Grand Theft Auto IV, also known as Grand Theft Auto 4 or GTA 4, is a 2008 open-world action game in the Grand Theft Auto series. Developed by Rockstar North and Rockstar Toronto and published by Rockstar Games, it follows Niko Bellic, a veteran who moves to Liberty City after his cousin Roman promises him a new life in America. 1

Release and platforms

GTA IV launched for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on April 29, 2008. 2 The PC version followed on December 2, 2008. 3

GTA IV's reported sales exceeded US$310 million on the first day and reached US$500 million during the first week, making it Take-Two's biggest launch at the time. 4 The series later continued with Grand Theft Auto V.

Story and setting

Niko arrives in Liberty City hoping to leave his past behind and join Roman, only to find that his cousin's stories of wealth were exaggerated. Roman's debts pull them into the city's criminal underworld, while Niko pursues unfinished business from the war he survived. 1

The game rebuilds Liberty City as a dense interpretation of New York City spread across several boroughs and the neighboring state of Alderney. The story follows Niko's work for criminals across the city and the relationships he forms along the way.

Gameplay and life in Liberty City

Players control Niko on foot and in vehicles, taking jobs from contacts while moving through the city between missions. Gunfights use a cover system, with both target lock and free aim available; entering cover and choosing when to expose Niko matter alongside shooting. Driving has its own steering, braking, handbrake and in-vehicle weapon controls, so a getaway asks for a different set of actions from a fight on foot.9

The mobile phone connects Niko to the people around him. Calls and messages bring the criminal jobs into his daily life, while the map’s waypoints help navigate between destinations. Off the job, bowling, darts and pool provide activities, and comedy and cabaret venues give Liberty City entertainment beyond its crime missions. Niko can spend time with friends and take a break from criminal work without leaving the city behind.9

The campaign also puts decisions about loyalty and revenge in Niko’s hands. Those choices fit his effort to escape the past while repeatedly being drawn back into violence. The two episodes below revisit the same city through Johnny and Luis, whose jobs and loyalties bring them into contact with Niko’s world.5

Development

Dan Houser described GTA IV as a deliberate reinvention after San Andreas, with more rounded characters and expressive facial animation. Rather than simply repeating the earlier game's scale and tone, the team sought a different relationship between the story and its city.8

Houser recalled drawing on conversations with New York police officers and reporters, contrasting that research with the stronger reliance on film references in Vice City and San Andreas. He also discussed an immigrant outsider's perspective as one influence on the story, without presenting it as its sole origin.8

Episodes from Liberty City

The story continues through two connected expansions. The Lost and Damned follows biker Johnny Klebitz, while The Ballad of Gay Tony follows Luis Lopez. Their stories overlap with Niko's campaign and show the same events from different parts of Liberty City's criminal world. Both expansions are included with the base game in Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition. 5

Current availability

On PC, Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition is available through the Rockstar Games Launcher and Steam. Rockstar updated the PC release in 2020 to combine the base game and both episodes and remove the Games for Windows Live requirement. 6

The Xbox 360 versions of GTA IV, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony are playable on Xbox One and later Xbox consoles through backward compatibility. 7

References

  1. Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar Games. Accessed August 11, 2026.

  2. Grand Theft Auto IV Release Date, Take-Two Interactive, published January 24, 2008. Accessed August 11, 2026.

  3. 2008 Annual Report, Take-Two Interactive. Accessed August 11, 2026.

  4. Grand Theft Auto IV Breaks Entertainment Launch Records, Take-Two Interactive, published May 7, 2008. Accessed August 11, 2026.

  5. Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition, Rockstar Store. Accessed August 11, 2026.

  6. GTAIV: Complete Edition Now Available on the Rockstar Games Launcher and Steam, Rockstar Games, published March 24, 2020. Accessed August 11, 2026.

  7. Grand Theft Auto IV and Episodes from Liberty City Playable on Xbox One with Backward Compatibility, Rockstar Games, published February 9, 2017. Accessed August 11, 2026.

  8. GTA Co-Creator Dan Houser on How 9/11 and a Kick Me Sticker Changed Rockstar Games Forever, IGN interview with Dan Houser. Timestamped interview sections reviewed from the supplied transcript.

  9. Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto IV PC manual, 2008.