Grand Theft Auto IV will return to Steam on March 19 after it was pulled from sale in January. The game was pulled due to technical issues with the PC version of the game tied to the use of Microsoft’s Games for Windows Live platform.
Below you find the changes that have been made by Rockstar Games on Steam to make sure players who own Grand Theft Auto IV and GTA: Episodes from Liberty City can continue to enjoy these games.
Unfortunately, as a result of this update, the multiplayer mode of Grand Theft Auto IV on PC has been discontinued.
New Players
Starting 03/19/2020, Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition will replace both Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City wherever it is currently digitally available. Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition will as also be available via the Rockstar Games Launcher.
Current game save files will be compatible with Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition.
As a result of this update the following services will no longer be available in Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition:
- Games for Windows Live
- Multiplayer mode
- Leaderboards
The following Radio Stations will be temporarily unavailable in Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition
- RamJam FM
- Self-Actualization FM
- Vice City FM (previously available in Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City)
Note: Because Japanese is a supported language for Grand Theft Auto IV, but is not supported for Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, players will continue to be able to play Grand Theft Auto IV with Japanese sub-titles but will need to select another language in order to play Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.
Current Players
Players who have previously installed and played Grand Theft Auto IV or Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City will be able to update their copy to Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition through the following means:
Steam Users
Depending on the game, players on Steam will need to install or update their current game:
- Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City will be removed and replaced with GTAIV: Complete Edition in the launcher library. Update file size is expected to be approximately 22GB
- Grand Theft Auto IV owners will download content from Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City and their game will update to GTAIV: Complete Edition. Update file size is expected to be approximately 6GB
Physical Media
- Games not previously activated using Games for Windows Live will be able to use the Key on the back of the game manual to activate and update to Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition
Games for Windows Live Digital Store Purchases
- Games previously activated using Games for Windows Live will require players to create and/or link their Social Club accounts in replacement of Games for Windows Live to update to Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition
Note: New activations from players trying to install current copies of Grand Theft Auto IV may be disrupted until Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition is available. All users will need to be connected to the internet and authenticate their copy of the game.
