Grand Theft Auto IV

Story and setting

Niko Bellic arrives in Liberty City from Eastern Europe, hoping that his cousin Roman’s promises of wealth and easy living are true. Instead, he finds Roman in serious trouble and is pulled into a criminal underworld populated by gangsters, corrupt businessmen, fixers and opportunists. Niko’s past gradually catches up with him, giving the campaign a more serious and melancholy tone than earlier Grand Theft Auto games.

Liberty City is divided into four main boroughs and the neighbouring territory of Alderney, with crowded streets, industrial districts, parks, bridges and a busy waterfront. The city is smaller in scope than San Andreas, but its pedestrians, traffic, radio stations, television programmes and internet cafés create a convincing sense of place. Important story decisions affect relationships, missions and the ending, so the campaign is not entirely fixed from start to finish.

How it plays

GTA IV is a third-person open-world action-adventure game built around driving, shooting, exploration and criminal missions. Niko can steal and drive a wide range of cars, motorbikes, boats and helicopters, while the improved shooting system adds a cover mechanic and more deliberate aiming than previous entries. The RAGE engine, combined with NaturalMotion’s Euphoria animation technology, gives characters and vehicles a weighty, reactive feel, particularly during crashes, falls and explosions.

Outside the main story, Niko can meet friends, arrange dates, play darts, pool or bowling, visit bars and comedy clubs, take taxi fares, complete optional jobs and look for hidden pigeons. The phone is central to the game, handling contacts, activities, cheats and multiplayer access. This emphasis on relationships and routine is distinctive, though some players will find the repeated social invitations and less generous selection of side activities dated.

Online, DLC and updates

Yes, the original Xbox 360 version includes online multiplayer for up to 16 players. Its modes include free roam, races, GTA Races, deathmatches, team-based criminal jobs and the co-operative missions Hangman’s NOOSE, Deal Breaker and Bomb da Base II. Rockstar’s console updates fixed several multiplayer connection problems, race-lobby hangs, crashes and other issues. The mode is competitive and co-operative rather than a persistent GTA Online-style service, with no modern progression economy or regular live-service updates.

Two substantial story expansions followed. The Lost and Damned, released first on Xbox 360 in February 2009, follows biker Johnny Klebitz, while The Ballad of Gay Tony, released in October 2009, puts Luis Lopez at the centre of Liberty City’s nightclub and crime scenes. Both campaigns overlap with Niko’s story and add new missions, characters, vehicles, weapons, radio content and multiplayer features. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition, released in Europe on 29 October 2010, combines the main game with both episodes.

The current PC Complete Edition replaced the older digital releases in 2020. It includes the single-player game and both expansions, but Games for Windows Live, multiplayer and leaderboards were removed. That makes the Xbox versions the straightforward choice if online play is important.

Platforms, editions and UK price

The original game released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with a Windows version also available. Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S can run the Xbox 360 version through backward compatibility, and Xbox 360 cloud saves can be carried across to Xbox One. This is compatibility support rather than a native current-generation remaster, so the game retains its original presentation and technical limitations.

At launch in the UK, the standard edition was listed at £39.99 and the limited Special Edition at £69.99. The Special Edition included the game in a metal safety deposit box, an art book, soundtrack CD, key and a Rockstar-branded duffel bag. The later Complete Edition had a European recommended retail price of £34.99. On the current UK Xbox Store, the base game is listed at £17.99, with The Lost and Damned at £6.75 and The Ballad of Gay Tony at £13.49. It is sold separately rather than listed as a current Game Pass title.

Reception and verdict

Grand Theft Auto IV was met with near-universal acclaim at launch. The Xbox 360 version holds a 98 Metascore from 86 critic reviews on Metacritic, while Official Xbox Magazine UK and IGN both awarded it 100. Critics praised the writing, voice acting, animation, world design and the more grounded portrayal of crime and immigration.

Its weaknesses are clearer now. The driving can feel loose, the campaign’s social obligations become repetitive, and the city offers fewer distractions and customisation options than San Andreas or GTA V. Even so, the combination of Niko’s story, Liberty City’s atmosphere, reactive physics and a strong pair of expansions makes GTA IV a vital part of Rockstar’s history and still an excellent choice for players who prefer a serious, tightly written crime drama to a brighter, more sandbox-focused sequel.