Grand Theft Auto IV

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Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 action-

adventure game developed by Rockstar
North and published by Rockstar Games. It
is the eleventh title in the Grand Theft Auto
series, and the first main entry since 2004's
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Set within
the fictional Liberty City (based on New
York City), the single-player story follows a
war veteran, Niko Bellic, and his attempts
to escape his past while under pressure
from loan sharks and mob bosses. The
open world design lets players freely roam
Liberty City, consisting of three main
islands.
Grand Theft Auto IV
Developer(s) Rockstar North[a]
Publisher(s) Rockstar Games
Producer(s) Leslie Benzies

Programmer(s) Adam Fowler
Alexander Roger
Obbe Vermeij
Artist(s) Aaron Garbut
Writer(s) Dan Houser

Rupert Humphries
Composer(s) Michael Hunter
Series Grand Theft Auto
Engine RAGE
Platform(s) PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3, Xbox
Release 360
WW: 29 April 2008
Microsoft Windows
NA: 2 December 2008
PAL: 3 December
2008
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player,
multiplayer
The game is played from a third-person

perspective and its world is navigated on-
foot or by vehicle. Throughout the single-
player mode, players play as Niko Bellic.
An online multiplayer mode is included
with the game, allowing up to 32 players to
engage in both co-operative and
competitive gameplay in a recreation of
the single-player setting.[b] Two expansion
packs were later released for the game,
The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of
Gay Tony, which both feature new plots
that are interconnected with the main
Grand Theft Auto IV storyline, and follow
new protagonists.
Development began soon after the release
of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and was
shared between many of Rockstar's
studios worldwide. The game introduced a
shift to a more realistic and detailed style
and tone for the series. Unlike previous
entries, Grand Theft Auto IV lacked a
strong cinematic influence, as the team
attempted an original approach to the
story. As part of their research for the
open world, the developers conducted
field research around New York throughout
development and captured footage for the
design team.
Following its announcement in May 2006,

Grand Theft Auto IV was widely
anticipated.[2] It was released for the
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in
April 2008, and for Microsoft Windows in
December 2008. Upon release, the game
received universal critical acclaim, with
praise particularly directed at the narrative
and open world design. Grand Theft Auto
IV broke industry sales records and
became the fastest-selling entertainment
product in history at the time, earning
US$310 million in its first day and $500
million in its first week. Considered one of
the most significant titles of the seventh
generation of video games, and by many
critics as one of the greatest video games
of all time, it won year-end accolades,
including Game of the Year awards from
several gaming publications. It has sold
over 25 million copies worldwide as of
2019; it remains the best-selling
PlayStation 3 game of all time. However,
the game also generated controversy, with
criticism directed at the game's depiction
of violence and players' ability to drive
under the influence of alcohol. Its
successor, Grand Theft Auto V, was
released in September 2013.
Gameplay
Grand Theft Auto IV is an action-adventure
game played from a third-person
perspective.[3] Players complete missions
—linear scenarios with set objectives—to
progress through the story. It is possible to
have several active missions running at
one time, as some missions require
players to wait for further instructions or
events. Outside of missions, players can
freely roam the game's open world, and
have the ability to complete optional side
missions. Composed of the fictional city
of Liberty City, the world of Grand Theft
Auto IV is larger in area than most earlier
entries in the series. At the beginning of the
game, players can only explore the first
island–composed of Dukes and Broker–
with all other islands unlocking as the
story progresses.[4]
Players use melee attacks, firearms and

explosives to fight enemies, and may run,
jump, swim or use vehicles to navigate the
game's world. There is a first-person
perspective option when using vehicles. In
combat, auto-aim and a cover system can
be used as assistance against enemies.
Should players take damage, their health
meter can be fully regenerated using
multiple techniques, such as eating, using
medical kits, or calling for paramedics.[5] If
players commit crimes while playing, the
game's law enforcement agencies may
respond as indicated by a "wanted" meter
in the head-up display (HUD). On the meter,
the displayed stars indicate the current
wanted level (for example, at the
maximum six-star level, efforts by law
enforcement to incapacitate players
become very aggressive). Law
enforcement officers will search for
players who leave the wanted vicinity. The
wanted meter enters a cool-down mode
and eventually recedes when players are
hidden from the officers' line of sight.[6]
Combat in Grand Theft Auto IV was reworked to

include a cover system.
The game's cover system allows players
to move between cover, to fire blindly, aim
freely, and target a specific enemy.
Individual body parts can also be
targeted.[7] Melee attacks include
additional moves, such as dodging,
blocking, disarming an opponent and
counter-attacking. Body armour can be
used to absorb gunshots and explosive
damage, but is used up in the process.
When health is entirely depleted, gameplay
stops, and players respawn at the nearest
hospital.[5]
The game's single-player mode lets

players control a war veteran, Eastern
European Niko Bellic. During the story, Niko
meets various new characters, many of
whom he befriends. These characters can
then perform favours for Niko whenever he
asks; for example, his cousin Roman, who
owns a taxi service, can send one of his
cabs to Niko and take him to any
destination around the city. Cabs are
always available during gameplay, allowing
players to quickly travel to a destination.
Throughout the course of the game,
players are also faced with morality
choices, which alter the storyline
appropriately depending on the player's
choice. While free roaming the game
world, players may engage in context-
specific activities such as bowling or
darts. Other available activities include a
vigilante mini-game, and in-game television
programming.[8][9][10] Niko has a
smartphone for contacting friends and
starting activities.[11] The smartphone is
also used to access the game's online
multiplayer mode, and to enter cheat
codes.[12] To access the in-game Internet,
which allows Niko to send and receive
emails and set up prospective dates with
potential girlfriends, Niko can use Internet
cafés located around the city.[13] The
game also features a subway system,
allowing players to quickly traverse
through the game's world.[14]
The online multiplayer mode for Grand
Theft Auto IV allows up to 32 players to
freely roam across a recreation of the
single-player world.[15][b] Players decide
which game mode that they wish to play,
including deathmatches and street
races.[16] Both cooperative and
competitive game modes are available.
These game modes are split into ranked
and unranked matches. For players to level
up through ranks, in-game money must be
earned.[17][18] The game also features a
Free Mode, in which players have the entire
map open to explore, with no end goal or
mission to complete. Hosts of the game
can control many variables, such as police
presence, traffic, and weapons. LAN
support is available in the Windows
version of the game.[19]
Synopsis
Setting
A map of Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV, based on
four of the boroughs of New York City
Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in 2008, in

a redesigned version of Liberty City
consisting of four boroughs, based on four
of the boroughs of New York City: Broker
(based on Brooklyn), Dukes (Queens),
Bohan (The Bronx), and Algonquin
(Manhattan).[20] Adjacent to the city is the
independent state of Alderney (Northern
New Jersey). There are three minor islands
present in the game: Charge Island
(Randall's Island), Colony Island
(Roosevelt Island), and Happiness Island
(Liberty Island). Initially, bridges are locked
down due to a terrorist threat, and players
are constantly pursued by police if the
bridges are crossed, but the blockades are
lifted as the story progresses, allowing the
player to traverse between islands.[4]
Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in a
different storyline and timeline from the
previous games in the series.[21] However,
the game takes place in the same canon
as its expansion packs, The Lost and
Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, and
its successor, Grand Theft Auto V.[22][c]
Plot
Niko Bellic, an Eastern European,[24] arrives

in Liberty City aboard a cargo ship, the
Platypus, to reunite with his cousin Roman,
to pursue the American Dream, and to
search for the man who betrayed his unit in
a war fifteen years prior. Upon arrival,
however, Niko discovers that Roman's
tales of riches and luxury were lies
concealing struggles with gambling debts
and loan sharks, and that Roman lives in a
dirty apartment in Broker rather than a
mansion.[4] While carrying out some jobs
for Roman's taxi company, Niko meets and
befriends several residents in Broker,
including Little Jacob, an underboss of the
Yardies,[25] and Michelle, with whom Niko
quickly enters a relationship.[26]
Niko defends Roman from his loan sharks

several times, but is forced to work for
Vlad Glebov, Roman's Russian loan shark.
Niko kills Vlad after finding out he slept
with Roman's girlfriend, Mallorie.[27] After
Vlad's murder, Niko and Roman are
kidnapped by members of the Liberty City
Bratva on order of Mikhail Faustin and his
associate, Dimitri Rascalov. Faustin, not
bothered by the murder of Vlad, hires
Niko.[28] Niko quickly learns that Faustin is
a psychopath after being ordered to kill the
son of Kenny Petrović, the most powerful
man in the Bratva. After the Petrović family
threatens retaliation, Dimitri convinces
Niko to assassinate Faustin in order to
prevent a gang war.[29] When Niko meets
with Dimitri to collect on the assassination,
Dimitri brings Niko's former employer Ray
Bulgarin instead, who accuses Niko of
stealing from him a few years earlier.
When Niko truthfully denies the allegation,
a firefight ensues, allowing Dimitri and
Bulgarin to escape.[30]
Niko and Roman are immediately forced to

flee to Bohan after their apartment and
taxi company are destroyed by Dimitri's
men in arson attacks.[31] However, things
go poorly as well in Bohan: Dimitri's men
kidnap Roman in a failed bid to lure out
Niko, who rescues Roman.[32] Furthermore,
Michelle reveals she is a government agent
who is actually named Karen, and entraps
Niko into working for her company, known
only by its cover: United Liberty Paper.[33]
Niko kills several known or suspected
terrorists for the agency in exchange for
the file of the numerous crimes the police
have on him and the promise of assistance
in finding the traitor of his unit.[34][35][36]
Despite the hardships Niko and Roman
face while in Bohan, Roman's fortunes
suddenly improve when he receives a large
amount of money from an insurance claim
he made on his destroyed business. Using
the money, Roman buys an apartment in
Algonquin,[32] then restarts his taxi
company.
The Paper tracks down the man

responsible for Niko's unit's betrayal, Darko
Brevic, and brings him into Liberty City for
Niko to decide his fate.[37] Having dealt
with his past, Niko is summoned by one of
his employers, Jimmy Pegorino, who
demands one final favour: to help with an
extremely lucrative deal on heroin in
collusion with Dimitri.[38] Niko must either
strike a deal with Dimitri, or exact revenge
on him.[38]
Should Niko go through with the deal,

Dimitri again betrays him and takes the
heroin for himself.[39] At Roman's wedding,
an assassin sent by Dimitri unintentionally
kills Roman with a stray bullet.[40] After
Dimitri kills Pegorino, he is in turn killed by
a devastated and vengeful Niko.[41] Should
Niko choose to exact revenge, he storms
the Platypus and ambushes Dimitri's men,
fighting his way through them before killing
Dimitri in a decisive final gun battle.[42] At
Roman's wedding, Pegorino, furious after
Niko's betrayal, targets Niko in a drive-by
shooting, but ends up accidentally killing
Niko's new girlfriend Kate.[40] With
Pegorino targeted by the entire Liberty City
underworld, Niko tracks him down and
executes him.[43]
Production
Development
Mural ad for the game on a wall in New York City, July
2007.
Work on Grand Theft Auto IV began in

November 2004, shortly after the release
of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
(2004).[44] Around 150 game developers
worked on Grand Theft Auto IV,[45] led by
core members of the team that previously
worked on Grand Theft Auto III (2001).[46]
For the game, Rockstar used their
proprietary Rockstar Advanced Game
Engine (RAGE), which was previously used
in Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis
(2006), in combination with the Euphoria
game animation engine.[47] Instead of pre-
written animations, Euphoria uses
procedural animation to control the way
the player moves, enabling character
movements to be more realistic.[48] The
Euphoria engine also enables NPCs to
react in a realistic way to the player's
actions. In one preview, a player knocked
an NPC out of a window and the character
grabbed onto a ledge to stop himself from
falling.[49] The game also uses middleware
from Image Metrics to facilitate intricate
facial expressions and ease the process
of incorporating lip-synching.[50] Foliage in
the game is produced through
SpeedTree.[51]
Grand Theft Auto IV sees a shift in the

series to a more realistic and detailed
style and tone,[44] partly a result of the
transition to consoles which offered high-
definition graphics and the new and
improved capabilities of such consoles.[46]
Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser said
"what we're taking as our watchword on
[Grand Theft Auto IV] is the idea of what
high definition actually means. Not just in
terms of graphics, which obviously we are
achieving, but in terms of all aspects of the
design. [...] You know, trying to make
something more realistic, more held
together, but still retaining the overall
coherence that the other games had."[44]
Art director Aaron Garbut said one of the
reasons they decided to set the game in
New York because "we all knew what an
amazing, diverse, vibrant, cinematic city it
is," and since they were hoping the push
the "detail, variety and life" to a high level, it
seemed that "basing the game in a city so
synonymous with these things was a great
fit."[52] Dan Houser added "because we
were working in high definition and we
knew we'd need a shitload of research, we
wanted to be somewhere where we had a
foothold."[46] The developers consciously
avoided creating a block for block
recreation of New York City; Dan Houser
said "what we've always tried to do is
make a thing that looks real and has the
qualities of a real environment, but is also
fun from a game design perspective."[44]
The Grand Theft Auto IV rendition of Liberty
City is far more detailed and larger in size
than Grand Theft Auto III and other cities
seen in earlier entries in the series.[53]
Although smaller than San Andreas, the
main setting for Grand Theft Auto IV's
predecessor Grand Theft Auto: San
Andreas, Liberty City is comparable to it in
terms of scope when "the level of
verticality of the city, the number of
buildings you can go into, and the level of
detail in those buildings" are taken into
account.[53] The goal for Liberty City was
to have no dead spots or irrelevant
spaces, such as the wide open deserts in
San Andreas.[44] To achieve a realistic
environment, the Rockstar North team,
based in Edinburgh, Scotland, made two
trips to New York for research, one at the
start of the project (which was done with
every previous Grand Theft Auto game) and
another smaller one further into
development.[52] A full-time research team,
based in New York, handled further
requests for information ranging from the
ethnic minority of a neighbourhood to
videos of traffic patterns.[46]
The story of Grand Theft Auto IV was
written by Dan Houser and Rupert
Humphries.[14] Unlike previous Grand Theft
Auto games which have a strong cultural
or cinematic influence, "[Grand Theft Auto
IV doesn't] really have any cinematic
influences",[44] as explained by Houser. "We
were consciously trying to go, well, if video
games are going to develop into the next
stage, then the thing isn't to try and do a
loving tribute or reference other stuff. It's
to reference the actual place itself".[46]
Houser also said, "In terms of the
character, we wanted something that felt
fresh and new and not something that was
obviously derived from [a] movie. [...]
Maybe [we] could do something ourselves
that would live alongside that stuff".[46]
Music supervisor Ivan Pavlovich said "[we

had] to pick the songs that make New York
today what it is, but make sure they won't
feel dated by the time the game comes
out."[54] The developers contacted over
2,000 people in order to obtain recording
and publishing rights.[55] They even hired a
private investigator to locate the relatives
of late Skatt Bros. member Sean Delaney
to license the band's song "Walk the
Night".[56] Citing sources close to the
deals, Billboard reported that Rockstar
paid as much as $5,000 per composition
and another $5,000 per master recording
per track.[57] Developers originally
considered letting players purchase music
by going to an in-game record shop and
for Niko to have an MP3 player, but both
ideas were cut.[55] DJ Green Lantern
produced tracks exclusively for the game's
hip-hop radio station The Beat 102.7.[57]
Record label owner and record producer
Bobby Konders, who hosts the in-game
radio station Massive B Soundsystem
96.9, went through the extra effort of flying
to Jamaica to get dancehall artists to re-
record tracks to make references to the
boroughs of Liberty City.[57]
The Corporate Vice-President of

Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment
Business division, Peter Moore, announced
at E3 2006 that the game would appear on
Xbox 360, by rolling up his sleeve to reveal
a Grand Theft Auto IV temporary tattoo.[58]
Rockstar Games initially appeared to be
committed to the original 16 October 2007
release date; however, Wedbush Morgan
analyst Michael Pachter suggested that
Take-Two may choose to delay the release
of the game in order to boost its financial
results for 2008 and to avoid competing
with the release of other highly anticipated
titles, such as Halo 3.[59] Rockstar
responded by saying that Grand Theft Auto
IV was still on track for release in "late
October".[60] On 2 August 2007, Take-Two
announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would
miss its original release date of 16
October 2007 contrary to their previous
statements, and would be delayed to their
second fiscal quarter (February–April) of
2008.[61] In a later conference call with
investors, Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick
attributed the delay to "almost strictly
technological problems ... not problems,
but challenges."[62] It was later revealed
that technical difficulties with the
PlayStation 3 version of the game
contributed to the delay, along with
storage problems on the Xbox 360.[63] On
24 January 2008, Take-Two announced
that Grand Theft Auto IV would be released
on 29 April 2008.[64] As the release date
approached, Rockstar Games and Take-
Two marketed the game heavily through
various forms, including television ads,
Internet video, billboards, viral marketing,
and a redesigned website. A special
edition of the game was also released for
both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[65] At
a Take-Two shareholder meeting on 18
April 2008, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder
announced that Grand Theft Auto IV had
already "gone gold" and was "in production
and in trucks en route to retailers".[66] The
game was eventually released for the
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game
consoles in Europe, North America, and
Oceania on 29 April 2008,[64] and in Japan
on 30 October 2008.[67] Overall, Grand
Theft Auto IV took over 1000 people and
more than three and a half years to
complete, with a total cost estimated at
approximately $100 million, making it, at
the time, the most expensive video game
ever developed.[68]
The Windows version of Grand Theft Auto IV includes

a replay editor. The Clips interface is used to capture
game footage.
On 6 August 2008, Rockstar announced

that a Microsoft Windows version of Grand
Theft Auto IV was in development by
Rockstar North and Rockstar
Toronto.[69][70] The game was originally
announced for release in North America on
18 November 2008 and in Europe on 21
November 2008 but was later pushed back
to 2 and 3 December 2008, respectively.[70]
It contains expanded features,[70] including
traffic density control, draw distance
configurations and a replay editor.[71] The
replay editor allows players to record and
edit game clips, videos can then be
uploaded to Rockstar's Social Club
website. It utilised Games for Windows -
Live for online play[72] and supports 32
players for multiplayer.[1] SecuROM
protection is utilised and a one time online
activation is required in order to play the
game.[73] The game was made available
on Steam on 4 January 2009.[74] On 9
February 2017, the Xbox 360 version of
Grand Theft Auto IV was made available
for backwards compatibility with the Xbox
One.[75]
Episodic content
Two episodic packs for Grand Theft Auto

IV have been released. These two
episodes were first released separately,
exclusively on Xbox Live,[76] as
downloadable content (DLC), requiring the
original game to play. They were later
released together as part of a standalone
game, titled Grand Theft Auto: Episodes
from Liberty City, which does not require
the original game to play.[77] Dan Houser
stated the episodes shows "a different
side of Liberty City".[78]
The first expansion, titled Grand Theft

Auto: The Lost and Damned, was originally
released on 17 February 2009.[79] The
protagonist of The Lost and Damned is
Johnny Klebitz, a member of Liberty City's
biker gang The Lost. The second
expansion, titled Grand Theft Auto: The
Ballad of Gay Tony, was released on 29
October 2009.[80] The protagonist of The
Ballad of Gay Tony is Luis Fernando Lopez,
an assistant to nightclub owner Tony "Gay
Tony" Prince, and follows him as he
resolves the conflicts of his friends, family,
and boss.[77]
Jeronimo Barrera, Vice-President of

Product Development for Rockstar Games,
said that the episodes were experiments
because the team were not sure that there
was enough users with access to online
content on the Xbox 360.[81] Take-Two
Interactive's Chief Financial Officer, Lainie
Goldstein revealed that Microsoft was
paying a total of $50 million for the first
two episodes.[82] In January 2010,
Rockstar announced that the DLC as well
as Episodes From Liberty City would be
made available for the PlayStation 3 and
Microsoft Windows on 13 April 2010 in
North America[83][84] and 16 April 2010 in
Europe.[83]
Both episodes were released for

PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows on
13 April 2010[83] in North America and on
16 April 2010[83] in Europe.[85] Grand Theft
Auto IV: The Complete Edition, including the
original Grand Theft Auto IV and its two
episodic expansions, was listed on online
stores,[86] before being confirmed by
Rockstar. The compilation was released
on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows
on 26 October 2010 in North America, and
29 October in Europe.[87] The Xbox 360
versions of both episodes were made
backwards compatible with the Xbox One
on 9 February 2017.[75]
Soundtrack
Like previous games in the Grand Theft

Auto series, Grand Theft Auto IV features a
soundtrack that can be heard through
radio stations while the player is in a
vehicle. Liberty City is serviced by 19 radio
stations, three of which are talk radio
stations. The other stations feature music
from a large range of genres, including
tracks from Genesis, David Bowie, Bob
Marley, The Who, Queen, Kanye West and
Elton John.[88]
Grand Theft Auto IV uses a similar music

system to that of Grand Theft Auto: San
Andreas (2004). In other games in the
series, each radio station was essentially a
single looped sound file, playing the same
songs, announcements and
advertisements in the same order each
time. With the radio stations in Grand Theft
Auto IV, each sound file is held separately,
and sequenced randomly, allowing songs
to be played in different orders,
announcements to songs to be different
each time, and plot events to be
mentioned on the stations. Certain songs
are also edited to incorporate references
to the fictional Liberty City.[55]
A variety of real celebrities provide voices
for the radio DJs in the game, including
fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, musicians
Iggy Pop,[89] Femi Kuti,[90] Jimmy
Gestapo[91] and Ruslana,[92] and real-life
radio talk show host Lazlow Jones.[93]
Saturday Night Live actors Bill Hader and
Jason Sudeikis appear on the liberal and
conservative radio talk shows respectively,
with Fred Armisen playing several guests
on Lazlow's "Integrity 2.0".[93] Numerous
other comedians, including Jim Norton,
Patrice O'Neal, Rick Shapiro, and Robert
Kelly, as well as radio hosts Opie and
Anthony appeared on the radio and/or as
characters in-game.[94]
The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008

soundtrack packaged with the special
edition of Grand Theft Auto IV. The disc
contains several soundtrack selections.[95]
The soundtrack features several genres,
from hip hop to rock and reggae. Several
artists re-recorded their songs to make
references to in-game locations. Two
songs, "Liberty City: The Invasion" and "No
Sex for Ben", were composed specifically
for the game and the soundtrack.[96] The
theme song of Grand Theft Auto IV, "Soviet
Connection", was composed by Michael
Hunter, who previously composed the
theme for Grand Theft Auto: San
Andreas.[55]
Near the ten-year anniversary of the

game's release in April 2018, Rockstar
issued patches to all versions of the game
to remove some of the licensed songs
from the game which they no longer have
licensing rights for. Rockstar said this was
primarily from the Russian-themed radio
station, "Vladivostok FM", and that they
were to replace these songs with new
music in the patch.[97][98] The songs were
restored in an August 2019 update without
clarification from Rockstar Games.[99]
Reception
Console versions reception
Aggregate score
Aggregator Score
Metacritic 98/100[100][101]
Review scores
Publication Score
1UP.com A+[102]
CVG 9.5/10[103]
Edge 10/10[104]
Eurogamer 10/10[105]
Game 10/10[106]
Informer
GameSpot 10/10[108]
GamesRadar+ [107]
IGN 10/10[109]
Grand Theft Auto IV was released to

critical acclaim. Metacritic, which assigns
a normalised rating in the 0–100 range,
calculated an average score of 98,
indicating "universal acclaim".[100][101] It is
the second-highest rated game on the site,
only behind The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina
of Time.[110][d] Reviewers heavily praised
the game's narrative,[102][106][109][111] open
world design[102][103][109] and combat
system.[103][105][107][108] Hilary Goldstein of
IGN felt that the game "sets a new
benchmark for open-world games",[109]
and Andrew Reiner of Game Informer
wrote that the game "completely changes
the landscape of gaming".[106]
Reviewers lauded the open world design,

some further complimenting the freedom
that it allows the player. Seth Schiesel of
The New York Times named the city the
"real star" of the game.[112] Official Xbox
Magazine's Hicks was impressed by the
city, attributing this to the game's AI.[111]
Robinson of Computer and Video Games
considered the environment believable,
and felt that the world was "utterly
unmatched".[103] Goldstein of IGN felt that,
although Liberty City is inspired by New
York, it is not beholden to it. He wrote that
the city "exists in its own universe and
rightfully so".[109] Crispin Boyer of 1UP.com
directed praise at the city's "breathtaking
vistas, incredibly varied scenery, and lived-
in look."[102] Conversely, Jesse Costantino
of Game Revolution felt that the game
lacked important features common in
other open world games.[113]
Reviewers praised the game's narrative.

IGN's Goldstein accepted that the darker
tones to the story, a break from series
tradition. Jon Hicks of Official Xbox
Magazine felt surprised by the amount of
depth to the story.[111] Reiner of Game
Informer wrote that the level of freedom in
the game contributed to his enjoyment of
the story.[106] The morality choices faced
by players throughout the narrative were
also welcomed. 1UP.com's Boyer felt that
they gave the game an element of
"replayability".[102] Eurogamer's Tom
Bramwell considered the morality choices
a fair substitute over "bosses with large
health bars".[105]
The game's protagonist, Niko Bellic, with the main
antagonist, Dimitri Rascalov. Reviewers praised the
game's story and characters, commending the
morality choices faced by players.
The game's characters—particularly Niko—

received positive reactions from
critics.[105] Hicks of Official Xbox Magazine
and Andy Robinson of Computer and Video
Games both called Niko "charismatic" and
"likeable", stating that they prefer him over
previous protagonists of the series.[103][111]
George Walter of GamesRadar praised the
depth of the character, and IGN's Goldstein
felt that the character of Niko feels
relatable when faced with difficult
decisions.[107] Jeff Gerstmann of Giant
Bomb felt that Niko was a "the only thing
that mattered to [him]" as he progressed
through the story, with the character
becoming one of his favourite features of
the game.[114] Schiesel of The New York
Times named Niko one of the most
realised video game characters attributing
this to the game's script,[112] while
1UP.com's Boyer commended the use of
character bonding during the game's
missions.[102]
Many reviewers found the combat system

was more responsive than in previous
games, particularly praising the addition of
the cover system.[102][103][105] Justin
Calvert of GameSpot wrote that the cover
system makes the game's combat a "huge
improvement" over previous games.[108]
Reiner of Game Informer agreed, writing
that the targeting system makes players
feel responsible for all deaths.[106] IGN's
Goldstein praised the fluidity of the cover
system, and felt that the auto aim
mechanic is a "great help in larger
battles".[109] GamesRadar's Walter wrote
that the cover system has "paved the way
to a new style of mission".[107] David
McComb of Empire called the combat
"sharp and instinctive",[115] and Hicks of
Official Xbox Magazine felt that the cover
system allows players to execute an
attack plan.[111] In addition to the combat
system, most reviewers noted the vehicle
handling was more realistic than in
previous games.[106][107][111] Robinson of
Computer and Video Games felt that the
vehicle handling echoed realism, while
Hicks of Official Xbox Magazine called the
vehicle selection "excellent".[103]
Costantino of Game Revolution praised the
improvement of the game's mechanics,
particularly the physics engine's advanced
vehicle and character animations.[113]
Reviewers praised the sound design.
Goldstein of IGN praised the actors'
performances and the use of licensed
music. GameSpot's Calvert and
GamesRadar's Walter also commended
the licensed music, the latter admiring the
humour of the radio's talk stations.[107][108]
Michael Pinson of The Pro Audio Files
praised the separate features of the
game's sound design—including the city's
ambiance, licensed music, character
dialogue, and vehicle and weapon sound
effects—applauding the developer's use of
uniting the features together.[116] Carolyn
Gudmundson of GamesRadar also
retroactively praised the game's
soundtrack, commending its suitability to
the game's setting.[117]
The game's online multiplayer mode

received positive reactions from
critics.[105][108] Reiner of Game Informer
praised the character customisation
available in the multiplayer mode, and
noted that it runs "just as smoothly" as the
single-player game.[106] 1UP.com's Boyer
called the multiplayer modes
"excellent",[102] and IGN's Goldstein named
it one of the best.[109] Official Xbox
Magazine's Hicks dubbed the multiplayer
as "hugely entertaining",[111] while Walter of
GamesRadar praised the "seamless"
process of entering a multiplayer
match.[107] Giant Bomb's Gerstmann and
Game Revolution's Costantino felt divided
about the multiplayer, the latter naming it a
"fantastic idea", but feeling as though
connectivity problems resulted in a
"broken" experience.[113][114]
Windows version
Windows version reception
Aggregate score
Aggregator Score
Metacritic 90/100[118]
Review scores
Publication Score
1UP.com B[119]
CVG 9.4/10[120]
Eurogamer 9/10[121]
GameSpot 9/10[1]
GameSpy [122]
IGN 9.2/10[123]
VideoGamer.com 10/10[124]
When Grand Theft Auto IV was released to

Microsoft Windows in December 2008, it
received generally positive reviews.
Metacritic calculated an average score of
90 out of 100, indicating "universal
acclaim", based on 40 reviews.[118]
Reviewers liked the enhanced
visuals[120][124][125] and the additional
features,[1][119][123][125] but criticised the
port for its inferiority over the console
versions.[119][121][123]
The in-game features added in the port

were well received.[123][125] The addition of
the Video Editor was met with positive
reactions; GameSpot's Calvert called it "a
great way to get creative",[1] while Kieron
Gillen of Eurogamer criticised the
unpredictability in its timing.[121] Critics
also praised the addition of the
customisable radio station, which allows
players to listen to their own choice of
music; Tom Chick of 1UP.com named it the
best feature of the port,[119] and Steven
Hopper of GameZone called it a "great
touch".[125] The port's upgrade to 32
concurrent players in the online multiplayer
mode, as opposed to the console version's
16 players, was also met with positive
feedback; Eurogamer's Gillen said that the
"possibility for mayhem... increases",[121]
while Will Tuttle of GameSpy felt that the
player increase "changes the action
significantly".[122]
The port's enhanced visuals were
commended by many reviewers.
GameZone's Hopper considered the
visuals an improvement over the original
versions.[125] Andy Robinson of Computer
and Video Games called the visuals
"impressive",[120] while Tom Orry of
VideoGamer.com called them "superb".[124]
Conversely, the port's system
requirements, considered difficult to run
with advanced settings,[1] received
criticism.[123][124] Eurogamer's Gillen said
that, though the Windows version is "the
most attractive version", it's "annoyingly
fiddly to get there".[121] GameSpy's Tuttle
was able to overlook the demanding
system requirements in exchange for the
game's other features.[122]
Awards
List of awards for Grand Theft Auto IV
Year Awards Category Ref

[126]
2008 Xbox 360
Best Act ion Game PC [127]
Overall [128]
Best Graphics [129]

Xbox 360
Technology
Best Use of Sound Overall [130]
Xbox 360 [131]

IGN Best of 2008
PlaySt at ion [132]
Best Voice Act ing 3
PC [133]
Overall [134]
Xbox 360 [135]
Best St ory PlaySt at ion [136]

3
IGN AU's 10 Best Games of 2008 Best Game of t he Year [137]
Game of t he Year [138]
Best PlaySt at ion 3 Game [139]
GameTrailers Game of t he Year Awards 2008 Best Xbox 360 Game [140]
Best Act ion Advent ure Game [141]
Best St ory [142]
[143]
GameSpy Game of t he Year 2008 Best St ory
Charact er of t he Year: Brucie Kibbut z [144]
Best UK-Developed Game [145]
GameSpot Best of 2008 Best New Charact er: Brucie Kibbut z [146]
Best Xbox 360 Game [147]
Game of t he Year [148]

Giant Bomb Golden Anniversary Year-End
Awards Ext ravaganza Spect acular 2008 Best Mult iplat form Game [149]
Game of t he Year
Kot aku's 2008 Games of t he Year Awards [150]
Best Writ ing
Best Act ion/Advent ure [151]
TeamXbox Game of t he Year Awards 2008 Best St ory

[152]
Game of t he Year
Game of t he Year
Best Act ion Advent ure Game [153]

Spike TV Video Game Awards 2008
Best Performance by a Human Male:
Michael Hollick as Niko Bellic
BBC 1Xt ra Soundt rack of t he Year

[154]
26t h Annual Golden Joyst ick Awards
ARVATO Xbox Game of t he Year
Best New Charact er: Niko Bellic
Best Act ion Game [155]

G4 G-Phoria 2008
Longest Last ing Game, present ed by
St ride
The New York Times [156]

Game of t he Year
Los Angeles Times [157]
Time The Top 10 Everyt hing of 2008: Top 10 Number 1 video game of 2008 [158]
Video Games
Ent ert ainment Merchant s Associat ion Home Act ion/Advent ure Game of t he Year
2009 [159]
Ent ert ainment Awards – Video Games Video Game of t he Year
Michael Hollick, voice of Niko Bellic, won a Spike TV

award for "Best Performance by a Human Male".
Following the critical acclaim it received

on its release, Grand Theft Auto IV has
received various awards from various
critics and publications. It received several
Game of the Year awards, from gaming
media outlets such as Spike TV,[153] Giant
Bomb,[148] Kotaku,[150] and
GameTrailers,[138] as well as mainstream
publications, like The New York Times,[156]
the Los Angeles Times,[157] and Time
magazine.[158] Grand Theft Auto IV also
received seven nominations at the 5th
British Academy Video Games Awards
(BAFTA Games Awards),[160] and three
nominations at the 9th Annual Game
Developers Choice Awards,[161] but did not
win any of them.[e]
Sales
Within twenty-four hours of its release,
Grand Theft Auto IV sold over 3.6 million
copies, equating to approximately $310
million in revenue.[162] Within a week, it
generated more than $500 million in
worldwide revenue, equating to
approximately 6 million copies sold for
Take Two.[163][164][f] The numbers
surpassed analysts' expectations for the
title.[166][167][168] After one month of
availability, the game had sold over 8.5
million copies.[169] It broke three Guinness
World Records on 13 May 2008: highest
grossing video game in 24 hours, highest
revenue generated by an entertainment
product in 24 hours, and fastest-selling
video game in 24 hours.[170][g] On 11 March
2011, Take-Two announced that the game
had sold over 20 million copies, with the
Grand Theft Auto series surpassing a
collective total of 100 million copies.[172]
As of July 2013, the game has sold over
25 million copies.[173] All sales records
broken by Grand Theft Auto IV were beaten
by its successor, Grand Theft Auto V, upon
release.[174]
In the United Kingdom, the game became

the fastest-selling game of all time, selling
over 631,000 copies in twenty-four
hours.[175][176] This broke the record set by
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas at 501,000
copies over the same period.[177] During
the first five days of availability, the game
sold over 927,000 copies in the United
Kingdom.[178][179] The game's Xbox 360
version ultimately received a "Diamond"
sales award from the Entertainment and
Leisure Software Publishers Association
(ELSPA),[180] indicating sales of at least 1
million copies in the United Kingdom.[181]
ELSPA awarded the game's PlayStation 3
version their "Double Platinum"
certification,[182] to mark sales of at least
600,000 copies in the country.[181] In the
United States, Grand Theft Auto IV sold
2.85 million units in its first five days.[183]
By the end of 2008, the game had sold
over 5.18 million copies in the US.[184] In its
first four days of availability in Japan, it
sold 133,000 copies on the PlayStation 3
and 34,000 on the Xbox 360, according to
Media Create.[185]
In the first week of availability, the

Windows version of Grand Theft Auto IV
debuted at seventh place on the weekly
charts;[186] by the second week, it had left
the top-ten.[187][188] Based on unique user
counts, the game was the most played
Games for Windows – Live game in 2009
and 2012, and the second-most played in
2011.[189]
Controversies
Prior to and since the release of Grand
Theft Auto IV, the game had been subject
to a great deal of controversy, as was the
case with previous Grand Theft Auto titles.
Figures including George Galloway, Jack
Thompson and Hillary Clinton have
criticised the game, as have organisations
including New York City officials and
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).[190]
MADD asked ESRB to change the rating of
the game from "M" (for ages seventeen
and up) to "AO" (for adults only) due to the
player's ability to drive under the influence
of alcohol.[191]
The initial version of Grand Theft Auto IV

released in Australia and New Zealand
was pre-censored by Rockstar to allow the
game to meet the perceived requirements
of the Australian classification system.[192]
However, the game was resubmitted to the
New Zealand OFLC by Stan Calif, a 21-
year-old student who was unhappy that
New Zealand received an edited version of
the game as a result of Australian
censorship laws. The unedited version was
subsequently given an R18 rating and
cleared for sale in New Zealand.[193] For
the PC release, the uncensored version of
the game was awarded MA15+ in
Australia.[194] Following the release of The
Lost and Damned, Rockstar distributed a
patch which uncensored the Australian
console version.[195]
There have been reports in the United

Kingdom and the United States of crimes
perpetrated against people purchasing
Grand Theft Auto IV, as well as employees
of stores selling the game.[196] One of
these incidents, an attack near a
Gamestation store in Croydon, London
was later reported to be an unrelated
argument between two groups of people
leaving a pub[197] and the story has been
referred to as a "media panic."[198] Six
teenagers were later arrested in June 2008
after engaging in a crime spree in New
Hyde Park, New York, assaulting and
robbing several people, and attempting a
carjacking. According to police, the teens
claimed that they were "inspired" by Grand
Theft Auto IV.[199]
References
Notes
a. Ported to Microsoft Windows by

Rockstar Toronto and Rockstar New
England.
b. The online multiplayer mode for the
Windows version of the game allows
up to 32 players, while the console
versions only allow up to 16 players.[1]
c. Games in the Grand Theft Auto series
are grouped into distinct fictional
universes, which share interconnected
plots and characters. The previous "3D
universe" consists of Grand Theft Auto
III (2001), Vice City (2002), Advance
(2004), San Andreas (2004), Liberty
City Stories (2005), and Vice City
Stories (2006). The Liberty City in
Grand Theft Auto IV is different from
its previous renditions.[23]
d. Grand Theft Auto IV shares its status
as second-highest rated game on
Metacritic with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
2 and Soulcalibur.
e. At the 5th British Academy Video
Games Awards, Grand Theft Auto IV
was beaten by: Fable II for the Action
and Adventure award; Call of Duty 4:
Modern Warfare for excellence in
Gameplay, Story and Character, as well
as the GAME Award of 2008; Spore for
the Technical Achievement award;
Dead Space for the Use of Audio
award; and Super Mario Galaxy for the
Best Game award.[160] At the 9th
Game Developers Choice Awards,
Grand Theft Auto IV was beaten by
Fallout 3 for Game of the Year and the
Writing award, and LittleBigPlanet for
the Technology award.[161]
f. The game's first-week sales record
beat the previous record of $320
million set by Halo 3.[165]
g. The three Guinness World Records
that Grand Theft Auto IV broke are
now held by its successor Grand Theft
Auto V.[171]
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Grand Theft Auto IV

Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 action-

Developer(s) Rockstar North[a]

Publisher(s) Rockstar Games

Producer(s) Leslie Benzies

Writer(s) Dan Houser

Series Grand Theft Auto

The game is played from a third-person

Following its announcement in May 2006,

Players use melee attacks, ﬁrearms and

Combat in Grand Theft Auto IV was reworked to

The game's single-player mode lets

Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in 2008, in

Niko Bellic, an Eastern European,[24] arrives

Niko defends Roman from his loan sharks

Niko and Roman are immediately forced to

The Paper tracks down the man

Should Niko go through with the deal,

Work on Grand Theft Auto IV began in

Grand Theft Auto IV sees a shift in the

Music supervisor Ivan Pavlovich said "[we

The Corporate Vice-President of

The Windows version of Grand Theft Auto IV includes

On 6 August 2008, Rockstar announced

Two episodic packs for Grand Theft Auto

The ﬁrst expansion, titled Grand Theft

Jeronimo Barrera, Vice-President of

Both episodes were released for

Like previous games in the Grand Theft

Grand Theft Auto IV uses a similar music

The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008

Near the ten-year anniversary of the

Grand Theft Auto IV was released to

Reviewers lauded the open world design,

Reviewers praised the game's narrative.

The game's characters—particularly Niko—

Many reviewers found the combat system

The game's online multiplayer mode

When Grand Theft Auto IV was released to

The in-game features added in the port

Year Awards Category Ref

Best Act ion Game PC [127]

Best Graphics [129]

Best Use of Sound Overall [130]

Xbox 360 [131]

Xbox 360 [135]

Best St ory PlaySt at ion [136]

IGN AU's 10 Best Games of 2008 Best Game of t he Year [137]

Game of t he Year [138]

Best PlaySt at ion 3 Game [139]

Best Act ion Advent ure Game [141]

Best St ory [142]

Best UK-Developed Game [145]

Best Xbox 360 Game [147]

Game of t he Year [148]

Best Act ion/Advent ure [151]

TeamXbox Game of t he Year Awards 2008 Best St ory

Best Act ion Advent ure Game [153]

BBC 1Xt ra Soundt rack of t he Year

Best New Charact er: Niko Bellic

Best Act ion Game [155]

The New York Times [156]

Michael Hollick, voice of Niko Bellic, won a Spike TV