Grand Theft Auto IV review

Bigger, deeper and crazier than ever, the new Liberty City lives up to the hype

GamesRadar Editor's Choice

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Deal Breaker


This is the first of the game's three co-op modes, which involve four players working together on a job for Mafiya boss Kenny Petrovic. In this one, a gang of bikers is conducting a deal down at a sprawling industrial complex; Petrovic wants you to drive out there, break up the deal, grab their stuff and kill every last one of them before regrouping at his place. It's fun, but not quite as crazy or replayable as some of the other modes.

Hangman's NOOSE


Another four-player Petrovic mission, this tasks you with meeting him at the airport - which just so happens to be overrun by NOOSE officers and cops. Your job is to take Petrovic to the safety of a baseball diamond several miles away, and choosing to ferry him in anything but an armored truck or attack chopper will practically guarantee a quick death. Fortunately, both of those things are within easy reach, provided you can cut down the NOOSE guys guarding them.

Bomb da Base II


Petrovic's final mission is also the most elaborate; once again joining up with three teammates, you'll first need to track down an armored truck that's driving around the city, find a way to steal it and then drive it back to a rendezvous point. Then, equipped with explosives, you'll need to make your way out to the docks, board the Platypus - the giant cargo liner that Niko comes to Liberty City on - and fight your way through its many guards before planting bombs at two points on the ship. Then, all you need to do is escape before it all blows; we opted for a daring last-minute helicopter getaway as the final seconds ticked down.

Free Mode


Sixteen players, no objectives and an entire city at their disposal. This one's a lot like Party Mode, actually, except that score is kept, variables (like cops) can be set and everyone's free to make their own fun. At best, that involves some fairly elaborate mayhem, as you'll see in the following video:

Apr 27, 2008

More info

GenreAction
UK censor rating"18+","18+","18+"
Franchise nameGrand Theft Auto
US censor rating"Mature","Mature","Mature"
Platform"PS3","PC","Xbox 360"
Alternative names"GTA IV","GTA 4","Grand Theft Auto 4"
UK franchise nameGrand Theft Auto
DescriptionThe highly-anticipated sequel to the carjack-fest of the century is sure to satisfy all your mob and hooker related fantasy. Okay, maybe not ALL your hooker fantasies.
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
Less
Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.