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. Kevin
    Jan 4, 2010
    9
    It's just one of the best GTA games. The storie is the best of all GTA games. The graphics are phantastics and don't overheat my PC. Sometimes there is a bug but if I restart the game it's away and they are only bugs which aren't relevant for the Gameplay. I don't know what the other have but I vive 9 / 10!
  2. erei
    Jan 4, 2010
    3
    This GTA is a real GTA, no problems with it. The characters we meet and the hero are fun, and are still the GTA spirit. But the port is probably the worst never seen, we have lots of inexplicable FPS drop, crashes, various bugs,... Even capcom did better port. You need a high end Graphic card to play the game, with low settings. The game is very long, probably too much, there is a long This GTA is a real GTA, no problems with it. The characters we meet and the hero are fun, and are still the GTA spirit. But the port is probably the worst never seen, we have lots of inexplicable FPS drop, crashes, various bugs,... Even capcom did better port. You need a high end Graphic card to play the game, with low settings. The game is very long, probably too much, there is a long beginning, and many "useless" missions. The friends, and social thing we have ingame are quite fun and new, but sometimes get boring. You want to call friends NPC all day, and have dinner with them, and enjoy sending mail ? Buy sims3, we are in GTA... Conclusion : Pro : -NPC and hero are cool, as usual with GTA -story is interesting enough -the awesome amount of extra content is really cool (from cinema to tv show and internet) -graphism are not too bad, but not specially good con : -FPS drops on most graphic card (i have a nvidia 275GTX and i need to play on very low to keep my fps above 20) -bugs, bugs, and sometimes, bugs -the "friends" system become more and more boring further you go in the game. Expect to do something with one of them at least once by half an hour to keep them friendly. Spending about 10m to do so. So it make 1/3 of the game involving social things with IA. -many repetitive missions, slow beginning -all the copy protection there is, rockstar social club + windows media live,... Honestly, i guess there is far less trouble if you hack it. Advice : buy it, and download an illegal copy for installation purpose. I guess on console i should have note 6 or more, but im PC user, and your port is total garbage.… Expand
  3. AndyD
    Jan 2, 2010
    8
    Grand theft auto IV is a really good game, story is great, graphic is great, overall the game itself i would give 9,5 score.. GTA IV actually runs great IF you have a triple/quad core CPU, even a 9500 GT could do high/very high and runs it smoothly IF you have a nice CPU. BUT The DRM, rockstar social club, windows live, and all the must install things just to play the game kinda backs me Grand theft auto IV is a really good game, story is great, graphic is great, overall the game itself i would give 9,5 score.. GTA IV actually runs great IF you have a triple/quad core CPU, even a 9500 GT could do high/very high and runs it smoothly IF you have a nice CPU. BUT The DRM, rockstar social club, windows live, and all the must install things just to play the game kinda backs me off from giving this game a 9 or 10 score. if you could get by the ANNOYING installation, the game is very very good and enjoyable. :)… Expand
  4. MarkG
    Jan 1, 2010
    2
    Worst PC port ever made. The game runs horrible on my high end desktop. Its unbelievable that a huge company like rockstar could produce something like this.
  5. MarekP
    Dec 31, 2009
    8
    A. Correa about your PC I have the same with 2 GB RAM and It`s working FAST not SLOW I have Clean system about 500 MB XP 8600 fatal1ty professional 1,7 GB you can always sell It to someone else
  6. RickR.
    Dec 30, 2009
    9
    Bought this on steam holiday sale for
  7. NathanS
    Dec 24, 2009
    0
    First things first, I *have* a high end computer - 9GB DDR3, i7 processor, and GTX 260. And this game simply FAILS to run on my machine. Everything is up to date, and even their benchmark tool cannot run as (as far as I can tell) the loading screens were corrupted upon installation. Options menus tell me that I cannot use more than 850 MB of my RAM and are simply the most atrocious thing First things first, I *have* a high end computer - 9GB DDR3, i7 processor, and GTX 260. And this game simply FAILS to run on my machine. Everything is up to date, and even their benchmark tool cannot run as (as far as I can tell) the loading screens were corrupted upon installation. Options menus tell me that I cannot use more than 850 MB of my RAM and are simply the most atrocious thing I've ever seen for a major release. Lucky me that I got it on a Steam sale and have only lost about $8 from this absolute, throw away piece of trash. So now, here I sit, redownloading the entire 16GB game because Rockstar has failed to put everything together correctly, and now wtih my Rockstar Socail Club, Windows Live, and apparently Securom all built-in to a game that I purcheased through Steam, why should I bother to look into buying ANY other Rockstar releases? BTW - The only reason the PC version got such a high score is that Metacritic is pulling reviews from the console version of the game, since most reviewers didn't bother to install the PC release, since they were 7 months apart.… Expand
  8. RayMckormick
    Dec 24, 2009
    8
    GTA 4 is a sound game yes it has its flaws but for PC the modding is pretty cool and if you've already played it on xbox you could see how you could play the game differently. on the other hand there may be bugs and i wouldnt recomend paying exact full price. I got it on a steam sale for £4.99/$7.56 (roughly). its worth buying tho and the story is very good.
  9. JakeX
    Dec 23, 2009
    10
    Awesome game great storyline, dialouge, And much better then Saint's Row 2 By far!
  10. ChristopherB
    Dec 23, 2009
    4
    GTA IV for PC has so many errors its not even worth trying out. I hade over 15 errors in this game and it ended up in me sending this shitty game back to the store saying it was broke. If you whant GTA IV buy it for the PS3 or 360 otherwise its not worth one single penny.
  11. 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
  12. MooMan
    Dec 15, 2009
    7
    Lots of people bitch about how unoptimized the game is, but i bought it a year after it came out when the price was reduced to $30... I'd love to have bought it for $10. The game overheats my comp like no other, but at least it uses all 4 of my cores =) whoohoo duel core! Other than that, i'd say this game deserves a 7, because its a lot like the other GTA, even the story line. Lots of people bitch about how unoptimized the game is, but i bought it a year after it came out when the price was reduced to $30... I'd love to have bought it for $10. The game overheats my comp like no other, but at least it uses all 4 of my cores =) whoohoo duel core! Other than that, i'd say this game deserves a 7, because its a lot like the other GTA, even the story line. Betrayal, killing, murdering, being an idiot, etc… Expand
  13. JakeO
    Dec 14, 2009
    7
    In my opinion GTA IV is the best game I've bought this year, but it's terrible without a perfect gaming computer. I have a GTX260 graphics card, 2GB of RAM and a Dual core that's pretty fast - I get disconnected too much for having a 'slow PC' when every texture around me is loaded and every NPC doing their own thing already. GTA IV is perfect for really any type In my opinion GTA IV is the best game I've bought this year, but it's terrible without a perfect gaming computer. I have a GTX260 graphics card, 2GB of RAM and a Dual core that's pretty fast - I get disconnected too much for having a 'slow PC' when every texture around me is loaded and every NPC doing their own thing already. GTA IV is perfect for really any type of gamer, but there is just that problem that me and most other players have with running the game (disconnecting you for no reason)… Expand
  14. Dirtman73
    Dec 5, 2009
    3
    The good? Compelling story, awesome voice acting, realistic physics, superb audio on 5.1 speakers, attention to detail, Liberty City is big! The bad? DRM, RockStar Social Club (mandatory sign-up), Windows Live (mandatory log-in), shoddy PC port and coding, runs like crap on my high-end computer, subpar graphics, overly realistic car physics, unintuitive and unchangeable gamepad controls The good? Compelling story, awesome voice acting, realistic physics, superb audio on 5.1 speakers, attention to detail, Liberty City is big! The bad? DRM, RockStar Social Club (mandatory sign-up), Windows Live (mandatory log-in), shoddy PC port and coding, runs like crap on my high-end computer, subpar graphics, overly realistic car physics, unintuitive and unchangeable gamepad controls (possibly the worst I've ever experienced), lengthy learning curve, bugs & glitches galore (even after latest patch), the radio stations are entirely uninspired, horribly implemented camera modes, sparse documentation, etc. etc. etc. I could go on and on. It looks like RockStar have gotten way too big for their britches. They obviously don't give a fig about the PC market, so why bother releasing atrocious console-to-PC ports anymore? Spare us computer owners the pain, please!… Expand
  15. JasonL.
    Dec 3, 2009
    4
    GTA IV on the PC could have had the potential to be an amazing game, but there are a slew of problems that prevent it from reaching classic status. I'll only bother to list my biggest gripe about this game: the controls, whether you're playing with a keyboard or gamepad, are easily the most poorly implemented I've ever seen in a computer game. Unresponsive and needlessly GTA IV on the PC could have had the potential to be an amazing game, but there are a slew of problems that prevent it from reaching classic status. I'll only bother to list my biggest gripe about this game: the controls, whether you're playing with a keyboard or gamepad, are easily the most poorly implemented I've ever seen in a computer game. Unresponsive and needlessly complex, they are an invitation to a migraine headache every time I try to play. Want to explore Liberty City? Good luck with that if you're using a gamepad. The camera scheme (auto-follow) prohibits you from viewing the surroundings by instantly snapping back to the default position unless your character or vehicle is standing still. And you can't change any of the camera options or buttons if you're playing on an XBox controller. WTF were RockStar thinking? Follow my advice and purchase Saint's Row 2 instead. Even with its faults, at least that game is playable.… Expand
  16. ShawnJ
    Nov 4, 2009
    9
    Here's a non biased review of the PC version, and what you will need hardware wise to enjoy it. If you have the cash for a solid high end PC this game "WILL" run fine and it's highly enjoyable! The main reason you will require powerful PC is all down to the game engine been written/coded for the Xbox360's three Core CPU, which ticks along at 3.2GHz. So if your PC has a Here's a non biased review of the PC version, and what you will need hardware wise to enjoy it. If you have the cash for a solid high end PC this game "WILL" run fine and it's highly enjoyable! The main reason you will require powerful PC is all down to the game engine been written/coded for the Xbox360's three Core CPU, which ticks along at 3.2GHz. So if your PC has a slower CPU clock speed and less total Core numbers than a XBOX360; then I'm sorry to say don't even think about buying this game! After testing the game on various PC's it's of my opinion the' minimum real world' PC specification for a good quality GTAIV gaming experience is as follows: Q9550 (Or AMD Equivalent) 4GB DDRII NVidia GTX 260 or 280 (Or ATi Equivalent) Creative ZS2 Soundcard Quality Hard Drive with 85MB+ Read/Write Speeds With the above spec there should no reason for the game not to run smooth, unless your Windows Install is a total mess or the Software Drivers and massively out of date - neither will help matters. I should add, the game runs best via Vista64 or Windows7 64, unfortunately 32 bit versions and XP tend to cause a slight dip in FPS, I know this sounds crazy but its true... The game itself; I won't go into what to expect as most reviews cover that extensively, so will concentrate on what's improved or not over Console versions. Well as people have mentioned, you do have to put up with the clunky 'Games For Windows Live' & 'Rockstar Social Club' to enjoy this game, but if you have the PC power then it's well worth it as the game will look miles better than any Console version, and in my opinion is one the best games around for PC. The ragdoll physics are superb; shooting/blowing/smashing things up can't be topped and so unpredictable , physics really are still some of the best around! PC version has far more traffic and people, so the feeling of a populated City is much improved over Console version. If you have a GFX card with 1GB memory GTAIV is going to look very nice indeed on High/Highest GFX settings when compared to the Console versions, run the two versions side by side and the difference is immense! Mouse Controls make life so much easier for targeting and general movement, however should you be a diehard Console control fan; then buy a Official XBOX360 PC compatible Wired/Wireless control which works a treat. Online is the only area for me where the PC version falls down, support from Rockstar has been poor so far almost year on from release; by this I mean the online anti hacker support, the games online mode has been modded/hacked beyond belief so don't expect a cheat free online experience. On the bright side, the modding community is growing month by month so plenty of game customisation is available should you want to get a little extra out of the game. So there you have it, I've been straight up with no biased views and hope this helps people decide if the PC version is worth a try or not.… Expand
  17. JoeyV
    Nov 2, 2009
    9
    This game is absolutely incredible and greatly earned the title of Game of the Year of 2008. The gameplay is fantastic, the story is great, and the dialogue is well written, and hilarious. However, the port to the PC was handled atrociously, and you need an incredibly powerful rig to run it, and even with a top of the line gaming computer, the graphics still cannot be pushed to max This game is absolutely incredible and greatly earned the title of Game of the Year of 2008. The gameplay is fantastic, the story is great, and the dialogue is well written, and hilarious. However, the port to the PC was handled atrociously, and you need an incredibly powerful rig to run it, and even with a top of the line gaming computer, the graphics still cannot be pushed to max settings. Overall, the positives greatly outweigh the many negatives.… Expand
  18. A.Correa
    Oct 31, 2009
    0
    I should have read some opinions before buy. NEVER BELIEVE CRITICS REVIEWS. BELIEVE THE USERS. look at the difference: 9 and 4.5 ! I just installed in my core 2 duo Geforce 8600GT, 4GB RAM. Game runs slow as hell. Full of desapearing textures, unplayable. Just like other million players. DON'T BUY IT until Rockstar release some real fixing patch.
  19. YerkK
    Oct 26, 2009
    3
    I've had no problems running the game - and I thought the graphics looked pretty good. That's the only good thing about the game though - well, that and Nicko intimidating his enemies all the time.. playing through it felt more like performing a chore than actually playing. Sure, cars react more realistically. Not a good feature if you ask me - I want to have fun, not play a I've had no problems running the game - and I thought the graphics looked pretty good. That's the only good thing about the game though - well, that and Nicko intimidating his enemies all the time.. playing through it felt more like performing a chore than actually playing. Sure, cars react more realistically. Not a good feature if you ask me - I want to have fun, not play a crappy real-life simulator where you drive around crappy cars that spin out of control if you're making a 90 degree turn while driving 40 kmh... As I said, the gfx looks good, but the environment is gritty and colorless. You have to maintain social relationships all the time, which is a complete downer - yet the game expects you to go bowling, darting, dating and all manner of lame, dumb things, just to keep your friends (of which you soon get way too much) interested in you. The motivation of the main protagonist is vague at best; he keeps trying to get money, but you can't do much with it... there goes too much time in learning how to play, how to operate vehicles, guns, phones, etc... it's not intuitive. I didn't have much fun playing this game, but I still played it just to see the storyline unfold and because I have some weird completion phobia - the reward, seeing the story unfold, certainly didn't justify the playthrough. I advice the shoddy buggy pc version of Saints Row 2 over this game a millions times over this sorry excuse for a game. At least Saints Row 2 was fun. And isn't that what a game's supposed to be, fun?… Expand
  20. Epzo
    Oct 18, 2009
    10
    Ok fools check this out...it is cheaper to buy an Xbox 360 elite and this game rather then spend over a thousand dollars on a computer that can keep up with the graphics. having said that this game rocks and pc users should just suck it up and get an xbox to play this game at an optimal level.
  21. SanderB
    Oct 15, 2009
    1
    Using the steam version, I have an Nvidia GEForce 9500 card with 512 MB (Min is listed as 256) I have 2 gigs system memory, an ASUS motherboard and a 3.2 Ghz Pentium D chip. I was under the impression that qualifies as a dual core. THIS game runs like crap. The graphics are flat, and frankly a step back from San Andreas which I loved, and still load on occasion. The entire half life Using the steam version, I have an Nvidia GEForce 9500 card with 512 MB (Min is listed as 256) I have 2 gigs system memory, an ASUS motherboard and a 3.2 Ghz Pentium D chip. I was under the impression that qualifies as a dual core. THIS game runs like crap. The graphics are flat, and frankly a step back from San Andreas which I loved, and still load on occasion. The entire half life franchise runs brilliantly, any number of online games and other high graphics application run fine. None of this, however, compares to the aggravation of both the Rock Star Social Club and being forced to sign on to a Windows Live account. I could swear up a blue streak about being forced to pay $50 for the game AND be forced to take their version of "community" with it regardless of what I want, but..... suffice it to say I neither need nor want anything else trying to force it's way into my start up menu, and if I wanted to engage in social interaction with my gaming I would get world of warcraft. GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas all had me anticipating GTA 4 when it was announced. I don't think I'll be very interested in GTA 5.… Expand
  22. HJ
    Sep 23, 2009
    7
    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 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.… Expand
  23. TimothyL
    Sep 23, 2009
    9
    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 issuePeople 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...)… Expand
  24. TimothyL
    Sep 22, 2009
    10
    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 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.… Expand
  25. MartinZ.
    Sep 17, 2009
    9
    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 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.… Expand
  26. CanonY
    Sep 13, 2009
    9
    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, 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.… Expand
  27. TimJ
    Sep 6, 2009
    4
    Ok. This is a major step in the GTA series. The graphics are amazing and the storyline is actually quite good. The missions are fun, and randomly blowing up stuff around liberty city is amazing.

    But there's a HUGE downside. Optimization, very demanding on your system, not that enjoyable unless you have a new and expensive computer. You have to have a top-of-the-range computer to    Ok. This is a major step in the GTA series. The graphics are amazing and the storyline is actually quite good. The missions are fun, and randomly blowing up stuff around liberty city is amazing.

    But there's a HUGE downside. Optimization, very demanding on your system, not that enjoyable unless you have a new and expensive computer.

    You have to have a top-of-the-range computer to be able to run this game properly. When running it on medium to low settings, it looks like you're running GTA san andreas with slightly improved graphics. This game just has to have high settings to be played properly (IMO.) Rockstar rushed this, and just forgot about making it playable for people who don't have an Intel Core i7 and a 4870 X2    … Expand
  28. SS
    Aug 31, 2009
    0
    This game simply sucks. I could ignore the bad port but the gameplay and graphics simply sucks! All you have to do is drive from point A to point B with slow cars! The graphics look like god itself has shitted on the game, everything is so freakin' brown, all the colors + bloom are just killing my eyes. I simply can't play this game. And I doubt that anyone would like to pay 50$This game simply sucks. I could ignore the bad port but the gameplay and graphics simply sucks! All you have to do is drive from point A to point B with slow cars! The graphics look like god itself has shitted on the game, everything is so freakin' brown, all the colors + bloom are just killing my eyes. I simply can't play this game. And I doubt that anyone would like to pay 50$ for a horrible techdemo engine (gameplay doesn't count). People, there are better games in the world, why do you have to hype crap like this?… Expand
  29. BrettB
    Aug 19, 2009
    7
    ok here is the deal GTA IV is a fun but highly flawed game It runs like a pile of crap even on high end rigs this wouldent be such a big deal if the game had great graphics but it doesent the graphics are mearly passable but the physics are top notch. The gameplay is fun but there is not nearly enough weapons or cars and it always feels like you are wrestling with the controls to get yourok here is the deal GTA IV is a fun but highly flawed game It runs like a pile of crap even on high end rigs this wouldent be such a big deal if the game had great graphics but it doesent the graphics are mearly passable but the physics are top notch. The gameplay is fun but there is not nearly enough weapons or cars and it always feels like you are wrestling with the controls to get your car/character to do what you want also I cant see why they took a step back from San An by removing character stats and weapon skills because I found they where one of the things that made San An great.… Expand
  30. NickG
    Aug 18, 2009
    2
    I feel sorry for the poeple who have paid for this game (like my friend Steve). They are the only ones penalised by the DRM. Visuals are a bit better than San Andreas, but its a con. All of the great features of San Andreas were removed (no training, no silent kill). Too dumbed down.
  31. wolfdogelite
    Aug 6, 2009
    0
    I really enjoyed the other grand theft auto games, i had high hopes for this one, but as it turns out, I ended up purchasing a poorly optimized slap in the face from Rockstar games. I have a computer more than capable of playing Crysis and Crysis Warhead, maxed out with at least 40 fps! I have a Q9550 @ 4 Ghz, and Two GTX 260's in sli, and it tells me that i can't max it out, soI really enjoyed the other grand theft auto games, i had high hopes for this one, but as it turns out, I ended up purchasing a poorly optimized slap in the face from Rockstar games. I have a computer more than capable of playing Crysis and Crysis Warhead, maxed out with at least 40 fps! I have a Q9550 @ 4 Ghz, and Two GTX 260's in sli, and it tells me that i can't max it out, so i turned down the settings, tried to start the game, wont let me, apparently my computer isn't good enough for the dickheads at rockstar, you think they would test this sort of thing, but obviously they don't, it's frustrating. and with the number of other quality games out there, i wouldn't waste my time with this one, move on, it's just not worth it.… Expand
  32. MT
    Jul 27, 2009
    9
    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 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.… Expand
  33. 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.
  34. JeffS
    Jul 23, 2009
    0
    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 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.… Expand
  35. montu89cmontu89c
    Jul 19, 2009
    4
    I have been waiting to install this.Believe me! Its a crap.I dont care what others say.Car Control is awful.I dont know why they dint give an option to turn off steering with mouse.Bloody thing. I wonder why this game uses much resources.I admit the physics is unimaginable and excellent.I experienced this myself.Why do they add much small details?so that it resembles the living?But this I have been waiting to install this.Believe me! Its a crap.I dont care what others say.Car Control is awful.I dont know why they dint give an option to turn off steering with mouse.Bloody thing. I wonder why this game uses much resources.I admit the physics is unimaginable and excellent.I experienced this myself.Why do they add much small details?so that it resembles the living?But this is pain in the butt.It has an excellent graphics.But at what cost?Completely buying a new PC?… Expand
  36. Russiangangsta
    Jul 19, 2009
    9
    I say the game Grand theft auto IV is a great game, based on my theory, and interpretation. The individual, which is playing gets to experience a lot ideas, missions, actual, places on earth. Basically my vote was fair for the game. The game is especially good for multiplayer. The game is hysterically fun.
  37. JackP
    Jun 21, 2009
    9
    INSTILLATION AND PERFORMANCE Yesterday I purchased GTAlV off steam. I let it download over night and when I woke up it was done (aprox 15hrs 320kb/s). It did not take long to sign up for windows live and rockstar social club. I went into the game and started to play. I found there was quite a bit of stuttering on the default setting. I turned them down a bit and now I am getting about 25- INSTILLATION AND PERFORMANCE Yesterday I purchased GTAlV off steam. I let it download over night and when I woke up it was done (aprox 15hrs 320kb/s). It did not take long to sign up for windows live and rockstar social club. I went into the game and started to play. I found there was quite a bit of stuttering on the default setting. I turned them down a bit and now I am getting about 25- 45 fps (36 Average), although on my system it starts to stutter a bit at night. AUDIO: The audio is amazing in this game. Voice over and character acting is up to par with some of the great action movies of all time. The vehicles sound very realistic and civillian comments are always funny! The honking sounds have been reworked and the sirens are very realistic. GRAPHICS: The graphics are good but I think this is the area where it loses one point. The lines look very jagged on my system and I do not think there is a way to turn Anti-Aliasing on. Also when I look at the graphics I think my computer should be handling the game better (more fps) but I can see that rockstar did no maximize the performance of the game. GAMEPLAY: AH yes! The best GTA gameplay to date. You can hail a cab, go bowling, take a subway train across the city, go to stand up comedy performances, watch TV, and a whole lot more! Also a new cover system has been implemented, which works but not as well as Gears of War I would say. I STRONGLY recommend you to buy this game if you have a decent computer! SPECS: 3GB DDR2 800 RAM ASUS 9800GT 512mb Intel Core 2 duo 2.33ghz x2.… Expand
  38. Alex.
    Jun 18, 2009
    10
    I don't know why a lot of people had problems with it. It works just fine on my Hp. And on top of that, I love the game. It's one of the more mature GTA games, and I really like how Rockstar played this one out. One of my favorite games.
  39. Dalekc
    Jun 11, 2009
    0
    THIS GAME IS TERRIBLE! Now listen, ignore the critics giving it 100 because they got a magical GTA 4 pc to play it on. Now my pc is pretty good but I didn't even have a chance to do the first mission, why? Well because I got a stupid runtime error and GTA IV has stopped working and this is with the steam version guys. It took almost 20 hrs to download on steam and you have to sign up THIS GAME IS TERRIBLE! Now listen, ignore the critics giving it 100 because they got a magical GTA 4 pc to play it on. Now my pc is pretty good but I didn't even have a chance to do the first mission, why? Well because I got a stupid runtime error and GTA IV has stopped working and this is with the steam version guys. It took almost 20 hrs to download on steam and you have to sign up for some stupid Rockstar social club to save your game! wtf?! also windows live is added to it which makes multiplayer 49x worse. It is good for the console as I have heard from others but not the pc. This has been the worst GTA of all time for the pc.… Expand
  40. JamesF
    Jun 3, 2009
    4
    The game itself simply amazing, as anyone who has played it for 10 minutes should know. However, PC user have again been screwed over. The late release, the mountains and mountains of bugs and glitches along with the terrible frame rates and useless patches really give a bad edge to the PC version of GTAIV.
  41. EnglishDan
    May 25, 2009
    10
    I don't see why people hate this game, good graphics, and I can even play it on my laptop which has a GeForce 9200M chip in it and it plays fine, i also have this on PS3 and i think the PC version is better. The only problem i have is that on my PC which has a GTX 260, GTA wont let me turn the graphics up any further, and i think my PC could handle a lot better graphics, but apart I don't see why people hate this game, good graphics, and I can even play it on my laptop which has a GeForce 9200M chip in it and it plays fine, i also have this on PS3 and i think the PC version is better. The only problem i have is that on my PC which has a GTX 260, GTA wont let me turn the graphics up any further, and i think my PC could handle a lot better graphics, but apart from that, no problems at all.… Expand
  42. foxstranger
    May 23, 2009
    2
    Yes graphics and physics good, but ability, scenario much worse than SA, never buy this game, do not made the same mistake! Try pirated version at least, there is nice working crack with some bugs if you want!(AND majka not mother in russian LOL(you dumb polska) there are no NO problems(in word translate)"without problems in russian" either!).
  43. KennieKennie
    May 23, 2009
    2
    The game presents inferior quality compared to the ones prior to him. There is a feel of emptyness from the start to the end. You dont have half the choices you had in San Andreas, the world is smaller, more boring, the story is far worse, there are so many characters that you end up forgeting who is who and missing half of it. It feels like San Andreas story is more non-linear than The game presents inferior quality compared to the ones prior to him. There is a feel of emptyness from the start to the end. You dont have half the choices you had in San Andreas, the world is smaller, more boring, the story is far worse, there are so many characters that you end up forgeting who is who and missing half of it. It feels like San Andreas story is more non-linear than IV's, even though IV's is supposed to be made non-linear in some way. It is incredibly repetitive. The whole game end up being "going from point A to point B", there is no other reason to do anything else. Graphics are good, but at what cost? hell, they are not only incredibly heavy but also incredibly buggy! The radios are awful, they cannot be compared to any of those of any GTA that came before this one. Another thing that is just outrageous is the quantity of stereotipes there are in the game. From the main character, a russian immigrant, to radio programs talking about terrorism and stuff and the "american dream". Also, DRM protection ends up screwing up all the rest of the things the game had. Let alone all the things you have to do in order to play it (*cough social club and windows live cough*). The only thing done right in this game are the little details. Cars not turning on, deformable cars, etc. Although as i said, some of them are absolutly useless. (like taking a cab, the stupid shows you can go watching, etc). However this is not nearly enough to make IV a good game. All of what this game is made of is hype. A major step back from San Andreas.… Expand
  44. YuraT.
    Apr 26, 2009
    9
    No comment
  45. Slayer_27
    Apr 16, 2009
    2
    I heard nothing but bad things about this game. I have a pretty high end computer and it runs like crap at medium high settings. You have to have a card with 6846541867MB of texture memory to max out the draw distance. The install took years, even compared to GoW(one of the longest game install I have had). Your graphics card almost has no effect on the gameplay, no SLI/X-Fire support, I heard nothing but bad things about this game. I have a pretty high end computer and it runs like crap at medium high settings. You have to have a card with 6846541867MB of texture memory to max out the draw distance. The install took years, even compared to GoW(one of the longest game install I have had). Your graphics card almost has no effect on the gameplay, no SLI/X-Fire support, more bugs than an insect exhibit at a zoo and needs a 12GHz quad core to handle the terrible excuse for a port of sloppy coding that was likely done overnight. I could only get ~20 fps on mediums settings with a 3.2GHz quad core at 1024*768. This game is terrible. I was so disappointed by the game performance, install time, size and 1300 things I had to sign up for I uninstalled the game the same day. I might consider purchasing it later if they can fix the bugs, add multi GPU support, fit it on one disk and clean up the sloppy code. Just because people are using quads and 4+GB of RAM is no excuse to make sloppy pitiful ports. Rockstar has lost a lot of support from this port. I think they should have not have hired chimps to code the game. The graphics are nice and that is all I can say positive bout the game.… Expand
  46. CD
    Mar 27, 2009
    10
    I really don't understand why so many people hate the PC version of GTAIV. I still have an 8800 GT (which is obsolete) and I can still run the game on graphics high enough that the game doesn't look terrible. I bought the game off Steam, so I can install the game as many times as I need to. The only things that bug me are how some of the achievements require a lot of thinking to I really don't understand why so many people hate the PC version of GTAIV. I still have an 8800 GT (which is obsolete) and I can still run the game on graphics high enough that the game doesn't look terrible. I bought the game off Steam, so I can install the game as many times as I need to. The only things that bug me are how some of the achievements require a lot of thinking to get (like One Man Army), and how the Social Club maximizes every time I play another game and won't open up if I accidentally hit the close button instead of the minimize button.… Expand
  47. ArtemK
    Mar 27, 2009
    7
    Only 7 for PC port. It's not too bad PC port. But the problem is: I reside in Russia and I can't play multiplayer without headache with Hamachi or OpenVPN because... LIVE is not available in many developed countries!
    Another problems conclude in: poor framerate, bad optimization, f***cking DVD protection with activation and many more..
  48. 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.
  49. 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
  50. BenJ
    Mar 16, 2009
    8
    Great game, apart from the lock up problems and the archaic use of DVD copy protections (having to leave the dvd in the drive is the most annoying concept ever invented). Looks great, plays great, great story. I do understand the criticisms though, the cars are a bit boaty... bit more realism in handling would be nice. However, the frame rates are fine on my 280 in 1920x1200, so I Great game, apart from the lock up problems and the archaic use of DVD copy protections (having to leave the dvd in the drive is the most annoying concept ever invented). Looks great, plays great, great story. I do understand the criticisms though, the cars are a bit boaty... bit more realism in handling would be nice. However, the frame rates are fine on my 280 in 1920x1200, so I don't know what Joel is on about.… Expand
  51. StephenP
    Mar 15, 2009
    1
    This was an amazing game, but rockstar and microsoft made this PC port a nightmare. You have to sign up to their ridiculous "clubs" and the performance is absolutely shameful. If you want to play this game, play it on the Xbox 360.
  52. WH
    Mar 14, 2009
    0
    I've played every GTA game since GTA London and this is the only one I've disliked. The biggest problem i encountered with this game was that the buildings started to disappear within about 15 minutes of gameplay(and the poor frame rate), and its not as though i have an old computer(2.8Ghz quad, 2GB ram, Radeon 4850). The only way to get around that problem is to have a memory I've played every GTA game since GTA London and this is the only one I've disliked. The biggest problem i encountered with this game was that the buildings started to disappear within about 15 minutes of gameplay(and the poor frame rate), and its not as though i have an old computer(2.8Ghz quad, 2GB ram, Radeon 4850). The only way to get around that problem is to have a memory optimizer running at the same time. That said, if i were to consider the gameplay alone, i would give it a 2 or 3, its not like i didnt have at least a few minutes of fun smashing the cars up in a variety of ways, but due to the "clown car" handling and the astounding lack of variety in the missions,aircraft(not one plane it would seem!) and environment i got bored within a couple of days. Maybe its just that R* spoiled us with the excellence of San Andreas and its epic range of activities, so, to finish i would say - DONT BUY IT! try mercs 2 instead.… Expand
  53. ThomasJ
    Mar 10, 2009
    4
    Why a 4? I tell you they said in most reveiw That you need a good computer to run well. I dont agree. Since a pc 2.40mhz 4GB ram and 1GB grafic does not help the issues the game has. Small graphic glicthes. They said. Major Graphic problem I say. I say I have seldom got so annoyed when I playd a game. In apartment after save I always have to tab out and in the game again since the screen Why a 4? I tell you they said in most reveiw That you need a good computer to run well. I dont agree. Since a pc 2.40mhz 4GB ram and 1GB grafic does not help the issues the game has. Small graphic glicthes. They said. Major Graphic problem I say. I say I have seldom got so annoyed when I playd a game. In apartment after save I always have to tab out and in the game again since the screen goes all blur. Same in Internet cafe, some times under the bridges and I think it is the wheater motor in the game, its when its raining and sunset time. And the game lag if I have more then 1600-1200 and max out on the rest. And the fact no patch for dual graphic cards its s big time. And the game play. Sorry I'm not in to have to play some one that cant even speak proper English I'm a Swede but playing a Bos-Serb does not make me goo Who! And have to look like potato nose guy. Give me a plastic surgen in the game, and not have the good stuff to look forward in the old games like buying property. What is this? Its not GTA. … Expand
  54. DaveM
    Mar 8, 2009
    10
    One of the best games I have ever played. Worked well for me with a slightly under par CPU AMD64 4400 which was my 20-25 ish FPS bottleneck (9800 GTX+ graphics). Only had an occassional lock up (always within the scripted sequences and never whilst driving etc). Registering Games for Windows and Rockstar Club - a relatively minor inconvenience. I have since re-installed upon a higher specOne of the best games I have ever played. Worked well for me with a slightly under par CPU AMD64 4400 which was my 20-25 ish FPS bottleneck (9800 GTX+ graphics). Only had an occassional lock up (always within the scripted sequences and never whilst driving etc). Registering Games for Windows and Rockstar Club - a relatively minor inconvenience. I have since re-installed upon a higher spec machine I7 920 CPU with 295GTX card and so far not a single problem and over 60FPS.… Expand
  55. 3kliksphilip
    Mar 5, 2009
    10
    OH NO THIS GAME DOESN'T RUN ON MY 4 YEAR OLD LAPTOP! 0 STARS because micro$ucks is gay and hates us all the the illuminatii will take over the world if you bye this game also I think that the world will end in 2012 and also Deus Ex IW was a good game. So 0 stars for this one.
  56. ChaseEvans
    Mar 5, 2009
    2
    DON'T DRINK THE COOLAID! This game is down right terrible for PC. Does Splinter Cell: Double Agent for PC ring a bell to anyone? If so, then you already know what I'm talking about.
    If not, believe me when Joel and I tell you that this is a terrible PC port of the game. Do not buy it!! I AM WARNING YOU!
    I give it a 2/10. The two goes towards the marketing team for doing    DON'T DRINK THE COOLAID! This game is down right terrible for PC. Does Splinter Cell: Double Agent for PC ring a bell to anyone? If so, then you already know what I'm talking about.
    If not, believe me when Joel and I tell you that this is a terrible PC port of the game. Do not buy it!! I AM WARNING YOU!
    I give it a 2/10. The two goes towards the marketing team for doing such a great job at over hyping this craptastic game. If it wasn't for marketing doing their job ridiculously well, I would have rated 1/10.    … Expand
  57. Joel
    Feb 28, 2009
    3
    This game, regarding game-play only, is a strong 7. That gets halved thanks to the Rockstar "club", Microsoft Live "club", and technical issues. Average, but there are better and more extensive sandbox games out there. The PC implementation of this game is HORRIFIC. Truly terrible in just about every way imaginable.
    Completely unplayable out of the box. Required re-installation of    This game, regarding game-play only, is a strong 7. That gets halved thanks to the Rockstar "club", Microsoft Live "club", and technical issues. Average, but there are better and more extensive sandbox games out there. The PC implementation of this game is HORRIFIC. Truly terrible in just about every way imaginable.
    Completely unplayable out of the box. Required re-installation of video drivers, special tuning and de-tuning just to get textures and shading to look like something half resembling the Xbox 360 version. Frame rates are terrible even on modern high end PCs.

    I can see no reason for this to have a metacritic score above 75 for game-play, or above 40 once you account for the failed PC conversion. Unbelievable.    … Expand
  58. LourensD.
    Feb 28, 2009
    9
    This game can easily score a 10/10 - all Rockstar had to do was polish the game a bit and not remove critical things from the game like Ambulance etc etc missions. Other than that the game is insane fun and comes highly recommended from my side. Multiplayer is also a blast with friends and a hit at LAN parties. It runs quite smooth on my 2.5Ghz Q9300 PC. Now we just need to wait for R* to This game can easily score a 10/10 - all Rockstar had to do was polish the game a bit and not remove critical things from the game like Ambulance etc etc missions. Other than that the game is insane fun and comes highly recommended from my side. Multiplayer is also a blast with friends and a hit at LAN parties. It runs quite smooth on my 2.5Ghz Q9300 PC. Now we just need to wait for R* to patch the game up a bit to remove the minor glitches and to allow weaker/older PCs to play the game as well.… Expand
  59. CH
    Feb 27, 2009
    10
    This game probably has one of the largest criticsusers score difference. Completely undeserved. Alright, maybe not completely but it definitely doesn't deserve 4.2 user score i can assure you. Only reason for that is game's instability on SOME systems. I've played it for a month and it only crushed maybe 2-3 times. I have Core 2 Quad 2,4 Ghz, Nvidia 9800 gtx, 3 gb Ram, Xp This game probably has one of the largest criticsusers score difference. Completely undeserved. Alright, maybe not completely but it definitely doesn't deserve 4.2 user score i can assure you. Only reason for that is game's instability on SOME systems. I've played it for a month and it only crushed maybe 2-3 times. I have Core 2 Quad 2,4 Ghz, Nvidia 9800 gtx, 3 gb Ram, Xp sp2 (changed in registry to sp3 because the game MUST have sp3 lol) and the game is running smoothly on everything MAX except AA (off). I have all the latest drivers and patches. It's one of the best games I've ever played both graphicsaudiostoryhumoreverything is top quality. Just 3 advices before you decide to buy: 1. The game takes really long time to install so be prepared. Have minesweepertetrissolitaire in background :) 2. Even after install it requires some ridiculously complex things to install alongside with the game before it will start. When you buy it may still be wise to scout the net for "alternate" ways to start it :) 3. As others have mentioned, the game requires quite a machine to run smoothly. If you don't have it, don't buy the game. Wait for a couple more years and then try it, You wont regret it, believe me.… Expand
  60. DanielD.
    Feb 26, 2009
    10
    The best Game I ever seen for PC Don't mind with the other people that says that is crap or something, if you have a powerful PC with a good VGA you will be amazed with the game! PS: GTA IV uses much CPU Power because it uses the Euphoria engine that uses more CPU power to physics.
  61. SimonM
    Feb 23, 2009
    4
    The appalling drunken heaving of the cars feels like you are riding a heaving hovercraft. The slightest tap on steering on the car lurches about like a bouncy castle. Pretty much destroys the main point of the game. Do not even attempt to play this without a controller. Apart from that it is a reasonable game, not great looking, but the driving is so bad that I just got bored and gave up S.
  62. TomB.
    Feb 21, 2009
    9
    This is a brilliant game. How can you winge and winge about it's technical issues? Get the console version if it just don't work on ur pc. Yes the technical requirements are criminal but u should always be prepared for trouble if your pc only just scrapes them. A decent graphics card and a fairly clean hard drive should make the game play fine for a whle. Mine occaisionally This is a brilliant game. How can you winge and winge about it's technical issues? Get the console version if it just don't work on ur pc. Yes the technical requirements are criminal but u should always be prepared for trouble if your pc only just scrapes them. A decent graphics card and a fairly clean hard drive should make the game play fine for a whle. Mine occaisionally crashes and comes up with a message saying "Fatal error please re-install" but i just ignore it and load it again and it's fine. This game has a fantastic story and recently been on offer on steam. A tenner i got it for . Bonus. Good luck to those who can't get it to work. Maybe a console version would be more desirable.… Expand
  63. Jason
    Feb 19, 2009
    7
    To be fair this game deserves an 8 if it were polished sufficiently. The details of the gta 4 world is first rate and the pseudo-realism of the whole game. The bad part is that it wasn't optimized properly for the PC (blame over-hyping). If you've got a minimum spec PC, be prepared to play it on low textures and a lower screen-size (800x600 or 800x484). Things look and play To be fair this game deserves an 8 if it were polished sufficiently. The details of the gta 4 world is first rate and the pseudo-realism of the whole game. The bad part is that it wasn't optimized properly for the PC (blame over-hyping). If you've got a minimum spec PC, be prepared to play it on low textures and a lower screen-size (800x600 or 800x484). Things look and play better at that resolution. Don't push it all the way. Graphics are if-fy due to poor optimization with ATI cards. Rockstar should have done a better!… Expand
  64. DavidP.
    Feb 15, 2009
    8
    Whats with all the 0? I had very few problems with the game and it runs fine and smooth.But....windows live and rockstar social club is annoying.First it takes about 5 mins to load up the game so by then im on Counter Strike or sumthing and the "play"menu pops up and freezes my computer.Another thing is the cops.There AI is so dumb it will be like fighting a piece of paper.Installing was Whats with all the 0? I had very few problems with the game and it runs fine and smooth.But....windows live and rockstar social club is annoying.First it takes about 5 mins to load up the game so by then im on Counter Strike or sumthing and the "play"menu pops up and freezes my computer.Another thing is the cops.There AI is so dumb it will be like fighting a piece of paper.Installing was a pain.It took about 5 hours to complete.After i got all that out of the way i was happy with gta 4 and i recemend this to anyone!… Expand
  65. seppot
    Feb 12, 2009
    8
    Well, GTA IV really is good game. I dont understand why people are crying that it doesnt work on their computer. COME ON LEARN TO INSTALL GAMES! Well, my computer barely runs this game, but that doesn't mean that the game sucks. The system requirements are too high. I got this game on steam and it have to keep this programs on while playing: Windows live, Rockstar social club and Well, GTA IV really is good game. I dont understand why people are crying that it doesnt work on their computer. COME ON LEARN TO INSTALL GAMES! Well, my computer barely runs this game, but that doesn't mean that the game sucks. The system requirements are too high. I got this game on steam and it have to keep this programs on while playing: Windows live, Rockstar social club and steam. You're going to have a really good computer if you buy this game. I had nothing problems with installation. I give 8 for this becouse this game haven't been designed well for pc but at ps3 this deserves 10.… Expand
  66. kcw
    Feb 10, 2009
    1
    Took me 2 hours to get this game installed and the amount of other software you have to sign up to is ludicrous. I've tried to play the game and haven't lasted more than 2 minutes without bsod or lock-up. I've been gaming since speccy days and I've never paid for something so obviously poor and broken as GTA4. I've got a pretty decent spec machine, but what can Took me 2 hours to get this game installed and the amount of other software you have to sign up to is ludicrous. I've tried to play the game and haven't lasted more than 2 minutes without bsod or lock-up. I've been gaming since speccy days and I've never paid for something so obviously poor and broken as GTA4. I've got a pretty decent spec machine, but what can you do with such a poor conversion. I only paid £10 for the game, but still feel ripped off! This kind of thing should not be allowed to happen and I definitely will not be buying another Rockstar game again.… Expand
  67. apox
    Feb 10, 2009
    8
    I feel I have to defend against some of the negative views here - I'll try to present a more balanced review. In short, GTAIV, if you get it running, is a fantastic game, and I would rate it 9/10+ if it were not for the technical issues. The city is amazing, the cars handle brilliantly, the story is interesting, the characters are entertaining and the humorous dialogue regularly has I feel I have to defend against some of the negative views here - I'll try to present a more balanced review. In short, GTAIV, if you get it running, is a fantastic game, and I would rate it 9/10+ if it were not for the technical issues. The city is amazing, the cars handle brilliantly, the story is interesting, the characters are entertaining and the humorous dialogue regularly has me laughing out loud. There are bugs, but nothing close to game breaking for me. The bad: Fortunately I upgraded not long after getting this, but my old PC (1.86GHz Core 2) would not run it in any playable way. My new comp (3GHz core 2, HD 4870) runs it at 1680x1050 without any problems. So basically, unless you are well above the min specs, or are planning to upgrade, it's probably not worth getting just now. To me the worst thing is having to sign in to windows live (horrible system, doesn't always connect - and why should i have to always be onl) and rockstar social club to play. It is a rubbish system and I hope sales are hurt by it and rockstar seriously revamp things for their next release. So there you are, I'm sure it could have been many times better than it is had more time/resources been spent on the port than on the copy protection, but if you can get it running, it's a great game.… Expand
  68. MarcSigglekow
    Feb 10, 2009
    9
    I like the game the gameplay is realy nice and it makes lot of fun Its a nice map , nice and dinamic story / world and the multiplayer is fuckng nice too
    I know there are lot ofs proplem with instaling the gam and and and.... but thats has nothing to do with the gameplay so 9 points - and I didnt had any proplems with the installing and I didnt get One error message
  69. NadalFrancisco
    Feb 6, 2009
    0
    i don't know if the game is good or not becouse simply I cannot play with my computer. and actually i can play to any other game,it's not a bad computer. i would like to know what machines did the people use that sored it as a 10 (or magazines with 100).

    this is not a game, is a no-game.
  70. turreo.
    Jan 31, 2009
    0
    Come on Metacritic. This game doesn't deserve any near of 89! You should listen what the players have to say, and just calculate the score from players and critic reviews together. Reading these critics' reviews makes me ask did they even play the game, or spend 50 dollars of it!? The game is horrible, including all the problems and the fact that you need a supercomputer to be Come on Metacritic. This game doesn't deserve any near of 89! You should listen what the players have to say, and just calculate the score from players and critic reviews together. Reading these critics' reviews makes me ask did they even play the game, or spend 50 dollars of it!? The game is horrible, including all the problems and the fact that you need a supercomputer to be even able to play it. Finally a game that deserves 0.… Expand
  71. CableGuyS
    Jan 27, 2009
    10
    One of the best games of the year, if you can't install it on your computer somthing is seriousy failing on it. I hvae a 3Ghz Duo Core, 8600GT, 3GB of RAM, and it works PERFECTLY fine. So to all the people that give this game a bad score, stop having a winge because you can't even install it on your fail-computer, and stop saying the c ritics were 'paid' to give it aOne of the best games of the year, if you can't install it on your computer somthing is seriousy failing on it. I hvae a 3Ghz Duo Core, 8600GT, 3GB of RAM, and it works PERFECTLY fine. So to all the people that give this game a bad score, stop having a winge because you can't even install it on your fail-computer, and stop saying the c ritics were 'paid' to give it a good review, they obviously know how to build a computer properly.… Expand
  72. Dave
    Jan 27, 2009
    0
    Even just installing the game i ran into all sorts of problems i kept on getting a corrupt media error message after buying a legitimate version, it happened so often that i just decided to hit ignore and then thought that running the setup again and select repair would fix any issues..wrong!...after about 30 minutes the game crashed and popped up with a fatal error message Zlib20 which Even just installing the game i ran into all sorts of problems i kept on getting a corrupt media error message after buying a legitimate version, it happened so often that i just decided to hit ignore and then thought that running the setup again and select repair would fix any issues..wrong!...after about 30 minutes the game crashed and popped up with a fatal error message Zlib20 which apparently according to rockstar means that i need to reinstall the game!! i did, got install error messages again so figured....i have a mate whos got the same game "i'll just borrow theirs and then just use my key" installed fine no error messages so i figured the game would be good to play....wrong!!....the game crashed before i even got to the second mission with roman!!, I've been patient and reinstalled the game few times (maybe 6 in total). But now i have had enough They have released a 2nd patch already to fix the issues that they (rockstar) added too the game in the first patch! I installed the patch (second one) and now the game just freezes after 5 minutes of being in a car! I really would have liked the game had it have worked im sure of that but the issues, bugs, and problems with it are far to numerous and widespread for me to recommend this game to anyone!... the thing that is frustrating is that the mate i borrowed the game discs from is having no issues with the game and their PC specs aren't as good as mine so no i not only have a game that doesn… Expand
  73. Clare
    Jan 25, 2009
    2
    Fantastic game. If you can actually play it. Don't dignify Rockstar with paying for this if you can help it. They don't deserve to be paid for such horrendous optimization. "Ah, but I want to play multiplayer!" Says the one whom would rather buy it. Knock yourself out - too bad everyone you'll be playing with will get consistently dropped from the game due to having a poor Fantastic game. If you can actually play it. Don't dignify Rockstar with paying for this if you can help it. They don't deserve to be paid for such horrendous optimization. "Ah, but I want to play multiplayer!" Says the one whom would rather buy it. Knock yourself out - too bad everyone you'll be playing with will get consistently dropped from the game due to having a poor framerate on their quad-cores.… Expand
  74. DougS
    Jan 24, 2009
    2
    As a software engineer at a company that makes software quality assurance products, I feel I can speak with some authority when I say the PC release of GTA4 is a colossal failure by either Rockstar's QA department or management. The game itself is quite good, but the workmanship is by far the worst I have ever seen on a game I have beta tested, much less a final product.
  75. JohnF
    Jan 22, 2009
    1
    While this port of the game is terrible and really a dissapointment when we wated half a year longer than consoles. What really gets me is Valve selecting to show the oddly high ratings for a game that is generally awful. If they don't show real users opion I think they should take the ratings down or move away from metacritic.
  76. 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
  77. Em_JW
    Jan 20, 2009
    2
    I was tempted to go on an angry rant, but I want to be objective and fair here. Overall, there will be one thing I will *never* forget and always associate with this game. It has one supercritical flaw: -It runs like sh*t- I'm not exaggerating one bit. Ive been building and repairing pc hardware for over 10 years now, and have always been an avid gamer. I play many brand new titles I was tempted to go on an angry rant, but I want to be objective and fair here. Overall, there will be one thing I will *never* forget and always associate with this game. It has one supercritical flaw: -It runs like sh*t- I'm not exaggerating one bit. Ive been building and repairing pc hardware for over 10 years now, and have always been an avid gamer. I play many brand new titles and have few problems, often able to play 1900x1200 with every option enabled including antialiasing and plenty of texture post-processing on other new titles such as All source games (including L4D, TF2 etc.), Fallout3, Mirror's Edge and the list goes on... Obviously this is not because my hardware is not up to task. This is one of the worst pieces of software I've ever encountered. The game is very, very, VERY poorly programed. To boot, GTA IV doesn't even look good. The graphics look very dated in comparison with titles released recently. It crashes... alot. This program has managed to generate more faults and errors than any other application I have ever installed. I'd even go so far as to say known malware runs more stably. I wish I was exaggerating, but this is the sad, sad truth that is GTA IV for PC. I attempted for days to improve the performance and stability of this program using every workaround and trick I know of including: 1) trying over a dozen different combinations of drivers 2) both versions of the game 3) manually editing nearly every configuration in the program directory 4) multiple OS's (vista and XP pro) 5) multiple bios and firmware combinations 6) alteration of my OS (killing services, disabling/enabling access, security, automatic memory remapping apps, cache utilities) 7) I even cleared out enough room on my scsi 15k rpm HDD... No effect on performance. (Oh let me add that the install directory is rediculous. 15 gigs!? of *what* may I ask?) 8)multiple brand new graphics cards including an ATI 4850 overclock addition (asus) and XFX nvidia geforce 9800. Did any of this work, at all? Actually, somewhat. But the performance is unbelievably bad even when I take the best results from all of the above. Given the Xbox 360's hardware, (http://hardware.teamxbox.com/articles/xbox/1144/The-Xbox-360-System-Specifications/p1 if you're curious) most modern PC gaming rigs shouldn't break a sweat running this software. However, my problems with this awfully coded mess are not isolated, but rather the typical experience. Ludicrous. How did rockstar miss these problems? Greater than 50% of users are having awful issues, how many different pcs did they playtest this on? One? None? Grand Theft is an apt title. I feel no better than grifted, swindled and conned for purchasing this garbage. The programmers should be truly ashamed. Rockstar has also made no attempt to repair their broken software nor have they even *acknowledged* that these severe issues exist to this degree. The finale of this ridiculum is that once I was able to stabilize the software to the point that I could play through an appreciable portion of the game, it was really pretty average. The gameplay is alright... Pretty similar to san-andreas, with the notable exception that the animations are vastly superior. You are able to traverse objects a little better, and the cover system does add some substance to combat. I'd give the gameplay a 7/10, its decent, but still sort of the same old thing. Vehicle mechanics are really very good, with notable attention to realistic traction, but the general physics still have a very toy like, very poor quality. They really didn't think outside the box too much, alot of the mission content is completely rehashed from the original GTA III engine titles. The plot is actually pretty good, and the voice actors seem to be above average. Its pretty entertaining plot wise. Nearly all of the new content additions are terrible though. The cellphone is an abomination. People bother you on your cellphone too much. I hate this in reality, let alone in a leisure activity. I don't want people calling me all the time and being obligated to do what they ask me. I can only play the stupid ingame pool once or twice before it becomes extremely tiresome. To make it worse, you're punished for not doing this by losing reputation. Dating a computer character? Give me a break, this doen't even resemble fun. A virtual internet complete with virtual spam? What the hell did they bother spending time on this for? Does anyone actually appreciate this? Its really *not* clever, I wish they would have spent this time play testing this garbled up mess of code. -Bottom Line- This software is almost completely broken, and riddled with issues. It barely works. To quote the great philosopher James Rolf (AVGN), "What a sh*tload of f*ck" It comes packaged with all this bloatware that makes irritated as well. I don't use 'windows live' for anything, and its nothing but a marketing ploy with no substance. 'Rockstar Social Club' is equally useless or worse, as I suspect these applications present very serious security flaws. They run scripts and leave open ports, and I feel there is a high likelyhood that these applications will be exploited as entry points. Its really just the insult added to injury.… Expand
  78. Jon
    Jan 19, 2009
    7
    I agree with all of the criticism re. DRM and set up. It seems pointless given how quickly pirated/cracked copies arrive online these days. Quite why the game requires registration to Rockstar Social club AND Windows Live is beyond me. Isn't one enough? I had to retrace my steps when I discovered that although I'd completed registration for windows live, I hadn't I agree with all of the criticism re. DRM and set up. It seems pointless given how quickly pirated/cracked copies arrive online these days. Quite why the game requires registration to Rockstar Social club AND Windows Live is beyond me. Isn't one enough? I had to retrace my steps when I discovered that although I'd completed registration for windows live, I hadn't 'linked' the accounts. I had to re-play from the start to unlock acheivement awards and features - (yeah, all pretty daft and unecessary). On top of this there is a serial key and Securom - which I deplore since I have had real problems with this in the past on my old pc. The irony is that illegal downloaders don't go through any of this, so what is the point? Initially I believed that this kind of DRM was there to stop piracy but now I think it's more about killing the used games market. I have so many registrations to different accounts over the last year that it's just getting silly. I am also annoyed that a game that started life and gained its reputation on the PC is now poorly ported over from the 360 - as a result, despite what the packaging states, the 'real world' system requirements are outrageously demanding. Believe when I say that you need serious hardware to get optimum settings on this game. I have 4GB ram, a quad core and a 1GB HD4870 - well in excess of the recommended specs. I have installed a patch as well as a fix for Windows Live but I still wouldn't deem the gameplay smooth. There are still graphical glitches and stuttering frame rates throughout the game and I hope Rockstar put some serious effort into fixing these. In spite of this I still think it's a cracking game, though I'm die hard and have played GTA from its earliest incarnation. The story and characters are the best yet. The game is as bloody as ever but it really has a conscience and like CJ in San Andreas you'll really be drawn in by the game's central character, Niko. Were it not for the silliness listed above the game would have scored a ten. As the game stands - with the Windows Live, Social Club, Key, DRM and the glitches - I'm afraid I have to give it a 7.… Expand
  79. 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 $20.… Expand
  80. briannielsen
    Jan 18, 2009
    2
    I had fun at first, but before it ended the game became tedious and annoying. This coupled with the amount of glitches and technical flaws that the PC version is littered with makes it almost too frustrating to play. I'm a fan of the series but I'm very disappointed in this instillation.
  81. JonEwing
    Jan 18, 2009
    2
    I've played this for a couple of days but now it's listed on ebay where I will try to recoup as many of my losses as poss. I finally gave up after the 10th crash to desktop. I wasn't even enjoying the bland missions anyway so it wasn't worth the hassle of rebooting the game every time. Avoid- even with a high end PC.
  82. BrianL
    Jan 16, 2009
    3
    I bought this game on the back of widespread praise from the gaming press and online review sites, where it was a 10/10 game, 5 stars, game of the year etc. Well I don't know if any of those critics actually played this game or were just reviewing the rock star press release, but this is most definitely not game of the year, disappoinment of year perhaps. Lets just start with the I bought this game on the back of widespread praise from the gaming press and online review sites, where it was a 10/10 game, 5 stars, game of the year etc. Well I don't know if any of those critics actually played this game or were just reviewing the rock star press release, but this is most definitely not game of the year, disappoinment of year perhaps. Lets just start with the install, the retail box carries the "games for window" logo, nothing remarkable in that, I guess M$ is trying to lock in the PC games market in a pincer movement against Sony, unfortunately it's we the PC gamers who are being cut down in the crossfire. You need a windows live account to play the single player, you can't even save a game without windows live installed. But I hear you cry, we don't need no stinking windows live account, Rockstar begs to differ, install windows live or else buddy! Also you have a game controller (I personally roll with the Logitech Rumble Pad 2), wrong answer! You can only use the microsoft approved controller, there is a work around but why the constant whoring to the M$ dollar, the PC is an open platform, microsoft may provide the OS but they shouldn't have the final say in what games controllers/multiplayer accounts you may or may not use when gaming? The biggest problem for me though, after I jumped through the M$ hoops, clicked no I don't want to login to Rockstar social club, am I sure, good question, why don't you ask me another million times before you let me start the freaking game? Where was I, oh yes, the number one gripe I have with this game, not the only gripe, but the biggest is the driving physics, how the hell can you make a sandbox game and make getting from point A to point B such an exercise in frustation? Time and time again you're asking to chase someone down, quick he's getting away jump in your poorly handling jalopy! This will crash against every pillar, lampost, and cop car in the course of your pursuit of said fleeing villian who will sail effortlessly into the distance, obviously rubbish car physics are just something for the player to worry about. Playing this game of the past two weeks I'm constanly reminded of the game Driv3r, a game mercilessly parodied by various grand theft auto games in the past, but for all its faults I actually enjoyed Driv3r, sure it was hyped by the gaming press before it's release, was chock full of bugs, the car handling was rubbish, bikes even worse, but it was a laugh, this is something that I cannot say about Gra4d th3ft Aut0. For shame Dan Houser, for shame!… Expand
  83. VinceK
    Jan 16, 2009
    1
    Doesn't work on my PC (a very good one). Much more important than this game though is what the paid 'critics' are saying about how good the game is. Real people think it's junk but the paid 'critics' think it's excelent! Look at the paid 'critics' scores above to see what sites are worth visiting and listening to in the future. As the Doesn't work on my PC (a very good one). Much more important than this game though is what the paid 'critics' are saying about how good the game is. Real people think it's junk but the paid 'critics' think it's excelent! Look at the paid 'critics' scores above to see what sites are worth visiting and listening to in the future. As the 'critics' paid 'reviewers' will 'review' this before it is posted I doubt you'll get to read it.… Expand
  84. MikeGamer
    Jan 14, 2009
    8
    It runs, that's a start. There are some graphical issues even at levels way below the benchmark's recommendations, but only very occasionally (such as when it's raining heavily). Gameplay, story, soundtrack are all superb, 10/10 for each. Bugs such as certain missions (mostly the Fixer ones) taking a long time to load and aforementioned graphical issues detract from an It runs, that's a start. There are some graphical issues even at levels way below the benchmark's recommendations, but only very occasionally (such as when it's raining heavily). Gameplay, story, soundtrack are all superb, 10/10 for each. Bugs such as certain missions (mostly the Fixer ones) taking a long time to load and aforementioned graphical issues detract from an otherwise perfect score.… Expand
  85. MagnusJ
    Jan 14, 2009
    1
    horrible horrible horrible (x20) port. My computer meets the recommended requirements, yet when i finally got to play the game (used 2 days to get around different crashbugs) the fps were so low even though i had set the graphics to the lowest (it was first at my 5th try to change them that the game didn't crash here). Seriously i feel cheated like whore who never get paid, for payinghorrible horrible horrible (x20) port. My computer meets the recommended requirements, yet when i finally got to play the game (used 2 days to get around different crashbugs) the fps were so low even though i had set the graphics to the lowest (it was first at my 5th try to change them that the game didn't crash here). Seriously i feel cheated like whore who never get paid, for paying for this garbage game. tottally useless… Expand
  86. MarkC
    Jan 12, 2009
    1
    Well, Rockstar really screwed up this one. Rockstar is known for releasing quality games, and this is no exception. However, this game is filled to the brim with so many bugs and terrible optimization, I don't recommend anyone to buy this for PC. My PC is much more powerful than my 360, runs games amazingly. This game, however, runs worse than running every single on my computer Well, Rockstar really screwed up this one. Rockstar is known for releasing quality games, and this is no exception. However, this game is filled to the brim with so many bugs and terrible optimization, I don't recommend anyone to buy this for PC. My PC is much more powerful than my 360, runs games amazingly. This game, however, runs worse than running every single on my computer simultaneously. And, as you all know, I'm not the only one experiencing these problems. I remember when I first booted up GTA 3 on my 98 PC, with 64 MB RAM, 900 MHz Processor, and it ran better than a PS2. Did they forget how to optimize code? Shame on Rockstar.… Expand
  87. netpoke.com
    Jan 12, 2009
    8
    This would easily, easily be a 10 if it wasn't for the innefficient programming. The game is framey even on the console versions. Luckily I managed to get it going with an oc'ed quad-core phenom , and underwater oc'ed 1GB Radeon 2900. The only other quibble is that there doesn't seem to be as many submissions and random trivial activities as previous (e.g. skydiving,This would easily, easily be a 10 if it wasn't for the innefficient programming. The game is framey even on the console versions. Luckily I managed to get it going with an oc'ed quad-core phenom , and underwater oc'ed 1GB Radeon 2900. The only other quibble is that there doesn't seem to be as many submissions and random trivial activities as previous (e.g. skydiving, turf-war, RC helicopter missions etc)… Expand
  88. OabAli
    Jan 11, 2009
    10
    GTA IV is one of the best games of all time! Despite all the technical issues on PC, you cannot help believe the fact that its a great experience. The free-aim with the mouse, ability to play your own music, better graphics and numerous other advantages makes the PC version superior to console. Eat your heart out 360 and PS3!
  89. AnonymousMC
    Jan 11, 2009
    0
    The game performs like absolute crap and it's not even a next gen game!

    Graphics are terrible. Shadows are grainy and looks like crap. These critics who gives it a high score must have been payed off since i can't believe someone could actually ignore such a major flaw in this game. Before you even can start the game you need windows live and Gta social club which in my    The game performs like absolute crap and it's not even a next gen game!

    Graphics are terrible.
    Shadows are grainy and looks like crap.
    These critics who gives it a high score must have been payed off since i can't believe someone could actually ignore such a major flaw in this game.

    Before you even can start the game you need windows live and Gta social club which in my eyes is just a resource hog. The latest patch didn't solve any performance issues. Physics in this game needs some tweaking. Missions feels repetitive. The social relationship you have with other characters in this game is annoying. If you don't go bowling with them then they will hate you. If you get hit by a car then it will take forever for you to get up on your legs and when there's cops after you then they will shoot you before you get up. So if cops are after you and you fall down then "GAME OVER BUDDY!"    … Expand
  90. AnonymousMC
    Jan 7, 2009
    5
    Un bon jeu dans l' ensemble mais il y a beaucoup de problèmes. Graphiquement c'est très beau si on a la machine qui va avec mais pas assez personnalisable pour trouver un bon compromis qualité-performances. Au niveau missions il y en un bon paquet, les decisions prises dans ces dernieres affectent plus ou moins la suite des évènements. DommageUn bon jeu dans l' ensemble mais il y a beaucoup de problèmes. Graphiquement c'est très beau si on a la machine qui va avec mais pas assez personnalisable pour trouver un bon compromis qualité-performances. Au niveau missions il y en un bon paquet, les decisions prises dans ces dernieres affectent plus ou moins la suite des évènements. Dommage que l'armée ne soit pas de la partie. Pas grand chose niveau personnalisation du personnage mise a part les vêtements et gros point faible a mon gout le nombre d'armes pour un gta: 14 en tout :( . Je pense que Rokstar va nous rajouter du contenu à grands coups d'addons avec déjà lost angels prévue pour le courant du premier trimestre 2009 ce qui montre que l'éditeur n'en a pas fini avec gta4, bonne chose ou mauvaise chose, wait and see ...… Expand
  91. MaikM
    Jan 6, 2009
    2
    Its just a shame what Rockstar did to his good old pc-community. i bought it, but it defenetly was my last gta i paid for. Why are they making that deal with Windows? Why realasing an unfinished port? The game feels old and isnt working smoothly, on a high end system. the steering isnt adjusted to a pc-steering with mouse and keys, u cant really handle the car, because its impossible to Its just a shame what Rockstar did to his good old pc-community. i bought it, but it defenetly was my last gta i paid for. Why are they making that deal with Windows? Why realasing an unfinished port? The game feels old and isnt working smoothly, on a high end system. the steering isnt adjusted to a pc-steering with mouse and keys, u cant really handle the car, because its impossible to control the speed proberly. what makes it even worse is that it just support the x-box controller (Microsoft!!), those bold capitalist doesnt deserve the money!… Expand
  92. EikCorell
    Jan 3, 2009
    2
    I haven't bothered trying to play the game beyond the very start because the performance is just so abhorrently bad. This is as far as I know the only game in existence where lowering resolution and textures does virtually nothing at all for performance.

    In addition to that we have securom and nagging applications needed for the game to even function.
  93. JoseF
    Jan 3, 2009
    0
    I usually find it unfair for a game to receive "0" because it rarely deserves such a rating but for this game, I'll gladly make an exception. Why? Because of the way Rockstar have been treating us PC gamers from day 1. First of all, they kept us hanging, hoping we'd buy the console version first which I did. When they thought most people had already bought it, they announced the I usually find it unfair for a game to receive "0" because it rarely deserves such a rating but for this game, I'll gladly make an exception. Why? Because of the way Rockstar have been treating us PC gamers from day 1. First of all, they kept us hanging, hoping we'd buy the console version first which I did. When they thought most people had already bought it, they announced the PC version, knowing that die hard PC gamers would want the PC version next to the console version. A dirty move if ever I saw one. But now that it's finally here, it's even WORSE than the horrible launch of GTA3 which was bugged and failed to run on many PCs as well. Have they learned NOTHING? No, they have learned something: they have learned that crappy, buggy, crash-prone ports sell regardless of their problems. And GTAIV is the pinacle of crappy ports. Horrible performance on top end systems, instability, many people being unable to load the game, graphical errors, tons and tons of bugs, etc. etc. This is UNACCEPTABLE. I don't give a damn about the game behind this when the attitude of Rockstar is so smug, so arrogant, as to admit spending $200k on copy protection instead of getting the thing beta tested! Not that you'll give a damn after having paid off all those reviewers to give you high scores.… Expand
  94. nosajman
    Jan 2, 2009
    3
    This game runs like crap on core 2 duo, 4 gb's of ram and a 9800 gts. Having to log into windows live to save is cumbersome and if you want to save and you don't have internet you have to create a new account that's offline. Good luck trying to figure that out I guarantee it will frustrate you. The driving isn't nearly as smooth as the x-box. I wish I could get my This game runs like crap on core 2 duo, 4 gb's of ram and a 9800 gts. Having to log into windows live to save is cumbersome and if you want to save and you don't have internet you have to create a new account that's offline. Good luck trying to figure that out I guarantee it will frustrate you. The driving isn't nearly as smooth as the x-box. I wish I could get my money back. I was a longtime Rockstar supporter but this is ridiculous.… Expand
  95. Paul
    Jan 1, 2009
    9
    The port is not so good as it is on ps3, well yeah. but still it's one of the most breathtaking games. i love it. rockstar, failing too much can cause you out of business, next gta will not be wanted so much as this one, this is for sure now.
  96. MistahMagoo
    Jan 1, 2009
    0
    I can't even offer a gameplay review for this pos game because I can't get past the crashing, stuttering, and missing textures that deplete any potential enjoyment. With a 2.5Ghz cor 2 duo and 9800m GS I would hope to at least be able to execute the game. Not the case :(
  97. MikeN.
    Dec 30, 2008
    9
    With Core2 Duo (3 Ghz Wolfdale), 2 gb and Geforce 8500 the game is generally playable, though the framerate can drop to a stutter once in a while. There also appears to be a memory leak that requires a reboot every so often. The two background processes are annoying. Other than that, it is standard GTA fare, with superb cutscenes, lots and lots of interesting characters and a superbly With Core2 Duo (3 Ghz Wolfdale), 2 gb and Geforce 8500 the game is generally playable, though the framerate can drop to a stutter once in a while. There also appears to be a memory leak that requires a reboot every so often. The two background processes are annoying. Other than that, it is standard GTA fare, with superb cutscenes, lots and lots of interesting characters and a superbly designed model of New York City. The missions are solid, if somewhat unoriginal. We've seen this game before, but it still offers far more gameplay and story than anything else you can buy.… Expand
  98. DorquemadaJ
    Dec 30, 2008
    1
    Look at the comparison of all the scores up here. It's obvious what reviewers obviously BOTHERED to test this port out. Sorry, but when I can run Crysis fine on high settings I expect this game to be somewhat playable on my rig. Somewhat. The lag is so atrocious and the game is so buggy even at low settings that I ended up dropping 50 bucks for an unplayable box. Sad.
  99. MattT
    Dec 30, 2008
    9
    This is a great game. I dunno what all the problems were that people were having with the copy protection or Rockstar Social Club, but I didn't hit any major hurdles getting this game up and running. It installed fine on my up-to-date install of Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit. Took a minute to make my account for Rockstar and Games for Windows, but the game started up fine and ran This is a great game. I dunno what all the problems were that people were having with the copy protection or Rockstar Social Club, but I didn't hit any major hurdles getting this game up and running. It installed fine on my up-to-date install of Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit. Took a minute to make my account for Rockstar and Games for Windows, but the game started up fine and ran fine. Sure, I do have a good video card and the game isn't running at full-detail, but it's a very resource-hungry game. Think about it, the engine renders a LOT at once running around in the city. Multiplayer works great and I've been having a blast playing Mafiya Work. The only thing that is ruining the game is people cheating in multiplayer, but hopefully that'll get sorted out.… Expand
  100. 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
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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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