Grand Theft Auto IV gets its first patch in six years

News
By published

The world was a different place in 2008, when GTA4 was released.

Rockstar has released a new patch for Grand Theft Auto IV—that's right, IV, not V—that marks the first time the game has been updated in six years. Don't hold your breath waiting for new GTA4 DLC, though, as the patch seems aimed solely at improving its operability on modern PCs. 

The patch notes: 

  • Added error code "WTV270" to indicate a problem with connecting to Windows Live Sign in Assistant / Games for Windows Live Servers.
  • Added Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 to compatible OS check.
  • Added Display Controller image in Controller Configuration.
  • Fixed a bug which made completing "Out of Commission" mission impossible when frame rate exceeds 60fps.
  • Fixed a bug with the "Resource Usage" indicator on graphics cards with more than 2GB of VRAM.
  • Fixed a bug that restricted settings changes when using modern video cards.
  • Fixed a bug with the map crosshair on certain resolutions.
  • Fixed a bug with text scrolling in "Brief" Menu.
  • Fixed "drawlist overflow" crash.
  • Minor performance optimizations.

The recommended system spec for Grand Theft Auto IV sounds like what you'd find in a contemporary mobile phone these days, including a 2.4Ghz Core 2 Quad CPU, 2GB of RAM (2.5GB on Windows Vista!) and a 512MB video card. Given that you can snag a video card with twice as much RAM as that entire PC for less than $200 right now, it's not super-surprising that GTA4 might hit a few bumps in the road on modern rigs.  

One thing the patch doesn't do is remove the Games for Windows Live framework. Rockstar has instructions for working around that (which are not new, but potentially helpful) here. 

TOPICS
Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.