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Difference between revisions of "Grand Theft Auto IV"

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(added link in keypoint to custom music section, corrected system requirements)
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{{++}} Extensive [[#Modifications|modding community]], along with [[Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City]].
 
{{++}} Extensive [[#Modifications|modding community]], along with [[Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City]].
 
{{++}} Ability to import your music for your own [[#Custom music|custom radio station]].
 
{{++}} Ability to import your music for your own [[#Custom music|custom radio station]].
{{--}} Rockstar [[#Restore removed music|has removed music]] from the game due to expired licences. Same with [[Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City]].
+
{{--}} Rockstar [[#Restore removed music|has removed music]] from the game due to expired licences. Same with [[Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City]]. See [https://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto:_Episodes_from_Liberty_City#Restore_Removed_Music Restore Removed Music]
  
 
'''General information'''
 
'''General information'''

Revision as of 01:30, 26 May 2018

Template:Infobox game/row/winporter
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV cover
Developers
Rockstar North
Publishers
Rockstar Games
Engines
RAGE
Release dates
Windows December 2, 2008
Grand Theft Auto IV guide on StrategyWiki
Grand Theft Auto IV on Wikipedia

Warnings

For Games for Windows - LIVE on Windows 8 or later, install the latest Games for Windows - LIVE software.
Grand Theft Auto 1997
Grand Theft Auto 2 1999
Grand Theft Auto III 2002
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 2003
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 2005
Grand Theft Auto IV 2008
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City 2010
Grand Theft Auto: iFruit 2013
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 10 Year Anniversary 2014
Grand Theft Auto V 2015
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars 2021
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (series)

Key points

Shares many similarities with Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City in terms of its engine and performance.
Extensive modding community, along with Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.
Ability to import your music for your own custom radio station.
Rockstar has removed music from the game due to expired licences. Same with Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. See Restore Removed Music

General information

Rockstar Support
GTA Modding - A wiki hosting mod information for the GTA series.
GTAForums - Grand Theft Auto IV Discussion
GTA Network - A huge network of fansites all dedicated to the Grand Theft Auto series
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Icon overlay.png
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
CD key
Requires online activation
Windows
Amazon.com
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Requires online activation
Windows
Amazon.com
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Requires online activation
Complete Edition
Windows
Incorrect store name. See here for available options.
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Requires online activation
Complete Edition only
Windows
Gamesplanet logo.svg
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Requires online activation
Complete Edition
Windows
Green Man Gaming
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Requires online activation
Windows
Humble Store
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Requires online activation
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Requires online activation
Windows
All versions require Games for Windows - LIVE and SecuROM DRM.[Note 1]
Online features require Rockstar Games Social Club.
Complete Edition includes Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Apply the GTA IV Intro Patch[citation needed]
Edit loadingscreens_pc.dat[1]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>GTAIV\common\data\
  2. Open loadingscreens_pc.dat with notepad
  3. Change the value of "duration" for sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 to 0.

Patches

Patch 8 updates the game to the latest version. The Steam version is already patched.
Patch 7 is also available (may be required for some mods, as much as Patch 4).
Since 1.0.6.0 patch Rockstar Social Club is no longer required to run the game.[2]

ColAccel

Greatly reduces loading times
If editing .IMG archives you need to delete colCache.dat and let it get re-created
Place ColAccel script in <path-to-game>[3]
Requires an ASI Loader.

Game data

In-game general settings.
In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %LOCALAPPDATA%\Rockstar Games\GTA IV\Settings\SETTINGS.CFG
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/12210/pfx/[Note 2]
Configuration files are encrypted. For an alternative, see Command line parameters.

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %LOCALAPPDATA%\Rockstar Games\GTA IV\savegames\<user-id>\
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/12210/pfx/[Note 2]
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\XLive must also be backed up as the save data is bound to the Games for Windows - LIVE profile.

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Steam Cloud

Video settings

In-game video settings.
In-game video settings.

Template:Video settings

Input settings

In-game key map settings.
In-game key map settings.
In-game keyboard/mouse settings.
In-game keyboard/mouse settings.
In-game gamepad settings.
In-game gamepad settings.

Template:Input settings

DirectInput Controller support

Launch the game with -usedirectinput parameter[4]
Added in patch 1.0.2.0[5]
Option in Controller Settings[citation needed]
  1. In the game, go to Options then Controls then Controller Options and click Enable DirectInput
Added in patch 1.0.3.0[6]

PS3 Controller Buttons

If using a PS2/PS3 controller, you might want to change the Xbox 360 buttons to the PS2/PS3 buttons. In order to do so, follow the instructions below.

Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Download the Controller Button Icon Change mod.
  2. Extract buttons_360.wtd and frontend_360.wtd to <path-to-game>\PC\textures\

Audio settings

In-game audio settings.
In-game audio settings.

Template:Audio settings

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Czech
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Polish
Brazilian Portuguese
Russian
Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Spanish
Ukrainian

Network

Social Club website stat tracking and leaderboards have been shut down. All other online features are unaffected.[7]

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
LAN play
32
Online play
32

Connection types

Ports

Protocol Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP 53, 80, 3074
UDP 53, 88, 3074
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes State GG3D Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision
For better support use Helix Mod: Grand Theft Auto IV
TriDef 3D
iZ3D

Issues fixed

Game uses Games for Windows - LIVE. Make sure you are running latest version and refer to the concerning page if you have further problems.

Release Date Check Failure

Use the Offline Installer package[8][9]
Change Windows Date to any date before 28 June 2015[citation needed]

Error WS10

Install the updated Games for Windows Marketplace Client[citation needed]

SecuLauncher: failed to start application. [2000] error

Install Visual C++ Redistributable 2005 and .NET 3.5[8]

Fatal error WTV190

Reinstall GFWL client[citation needed]

Fatal error WTV270

See In-game interface does not open

Fatal error RMN20

Run game in compatibility mode[citation needed]
  1. Go to the installation folder.
  2. Right click on GTAIV.exe and enter its properties screen.
  3. Under the compatibility tab, set the compatibility mode to Windows Vista (Service Pack 2) and click OK.
If using Windows 7, Vista or XP, update your Windows to the latest available service pack[10]

Game stuck at disclaimer screen or Rockstar logo on Windows 10

Disable fullscreen optimization[11]
  1. Go to the installation folder.
  2. Right click on GTAIV.exe and enter its properties screen.
  3. Under the compatibility tab, tick Disable fullscreen optimizations and click OK.

Texture popping, stuttering and other performance issues after running the game for a while

Force maximum available memory[12]
  1. Create a file named commandline.txt in your root installation folder.
  2. Depending on your texture quality, enter one of the following codes in to the newly created file:
    • Low textures (256 MB VRAM): -memrestrict 230686720
    • Medium textures (512 MB VRAM): -memrestrict 314572800
    • High textures (1 GB+ VRAM): -memrestrict 681574400
  3. Save the file and launch the game.
-reservedApp 0 is also worth a try for a 64-bit OS.[13]
Keep in mind that the use of High Textures is not recommended for 32-bit Vista/7 or newer.[13]
Forcing available memory with Patch 8 is not recommended as it will make the game unstable.
Make sure Steam Overlay is enabled[14][citation needed]

"Accelerated" behavior

Visible signs of this are R* startup logos ending up (slightly) earlier than the background music and overall gameplay accelerations like Niko moving and shooting (a bit) faster than normal.
Restart the game[citation needed]

No recoil/bullet spread

By default, recoil/bullet spread is only enabled when playing with a controller. This results in 100% accuracy when using a keyboard and mouse.
Install the Bullet Spread/Recoil Fix script[15]
Not recommended to use in Multiplayer.
Requires an ASI Loader.

Game minimizes after clicking start

If the game minimizes after selecting between GTA IV base and EFLC and can not be made full screen again it may be a problem with PunkBuster. It can be fixed by stopping it from running.
Stop PunkBuster[citation needed]
  1. Press Ctrl+ Shift+Esc.
  2. Click PnkBstrA.exe in Processes.
  3. Click End task to stop it from running.

Game will load with minimal graphic settings and won't let you change them

For some video cards the game will run but won't let you change the graphics settings to anything better. In order to force the game to allow the changes, load the .exe with the extra parameter: -norestrictions. If running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, run the game in compatibility mode for Windows Vista (SP2)[citation needed].
Bypass graphics restrictions on Steam version[citation needed]
  1. Open your Steam library.
  2. Right-click on Grand Theft Auto IV and select Properties.
  3. Press the Set Launch Options... button.
  4. Enter -norestrictions into the text field, press OK.
  5. Start the game.
Bypass graphics restrictions on other versions[citation needed]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>.
  2. Create a new text file in this folder and name it commandline.txt.
  3. Open it and add the string -norestrictions to it.
  4. Save the file.
  5. Start the game.

Infinite loading loop

Launch the game with -availablevidmem 0.9 -percentvidmem 100 parameter[16][17]

AMD Radeon water fix

There is a problem where the water loses its features and details after a while.
Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Download the file waterTex.fxc located here.
  2. Go to the installation folder.
  3. In <path-to-game> navigate to common\shaders\win32_30_atidx10\ and rename your original waterTex.fxc file.
  4. Drag and drop the file you recently downloaded into that folder.
  5. After the previous step has been completed navigate out of that folder and now to common\shaders\win32_30_low_ati\ and rename your original waterTex.fxc file.
  6. Drag and drop the file you recently downloaded into that folder.

Invisible fonts glitch

An invisible fonts glitch may occur which involves game menu text disappearing.
Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Download the files fonts.dat and fonts_r.dat located here.
  2. Go to the installation folder.
  3. Drag and drop the files into common\data\ in <path-to-game>.

2GB+ VRAM is wrongly recognized

This is fixed in Patch 1.0.8.0.
Force increase video memory[18]
  1. Open <path-to-game>\commandline.txt (create if it doesn't exist).
  2. Put -availablevidmem 2.0 in a new line (or replace 2.0 with your VRAM).

Multiplayer: Login to Social Club failed

This was fixed with Patch 8.
Override paul.dll[19]
  1. Rename <path-to-game>/paul.dll to paul.dll_old.
  2. Restart the game. It should load up directly.
  • You must have completed GFWL setup first, then you can take this shortcut.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9
Shader Model support 3
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Physics Bullet Physics Library, Euphoria
Interface Flash
Cutscenes Bink Video 1.8L; 1.9r since Patch 6
Multiplayer Games for Windows - LIVE, Rockstar Games Social Club

Downgrade to 1.0.4.0

Some mods work only with this version. This version is also claimed to improve game performance.[20][21]
Multiplayer won't work with older versions.
Apply old 1.0.4.0 patch[22]
  1. Download the original 1.0.4.0 update and install it.
  2. Rename the folder where you have installed the game (usually "Grand Theft Auto IV" or "GTA IV").
  3. Download Rockstar Games Social Club and install it.
  4. Merge back the content of your renamed folder to the GTA IV folder this latest installer will have created.

Restore removed music

Some music was removed after Rockstar's music licence for this game expired after 10 years, in 2018.[23]
Run the radio downgrader[24]
  1. Download the downgrader
  2. Unpack to your game directory
  3. Run install.bat

Run EFLC as DLCs

Merges songs from EFLC into the base game.

Modifications

It is strongly recommended to make a backup of any files modifications may replace or amend in the event of corruption.

XLiveLess

Built-in ASI loader
Removes Games for Windows - LIVE service.
Save game data location changes to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Rockstar Games\GTA IV\savegames\
Save games made using XLiveLess are not compatible with native save games.
Disables access to the multiplayer to prevent cheating.

Custom music

Grand Theft Auto IV allows users to play their own music on a custom radio station, Independence FM.[25]

Simply place any audio files / folders or create shortcuts in the %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Rockstar Games\GTA IV\User Music folder, and tune into the station in-game.
Supported formats are MP3, WMA, M4A. Other formats and extensions are not recognized.
QuickTime or iTunes needs to be installed for M4A support.
Use shortcuts to audio files / folders to save disk space and improve performance.
Supports High-resolution audio files. Up to 96 kHz / 24 bit.
Supports Surround audio files. Up to 6 channels.
FLAC is not supported. Convert to WMA Lossless to use in-game.
Monaural audio files not supported.

Command line parameters

By creating a file called commandline.txt and saving it to your root installation folder you can alter the way your game runs. If you are using Steam; go to the game in your library, right-click and click Properties, select Set Launch Options... and enter the commands separated by spaces.
Parameter Description
-help Lists the available commands
-adapter Use the specified screen adapter
-autoconfig Automatically adjust quality setting to maintain desired frame rate (15-120)
-availablevidmem Set amount of physical Video Memory
-benchmark Launches the game in Benchmark mode and then quits it
-detailquality Set the detail quality of the game (0-99)
-disableimposters Turn off imposter rendering for vehicles
-forcehighqualitymirrors Enable 64 bit mirrors
-forcer2vb Force Render to Vertex Buffer
-frameLimit Limits your FPS to your refresh rate
-framelockinwindow Force framelock to work even in a window
-fullscreen Force fullscreen mode
-fullspecaudio Force high-end CPU audio footprint
-gpucount Lets you manually set the GPU count if query fails
-height Sets the vertical resolution
-managed Use D3D runtime managed resources
-memrestrict Set the restriction the amount of available memory for the game
-minspecaudio Force low-end CPU audio footprint
-no_3GB Disable 32-bit OS with /3GB
-noBlockOnLostFocus Don't block the window update when it loses focus.
-noprecache Disable precache of resources
-nomemrestrict Disable memory restrictions
-nominimize Disables the ability to restore the game from minimize and changing resolutions (Reduces System Memory Footprint)
-norestrictions Do not limit graphics settings
-noswapdelay Disable sleep delay before Present (Disable fix for hard Present stalls)
-notimefix Disable Time Fix
-novblank Disables V-Sync
-percentvidmem Percentage of Video memory to make available for the game
-refreshrate Set the refresh rate (Must be supported by your monitor)
-reserve Amount of memory to set aside for other applications
-reservedApp Amount of memory to leave available within application space
-renderquality Set the render quality of the game (0-4)
-safemode Sets graphics setting to lowest setting
-shadowdensity Set the number of lights that cast shadows (0-16)
-shadowquality Set the shadow quality (0-4)
-stereo Set game to support stereo rendering mode
-texturequality Set the texture quality of the game (0-2)
-unmanaged Use application managed resources
-usedirectinput Allow DirectInput alongside XInput support.
-viewdistance Set the view distance of the game (0-99)
-windowed Force windowed mode
-width Sets the horizontal resolution

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP SP3
Processor (CPU) AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4 GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz
System memory (RAM) 1.5 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 16 GB
Video card (GPU) ATI Radeon X1900
Nvidia GeForce 7900
256 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible
Sound (audio device) 5.1 Channel Audio Card
Online play requires log-in to Games for Windows - LIVE.

Notes

  1. Games for Windows - LIVE DRM features: Legacy activation, local profile support unknown.
  2. 2.0 2.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/12210/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (12210) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

  1. Remove/Skip annoying intro sequence! - /r/GTA - last accessed on
  2. http://games.softpedia.com/progChangelog/Grand-Theft-Auto-IV-Patch-Changelog-30489.html
  3. ColAccel - reduce loading time by 50%* - Scripts & Plugins - GTAForums
  4. Currently Supported Controllers for GTA IV PC - Rockstar Support
  5. Title Update v. 1.0.2.0 - Help & Support - GTAForums
  6. Title Update Version 1.0.3.0 - Help & Support - GTAForums
  7. Effect of GameSpy Closure on Past Rockstar Titles – Rockstar Support
  8. 8.0 8.1 SecuROM™ Support Website - Grand Theft Auto IV
  9. “Release Date Check Failed” or "SecuROM Launcher has stopped working” Error on GTAIV or Episodes From Liberty City for PC - Rockstar Support
  10. GTA IV: Error Code RMN20 - Rockstar Support
  11. https://steamcommunity.com/app/12210/discussions/0/2592234299551921423/#c2592234299552032969
  12. How to use -memrestrict to fix stuttering - GTA Forums
  13. 13.0 13.1 Extreme Texture Pop-in - GTAForums
  14. How do i get over 60 fps in GTA 4 ?? - Steam Community Discussions
  15. Archived Requests, need ideas? - GTA III, VC & SA - GTAForums
  16. READ THIS if your GTA 4 gets stuck on loading screen after pressing play! Easy Fix. :: Steam Community Discussions
  17. Need help running GTA IV (Steam) on Windows 8.1, page 1 - GOG.com Forum
  18. Issues with GTA IV showing video cards with over 2GB as under spec – Rockstar Support
  19. Login to social Club - Failed - Rockstar Support
  20. Patch 1.0.4.0 vs Patch 1.0.7.0 - GTA Forums
  21. [REL|III|VC|SA|IV] Project 2dfx - GTAForums
  22. [HowTo]Downgrade of the steamversion of GTAIV to 1.0.4.0 - GTAGaming Forums
  23. Grand Theft Auto IV Music Cut Patch - Rock Paper Shotgun
  24. IV/EFLC Radio "downgrader" - GTA Forums
  25. Independence FM (User radio) in GTA IV - Rockstar Support