well a black window pops up and then an error message "GTA4 has stopped working" searched the web and found stuff that helped others, but did not help me. if u r absoloutly inytent on geting it, then go ahead, i reccomend waiting for a real fix from rakstar. they havnet gotten off their asses and done anything the last year and a half, so things arent looking good. this is AFTER i updated to the latest patch. after first install, the game launched. however there were no textures. their were the models and lights. thats it.… Expand
  28. BananaPuncher
    Jul 12, 2011
    6
    (Sorry, didn't know metacritic doesn't recognize paragraphs)
    I just purchased this game for dirt cheap and I had absolutely no problems running the game in high detail on my newish PC - 3 years after release. It still feels like a waste of money. I heard many good things about this game from everyone and really seemed up my alley. I also own an Xbox controller for the PC so I was able to    (Sorry, didn't know metacritic doesn't recognize paragraphs)
    I just purchased this game for dirt cheap and I had absolutely no problems running the game in high detail on my newish PC - 3 years after release. It still feels like a waste of money. I heard many good things about this game from everyone and really seemed up my alley. I also own an Xbox controller for the PC so I was able to enjoy the same controls 360 users have. All in all, I am playing a just plain better version of GTAIV. All that said, after a good 20 hours, I have to say this is the most overrated piece of twaddle in gaming history. I am astounded at how many perfect 10s this game received despite a laundry list of glaring problems, affirming my suspicion that games are rated on graphics and presentation alone, with 0% of fun factor being considered.

    This game has some awesome moments. The realistic graphics really make for some cinematic scenes. Gun fights can be amazing in destructible environments, with pillars being shredded by gunfire. The realistic graphics and physics give the automobile-related incidents a new "oh snap" factor. I really enjoyed how the new realistic and serious twist put more gravity into your violent actions. It's just too bad the game does almost nothing to nurture these elements. First of all, the controls are godawful. Niko moves like he's wearing a 60-lb backpack and the cover button is just plain clunky. The snap-to-target system rarely chooses an enemy close to your reticule. Instead it just seems to choose a random yokel fully behind cover while someone that was in your reticule before you hit the aim button fills you up with machine gun fire. This is great considering that missions have no checkpoints, so there is no feeling of frustration like driving halfway across town to pick up a car again because Niko was too stupid to target the guy 5 feet in front of him or you didn't know you were going to need a really fast car to chase a helicopter. It becomes a bit easier, later, when you realize all of the missions are a exactly the same. Drive to point A (maybe on a timer), kill guy ( maybe chase him in car), maybe lose the police. This gets real old in a game with so much potential for mayhem.

    In fact, that leads into the main problem of the game: it just seems to want to waste your time instead of provide fun things to do. Your friends call constantly to do inane, unwelcome minigames, others constantly call your phone to make you sit through a five minute cut scene before doing the same mission again. You are constantly being nagged to do anything but free roam, which is OK I guess because the game provides absolutely no incentive to free roam. You can go on a rampage, of course, but make sure to save first because the game does nothing but you put in the hospital or take away all your weapons for causing a ruckus, nor does it provide you with anything resembling fun targets (not unarmed civilians) for some good ol' action while free roaming. Instead, why not just follow the storyline? It has its moments, but its altogether too long, thanks to driving around, again with no incentive to go really fast except to have to restart the mission because your passenger flew out the window. I won't get started on the phone as well. I can't believe you have to manually dial any number in something that is supposed to be fun. It's also great that Niko can't carjack while someone flaps his gums on phone with him for 5 minutes. Of course, if you are really bored, you could watch TV in game instead of turning off the game and watching actual good TV (What?), go to a cabaret or comedy club instead of visiting Youtube, or any other diversion that has nothing to do with playing a game. You could also slow down and listen to the radio. There is a huge list of licensed music which I was looking forward too, but have heard maybe 5 songs so far in between the 20 minutes straight of cringe-inducing unfunny radio ads, DJ comments, and news breaks, not to mention the humor of the radio/TV doesn't mix at all with the semi-serious tone of the story. I ended up turning off the music altogether and using Windows Media Player in the background.

    All in all, 99% of what this game has to offer is entirely unwelcome. It's really too bad, because it presented a sweet physics system and infinite potential to turn a modern city upside-down. Instead, it envelops itself in self-important drama, asinine courier tasks, and inconvenience in the sake of immersion.

    Maybe GTA4 was a sign of the times. Maybe it was the draught of games we had in 2008, maybe the economic scare was so serious that we all just wanted to escape into a virtual world, even if it wasn't very fun. Maybe it's just the forerunner in a trend of games for people who hate games but just want to escape.    … Expand
  29. Ztride
    Jan 21, 2012
    6
    A highly over-rated game. It is very clear that Rockstar developed this as a console title, because on PC it is very unoptimized, it requires more from your computer to max than many high-end titles released today, but not looking nearly as good. The combat and driving of the game is also very mediocre and the story uninteresting. It is also restricted to the incredibly dumb Games forA highly over-rated game. It is very clear that Rockstar developed this as a console title, because on PC it is very unoptimized, it requires more from your computer to max than many high-end titles released today, but not looking nearly as good. The combat and driving of the game is also very mediocre and the story uninteresting. It is also restricted to the incredibly dumb Games for Windows Live service, even if you buy from steam. That said, it can still be very fun for short periods of time when trolling around in multiplayer with friends.… Expand
  30. HuckleberryPie
    Mar 13, 2012
    7
    If it wasn't for Rockstar banging their heads on the keyboard while writing code for the PC port this would've run better. Fortunately they mitigated most of the issues in 1.0.4.0, but things got worse when they changed the shadow mapping system in 1.0.7.0 as I'm getting lower framerates on my mid-end PC. Heck, I've seen games with better graphics that churn out more fps than this.

    The    If it wasn't for Rockstar banging their heads on the keyboard while writing code for the PC port this would've run better. Fortunately they mitigated most of the issues in 1.0.4.0, but things got worse when they changed the shadow mapping system in 1.0.7.0 as I'm getting lower framerates on my mid-end PC. Heck, I've seen games with better graphics that churn out more fps than this.

    The game seems a tad easier than the previous installments thanks to the cover system (I played through the Gay Tony EP and it was indeed a relief compared to the coverless combat of the III-era games), but the main campaign's overall length seems a little daunting imo.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best PC Game of 2008
3
#3 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
2
#2 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. PC Gamer UK
    92
    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]
  2. PC Format
    89
    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]
  3. Eurogamer
    90
    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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