In a video posted online, a fan of Grand Theft Auto 4 has shown off their recreation of Liberty City in Unreal Engine 5. Rumors have swirled for years that Liberty City could arrive to Grand Theft Auto Online, although there seem to be no plans for this at present.
Released in 2008, Grand Theft Auto 4 became an instant critical and commercial success. Its dark tone makes it stand out among the other Grand Theft Auto games, which are known for strongly parodying American society. Because of this, the game holds a special place in the hearts of many players, who have been calling for a remaster on newer platforms. While it's rumored a Grand Theft Auto 4 remaster was scrapped in 2022, fans remain hopeful that it will be completed in the future.
The impressive video released by Redditor brucebanner4prez showcases a work-in-progress version of Grand Theft Auto 4's Liberty City, recreated within Unreal Engine 5. The video tours the entire city, which according to the user was blocked out using Blender. The project is clearly a work in progress, with many of the textures and models being extremely low-quality while the final assets are completed. Despite this, the progress made on the project so far is impressive and is a great step forward to seeing Liberty City on a modern game engine.
The user claims that the city so far is the result of 10 months of work, with many more required if the project is ever to be in a finished state. This isn't the first time the iconic city has been recreated by fans, with a Grand Theft Auto 5 Liberty City mod previously canceled following a takedown request from Take-Two. The popularity of the city is undeniable among fans, who will be hoping it makes an official return sooner rather than later.
Despite it being nearly 10 years since the series last released a mainline title, fan excitement for the Grand Theft Auto franchise never seems to wane. The success of Grand Theft Auto Online has ensured that fans have continued to play in Rockstar's crime sandbox. While official news on a sequel has been in short supply, last year's enormous Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks gave fans hope that a new entry in the franchise will be coming soon. Much of this footage was from extremely early in development, so Grand Theft Auto 6 could potentially still be years away from release.
Grand Theft Auto 4 is available for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.