Grand Theft Auto 4 seemed to catch people off guard. When it was released in 2008, the Rockstar sandbox game was a broad departure from the wacky, playground style of GTA San Andreas. You couldn’t go to the gym. You couldn’t steal a fighter plane. There were no jet packs. But over time, with the emergence of Red Dead Redemption and, moreover, RDR2, Grand Theft Auto 4’s more somber, sober approach has become more appreciated. With the GTA 6 release date on its way, and perhaps a little fatigue setting in after more than ten years of Grand Theft Auto 5, the best, bravest, and most well-told GTA Rockstar ever made is worth replaying – especially for the low price of less than $6, courtesy of a new Steam sale.
GTA 5 rolled back a lot of the more restrained, mature sensibilities of Grand Theft Auto 4. But for a moment at least, it felt like Rockstar had reinvented the open-world game series, much the same as the release of GTA 3 – where the 2001 game transformed the formula with a full, 3D city, GTA 4 introduced a more restrained, melancholic, and adult dramatic style, more than laying the groundwork for Red Dead Redemption’s western tragedy two years later, and Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018.
It perhaps felt jarring at the time, but in hindsight, GTA 4 pushed the series’ boundaries, honing in on the groundedness and world-weary themes for which Rockstar would later be celebrated. And now, with GTA 6 on the horizon, you can get Grand Theft Auto 4 – and its superb expansions The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony – all for less than $6.
Grand Theft Auto 4 The Complete Edition is $5.99 / £5.09 down 70% from $19.99 / £16.99 on Steam. The offer is available until Friday, August 25, so if you want to take advantage and play one of Rockstar’s best ever games, you can get GTA 4 right here.
Alternatively, if you’re still loving life in Los Santos, revamp the experience with the best GTA 5 mods for 2023. You can also try some of the best GTA RP servers, where you can be anything from a cop to a clown.