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. AnonymousMC
    Dec 28, 2008
    1
    this version of the game is one of the biggest ripoffs in gaming history. many pc gta gamers waited for the day this game is released for so long and in return for their hard earned 50 dollars they get something that doesn't even start out of the box. even after figuring out how to make this game work most people will be faced with severe performance issues, stuttering, missingthis version of the game is one of the biggest ripoffs in gaming history. many pc gta gamers waited for the day this game is released for so long and in return for their hard earned 50 dollars they get something that doesn't even start out of the box. even after figuring out how to make this game work most people will be faced with severe performance issues, stuttering, missing textures, crashes in the middle of the mission or worse.… Expand
  2. FilipK.
    Dec 28, 2008
    0
    It is impossible to play this game! You must have 30 different registrations, but, more important, you must have an insane computer! Critics give it good mark looking only at gameplay. I'd probably give it a good mark too, when it just worked! You have a problem even with changing your own settings. I believe it's stupid thinking from America, because if you set your settings It is impossible to play this game! You must have 30 different registrations, but, more important, you must have an insane computer! Critics give it good mark looking only at gameplay. I'd probably give it a good mark too, when it just worked! You have a problem even with changing your own settings. I believe it's stupid thinking from America, because if you set your settings too high, your computer can burn and you can sue them!!! It NEVER played on my computer. They shouldn't realease it yet.… Expand
  3. jimjim
    Dec 28, 2008
    4
    What a disappointment. This game is a lazy effort to bring gta 4 on to pc. It fails miserably.( WARNING. If yothink you will be able to run GTA 4 well because you can run crysis you are wrong. Apparently that rule no longer counts!) Unless you have a very new rig i would not advise buying this. The frame rate is ridiculous and it is the most recourse hungry game ever. It is a shameWhat a disappointment. This game is a lazy effort to bring gta 4 on to pc. It fails miserably.( WARNING. If yothink you will be able to run GTA 4 well because you can run crysis you are wrong. Apparently that rule no longer counts!) Unless you have a very new rig i would not advise buying this. The frame rate is ridiculous and it is the most recourse hungry game ever. It is a shame because i know from ps3 and xbox 360 that this game deserves 9 or 10.… Expand
  4. SM
    Dec 27, 2008
    1
    Horrendously bad port. The number of hoops to jump through just to install and play the game is ridiculous, and then the bugs within are numerous and crippling. As yet Rockstar haven't done anything to geniunely help and until they do I strongly recommend passing on this.
  5. jp
    Dec 26, 2008
    5
    This game could be a 10 if Rockstar wasn't so lazy. They made the most graphically demanding game out for the pc right now, and they didn't include the option of utilizing dual video cards. Also the control options are extremely weak, especially for the helicopter. The fact that you can only map one key per control is just pathetic, and the fact that the game won't This game could be a 10 if Rockstar wasn't so lazy. They made the most graphically demanding game out for the pc right now, and they didn't include the option of utilizing dual video cards. Also the control options are extremely weak, especially for the helicopter. The fact that you can only map one key per control is just pathetic, and the fact that the game won't recognize a joystick is incredibly weak also. But, it's still fun to kill time and the story line is great, just too much to detract from the score until they patch the current problems. *Also, I'm running Vista 64 and with the new patch just released to make the online play work, I have to run the game in compatibility mode for Windows 2000..... that's just really lazy on rockstars part, considering they don't seem to be rushing towards any solutions judging by what I've read lately.… Expand
  6. Marmoo
    Dec 26, 2008
    5
    i agree with what has been said here on both sides of the arguement
    i will give it a 5 for now as i installed it and game ran and it looks superb but what has been declared on the box for spec is a load of bollocks...you need a quick proccessor(s), VERY LARGE ram and big hard drive and graphics gard...i got it all except ram (i got 1.5 RAM) so off out to buy at least another 2 gig of ram for me
  7. FotisJ.
    Dec 25, 2008
    4
    This is supposed to be a satire on capitalist greed, and it is but not only in the way the creators intended it to be: Rockstar is bent to create its own community channel and everybody who wants to play has to join them. The same goes for Microsoft's Games for Windows live. You cannot even save your game without being logged in both 'clubs'. Not to mention the technical This is supposed to be a satire on capitalist greed, and it is but not only in the way the creators intended it to be: Rockstar is bent to create its own community channel and everybody who wants to play has to join them. The same goes for Microsoft's Games for Windows live. You cannot even save your game without being logged in both 'clubs'. Not to mention the technical problems etc. In the end they will blame the pc as a difficult platform for games instead their own incompetence.… Expand
  8. JonasNielsen
    Dec 25, 2008
    8
    It's a sad thing, really. The platform, that has made R* what they are today are left to a sad port of bad performance and loads of bugs. The game is absolutely great, even with the 8-10fps I'm left with, I have lots of fun just roaming Liberty City, which is, truely, alive. Something as simple as a car crash is highly entertaining due to the amazing physics. I would have given It's a sad thing, really. The platform, that has made R* what they are today are left to a sad port of bad performance and loads of bugs. The game is absolutely great, even with the 8-10fps I'm left with, I have lots of fun just roaming Liberty City, which is, truely, alive. Something as simple as a car crash is highly entertaining due to the amazing physics. I would have given this game a 10 for it's gameplay and 0 for it's quality in programming, leaving it with a 5, but judging a game on its initial port job seems unfair to me. It's worthy of an 8, and if R* had done a proper job with the port, and I had an idea people with good PC's are able to run it, I would have given it a 10. But the fact, that someone with a state-of-the-art PC with an i7 920 CPU, GTX280 GPU and >8GB of RAM isn't even able to start the game (as I read on the Steam forums) is enough for me to pull 2 points from the score. I hope, truely hope, that they fix the port issues, and the show a greater respect for the PC in the future.… Expand
  9. WimHermans
    Dec 25, 2008
    10
    Notwithstanding the ridiculous high requirements from PC side, game is just the best made until today. Great job, everyting is possible! If you can play it you ll enjoy. but not many people will be able to play it thats the biggest prob
  10. KurtS
    Dec 24, 2008
    3
    The actual game is pretty fun and entertaining, and at this point I expect to continue playing it. I have not had any severe technical problems. However, the overall product is awful and frustrating enough I had to vent by writing this review. The graphics and performance is terrible. Rockstar has claimed this is a "next generation" game and current generation hardware is only capable of The actual game is pretty fun and entertaining, and at this point I expect to continue playing it. I have not had any severe technical problems. However, the overall product is awful and frustrating enough I had to vent by writing this review. The graphics and performance is terrible. Rockstar has claimed this is a "next generation" game and current generation hardware is only capable of playing the game on "medium" settings. If that is true, the game should at least look and perform like a current generation game on current generation hardware, but that isn't the case at all. It uses DirectX 9. There is no anti-aliasing. Shadows flicker and look horrible. Textures and character models lack detail. Frame rates are sub-25 on recommend settings. Options to customize graphic detail is limited. Aside from graphical issues, this game requires you to join two online networks (Games for Windows, Rockstar Social Club) for full functionality. There is no option to turn off "mouse-look" when driving a car, which makes driving extremely difficult. You must manually turn the camera using the mouse at the same time you are steering the car. Loading times are rather slow compared to other games. Purchased through Steam, the game does not include a manual and there is no easy reference for all the instructions, moves, and tips that only come up only one time in-game. To sum it up, it looks, feels and plays like a bad port of an older console game. I'd give the game itself at least a 7, but this as an overall product deserves no more than a 3.… Expand
  11. DanB
    Dec 24, 2008
    1
    Good game, BAD optimized, CRAP Rockstar support. I give 1 for this. PC games needs attention, not a poor port.
  12. serkanuslu
    Dec 24, 2008
    1
    It is not a PC game. It is the console game emulated to the PC. Do you remember the PS2 emulators and how bad they ran? That is what I am talking about!
  13. hankhank
    Dec 23, 2008
    10
    best game
  14. KurtH
    Dec 22, 2008
    0
    Core2Duo e6600 OC'd to 3.5ghz, 4 gig g.skill RAM, Win XP SP3, 8800 Ultra 768mb. Game runs terribly. Just like everybody else says, this is one of the worst console ports to PC I've ever seen. Ever. I'm not sure what's worse....lazy Rockstar developers or incompetent Rockstar developers...but it's one or the other. Even with low settings, the framerates are Core2Duo e6600 OC'd to 3.5ghz, 4 gig g.skill RAM, Win XP SP3, 8800 Ultra 768mb. Game runs terribly. Just like everybody else says, this is one of the worst console ports to PC I've ever seen. Ever. I'm not sure what's worse....lazy Rockstar developers or incompetent Rockstar developers...but it's one or the other. Even with low settings, the framerates are horrible. I have the latest nVidia beta driver recommended for the game and keep my PC in top condition (no spyware, defragged, etc.) I can play Far Cry 2 with max settings at 1680x1050 widescreen and get consistent 40-60 frames per second. I play this game on minimum settings and get below 20 frames per second? That tells you something right there. Not to mention the fact that the interface by itself looks and feels so clunky, that it's obvious there was absolutely no work done on this game to make it PC friendly. Previous GTA ports to the PC seemed very lazy as well, so I figured they would have learned their lesson and made this one spectacular. I was very very wrong. Rockstar should be completely ashamed of themselves. If a second patch (and probably fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh patch) doesn't completel eliminate the framerate and other issues, it will be completely obvious that Rockstar has given up on PC gaming altogether.… Expand
  15. RickJames
    Dec 22, 2008
    1
    Couldn't get more than 20fps... every other new game I can run on the highest settings, and the other games look WAY better also... Rockstar used PC gamers as a footstep to the gaming world, and now they just opened the door and spit right on us... I'm boycotting Rockstar unless they release some serious fixes!
  16. MichaelK.
    Dec 21, 2008
    5
    Having played the game on the PS3, I know it's a quality game...but the port for the PC is simply atrocious. On above-the-recommended system requirements the game was simply unplayable even on on 800x600 resolution. It's a horrible, horrible port, and it's rather unfortunate that the BEST platform the game, turns out to be the worst treated. Just makes me sick...
  17. JamesL
    Dec 20, 2008
    5
    It's a nice game, if only it utilized the PC better! Low draw distances, the inability to tweak graphical settings to get a balance between frame rate and eye candy lowers the score. In terms of gameplay it is good old GTA with a huge open world concept but with a minimum requirements PC everything goes downhill. Quite unfortunate because they should have made it a little more It's a nice game, if only it utilized the PC better! Low draw distances, the inability to tweak graphical settings to get a balance between frame rate and eye candy lowers the score. In terms of gameplay it is good old GTA with a huge open world concept but with a minimum requirements PC everything goes downhill. Quite unfortunate because they should have made it a little more customizable (in terms of graphical options etc) so that most gamers could enjoy the game better.… Expand
  18. JJJ.
    Dec 19, 2008
    2
    Game looks bad on a Phenom w/ATI 4850. Same on Rockstar for releasing this game in the state it is. Look around the web and you'll see I'm not alone in having severe issues. I can run Fallout 3 in all its glory on my Samsung 226BW without a hitch but GTA looks worse than a PS2 game.
  19. RobertC.
    Dec 19, 2008
    2
    Unplayable. Apparently the "critics" are more than willing to give high marks to a game that barely functions due to bugs. The fix is in between the "professional critics" on this site and Rockstar games...sad.
  20. JT
    Dec 18, 2008
    7
    Graphics = 10 Audio = 9 Control = 5 (controls were laggy, and quality of remap was terrible) it would have added alot to the feeling of GTA4 if the controls were smoother and easier to maintain. Story = 6 (weakest story and missions of any of the GTA3's yet) Install and config = 3 (making us install windows live and social club just sucks. Game takes forever to load. Overriding my Graphics = 10 Audio = 9 Control = 5 (controls were laggy, and quality of remap was terrible) it would have added alot to the feeling of GTA4 if the controls were smoother and easier to maintain. Story = 6 (weakest story and missions of any of the GTA3's yet) Install and config = 3 (making us install windows live and social club just sucks. Game takes forever to load. Overriding my graphic settings and not giving me an easy way to have my own settings bad. DRM/CD checks slow down loading considerably. Unfortunately I think this will be the last PC version of GTA. You can easily tell by the quality of the port that Rockstar isn't interested at all in the PC build quality.… Expand
  21. TuureO
    Dec 18, 2008
    2
    This game doesn't deserve anybody's money. I had to download 5 different applications, register to many clubs before even being able to play it, and after that i still got a error message. Then when i started the game, and changed the resolution and refresh rate (1600x1200, 85 Hz) The screen went black saying "Sync out of range", so clearly, my screen can't handle that much This game doesn't deserve anybody's money. I had to download 5 different applications, register to many clubs before even being able to play it, and after that i still got a error message. Then when i started the game, and changed the resolution and refresh rate (1600x1200, 85 Hz) The screen went black saying "Sync out of range", so clearly, my screen can't handle that much of refresh rate, but the thing is, i couldn't not change them back since all I could see was black. Absolutely ridiculous. After few weeks when not getting any useful help from rockstar, i had to think of something. Then, i thought maybe i should take few screenshots of the menu, and it worked. The screen was black, but i could take screenshots of it. This way i was able to navigate through the menu with sounds and pictures. The game itself is great, buggy and heavier than crysis, but after that much of trouble, it doesn't matter how good the game is. 2/10.… Expand
  22. OveS.
    Dec 18, 2008
    1
    Never got this game to work. No help from support. Bought it through Steam and their forum is full of people with the same problems. The PC port was not ready to be released.
  23. MikeH
    Dec 18, 2008
    1
    Buggy, unoptimised rubbish. Graphics a step backwards in quality due to the poor blending and over-emphasis on realism. The fun in the game that used to exist in previous GTA games just isn't really there this time around. Such a shame, such a missed opportunity.
  24. JosephV.
    Dec 16, 2008
    0
    Broken, Does not even work. The game crashes after 3min of playing it, NO fixes. Also the graphics and shadows are terrible and there is no AA, instead you get a blurring effect which like it says just blurs everything instead, making things even worse.
  25. ChristopherS.
    Dec 16, 2008
    0
    Unplayable due to bugs on two seperate PCs. My personal review scale is based upon quality of product on release. Of course, even after the first patch, the game still insists I have a XBox 360 controller on my PC, and has a camera that is stuck in a constant rotate mode. That, and 50% of the time, it fails to load textures. This is after a patch. A verify of game integrity on Steam then Unplayable due to bugs on two seperate PCs. My personal review scale is based upon quality of product on release. Of course, even after the first patch, the game still insists I have a XBox 360 controller on my PC, and has a camera that is stuck in a constant rotate mode. That, and 50% of the time, it fails to load textures. This is after a patch. A verify of game integrity on Steam then caused the game to stop starting entirely with a "Failed to contact key server" error, likely some combination of errors from both Activision and Steam servers. Do not buy this game on PC before doing your research. If you have an X-Box 360, purchase it there and save yourself the hassle. This game is fantastic on XBox 360, but PC users just can't get to the content for the ridiculous number of bugs. Buyer beware.… Expand
  26. JaredJ.
    Dec 16, 2008
    0
    Here is the perfect example of what is wrong with the world today. Titles like this screams; "PLAY ME AND YOU THINK YOU CAN REALLY DO IT!!" And sadly 82% of the time people think they really can. This needs to stop and should have been stopped a long time ago, I will fight Rockstar to the death on "G.T.A. V" but so far it's a rumor that I'm afraid might become all to real. This Here is the perfect example of what is wrong with the world today. Titles like this screams; "PLAY ME AND YOU THINK YOU CAN REALLY DO IT!!" And sadly 82% of the time people think they really can. This needs to stop and should have been stopped a long time ago, I will fight Rockstar to the death on "G.T.A. V" but so far it's a rumor that I'm afraid might become all to real. This offers nothing but meaningless, mindless chaos based off of the world that this garbage started.… Expand
  27. PaulC.
    Dec 15, 2008
    1
    Where is all the stuff we were promised. Another "on rails" shooter. Sanbox ??? Where ?? These is so little to do other than follow the plot. And it seems like hard work to play. Vice City had you having your own pad. St Andreas had you pumping iron etc. This just has you doing samey missions over and over. After 4 hours play I tried to take it back. "Game" wouldn't have it. I'm Where is all the stuff we were promised. Another "on rails" shooter. Sanbox ??? Where ?? These is so little to do other than follow the plot. And it seems like hard work to play. Vice City had you having your own pad. St Andreas had you pumping iron etc. This just has you doing samey missions over and over. After 4 hours play I tried to take it back. "Game" wouldn't have it. I'm REALLY dissapointed. Hell "Bully" was better than this rehashed "on rails" garbage.… Expand
  28. NormT.
    Dec 14, 2008
    0
    Unplayable, a complete waste of my entire day downloading. Forced to install tons of crap and register for yet ANOTHER spamming social network. Forced to go through hell to get Service Pack 3 installed, all for nothing.
  29. Joel
    Dec 13, 2008
    9
    this game is awesome, the story is great and your always interested of what is going on and cut scene are not a paint to watch. The computer as a video editor which is awesome 10x better than the halo video play back. the only bad thing i can say is that, some times the AI isn't that good but other then that it is a must buy.
  30. JK
    Dec 13, 2008
    2
    This game is undoubtedly fantastic on XBox 360 or PS3, but don't buy it for PC! It has inane copy protection, no customizable keyboard controls, and ridiculous system requirements to run at a decent frame rate. It is thoroughly disappointing! Don't buy it!!!
  31. ColbyA.
    Dec 13, 2008
    4
    I have not played the game myself on PC - though I have on Xbox - but I have done some research on the game, and thought it would be good to explain the likely reason GTAIV has such low scores here. In case you're reading this and haven't done your research, GTAIV for the PC is a poorly executed port and is riddled with glitches and bugs. The game is as good as the 360 version, I have not played the game myself on PC - though I have on Xbox - but I have done some research on the game, and thought it would be good to explain the likely reason GTAIV has such low scores here. In case you're reading this and haven't done your research, GTAIV for the PC is a poorly executed port and is riddled with glitches and bugs. The game is as good as the 360 version, but wait until some patches come out to repair the poor programming!… Expand
  32. FredB.
    Dec 10, 2008
    5
    This is a game with some nice graphics, unfortunately it's buggy as hell. I have some serious issues with the controls. First, there are too many control keys and it's difficult to map to my liking (in part because, Return, Backspace and Home cannot be used). Also, having to drive with mouse-look is extremely annoying - this is a killer for me, it takes all the joy out of This is a game with some nice graphics, unfortunately it's buggy as hell. I have some serious issues with the controls. First, there are too many control keys and it's difficult to map to my liking (in part because, Return, Backspace and Home cannot be used). Also, having to drive with mouse-look is extremely annoying - this is a killer for me, it takes all the joy out of driving fast and recklass - you can't take a corner without mouselook messing it up - "Mouselook" means you need to control your view with the mouse all the bloody time (in the car). What finally killed my interest in the game, is the totally lacking first "date". Combining this with the rest of missions you get in the start, you realize the game tries to make it out to be so serious, but it's so lacking it just get's annoying. Previous GTA games where much more fun.… Expand
  33. BinaryS.
    Dec 10, 2008
    6
    So they're just giving out perfect reviews nowadays, huh? Must be nice being a game reviewer - the game publisher writes the review and you just sign your name to it. Wonderful!
  34. GregH.
    Dec 10, 2008
    6
    Numerous graphical, gameplay and stability problems mean this game only gets a 6. It's hard to shake the feeling that it was rushed out in time for Christmas. But if you can get playing and look past all the uneccessary garbage included in this game you will find the best GrandTheftAuto game yet. Alas quality control has let the team down which means it can never reach the perch it deserves.
  35. SamW.
    Dec 10, 2008
    9
    I don't know what the hell is wrong with these people. Are they really so shallow that they let something as minor as having to turn down your graphics settings overshadow the unbelievable game in question? Yes, the graphics were poorly optimized, and no, I don't care. This game is simply too engrossing, too well-written, and too masterful for me to notice.
  36. GooneyBird
    Dec 10, 2008
    4
    If not for bugs this rating would be a 9. Poor performance on PCs, even when the machine outclasses any of the console systems the game was released on by orders of magnitude. Graphics glitches abound, you can drive mere minutes before the whole city disappears and you are floating a meter or two over the bottom landscape. Textures totally disappear frequently, happens both on foot or in If not for bugs this rating would be a 9. Poor performance on PCs, even when the machine outclasses any of the console systems the game was released on by orders of magnitude. Graphics glitches abound, you can drive mere minutes before the whole city disappears and you are floating a meter or two over the bottom landscape. Textures totally disappear frequently, happens both on foot or in a vehicle. This game was NOT READY for PC release. Stupid me for pre-ordering. Other than that I love what I've been able to play of the game so far, but quite frankly the graphics glitches make the game unplayable. -Gooney… Expand
  37. MrBear
    Dec 9, 2008
    2
    Buggiest release of a major game I have seen on PC in as far back as I can remember. I can't play it more than 3-4 minutes without it crashing and I can't get acceptable frame rates on a machine that exceeds the requirements. The only reason to rate this game a 2 and not a 1 is that it might eventually be fixed. Rockstar has been extremely unhelpful in the meantime and their Buggiest release of a major game I have seen on PC in as far back as I can remember. I can't play it more than 3-4 minutes without it crashing and I can't get acceptable frame rates on a machine that exceeds the requirements. The only reason to rate this game a 2 and not a 1 is that it might eventually be fixed. Rockstar has been extremely unhelpful in the meantime and their press releases have been full of doublespeak.… Expand
  38. MarioPelletier
    Dec 9, 2008
    8
    This game is excellent...All the missions are interesting and the fun factor is very high...if u liked the other gta you will
    love this one..the big issue here are the graphics...at 1280x
    1024...everything look jaggy on ACL...you need a hell of a
    computer to run it at enjoyable settings...sli not supported...
    waiting for a patch...even with that it is still a must.
  39. RyanC.
    Dec 9, 2008
    10
    Despite its numerous bugs and the fact MOST STEAM versions are corupted the game is amazing. GET it on DVD and install it that way. Bugs are getting errored out of the game but the detail and interaction with in the city is amazing. I would give it a 9 for all the bugs but The fact it takes AI to such an amazing level its just aw striking. follow a person around the citty listen to them Despite its numerous bugs and the fact MOST STEAM versions are corupted the game is amazing. GET it on DVD and install it that way. Bugs are getting errored out of the game but the detail and interaction with in the city is amazing. I would give it a 9 for all the bugs but The fact it takes AI to such an amazing level its just aw striking. follow a person around the citty listen to them talk to other ppl shoot even follow them into a cab by holding DOWN USE KEY its great fun once u get passed all the bugs and the HORIBLE MEMORY leak.… Expand
  40. ademills
    Dec 9, 2008
    2
    Game may be good but the crap you have to join and the waste of time working it all out is beyond stpid. Spend an hour loading everything before getting to play, and then it wouldnt save my game becasue something hadnt gone right. Sheer stupidity, though more likely arrogance
  41. AdrianB.
    Dec 9, 2008
    10
    It is a beautiful game, the city is alive, you can interact with anyone and anything, the graphics and physics are mind-blowing, and the juice of the game is the gameplay, dialogues, radio and tv talk-shows. I can't stop laughing , satire all the way...perfect. If only it would perform better on the PC platform...but with a GTX260/280 and a Quad core CPU ypu will be able to play the It is a beautiful game, the city is alive, you can interact with anyone and anything, the graphics and physics are mind-blowing, and the juice of the game is the gameplay, dialogues, radio and tv talk-shows. I can't stop laughing , satire all the way...perfect. If only it would perform better on the PC platform...but with a GTX260/280 and a Quad core CPU ypu will be able to play the game above 25 fps.… Expand
  42. ShauneE.
    Dec 9, 2008
    0
    Quad 2.4ghz, 4850hd,2gb ram, vista. After the long install, issues start, error after error, wtf is xlive.dll? search up, download patch, error. download some full install. works? no, i have to update it. great, more things i dont want installed on my pc. 30 minutes later i finaly have it working, but no, it runs poor, even with a pc which i consider fairly good specs, [runs COD5 max Quad 2.4ghz, 4850hd,2gb ram, vista. After the long install, issues start, error after error, wtf is xlive.dll? search up, download patch, error. download some full install. works? no, i have to update it. great, more things i dont want installed on my pc. 30 minutes later i finaly have it working, but no, it runs poor, even with a pc which i consider fairly good specs, [runs COD5 max 1080p res] cant run GTA4 on 1440x900, low settings? this is riddicolous, the game looks worse and runs worse then the ps3 version, both of which i will be returning as they are terrible, never been so dissapointed in a game, also cant beleive Reviewers that hyped it up saying "frame rate is flawless", ps3 barely touches 25fps verdict is dont waste your time as you will be driving back to the store to return it.… Expand
  43. MichaelG.
    Dec 8, 2008
    3
    No support for any other controller but microsofts...What BS is that?!?! Required to install C0ckstar social network and winblows live just to play single player?? Not to mention i get a fuzzyness with my ati card, and with my current machine crappy performance with low settings!!!! there isnt anything that looks so system intensive!!! I'm very disappointed with Rockstar on this No support for any other controller but microsofts...What BS is that?!?! Required to install C0ckstar social network and winblows live just to play single player?? Not to mention i get a fuzzyness with my ati card, and with my current machine crappy performance with low settings!!!! there isnt anything that looks so system intensive!!! I'm very disappointed with Rockstar on this one.... The only saving grace is the acting is astounding, AWESOME. Cool story and the characters make it believable. Best I've seen in a game so far.… Expand
  44. AliA.
    Dec 8, 2008
    0
    Although the installation was easy thanks to Steam, everything you've heard about the graphics and performance bugs are true. My game runs, but with broken light-effects. I'm truly annoyed at Rockstar for prematurely shooting their wad and creating this retarded bug-ridden port.
  45. A.N.O.
    Dec 8, 2008
    5
    bugs,Bugs,BUGS!!! so many glitches and bugs that it was almost unplayable. and if you take in account that i have a superb pc with a 9800 GX2 graphics card, 2.4 quad core cpu, and a 4 GB Ram and it still didnt work properly... i have it on the 360 and i got it as an early christmas present, and i was really disappointed. another could have been. (oh yeah, and look at the difference bugs,Bugs,BUGS!!! so many glitches and bugs that it was almost unplayable. and if you take in account that i have a superb pc with a 9800 GX2 graphics card, 2.4 quad core cpu, and a 4 GB Ram and it still didnt work properly... i have it on the 360 and i got it as an early christmas present, and i was really disappointed. another could have been. (oh yeah, and look at the difference between the critics and users score; weird?)… Expand
  46. bulsajok.
    Dec 8, 2008
    4
    It does not pay to buy pc games before the first patch is released; I had hoped Rockstar's port would be different, more fool me. After a tricky install (why must I be forced to turn off a standard Vista service [not mentioned in the GTA documentation] and sign up to 2 online services- Rockstar Social Club and Windows Live- in order to get through the damned install without it It does not pay to buy pc games before the first patch is released; I had hoped Rockstar's port would be different, more fool me. After a tricky install (why must I be forced to turn off a standard Vista service [not mentioned in the GTA documentation] and sign up to 2 online services- Rockstar Social Club and Windows Live- in order to get through the damned install without it crashing?). I find I can run the game now, but it won't recognize my gamepad (the same one which worked great in GTA-SA) and the control scheme/camera viewmake near impossible to drive properly using just the keyboard & mouse. I'm hopefully these problems will be resolved in the future, but if you are planning on buying this for PC, DON'T, at least not untill a patch is issued. Constantly paying to be a beta tester is going to finally drive me to consoles, I stare at my new laptop with Nvidea 9800GS M video card, and it mocks me- I could have bought a PS3, an XBox 360, a WII, and a heap of console games for what it cost me.… Expand
  47. ehafh
    Dec 8, 2008
    0
    What a joke, these reviews from major spots are all high? did they get some different version than that of the end user? because i've been gaming since DOS , i have a computer that excedes the requirements, and it runs like absolute garbage. throw in servers for multiplayer that you cant even log onto, 2 extra things to log into, windows live, rockstar socialclub, and steam if you What a joke, these reviews from major spots are all high? did they get some different version than that of the end user? because i've been gaming since DOS , i have a computer that excedes the requirements, and it runs like absolute garbage. throw in servers for multiplayer that you cant even log onto, 2 extra things to log into, windows live, rockstar socialclub, and steam if you bought it through that? this is just very sadly an AWFUL presentation. you guys failed the customer. and these reviews show it. gaming has been in my opinion, in a steady decline for years due to companies putting out crap like this. the game was slowed down on the consoles, and apparently its all due to bad coding. or not even developement time. personally , i'm really losing hope for the gaming industry. too much shlock, not enough quality and originality from the developers. even when i played this on the 360 i was kind of let down. not due to it running a bit slow. but there really felt like nothing was new and revolutionary. yeah, physics and eye candy.. but i've seen that in a 100 games before. when i played san andreas they had the bicycle. i mean that changed everything. oh yeah that game also ran well , and didnt crash. and major gaming news sites were publishing articles about how poorly it played. good luck steam and rockstar. you've lost a customer.… Expand
  48. Wouldn'tyouLiketoknow.
    Dec 8, 2008
    10
    4.2... How is that? Is it all the lame "It's a port" rubbish again? This game was, is and forever will be a great game. I love everything about it. From the gameplay to the graphics and physics; everything about this game is as close to perfect one can get.
  49. Ryan
    Dec 8, 2008
    8
    Great game with great detail. It would have received 10/10, but 2 points are removed for a bad PC port. The graphics look like they came straight from a console (which they did,) the shadows are horrible, and no FSAA support. NVIDIA released a snap beta driver to correct some of the FPS problems so kudos there. There is no wheel support. When you view the controls in setup, it shows an Great game with great detail. It would have received 10/10, but 2 points are removed for a bad PC port. The graphics look like they came straight from a console (which they did,) the shadows are horrible, and no FSAA support. NVIDIA released a snap beta driver to correct some of the FPS problems so kudos there. There is no wheel support. When you view the controls in setup, it shows an XBOX 360 controller.. wtf? Some of the mapped keys that show up in the beginning demo do not work correctly on the keyboard. Overall Rockstar has abandoned its PC roots and pissed off a lot of loyal fans.… Expand
  50. MatthewB.
    Dec 8, 2008
    5
    I feel cheated by a massively buggy game. ok, the underlying game is great. But if the graphics keep crashing what's the point, because it becomes unplayable. There are other bugs too, but these pale into insignificance next to the terrible graphics problems.
  51. Technicha
    Dec 8, 2008
    5
    A very fun and addicting game. Cops finally have a decent AI which means you can have a strategy against cops now instead of them showing up randomly no matter where you are like the earlier gta series. The storyline is good, not much to say there. The major downside with this game is the graphics and performance. Even with a great computer expect to run this game at low-medium settings. A very fun and addicting game. Cops finally have a decent AI which means you can have a strategy against cops now instead of them showing up randomly no matter where you are like the earlier gta series. The storyline is good, not much to say there. The major downside with this game is the graphics and performance. Even with a great computer expect to run this game at low-medium settings. Even with low settings expect major stuttering and lag. This game is poorly optimized. The graphics are jagged and shadows looks very unrealistic and grainy. There's a application with it called social club that slows the game's startup process and also being a resource hog in the background. There's still no free saving in this game, this is very annoying when the game keeps crashing that can make you lose hours of mission progress. Simply it's a fun game if you can just get it to run like it should.… Expand
  52. Alex
    Dec 7, 2008
    3
    It could be a good game, but it's really bad because of terrible porting to PC. For such a high system requirements graphic is poor, and whole game is one big bug. It often crashes or shows errors durnig loading. It took them more than half a year to port to PC, and result is very amateur stuff.
  53. TomD.
    Dec 7, 2008
    10
    I just can't believe that users are giving this game a low rating. Yes there are some bugs with getting the game running on your pc. Yes it comes with an intrusive and slow game launcher. Yes it forces you to use games for Windows Live. Does it have high minimum specs to play at a smooth frame rate? Sure does. Are these issues a major pain in the butt? Sure they are. But none of I just can't believe that users are giving this game a low rating. Yes there are some bugs with getting the game running on your pc. Yes it comes with an intrusive and slow game launcher. Yes it forces you to use games for Windows Live. Does it have high minimum specs to play at a smooth frame rate? Sure does. Are these issues a major pain in the butt? Sure they are. But none of those issues changes the fact that this is one of the best games ever to come to a PC. If you are looking for a PC game for the holiday season - this is it. Period. This game is incredible, it offers dozens of hours of gameplay - and because of its scalability, it will look even more incredible on your next PC. It would be a shame if someone didnt buy this game because of all the whiners taking out their frustation by giving it a low score. If you are smart enough to read and know how to use google- you should be able to get this game running in a few minutes without any problems. One of the best games I have ever played on the PC. Right up there with Bioshock, Half Life series, Crysis, and Doom series. Just buy it now and be happy.… Expand
  54. AMoffatt
    Dec 7, 2008
    3
    It's a shame about the bugs, the crashes, the way it crawls, the way it only gives you the option of loading up the most recent game from start, the 'social club' nag screen, the load speed (gah - the load speed!), the car handling, the poor reward for exploration and doing side-quests. It is a shame, because I'm sure that there's a good game in there somewhere.
  55. Schyz
    Dec 7, 2008
    0
    It's like a bad port from a bad PS2 game. But it's 2008 and they had a good DirectX version. What they did? They destroyed a good game: DRM, RSC, GFWL, bad graphics (worse than San Andreas in my computer), etc. They spent several months to achieve only one thing: Fail.
  56. ChrisV.
    Dec 6, 2008
    0
    You are forced to sign up to games for windows live and rockstar social club to run the game. You are forced to be logged into games for windows live in order to SAVE you game. You have to have the disc in to play. You have to be logged into both accounts to play online. The game runs terribly even on supercomputers.
  57. MattR
    Dec 6, 2008
    1
    This game has the potential to be absolutely great, but it falls flat on its face. I've tried to enjoy it, but he blatant memory leak which this engine has has me restarting every half hour to clear out whatever it is that is cluttering up my system resources. After a few missions, be prepared for stutters and frame drops to unacceptable levels - if you could even get them to an This game has the potential to be absolutely great, but it falls flat on its face. I've tried to enjoy it, but he blatant memory leak which this engine has has me restarting every half hour to clear out whatever it is that is cluttering up my system resources. After a few missions, be prepared for stutters and frame drops to unacceptable levels - if you could even get them to an acceptable level to begin with. Top end systems cannot run this thing at medium settings and achieve over 30 fps. The decision, as well by Rockstar to use a lighting system which does not allow for ingame Antialiasing nor does it allow for forcing it in the control panel is, to say the least, astounding in its ineptness. Jagged edges are on everything: cars, buildings, signs, vegetation...the great draw distance is useless as everything in the distance shimmers from lack of AA support. The shadows used are horrendous and there is no scalability options to turn them off, leaving you with blobs of black that look like a bad spray paint job. Rockstar did give us an option to turn on motion blur in game, unfortunately it just superimposes a blurry overlay to the entire world, making it look like your viewing the game with less than 20/20 vision. Long story short, this is the worst console to PC port I have ever seen and Rockstar should be ashamed. It is obvious they are completely out of touch with PC gamers and quite frankly, if this is the outcome, please Rockstar, stick to console games....we dont' want you. Stay away until it is positive that patches fix this error lest you face the utter disappointment so many of us have already.… Expand
  58. JarkkoR.
    Dec 6, 2008
    6
    Bugs and performance make this game unplayable or very unpleasant for 8/10 of the people who i know that have bought the game, unacceptable release. Shame on Rockstar.No matter how good a game is, its completely irrelevant when it just doesnt work.. and considering the amount of trouble seen, its not accident.. they just wanted it out for christmas.
  59. DarrylC.
    Dec 6, 2008
    0
    Game just simply doesn't run. Crash after crash. They are trying to say that it is because the game was created for next gen hardware. That's absurd. Why would we need next gen hardware to duplicate the substandard textures and shadows of an X-Box Game?The well paid critics give it a 93. How many of them have actually played the game on PC. How could they when it won't run? Game just simply doesn't run. Crash after crash. They are trying to say that it is because the game was created for next gen hardware. That's absurd. Why would we need next gen hardware to duplicate the substandard textures and shadows of an X-Box Game?The well paid critics give it a 93. How many of them have actually played the game on PC. How could they when it won't run? Reviews paid for and promoted by thieves. Metacritic I guess you can no longer be trusted either!… Expand
  60. AlanG.
    Dec 6, 2008
    3
    Despite several drawbacks this game presents a cooperative multiplayer experience the likes of which have never been seen before. While many games include multiplayer team combat, this game stresses teamwork and tactics beyond beyond what games like TF2 and CS:S are able to deliver on a consistent basis. The four player team creates a dynamic where cooperation is an absolute necessity for Despite several drawbacks this game presents a cooperative multiplayer experience the likes of which have never been seen before. While many games include multiplayer team combat, this game stresses teamwork and tactics beyond beyond what games like TF2 and CS:S are able to deliver on a consistent basis. The four player team creates a dynamic where cooperation is an absolute necessity for success, especially so on the harder difficulties. Gameplay revolves between periods of relative calm and times of extreme duress. The most fitting word to describe the latter is intense! No matter the skill of you and your comrades, there will be moments when the survival of your group is far from a certainty, especially given the random nature of the director. The intensity of the game tends to only increase as the level progresses, as wounded survivors are often met with an uncomfortable lack of medkits when they are most needed. The sound and graphics are thoroughly polished, and despite the age of the source engine its upgrades ensure that the game looks great and has plenty of eye candy. Once again, Valve's trademark attention to detail has made for a vibrant and immersing atmosphere. The ability to blow holes in or destroy doors is a fun new addition that also significantly alters the gameplay mechanic. While the story is underdeveloped, in game chatter between the characters reveals a great deal about their personalities, and makes them seem very real. There are some drawbacks, however. The game is relatively short, especially if played on the lower difficulties, and the weapon selection is somewhat minimal. These should not be a major issue, the game is meant to be played on expert in order to prepare a player for the even more difficult versus mode (which is an absolute blast), and the guns that are present are finely crafted and simply feel right. The replayability of this game is excellent, and is only compounded by the director and versus mode. As is, this game is very exciting and will keep many players hooked for an indefinite amount of hours. Given Valve's devotion to updates and the enthusiastic mod community, I only expect this game to improve as time goes on. I give this game a 9.3 out of 10.… Expand
  61. andersl.
    Dec 6, 2008
    1
    Grand theft DRM 4.,Bloated pos that forces you to use worthless gfwl and idiotic rockstar social club and the dvd in drive. Performance is a joke, one of the worst experiences I have ever had with a pc game and I am sitting on a quad core @3,2ghz 4gb ram 4850 1gb ram Every other game I own runs without trouble (farcry 2 fallout 3 crysis l4d, aoc, warhammer online, wow etc with double fps Grand theft DRM 4.,Bloated pos that forces you to use worthless gfwl and idiotic rockstar social club and the dvd in drive. Performance is a joke, one of the worst experiences I have ever had with a pc game and I am sitting on a quad core @3,2ghz 4gb ram 4850 1gb ram Every other game I own runs without trouble (farcry 2 fallout 3 crysis l4d, aoc, warhammer online, wow etc with double fps and looks 10x better). I WANT MY MONEY BACK.… Expand
  62. Annoymous
    Dec 6, 2008
    0
    Do not buy the PC version! GTA IV on PS3 and Xbox 360 is a must have but the PC version is garbage. If you thought Crysis was demanding, think again. You will need a Quad core Xtreme and an ATi 4870 X2 and 4GB ram just to play medium settings at 25fps (Not very playable). I just hope a patch will fix this game. Do not waste your money on this like I did! Buy Left 4 Dead or Fallout 3 instead!
  63. MalcolmF.
    Dec 6, 2008
    1
    GTA IV has some serious performance issues to the extent it is not playable unless you have a high end machine, and a nvidia graphics card. ATI graphics cards have extremely bad issues with performance e.g. the 1 FPS bug where the FPS will lock at 1 FPS. The game is not optimised, and is one of the worst ports I've seen. There is no way this took the time it did to get ported. GTA IV has some serious performance issues to the extent it is not playable unless you have a high end machine, and a nvidia graphics card. ATI graphics cards have extremely bad issues with performance e.g. the 1 FPS bug where the FPS will lock at 1 FPS. The game is not optimised, and is one of the worst ports I've seen. There is no way this took the time it did to get ported. I'd say it took about a week to port, and they spent more time adding ingame protection. It is a shame. This game has the potential in MP to be absolutely brilliant.… Expand
  64. WarrenJ
    Dec 6, 2008
    4
    Stop giving this godawful port such lofty praise. Regardless of the quality of gameplay, the optimization and overall porting job is pathetic, and shouldn't be tolerated.
  65. SergeyRubin
    Dec 6, 2008
    4
    Game is quite ok...

    If you don't count amount of useless, not needed stuff you have to install (Microsoft Live, Rockstar Social Club <--WTF?, DRM Securom), awefull performance on top end PC, bugs and other signs of awesome console port. Great job Rockstar. Good to see that your earned millions helped to make such a wondefull game. Too bad I can't get my money back and    Game is quite ok...

    If you don't count amount of useless, not needed stuff you have to install (Microsoft Live, Rockstar Social Club <--WTF?, DRM Securom), awefull performance on top end PC, bugs and other signs of awesome console port. Great job Rockstar.

    Good to see that your earned millions helped to make such a wondefull game.

    Too bad I can't get my money back and wait for proper release.

    And too bad times, when picking folder where to install game was only thing required from user during installation, are gone.    … Expand
  66. SergeyR.
    Dec 5, 2008
    2
    I played this game on xbox 360 but i wanted it to get on pc only beacause of the playability, the highest resolution and the ''more fps'' but i was really disapointed. the game itself is awsome but i currently have xp professionnal 2.5 g of ram a sli 8800 ultra and a quad core 3.6 ghz and i have BIG troubles get more then 40 fps in mid graphic settings. THE GAME IS I played this game on xbox 360 but i wanted it to get on pc only beacause of the playability, the highest resolution and the ''more fps'' but i was really disapointed. the game itself is awsome but i currently have xp professionnal 2.5 g of ram a sli 8800 ultra and a quad core 3.6 ghz and i have BIG troubles get more then 40 fps in mid graphic settings. THE GAME IS MORE HEAVY THAN CRYSIS!?!?!?!? and there is no, even in max graphic settings, comparaison between the two games in term of graphics.… Expand
  67. JohnS.
    Dec 5, 2008
    2
    I have a 9800 GX2 OCX, a Liquid Cooled Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 running at 3.6GHZ. 4 gigs of Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500, and a EVGA 780i motherboard, and i cant seem to get over 14 frames per second. And for some reason the game wont let me use all 1 gig of video memory my card has, it says i only have 498mb?! And it restricts me from putting any of the settings higher if it uses over that I have a 9800 GX2 OCX, a Liquid Cooled Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 running at 3.6GHZ. 4 gigs of Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500, and a EVGA 780i motherboard, and i cant seem to get over 14 frames per second. And for some reason the game wont let me use all 1 gig of video memory my card has, it says i only have 498mb?! And it restricts me from putting any of the settings higher if it uses over that amount. So all i got was a big laggy city with cars that drive like they are airboats.… Expand
  68. MattS
    Dec 5, 2008
    2
    Words cannot describe how disappointing and annoyed this game has made me. Not only does it have the most painful install experience I have ever encountered, it takes 10minutes to load every time you play. Then the textures and buildings dont show up. Unplayable. It is also necessary to navigate through the awful rockstar *social* club interface each time the game is loaded. The social Words cannot describe how disappointing and annoyed this game has made me. Not only does it have the most painful install experience I have ever encountered, it takes 10minutes to load every time you play. Then the textures and buildings dont show up. Unplayable. It is also necessary to navigate through the awful rockstar *social* club interface each time the game is loaded. The social club is also set by default to load on startup. Avoid until this is patched. I cannot emphasis this enough. Really, what went wrong? Not cool Rockstar.… Expand
  69. FrancescoP
    Dec 5, 2008
    3
    Somebody have already called this the WORST PORT EVER, and I can just, sadly, agree... My pc (athlon X2 2.8Ghz, 2Gb ram, ati HD3850 512Mb, XP sp3) can run fairly well games like crysis, grid, fallout 3 and anything else, even with AA turned on, and believe me, gta 4 graphic is not even close as shiny as that of those games... But somebody must have rushed things a little too much to Somebody have already called this the WORST PORT EVER, and I can just, sadly, agree... My pc (athlon X2 2.8Ghz, 2Gb ram, ati HD3850 512Mb, XP sp3) can run fairly well games like crysis, grid, fallout 3 and anything else, even with AA turned on, and believe me, gta 4 graphic is not even close as shiny as that of those games... But somebody must have rushed things a little too much to deliver this game before xmas, and the result is this embarassing alpha release of a game which will take a long long time to fix and still, I guess, will inexplicably suffer from poor performance... Too bad rockstargames. Tomorrow I'm taking the game back to the store.… Expand
  70. PeterH.
    Dec 5, 2008
    0
    This is an abomination in PC world, not a game. On top of DRM, you have to be signed in in two separate online services for multiplayer and game saving. The buginnes of this release is almost epic. And then publishers will blame piracy, instead of looking in the mirror.
  71. HugoC.
    Dec 5, 2008
    9
    Great game, great graphics, best pc game of the year. For those how rated this game with lower scores, because they can't run this game on highst settings, please read the technical support from rockstar website. This masterpiece was made to be playable with more great graphics in the future. Now with the medium settings you can enjoy a better quality than the consoles version. This Great game, great graphics, best pc game of the year. For those how rated this game with lower scores, because they can't run this game on highst settings, please read the technical support from rockstar website. This masterpiece was made to be playable with more great graphics in the future. Now with the medium settings you can enjoy a better quality than the consoles version. This is a real good game.… Expand
  72. AJM.
    Dec 5, 2008
    0
    The "minimum spec requirements" seems to be a complete lie. I figured since my computer met those I could play it at the lowest settings comfortably. Instead after upgrading all my drivers/ installing securom and all the other garbage rockstar requires the game still crashes my computer when I tell it to launch. Basically I paid $50 to install useless 3rd party software and a game that The "minimum spec requirements" seems to be a complete lie. I figured since my computer met those I could play it at the lowest settings comfortably. Instead after upgrading all my drivers/ installing securom and all the other garbage rockstar requires the game still crashes my computer when I tell it to launch. Basically I paid $50 to install useless 3rd party software and a game that freezes my computer when I try loading it.… Expand
  73. FredW.
    Dec 5, 2008
    8
    Easily the best GTA so far. It's about damn time they got serious with multiplayer. I haven't had this much fun since GTA 1... and no that's not the one that was on PS2. I am talking about the original PC version. The version that got rockstar on the map. This version also seemed to pay attention to other games. Overall it has a few issues since it was a console game first Easily the best GTA so far. It's about damn time they got serious with multiplayer. I haven't had this much fun since GTA 1... and no that's not the one that was on PS2. I am talking about the original PC version. The version that got rockstar on the map. This version also seemed to pay attention to other games. Overall it has a few issues since it was a console game first an PC second. Aside from those, which will probably be resolved with patches, this is a solid game. If only they could unlock all the mini stuff in free roam mode.… Expand
  74. PiotrN.
    Dec 5, 2008
    1
    I bought this game on Steam. I am unable to run it in a playable fashion on a Pentium D/GF7800GT with 4 GB RAM (a somewhat aging setup, I know, but it runs Fallout 3 comfortably and without any hiccups). The graphics are horrible, and not just due to the abysmal optimization - I'm experiencing plenty of clipping issues and objects suddenly appearing right in front of me, not to I bought this game on Steam. I am unable to run it in a playable fashion on a Pentium D/GF7800GT with 4 GB RAM (a somewhat aging setup, I know, but it runs Fallout 3 comfortably and without any hiccups). The graphics are horrible, and not just due to the abysmal optimization - I'm experiencing plenty of clipping issues and objects suddenly appearing right in front of me, not to mention that with all sliders set to minimum it looks far uglier than GTA:SA while still offering worse framerates (naturally, I've tried a number of GFX drivers, including the very latest ones). The HUD flickers on and off. Frequent crashes to desktop. Unable to redefine controls (the game assumes that I have an XBOX controller, which is beyond ridiculous - this is a PC game, remember?) Moreover, Rockstar blackmail you into installing some sort of community software - otherwise you cannot save the game (their insistence makes me believe that they're desperate to acquire your personal info for commercial purposes). My recommendation avoid like the plague (get a console version instead, if you like GTA).… Expand
  75. GeorgeG.
    Dec 5, 2008
    1
    This should have been one of the greatest games of all times but it's actually a test of how much you can screw the PC user before driving him to the console. It installs SecuROM even though I've bought it through Steam. It requires umpteen logins to play online... if you can get it to launch at all. The game was rushed to launch so it can make the most of the holiday season and This should have been one of the greatest games of all times but it's actually a test of how much you can screw the PC user before driving him to the console. It installs SecuROM even though I've bought it through Steam. It requires umpteen logins to play online... if you can get it to launch at all. The game was rushed to launch so it can make the most of the holiday season and rake in the cash, the only problem is that you would have to be stupid to pay money for it right now. Wait for SecuROM to be removed (at least from the Steam version) and for the showstopper bugs to be ironed out.… Expand
  76. cesarm.
    Dec 5, 2008
    4
    This game is the first I've purchased in many time, and I cant even evaluate it because It dosent start once downloaded by Steam. I pass the recomended config by large and it dosent run. It is very very desapointing. I urge rockstar to prepare a patch to solve this problem.
  77. MiguelS.
    Dec 5, 2008
    0
    The game is a total waste of money. If your Rig costs less than 5000 bucks don't bother. I play Crysis on Med-High with around 20-25 fps on my laptop. I can't run this game in LOW with more than 8 fps, it is so buggy it is not even funny. Rockstar, this is a BIG dissapointment, it is one of the worst, or even THE worst game ever ported to the PC. I can say even the port of The game is a total waste of money. If your Rig costs less than 5000 bucks don't bother. I play Crysis on Med-High with around 20-25 fps on my laptop. I can't run this game in LOW with more than 8 fps, it is so buggy it is not even funny. Rockstar, this is a BIG dissapointment, it is one of the worst, or even THE worst game ever ported to the PC. I can say even the port of Resident Evil 4 was better. The graphics s****** big time BUT at least I could PLAY the game FFS!!!!… Expand
  78. MarkS.
    Dec 5, 2008
    9
    I've just started playing this game, but I've seen my son play the PS3 version and is the reason I picked this up. In my first hour of play I was sucked into the world that I actually considered taking the day off from work, just so I could play some more. There are some minor quibbles I have mostly due to this being a console port, but the game is fun and the control not too I've just started playing this game, but I've seen my son play the PS3 version and is the reason I picked this up. In my first hour of play I was sucked into the world that I actually considered taking the day off from work, just so I could play some more. There are some minor quibbles I have mostly due to this being a console port, but the game is fun and the control not too bad. I wouldn't have posted this review so soon, but I had to get this out. The user review system on Metacritic is broken! How can a game that came out only 3 days ago, have such a low user rating? It's because some weasel is "stuffing the ballot box" You shouldn't be able to rate a game unless you write a review, with a minimum word count. It might distract the boneheads who either inflate or deflate the user score.… Expand
  79. AlexandruG.
    Dec 5, 2008
    2
    This is one of the worst ports ever. I know they have a deadline but you can't treat your customers like this. We have waited for so long for this game to come on the PC and a few more months wouldn't kill us. Now that i have the game and i can't play it the frustration is even bigger. I really hope that for the next GTA title R* will wake up and realize that in the end the This is one of the worst ports ever. I know they have a deadline but you can't treat your customers like this. We have waited for so long for this game to come on the PC and a few more months wouldn't kill us. Now that i have the game and i can't play it the frustration is even bigger. I really hope that for the next GTA title R* will wake up and realize that in the end the satisfaction of the customer matters and we deserve some respects especially because we bought this game and didn't run to pirate bay to download it. I hope a patch comes that will fix this problems before new year...… Expand
  80. PhangW.
    Dec 5, 2008
    3
    Horrendous port. Rockstar did not even bother to take us PC gamers seriously, by giving us such a HIGH DETAIL of technical and graphical glitches. I have been a long supporter of the GTA franchise and i must say, Rockstar has certainly pissed us PC gamers off.
  81. JohnM
    Dec 4, 2008
    0
    Let me just start by saying how much I was looking forward to this game being released and how disappointed I am at what seems to be a total failure of a release that I sadly cannot justify purchasing. So, we patiently waited several months for the PC version of this game to come, expecting it would be an improvement across the board. Silly us. Instead of spending the last months Let me just start by saying how much I was looking forward to this game being released and how disappointed I am at what seems to be a total failure of a release that I sadly cannot justify purchasing. So, we patiently waited several months for the PC version of this game to come, expecting it would be an improvement across the board. Silly us. Instead of spending the last months optimizing the game for PCs, scaling it and testing across various hardware configurations they have actually spent the time coming up with and adding lots of unwanted and unneeded crap. First there is 'games for windows' (which you have to have if you want to save the game...????), then 'Rocktstar social club' (another pointless sign-up and invasive start-up program) and to top it all off they included the super invasive and restrictive DRM in the forum of Securom (ironically...this is one of the least complained about aspects of this release, when it is usually the most...This tells you things are BAD). The amount of problems being reported here from almost everyone, across a wide variety of hardware (from the 'minimum' to well beyond the 'recommended') makes this release seem more like a really poorly implemented beta without consent. I am actually wondering if this game was tested at all...And if it was, who gave the go ahead to release the game in light of all of these problems...? I feel bad for the people that bought this game in its current state.… Expand
  82. GrenadeMagnet
    Dec 4, 2008
    2
    bugs bugs bugs. thats treyarch for you. connection problems(internet gets disconnected when u start game, if youre using vista you cant join xp games in coop and there arent much vista users compared to xp users, you get disconnected by the server randomly in multiplayer games, unhandled exception caught disconnection problems), sound driver conflict problems, disapearing favorite server bugs bugs bugs. thats treyarch for you. connection problems(internet gets disconnected when u start game, if youre using vista you cant join xp games in coop and there arent much vista users compared to xp users, you get disconnected by the server randomly in multiplayer games, unhandled exception caught disconnection problems), sound driver conflict problems, disapearing favorite server problems, startup problems, internet disconnection problems(COD WAW tweaks the network settingsand you have to wait 5 minutes to reset the modem) installation problems, hardcore mode overpowered dogs, and did i mention bugs? congratulations on your bugfarm treyarch. i wasted $50.00.… Expand
  83. GuessAgain
    Dec 4, 2008
    3
    I don't mind that this game came out almost a year later on PC's than it did on consoles. I don't mind that they may have had to make some sacrifices to "port" this back to PC. I don't mind that it may be a lot more fun to play it on a couch with your friends on a big TV, while I sit in front of my measly 22". What I do mind, however is that Rockstar are actually I don't mind that this game came out almost a year later on PC's than it did on consoles. I don't mind that they may have had to make some sacrifices to "port" this back to PC. I don't mind that it may be a lot more fun to play it on a couch with your friends on a big TV, while I sit in front of my measly 22". What I do mind, however is that Rockstar are actually expecting to get any money for this game. They might have as well released this game to the torrents and told us to take it for free, because honestly, the gameplay makes you feel like you should get paid for every minute you waste in this game. I understand the publishers/developers want YOU, the paying consumer to have the complete experience uploading your gameplay movies for other people to watch and share. What better way to do this than install 2 extremely obtrusive pieces of software like games for windows and rockstar social club on your computer and telling you the game will not run without them. At all. It is somewhere at the level of Internet Explorer (the piece of garbage it is) costing 39.99 and then making you install 5 toolbars or it won't connect you to the internet. Under their EULA you never really "own" the game, so I guess they can make you do whatever it is they want. What I didn't understand before was why are they trying to delay you from playing the actual game with their ridiculous activations and obtrusive mandatory soft/spyware. And here's why: the game itself is garbage. It is on many levels a rehash of GTA 3 vice city and san andreas, with some parts taken out and new ones added in. The mechanics are all the same, although vehicle physics are now horrendous albeit slightly more realistic (thanks, I guess you wanted us to have realistic driving in a VERY REALISTIC GAME where the PROTAGONIST can run around shooting civilians and then trying to get away from the cops, but FAILING because of the new driving model). Sure there may be a storyline in there somewhere, like other reviewers say, but I'm not here for the storyline, it is merely a means to unlock parts of the goddamn city for me. Do you honestly care about "criminal A arrives in a big city B and tries to carve out his destiny by killing off gangs X, Y and Z?" they did in the whole GTA 3 series? The graphics. They really deserve rants of epic proportions but I'll try to keep it short. They are horrendous. Around the level of 2004, maybe worse, definitely worse than some games from that period, maybe better than some. But the really astounding thing is that the game manages to run like shit on all but the most ridiculous setups that cost thousands of dollars. CRYSIS, MOVE OVER PLEASE, someone over here wants your title as the most unoptimized game of the DECADE. The game will run like a paraplegic up a mountain even if you have a decent dx10 capable card like 8800gt, although it should really be running fast enough to give you a heart attack just watching. The game won't even allow you to increase your graphical settings in the most retarded attempt to "be helpful in selection of fitting graphical options". Thanks Rockstar. Not only do you fail to make the game run properly, you restrict us from looking at the highest quality visuals possible, even at 5 fps. But I have a feeling why. Because even the higher quality settings look like shite. Rockstar must be the last game producer in the industry that did not realize that PC gamers are quite a bit more discerning than the rest, so you have to release something that's at the very least tolerable. I'm truly happy for Rockstar's sales on PS3 etc. But please, for the love of god, keep this garbage off PC's out of your sense of self-respect. Or at least have the decency to put it into playable shape.… Expand
  84. ShawnD.
    Dec 4, 2008
    5
    Usually when a game is ported between platforms, the company at least puts some effort into making it run propertly. Rockstar can't be bothered with anything like that. It's as if they took the Xbox version and wrote an emulator to run it; that's how slow this game is. I can run games like Bioshock, Crysis, and Fallout 3 with very high graphical detail and a good frame Usually when a game is ported between platforms, the company at least puts some effort into making it run propertly. Rockstar can't be bothered with anything like that. It's as if they took the Xbox version and wrote an emulator to run it; that's how slow this game is. I can run games like Bioshock, Crysis, and Fallout 3 with very high graphical detail and a good frame rate, but this game can't even run at 20fps. They didn't even beta test this piece of garbage.… Expand
  85. RedAvatar
    Dec 4, 2008
    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! Here's your 0/10 Rockstart. Not that you'll give a damn after having paid off all those reviewers to give you high scores.… Expand
  86. JetBoom
    Dec 4, 2008
    0
    Extremely buggy and bad port. I'm surprised at Rockstar's terrible choice with using Games for Windows and SecuRom. They screwed it up so bad that even retail buyers have near-unusable installations and performance issues.
  87. RegretfulB.
    Dec 4, 2008
    2
    I have every reason to believe there is a great game in here somewhere. Unfortunately, the ludicrous system requirements that in no way justify ok-but-not-better-than-everything-else-out-there visuals render the game almost completely on playable on all but the lowest settings, which makes the game look even worse. Don't buy this game. It's insulting to think people are changing I have every reason to believe there is a great game in here somewhere. Unfortunately, the ludicrous system requirements that in no way justify ok-but-not-better-than-everything-else-out-there visuals render the game almost completely on playable on all but the lowest settings, which makes the game look even worse. Don't buy this game. It's insulting to think people are changing money for a product that was clearly unfinished by uncaring designers.… Expand
  88. IanJ.
    Dec 4, 2008
    3
    What Cool-Aid are all of these reviewers drinking? Did they have to fuddle with the install like everyone else? People who meet the recommended system requirements subjected to watching Niko do the herky-jerk all over Liberty City. The game in this state eats my CPU for breakfast and all it can display is a stuttering slideshow. Do you want to play online? Well then you have to install What Cool-Aid are all of these reviewers drinking? Did they have to fuddle with the install like everyone else? People who meet the recommended system requirements subjected to watching Niko do the herky-jerk all over Liberty City. The game in this state eats my CPU for breakfast and all it can display is a stuttering slideshow. Do you want to play online? Well then you have to install the R* social app and Games for Windows Live if you intend on doing so. More process going on in the background are always a plus! I would rather wait longer to have a playable game over just shipping in out the door and fixing it later because of the holiday season frenzy. The game will be fine, come six months and a couple of patches later.… Expand
  89. cappie2000
    Dec 4, 2008
    10
    One of the most anticipated games of 2008; the controls are perfect, the sound and graphics are stunning!.. the storyline is the best I've ever seen in a game so far, and its my favorite genre: free roaming, mission driven gameplay.. This game has everything I want from a game, therefor, it gets a perfect 10 from me!
  90. JS
    Dec 4, 2008
    1
    Are none of the reviewers going to mention that this game IS BLOODY BROKEN. Who cares if it COULD be a good game IF the engine was optimised and IF you didn't have to install FOUR bloody applications that you never asked for. And that excludes the notorious SecuROM DRM. As a customer experience, it is at best broken, at worst the most frustrating, anger-inducing insult of a game I Are none of the reviewers going to mention that this game IS BLOODY BROKEN. Who cares if it COULD be a good game IF the engine was optimised and IF you didn't have to install FOUR bloody applications that you never asked for. And that excludes the notorious SecuROM DRM. As a customer experience, it is at best broken, at worst the most frustrating, anger-inducing insult of a game I have EVER had the misfortune to pay money for.… Expand
  91. HradK.
    Dec 4, 2008
    1
    On top of incredibly buggy game, insanely hardware demanding game, securom drm, it rams another 2 "social" networks down your throat (3 if you use steam) - games for windows live and some rockstar branded social crap. And you do need them if you want to do as basic things as save a game progress in a singleplayer game. This is beyond absurd.
  92. JohnDoe
    Dec 4, 2008
    0
    worst ever seen installation (3h to first "run"), two useless online accounts required, agressive SecuRom protection, anoying online activation (DVD is still required to play), doesn't work with ATI cards, performance with NVIDIA cards also unacceptable, multiplayer doesn't work, etc. ... On Gamestar poll 80% voted that game doesn't work! May be fun to play if it worked, worst ever seen installation (3h to first "run"), two useless online accounts required, agressive SecuRom protection, anoying online activation (DVD is still required to play), doesn't work with ATI cards, performance with NVIDIA cards also unacceptable, multiplayer doesn't work, etc. ... On Gamestar poll 80% voted that game doesn't work! May be fun to play if it worked, but a game that doesn't can only get "0" !!!… Expand
  93. MadeMan
    Dec 4, 2008
    5
    Simply brilliant game, let down by absolutely woeful performance issues. On a system that either meets or exceeds the recommended requirements, the game suffers random crashing roughly every 15 minutes requiring a full restart, terrible pop up, and a draw distance that very often doesn't update fast enough. The graphics are also largely unpolished, with heavy amounts of jagged edges. Simply brilliant game, let down by absolutely woeful performance issues. On a system that either meets or exceeds the recommended requirements, the game suffers random crashing roughly every 15 minutes requiring a full restart, terrible pop up, and a draw distance that very often doesn't update fast enough. The graphics are also largely unpolished, with heavy amounts of jagged edges. The controls also feel disconnected and unresponsive, either on foot or in car. Beyond all that, it is an outstanding game in terms of design, and most importantly, it's the game that GTA3 should have been. But at least GTA3 worked (eventually).… Expand
  94. TimJ.
    Dec 4, 2008
    8
    Having been a fan of the GTA series on the PC since GTA III I had high hopes for this after the somewhat unfocused sprawl of San Andreas. Unfortunately it has not transferred well to the PC with Securom DRM causing many users, including myself, to have problems running the game. Having played the 360 version to death I was very disappointed that my system was considered to be only able to Having been a fan of the GTA series on the PC since GTA III I had high hopes for this after the somewhat unfocused sprawl of San Andreas. Unfortunately it has not transferred well to the PC with Securom DRM causing many users, including myself, to have problems running the game. Having played the 360 version to death I was very disappointed that my system was considered to be only able to manage similar graphical quality. The game would not let me get past 1024 resolution on a system that can play FarCry 2 in widescreen with settings high. It feels like someone has been lazy. The gameplay does not have the fun and variety of earlier versions. Vice City remains the jewel in the crown and whilst it is eclipsed by the physics of GTA IV, this version is essentially joyless in mood and gameplay. The reviews of GTA IV and console continue a proud tradition of over-rating a big release. If you have this on console then don't bother with the PC version, much as it pains me to say it. If you don't have it already then don't expect to be blown away.… Expand
  95. TimA.
    Dec 3, 2008
    1
    Huge disapppointment - this is a prime example for a sloppy PC port. This is the kind of product that is the reason for a dying PC market. Graphics look rather aged, even on high settings. No antialiasing (thus very jagged edges), paintspray-like shadows, no reflections on cars etc., no blur effects, blurry textures (even on high settings) - and to top this, poor performance even on high Huge disapppointment - this is a prime example for a sloppy PC port. This is the kind of product that is the reason for a dying PC market. Graphics look rather aged, even on high settings. No antialiasing (thus very jagged edges), paintspray-like shadows, no reflections on cars etc., no blur effects, blurry textures (even on high settings) - and to top this, poor performance even on high end systems. Game review sites were supplied with "black boxed" PCs running GTA IV, allegedly running pro-level GFX's - this might explain the huge discrepancies between all the user generated screenshots that do not look even close to the ones on game review sites in terms of visual qualities. Loads of crashes and problems, plus you have to sign into BOTH Games for Windows Live AND Rockstar Social Club to play online and/or even save a game in singleplayer mode. 8 points from me for the gameplay, but -7 points for the inexcusably bad port - what were Rockstar thinking ?… Expand
  96. JimboS.
    Dec 3, 2008
    5
    After such a cracking debut on the consoles, the PC version has turned out to be nothing more than a poorly ported turd. This release reeks of a Christmas cash-in rush job. Numerous forums across the internet discussing the PC release will attest to the dismal performance issues experienced across the spectrum. Even the most highly spec'd rigs crumble before this shitty beta release. After such a cracking debut on the consoles, the PC version has turned out to be nothing more than a poorly ported turd. This release reeks of a Christmas cash-in rush job. Numerous forums across the internet discussing the PC release will attest to the dismal performance issues experienced across the spectrum. Even the most highly spec'd rigs crumble before this shitty beta release. Thanks for cashing in Rockstar. I don't think I'll be supporting your products in the future.… Expand
  97. AndrewR.
    Dec 3, 2008
    2
    Terrible graphics because of lack of AA. Jagged edges everywhere. Your vid card, no matter how high end, is useless. This game has NO option to enable AA, which it so desperately need.
  98. ColinL
    Dec 3, 2008
    2
    It sort of works in single player, multiplayer doesn't work at all so far. Was finally looking forward to being able to mouse/keyboard this sweet game, but they botched it pretty bad. And since i bought it on steam, I need my steam ID, windows live ID AND rockstar social club ID for multi (which crashes when logged into social club).
  99. Lucas
    Dec 3, 2008
    0
    This game could be awesome, but sadly it is not. Another game SecuROM enabled game, with numerous bugs and flaws: * First of all, you have to create two accounts in order to play the game (Windows Live & Rockstar Social...) * SecureROM keeps me from playing the game by just not letting it start (emulation software? I've got none...) * After I reinstalled windows (!) and the game This game could be awesome, but sadly it is not. Another game SecuROM enabled game, with numerous bugs and flaws: * First of all, you have to create two accounts in order to play the game (Windows Live & Rockstar Social...) * SecureROM keeps me from playing the game by just not letting it start (emulation software? I've got none...) * After I reinstalled windows (!) and the game (which takes more then 30 minutes) I got to start it after 5 tries (reproducible). * And, last but not least, the framerate is really crappy. Changing the resolution doesn't help, and my systems not that bad (Q6600, 8800GTX, 4GB Ram) So please, do NOT buy this game, hoping that the folks at Rockstar realize what a piece of crap the released.… Expand
  100. chrise
    Dec 2, 2008
    5
    Had already played and beat this on my brothers xbox.Should of just bought a 360 and took his game.Without a high end gaming machine,you'll most likely not be impressed.Wish i could return it for a refund. Cant play online without getting the MMA10 error which i have already found to be common among the community.
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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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