Warnings
- For Games for Windows - LIVE on Windows 8 or later, install the latest Games for Windows - LIVE software.
Key points
- The March 2020 update upgrades the game to the Complete Edition, introducing the Rockstar Games Launcher DRM while removing Games for Windows - LIVE and SecuROM DRM entirely and adding achievements to the Steam version of the game, but also removing multiplayer[1] (see Network for solutions).
- Extensive modding community, along with Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. See Downgrading.
- Ability to import your music for your own custom radio station.
- Some graphical details are worse than the console versions (e.g. less grass, more texture flickering, weaker volumetric lighting).[2]
- Rockstar has removed some 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
- Complete Edition includes Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.
DLC and expansion packs
- DLCs are now a part of the Complete Edition. All previously purchased copies on Steam were upgraded for free to that version, while original retail versions can be freely upgraded to Complete Edition, by registering a Games for Windows - LIVE key on Rockstar Games Launcher.
Name |
Notes |
|
The Lost and Damned |
|
|
The Ballad of Gay Tony |
|
|
Essential improvements
Skip intro videos
Edit loadingscreens_pc.dat[6]
|
- Go to
<path-to-game>\GTAIV\common\data\
- Open
loadingscreens_pc.dat with Notepad
- Change the value of "duration" for sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 to 0.
|
Patches
- For patch releases after Patch 1.0.8.0, you must update through Steam or the Rockstar Games Launcher.
- Patch 8 updates the game to version 1.0.8.0
- Patch 7 is also available (may be required for some mods, as much as Patch 4).
- Since Patch 6 Rockstar Social Club is no longer required to run the game.[8]
FusionFix
- This projects aims to fix some issues present in Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition.
- FusionFix · GitHub
ZolikaPatch
- For use with Patches 1.0.4.0, 1.0.7.0, and 1.0.8.0. It cannot be used for the Rockstar Games Launcher version.
- Fixes more issues that FusionFix doesn't address.
- For Patches 1.0.7.0 and 1.0.8.0.
- Fixes some minor graphical issues and replaces the low quality textures in Episodes from Liberty City with better quality ones.
- Greatly reduces loading times
- Does not work for versions older than Patch 1.0.6.0
- When editing .IMG archives you need to delete
colCache.dat
and let it get re-created
Restore removed music
- Over 50 radio station tracks were removed from the game in April 2018 due to expired licences.[12]
Downgrading the Radio Stations[13]
|
- Download the downgrader.
- Unpack to the installation folder.
- Run
install.bat .
|
- Not needed for the Complete Edition version, but can be used with the retail versions when downgrading from the Complete Edition version.
- Merges the radio stations and songs from EFLC into the base game.
- Does not work with versions older than 1.0.6.0.
- Removes RamJam FM, Self-Actualization FM and Vice City FM radio stations. They can be restored by this mod
- Not only does this fix some character textures, it also makes characters look more consistent with their EFLC appearances.
- Requires OpenIV
- Fixes colouring issues on the player, pedestrians and N.O.O.S.E. textures.
- Requires OpenIV.
- Fixes several issues with gun animations, such as the firing delay on the assault rifles.
- Requires OpenIV.
Game data
In-game general settings.
Configuration file(s) location
- Configuration files are encrypted. For an alternative, see Command line parameters.
Save game data location
The Rockstar Games Launcher version searches for Games For Windows - LIVE saves.
- (old versions only)
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\XLive
must also be backed up as the save data is bound to the Games for Windows - LIVE profile.
System |
Native |
Notes |
OneDrive |
|
Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers. |
Steam Cloud |
|
|
- Uses Rockstar Social Club's savegame & settings cloud sync function.
Video
Input
In-game key map settings.
In-game keyboard/mouse settings.
In-game gamepad settings.
PS3 Controller Buttons
If using a PlayStation controller, you might want to change the Xbox 360 buttons used in the game's UI to the DUALSHOCK buttons. In order to do so, follow the instructions below.
DirectInput Controller support (old versions only)
Launch the game with -usedirectinput parameter[17]
|
- Added in Patch 1.0.2.0[18]
- After Patch 1.0.3.0 a separate option was located in
Options then Controls then Controller Options .
|
Audio
Audio feature |
State |
Notes |
Separate volume controls |
|
SFX & Music. |
Surround sound |
|
Up to 5.0 output[19] |
Subtitles |
|
|
Closed captions |
|
|
Mute on focus lost |
|
|
- Commands responsible for the in-game audio:
-fullspecaudio
: forces higher quality audio (default).
-minspecaudio
: forces lower quality audio - good for lower-end processors (while it doesn't decrease the definition of the audio, some extra audio details were removed, therefore reducing CPU load).
- Game uses DirectSound[19] which can be handled by Creative Alchemy (set duration to 10)[20]. Just run
LaunchGTAIV.exe
as administrator just in case the game crashes (unnecessary in Rockstar Launcher version).
DSOAL for using as alternative DirectSound wrapper (with or without HRTF) is compatible with the Rockstar Games Launcher version and with Windows 10 builds lower than at least 1809.
Localizations
Network
Multiplayer types
- GTA Connected gives you the closest experience to the original multiplayer.
Connection types
Ports
Protocol |
Port(s) and/or port range(s)[21] |
TCP |
GFWL: 3074 |
UDP |
GFWL: 3074, 88; IV:MP: 8888 |
- Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.
VR support
Issues fixed
- In case of old versions - for Games for Windows - LIVE on Windows 8 or later, install the latest Games for Windows - LIVE.
Rockstar Games Launcher stuck at black loading screen
Update your GPU drivers[22]
|
Fatal error: RMN20
Run game in compatibility mode[citation needed]
|
- Go to the installation folder.
- Right click on
GTAIV.exe and enter its properties screen.
- 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[23]
|
Game stuck at disclaimer screen or Rockstar logo on Windows 10
Disable fullscreen optimization[24]
|
- Go to the installation folder.
- Right click on
GTAIV.exe and enter its properties screen.
- Under the compatibility tab, tick
Disable fullscreen optimisations and click OK .
|
Infinite loading loop
Large framerate drops on densely detailed parts of the city
Lower the view distance to 25 or lower. Anything higher may cause drops in performance when looking at the city's skyline or at densely detailed areas (particularly Middle Park) for little visual gain.
|
- You may also increase your performance significantly while minimising pop-in and graphical glitches by setting the Detail Distance between 10 and 40.
- If you need very high framerates, it is recommended that you disable shadows as they are CPU-intensive and also reduce the Vehicle Density to around 40 (33 is the console default if you want a "vanilla" experience).
- Keeping Vsync enabled (with the shadows disabled) may help the game maintain close to stable 60 FPS even on old Intel Core 2 Quad CPUs.
- Alternatively, you can also try out disabling Clip Capture in the "Game" option in the main menu and setting
-minspecaudio which can unload the CPU to some extent depending on your computer's specifications and -noprecache in some scenarios and -disableimposters excluding flying.
|
Texture popping, stuttering and other performance issues after running the game for a while
Force maximum available memory[27]
|
- Create a file named
commandline.txt in the game's root folder.
- 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
- Save the file and launch the game.
-
-reservedApp 0 is also worth a try for a 64-bit OS.[28]
- Using high-resolution textures is not recommended for systems with less than 4GB of memory.[28]
- Forcing available memory with Patch 1.0.8.0 is not recommended as it will make the game unstable.
|
No recoil/bullet spread
- By default, recoil/bullet spread is only enabled when playing with a controller. This results in 100% shooting accuracy when using a keyboard and a mouse.
Regular camera movement and handbrake camera are too slow
- This bug occurs when the framerate exceeds 60 fps.
Cutscenes are too zoomed in
- This bug occurs when the framerate exceeds 60 fps.
Game language doesn't follow the Steam/Rockstar Games Launcher settings
Replace .gxt file
|
- Go to
<path-to-game>\common\text\ and make a copy of .gxt file of the desired language
- Delete the language set you currently have.
- Rename the previously made copy to the name of the previously deleted file.
- You need to do this separately for TLaD and TBoGT, as they use separate GXTs:
<path-to-game>\TLaD\common\text\ and <path-to-game>\TBoGT\common\text\ folders respectively.
|
The game will load with minimal graphics settings and won't let you change them
- For video cards that have more than 2 GB or VRAM 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 game's executable with this extra parameter:
-norestrictions
.
Bypass graphics restrictions on Steam version[citation needed]
|
- Open your Steam library.
- Right-click on
Grand Theft Auto IV and select Properties .
- Press the
Set Launch Options... button.
- Enter
-norestrictions into the text field, press OK .
- Start the game.
|
Bypass graphics restrictions on other versions[citation needed]
|
- Go to
<path-to-game> .
- Create a new text file in this folder and name it
commandline.txt .
- Open it and add the string
-norestrictions to it.
- Save the file.
- Start the game.
|
AMD/ATI Radeon Water Fix
- There is a problem where the water loses its details after a while on AMD/ATI cards. To fix this issue do this:
{{Fixbox|description=Replace the water shaders|ref=[citation needed]|fix=
- Download the fixed waterTex shader file.
- Go to
<path-to-game>\GTAIV
- Go to
common\shaders\win32_30_atidx10\
- Place your downloaded
waterTex.fxc
shader file and replace the original.
- Go to
common\shaders\win32_30_low_ati\
- Place your downloaded
waterTex.fxc
shader file and replace the original.
- Play.
Notes
- Make sure to backup the original files just in case something wrong happens.
Invisible fonts bug
- A bug may occur which involves most of the game menu text not showing. This happens when you downgrade Patch 1.0.6.0 and later to any versions before it, as the older versions use a different font rendering technique.
{{Fixbox|description=Instructions|ref=[citation needed]|fix=
- Download the files
fonts.dat
and fonts_r.dat
located here.
- Go to the installation folder.
- Drag and drop the files into
common\data\
in <path-to-game>
.
Frame rate drops after a short time in the game (e.g. 60 FPS suddenly drops to 45 FPS for no apparent reasons)
Launch the game via LaunchGTAIV.exe.
|
Not needed for the Steam/Rockstar Games Launcher versions.
The game stays in the foreground after hanging, making it impossible to see the Task Manager to close it
Click "Options" on the Task Manager and enable "Always on top", it will now be possible to Alt-Tab to it
|
Release Date Check Failure
Change your computer's date to any date before the 28th of June, 2015[citation needed]
|
Error: WS10
SecuLauncher: failed to start application. [2000] error
Fatal error: WTV190
Fatal error: WTV270
Game minimises after clicking Start
- If the game minimises after selecting between GTA IV and EFLC and can't 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]
|
- Press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Esc.
- Click
PnkBstrA.exe in Processes.
- Click
End task to stop it from running.
|
2GB+ RAM is incorrectly recognized
- This was fixed in Patch 1.0.8.0.
Force increase video memory[35]
|
- Open
<path-to-game>\commandline.txt (create if it doesn't exist).
- Put
-availablevidmem 2048 in a new line (or replace 2048 with your VRAM in MB).
|
Multiplayer: Login to Social Club failed
- This was fixed in Patch 1.0.8.0.
Override paul.dll[citation needed]
|
- Rename
<path-to-game>/paul.dll to paul.dll_old .
- Restart the game. It should load up directly.
- Complete the GFWL setup first, so you can then take this shortcut.
|
Broken Space button during the missions "Out of Commission" and "A Revenger's Tragedy"
- The helicopter quick-time event may not correctly respond to the inputs from the Space button on modern systems, making it impossible to complete the rest of the mission.
Set affinity[36]
|
- Open Task Manager
- Go to "Details" tab
- Find the process
GTAIV.exe
- Right click it, press
Set affinity
- Uncheck all cores, except
CPU 0
- Press
OK
- Return to the game
- Make sure to re-enable all the cores after the event, as the game performance will be unacceptable otherwise.
|
Rancher collision bug
- When driving a Rancher truck, its front bumpers will collide against obstacles like stairs that other vehicles can normally go over. This issue is not present in the console versions.
Alternatively:
Apply a fix[37]
|
- Download and install OpenIV
- Download the rancher.zip file, and extract the "rancher.wft" file
- Open the OpenIV software and select "Grand Theft Auto IV" (If prompted to choose the installation folder, click "Browse...", navigate to where GTA IV is installed, and select the "GTAIV" folder)
- Click the "Edit mode" button on the navigation bar, then navigate to
<path-to-game>\GTAIV\pc\models\cdimages and double-click "vehicles.img"
- Replace the original "rancher.wft" with the modded file.
- Exit OpenIV
- Not recommended to be used in Multiplayer.
|
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 |
Adobe Flash |
|
Cutscenes |
Bink Video |
1.9r Used for ingame television |
Launch Options
- By creating a file called
commandline.txt
and saving it to your root installation folder you can alter the way your game runs. Below is a list of all the parameters.
- Few commands works only on clear game and patch 1.0.3.0.
Parameter |
Description |
-help |
Lists the available commands |
-adapter |
Uses the specified screen adapter |
-autoconfig |
Automatically adjusts the graphics settings depending on computer specifications |
-availablevidmem |
Sets the amount of available physical video memory |
-benchmark |
Launches the game in Benchmark mode and then quits it |
-detailquality |
Sets the detail distance of the game (0-99) |
-disableimposters |
Turns off imposter rendering for vehicles |
-forcehighqualitymirrors |
Enables 64-bit mirrors |
-forcer2vb |
Forces rendering to Vertex Buffer |
-frameLimit |
Limits your FPS to your monitor's refresh rate |
-framelockinwindow |
Forces framelock to work even in a window |
-fullscreen |
Forces fullscreen mode |
-fullspecaudio |
Forces high-end CPU audio footprint |
-gpucount |
Lets you manually set the GPU count if query fails |
-height |
Sets the vertical resolution |
-managed |
Uses D3D runtime managed resources |
-memrestrict |
Restricts the amount of available memory that the game can use |
-minspecaudio |
Forces low-end CPU audio footprint |
-no_3GB |
Disables 32-bit OS with /3GB |
-noBlockOnLostFocus |
Prevents the game from blocking window updates during focus loss |
-noprecache |
Disables precaching of resources |
-nomemrestrict |
Disables memory restrictions |
-nominimize |
Disables the ability to restore the game from minimise and changing resolutions (reduces system memory footprint) |
-norestrictions |
Disables restrictions on graphics settings |
-noswapdelay |
Disables sleep delay before Present (disables the fix for hard present stalls) |
-notimefix |
Disables Time Fix |
-novblank |
Disables vertical blanking for VSync |
-percentvidmem |
Percentage of video memory to be made available for the game |
-refreshrate |
Sets the refresh rate (values set must be supported by your monitor) |
-reserve |
Sets the amount of memory to be used by other programmes |
-reservedApp |
Sets the amount of memory to be left available within application space |
-renderquality |
Adjusts anisotropic filtering (0-4) |
-safemode |
Sets the graphics of the game to the lowest setting possible |
-shadowdensity |
Adjusts night shadows (0-16) |
-shadowquality |
Sets the shadow quality (0-4) |
-stereo |
Enables stereo audio support |
-texturequality |
Sets the texture quality of the game (0-2) |
-unmanaged |
Uses application managed resources |
-usedirectinput |
Allows DirectInput alongside XInput support. |
-viewdistance |
Sets the view distance of the game (0-99) |
-windowed |
Forces windowed mode |
-width |
Sets the horizontal resolution |
Custom music
GTA IV allows users to play their own music on a custom radio station: Independence FM.[38]
- 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 recognised.
- 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 them to WMA Lossless to use them in the game.
- Monaural audio files not supported.
Downgrading
- Many mods for GTA IV won't work with the latest version
- The most supported versions for modding are any versions between 1.0.4.0 and 1.0.7.0
- Currently, Steam users can encounter problems with disabling the auto-update feature. It can be done by setting the time of the update: 12 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Install Patch 4 (1.0.4.0)[citation needed]
|
- Extract and run the installer
- Download the font fixes
- Place
fonts.dat and fonts_r.dat into <path-to-game>\common\data\
- Download and install XLiveLess
Notes
- An older version of ScriptHook is required for modding on Patch 1.0.4.0, found here
- This version is claimed to have improved game performance[39][40]
- Some mods work only with Patch 1.0.4.0, while other mods, such as ColAccel, won't work with Patch 1.0.4.0 at all
|
Install Patch 7 (1.0.7.0)
|
- Extract the files anywhere on your computer
- Run
UpdateTitle.exe and install it
- Download and install XLiveLess
Notes
- Patch 1.0.7.0 has enhanced graphics, secondary key-bindings, several bug fixes, support for the DLCs and more
- Many have reported a performance decrease in this patch in comparison to patches prior to 1.0.6.0. This is because the shadow quality has been improved in 1.0.6.0 and later.
- This only works when downgrading from 1.0.8.0 to 1.0.7.0.
|
- To remove the Social Club login screen, remove "Paul.dll" from the game's installation folder
XLiveLess / ASI loader
- XLiveLess disables Games for Windows - LIVE.
- The location of the savegames changes to
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Rockstar Games\GTA IV\savegames\
- Disables access to LIVE multiplayer. LAN multiplayer is still accessible but connecting to a LAN lobby will crash the game.
- ASI loader is a tool that loads custom libraries with the file extension
.asi
.
XLiveLessAddon
- Can skip the intro videos and even the main menu.
- Adds borderless windowed mode.
- Allows to launch through
GTAIV.exe
directly.
- Includes Ultimate ASI Loader.
Ultimate ASI Loader
- Built-in XLiveLess.
Applying Ultimate ASI Loader[41]
|
- Download the Ultimate-ASI-Loader.zip file.
- Extract the contents of the download.
- Rename the
dinput8.dll file to xlive.dll .
- Move this file to
<path-to-game> (replace the file(s) when prompted).
|
XLiveLess
- Built-in ASI loader.
Applying XLiveLess[42]
|
- Download XLiveLess.
- Extract the contents of the download.
- Move the
xlive.dll file to <path-to-game> (replace the file(s) when prompted).
|
Modifications
- These should not be used in multiplayer.
- It is strongly recommended to make backups of any files these modifications may replace.
- Color fix.
- Compatible with VR.
- Allows for larger draw distances.
- May boost performance
- There is a V2 in Beta. Download
- Adds a speedometer to GTA IV.
- Overhauls the game's visuals from lighting and reflections to vegetation.
- Might require specific game versions.
- Cannot be used with other ENB mods.
- This ENB may be very bright for some users, so for an alternative download ENB for natural and realistic lighting (may not work on anything newer than Patch 1.0.4.0).
- Graphical modification that overhauls the game's visuals [citation needed].
- Includes multiple presets suitable for any computer.
- Compatible with all patches.
- Contains an optional ASI loader.
- Contains an optional trainer.
- Contains optional textures for roads and trees.
- Cannot be used with the iCEnhancer mod.
- A minor graphical bug is present on street lights when Night Shadows are enabled on Patch 1.0.6.0 or later.
- Graphical improvement that includes high-definition textures for roads.
- Combine it with an ENB modification for the best results.
- Adds additional details and information on the world map while improving its look.
- ProVehicleMod is a mod that lets you spawn any vehicles you need any time. It is equipped with a user-friendly GUI that allows you to spawn any car you want,
any time.
- Makes streetlights render from a farther distance.
- Needs an ASI Loader.
- Fixes a coding error where certain gangs were supposed to be more hostile after certain points in the game.
- Increases the violence and hostility of gangs and expands their influence, relying on story details and proper backgrounds.
- Makes the gameplay smoother, more responsive, realistic and refined, yet challenging and tactical at the same time.
- Also fixes some vehicle elements.
- Makes the phone model look more consistent with the Whiz Phone's cutscene model.
- Fixes native GTA IV's legacy D3D/DDraw renderer with DDrawCompat or translates it to DX11/12 or Vulkan renderers, potentially providing better frame rates and less stutter.
- The game uses multi-core systems more efficiently.
- Fixes a texture issue with the lights on the trunk of the Karin Sultan.
- Changes the paths that the planes take around Liberty City.
- Corrects the icon of the Combat Shotgun to better match the in-game model.
- This mod aims to remake every part of the HUD that uses textures, making them higher resolution but without making any other changes where that's possible.
System requirements
Windows |
|
Minimum |
Operating system (OS) |
7 SP1 |
Processor (CPU) |
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4 GHz |
System memory (RAM) |
1.5 GB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
22 GB |
Video card (GPU) |
ATI Radeon X1900 Nvidia GeForce 7900 256 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
References