It's been 13 years since Rockstar Games first released Grand Theft Auto 4, which many believed was way ahead of its time. Grand Theft Auto 4's staggering visuals breathed life to the grim and grey streets of Liberty City, whereas its diverse cast of characters helped portray a convoluted, slow-burn of a story that is still one of the greatest narratives in games. Needless to say, Grand Theft Auto 4 is still just as impressive, even though in many ways it doesn't hold up as well as it did back then.
Surprisingly enough, Grand Theft Auto 4 hasn't gotten the Grand Theft Auto 5 treatment, the latter of which has already been released on two generations of consoles, with another re-release happening later this year. Unlike Grand Theft Auto 5, Grand Theft Auto 4 is still tied to the PS3/Xbox 360 and PC, although the 360 version of the game is backward compatible with Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. It's a shame because Grand Theft Auto 4 deserves the attention that Grand Theft Auto 5 gets, and for that to happen, it needs to be more easily accessible. A Grand Theft Auto 4 remaster or remake could solve that problem, and it'd be worthwhile for Rockstar Games.
Why a Grand Theft Auto 4 Remaster is Needed
Grand Theft Auto 4 ushered in a new era for Rockstar Games with its at-the-time jaw-dropping visuals, intricately designed open-world, and impressive physics. Grand Theft Auto 4 kicked off the realistic and immersive open-world design that Rockstar Games mastered with 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2. NPCs would cover their heads with newspaper when it rains, car tires would deflate slowly when hit, and garbage trucks would only appear in the morning hours.
These minute details brought Grand Theft Auto 4 to life, and set the benchmark high for open-world games. However, everything came at a cost, with Grand Theft Auto 4 experiencing performance issues on all three platforms it initially launched. Fast forward to 2021, plenty of high-end PCs still struggle to run Grand Theft Auto 4 at a stable 60 FPS or more without fan-made mods or fixes.
While Grand Theft Auto 4 is notably absent on PS4 and PS5, the Xbox Series X/S versions suffer from a bizarre issue that makes it all the more problematic. Grand Theft Auto 4 on Xbox Series X runs at an uncapped 60 FPS, which although makes cruising around Liberty City a buttery smooth experience, creates an issue in the final mission of the game which makes Grand Theft Auto 4 almost impossible to beat on Xbox Series X.
In the final mission, there is a chase sequence where players have to jump from a ramp directly to a helicopter, all the while spamming the "A" button to climb and pilot it. But given the increased FPS, the game is unable to recognize or register the required number of times the player actually spams, resulting in a situation where they are pretty much unable to climb into the helicopter. A similar issue also persists on the PC port of Grand Theft Auto 4, and while it is game-breaking, it is only one of the many issues that exist in the game's current version.
Aside from the frame rate, Grand Theft Auto 4 has a history of corrupted save file issues that exist on seemingly all platforms. Last year, the Steam version of the game got a minor update to restore some music but instead ended up corrupting saved files for many people. Grand Theft Auto 4's Steam corrupted save file issue has been reversed, but issues like these indicate the underlying complex and poorly optimized structure of Grand Theft Auto 4 that seemingly makes it difficult to port or update.
Aside from game-breaking issues, Grand Theft Auto 4 could do with plenty of quality of life changes that only remastering or remaking it could fix. Things such as the floaty driving mechanics, cumbersome aim on consoles that makes it impossible to play without auto-aim, are some of the issues that make Grand Theft Auto 4 a dated experience. It's a shame because without the technical problems leaves an open world and story that is arguably one of the best. Grand Theft Auto 4 was revolutionary for its time, which makes a remaster or a remake all the more necessary — both for the players who adore the original, and those who've only played Grand Theft Auto 5.
Grand Theft Auto 4 Deserves the GTA 5 Attention
Compared to Grand Theft Auto 5, Grand Theft Auto 4's story was grimmer. While Los Santos does a fine job of depicting the superficiality and hypersonic mentality of its 21st-century American residents, Liberty City somewhat represents the more darker and dangerous side of America. Playing as Nikko Bellic, a Yugoslavian expat, is also a fresh change and allows players to experience the good old American dream from an outsiders' perspective. Although satirical, Grand Theft Auto 4 does a fine job of exemplifying the racial and political tension that surges through the 21st-century streets of New York City, and is much appreciated for the same.
While a slow burn of a story isn't necessary to flesh out every cast of characters a game offers, Grand Theft Auto 4 does that admirably well. Compared to that, Grand Theft Auto 5's campaign feels rushed. Grand Theft Auto 4 also delivered on two of the best story-driven singleplayer DLC expansions, in the form of The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned. Rumors of a similar singleplayer DLC for Grand Theft Auto 5 surfaced, but it never saw the light of day. Many would argue that it's not too late for a singleplayer DLC for Grand Theft Auto 5, given the PS5 version of the game launching later this year, though it seems that ship has sailed a long time ago.
Resident Evil 2 Remake, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Mass Effect Legendary Edition have already proven that the games industry is immensely welcoming of remakes and remasters. As such, it's high time that Rockstar Games finally delivers a Grand Theft Auto 4 remaster or remake that is free of all its technical limitations, leaving behind a legacy-defining experience.
Grand Theft Auto 4 is available on PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.