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. isacclarke
    Dec 10, 2014
    2
    same game play mode in the entire game, you spend more time traveling to the mission than completing it, the only challenge games are the minigames, even the dates are repetitive. Obviously the high rates was for the graphics and free run mode.
  2. teenageSpirit
    Jan 18, 2022
    2
    Not impressed AT ALL.

    I'll start with loved ones. It's just not here, when you play this game, it's not even surprising why in a game from 14 years ago you have 40 frames per second on the minimum graphics implementations. Further, there are bugs everywhere: sound bugs, bugs on the streets, bugs in missions. Awkward t/s controls (those who love the controls in this game, do you    Not impressed AT ALL.

    I'll start with loved ones. It's just not here, when you play this game, it's not even surprising why in a game from 14 years ago you have 40 frames per second on the minimum graphics implementations. Further, there are bugs everywhere: sound bugs, bugs on the streets, bugs in missions. Awkward t/s controls (those who love the controls in this game, do you seriously like the camera position when you're in t/s?). Inconvenient character control, it cannot be controlled smoothly, as smoothly as it was in SA, VC, III. If in those parts there were 3 types of steps, then here the figure is either taken with all his might, or he just walks slowly. The camera in the cut-scenes flies incomprehensibly where... It's definitely not placed in the correct position, it's either too far away or too close to even see the faces of the characters. In some missions, there are simply NO interiors, they do not load even after restarting the mission. Absolutely gray, boring city where there is no desire to travel and explore. Throughout the story, I got from one mission to another using a taxi, because driving a car is inconvenient and inappropriate among absolutely buggy traffic and the dumbest AI that always cuts you off. The plot and the hero is as gray and insipid as the game itself. Ch. the hero also does not have any charisma, as well as other characters in this game (even the silent Claude in a 3 made a lot more impression than this guy, the guy who always whines about his past). In general, I can list a lot of things that I did not like. I think this GTA is superfluous in the Grand Theft Auto series of games.    … Expand
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. BiffB
    Jan 5, 2010
    1
    Great game, story and all that stuff is good, but it's just unplayable. They really, really screwed up the optimization. I'm running a quad core with an 8800GT graphics card. I can run UT3 at 1280x960 max settings and get 40 frames minimum on the most resource-heavy maps. Call of Duty 4 max settings, I never go under 50 frames. This game? Lowest settings, same resolution, I get Great game, story and all that stuff is good, but it's just unplayable. They really, really screwed up the optimization. I'm running a quad core with an 8800GT graphics card. I can run UT3 at 1280x960 max settings and get 40 frames minimum on the most resource-heavy maps. Call of Duty 4 max settings, I never go under 50 frames. This game? Lowest settings, same resolution, I get 24 frames in the safehouse. I get no more than 18 frames in the city.… Expand
  13. 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.
  14. EZ
    Dec 2, 2008
    1
    Ok first off, the game is a horrible PC port done by Rockstar Toronto (the ones responsible for the "Bully" PC). The graphics are nothing special, yet players with 4870X2 and 260GTX are having trouble getting any decent frame rates REGARDLESS of resolution and quality setting. Obviously, there was minimal testing done by Rock*. Yet the reviews are raving , slapping it with a 9/10 or Ok first off, the game is a horrible PC port done by Rockstar Toronto (the ones responsible for the "Bully" PC). The graphics are nothing special, yet players with 4870X2 and 260GTX are having trouble getting any decent frame rates REGARDLESS of resolution and quality setting. Obviously, there was minimal testing done by Rock*. Yet the reviews are raving , slapping it with a 9/10 or 10/10... did they even play the game? Maybe Rock* just paid them off again like they did back in the X360 and PS3 release when just about every1 gave the game 10/10 that it doesnt deserve. I am really dissapointed since i was waiting to play this on pc for months now. I'm returning my copy tomorrow.… 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. 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!
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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.
  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. 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.
  24. 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
  25. 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
  26. 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.
  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. 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
  29. DavyRocket
    Feb 15, 2011
    1
    I held off for a long time before buying this game. I must say that after 2 years of waiting. I wish I would not have bothered buying GTA 4. First off It took 2 days just to get Microshaft live to work properly just so I could save. I cant even use my Philips gamepad, because MS basically paid R* to monopolize on full support for xbox controller for pc ONLY. I am almost done with the gameI held off for a long time before buying this game. I must say that after 2 years of waiting. I wish I would not have bothered buying GTA 4. First off It took 2 days just to get Microshaft live to work properly just so I could save. I cant even use my Philips gamepad, because MS basically paid R* to monopolize on full support for xbox controller for pc ONLY. I am almost done with the game (mission 85), and I am flat out bored of the same thing over and over again. All missions are the same. If this is the direction R* is taking GTA then count me out for future releases. On a score of 1 - 10 I give it a 1.5, and that is being fair. It seems R* now has a trademark. Every GTA game I have played I would find this http://www.drxdesigns.com/screenshots/rstrademark.jpg I am a freelance 3d graphic artist, so it is easy for me to find these faults. VC, SA both had texture stretching. Of course all this is just my opinion, just the same as everyone else, and I am entitled to that! R* use to be my favorite game company, now very bottom of the list. 2 Thumbs down to GTA 4, and Rockstar.… Expand
  30. RectalTerror
    Mar 30, 2011
    1
    A game that you can't play, is worth nothing. And GTAIV PC is a game that you can't play. It requires a credit card to register GFWL, requires registering Social Club & has other annoyances like Securom, and yes that's when you got it from Steam - buying a game on Steam and having to register GFWL, find the error. I'm glad I didn't pay too much for it. It's possibly a good game, onA game that you can't play, is worth nothing. And GTAIV PC is a game that you can't play. It requires a credit card to register GFWL, requires registering Social Club & has other annoyances like Securom, and yes that's when you got it from Steam - buying a game on Steam and having to register GFWL, find the error. I'm glad I didn't pay too much for it. It's possibly a good game, on consoles that is. From what I read it's also full of bugs, that I will never know. GTA3 was already a very bad PC port so I wouldn't be surprised. Another game that looks like a huge amount of work, ruined by abuse of marketing.… 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.
    Read full review
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