Well crap, sounds like the fix entails everything but uninstalling the entire game.

Hmm...
Destroying my hard drive, or GTA 4?
Is this problem happening on 360?

I'm having this problem so I'll try out the 12 step program and see if it works.

gimped? :P

Nvm, you do have to uninstall the entire game, lol. Might as well sign you up for a 12 step rehab program while it's at it. And what's the deal with disabling your internet and rumble functionality.

A gamestop employee told me (after I mentioned the freeze problem) that a possible reason why it's locking up is because the files are fragmented; and that it is compounded by the fact that none of the console companies have come up with any sort of defrag program. Anyone care to confirm/deny it?

My copy and my fiends copies work absolutely fine on Xbox.

Are they fucking kidding? How about they try this, I know it seems radical but:

Step 1: Download our update that fixes the lock-ups

Step 2: Install the update

Step 3: Enjoy the game

what about 360? i have yet to get past the first 45 seconds of the game. it really sucks :(

That blows. This is like pc level of problems.

Step 13. Do the Hokey Pokey
Step 14. Turn yourself about.
Step 15. Invoke the names of the Great Old Ones and unmake reality.
Step 16. Bring about new reality in which GTA4 actually works on systems.

There, that should take care of things...

@TheCleaningGuy: I believe a similar, if not identical, issue is also happening on the 360, but no fix has been announced yet. I have no idea of the rate of impact on either system, but it seems pretty low for both.

Seems like they still don't know how to fix it, they're just having you go through everything in hopes one of steps works.. pretty lame. No issues so far with my 360 copy.

@not_tom_brokaw:

Interesting theory about the files being fragmented. I always wondered if the reason my Xbox 360 takes forever to load up my arcade titles -- and even my online profile when I boot it up -- is that the hard-drive really needs to be re-organized and defragmented. I have the 120-gig drive, and it seems like something that could be a problem, but who knows?

I don't know if this is related, but ever since I got my Xbox 360 back from the repair center, my Xbox 360 doesn't seem to recognize that I own the full version of Puzzle Quest, even though I am connected to my online profile! I get these weird messages about having to install the full version, but when I go to install the full version, it says I already own it.

So weird. I finally figured out a fix. I have to click on purchase full version, then click on "download" the full version, and instead of clicking "play now", I have to click "continue," and suddenly, the game realizes that I own it, and I can finally play the full version.

I have to do this every time I start the damn game now! So dumb! (And of course, I only figured this out after deleting the level 49 character I had spent countless hours on.)

@not_tom_brokaw: I don't know about a defrag program, but I have been thinking about what could cause the freezing on both consoles and something tells me its bad save files since that would be the only thing the two systems have in common. Although I could be completely wrong and the freezing could be caused be a unique problem for each console but that seems highly unlikely, then again stranger things have happened.

@not_tom_brokaw: Considering some of the solutions I've been reading online, that diagnosis seems to be a very possible reason for the freezing. Nearly every solution I've read online asks to people delete files on the HDD to allow GTA IV to save it's data unfragmented.

Personally, I haven't experienced this problem on my PlayStation 3, and my buddy hasn't had any problems with his Xbox 360. If I were having this problem though, I would probably wait for an "official" solution. Trust me, you paid too much for you PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 to screw around with it.

Then again, it's GTA IV. Boy, I'm happy I don't have to make that kind of decision.

I've been playing the crap out of the game on my 60gig PS3 and have yet to run into any freezing issues. I'm very curious to know what is actually causing this.

The next generation starts when... you uninstall, wipe your saves, turn off a bunch of stuff, reinstall, turn off a bunch more stuff, etc..

I might as well play the 360 version if I have to start over.

@PlasmaMachine: I was thinking the same thing. Originally, the story was they had no idea what was causing this. It seems this is still the case, as they're pretty much having you do every generic trouble shoot step possible, hoping one will fix it.

I would be pissed, but my copy is fine on 360.

@not_tom_brokaw: That is not unlikely, but then again, when have Gamestop employees every been an expert on anything?

I do find it strange that the PS3 doesn't have a defrag program. I often put videos and mp3s on my harddrive, and then delete them later on. This last weekend I was actually searching for a way to defrag, for prevention's sake, but of course there is none.

So I have an idea. Let's all stop whining for in-game XMB, and start whining for a defrag solution in the next PS3 firmware update.

Ugh. Destroy the media server? It took me this fucking long to even get it up. Delete my other installs? So I have to go through another 20 minutes for DMC4, another several for Ninja Gaiden, and still more for Resistance, Ratchet, Heavenly Sword, Eye of Judgement, Armored Core? You know, throwing things against the wall until it sticks doesn't qualify as solving a problem.

hellos fellow Liberty city Citizens. I had a few hangs on my first day of playing, 2 second pauses, rare. As a PC gamer it wasn't a big deal. however, for the past two day I've been playing disconnected from the PSN, and I have had zero problems since then. I haven't tried playing connected again, so I can't be sure that's the root of all evil, but if you are still having problems try diconnecting from the network and you should be fine.

And really... Disabling the internet for a game where the online multiplayer was such a huge selling point for me just isn't something I want to do.

mine works fine on my 60 gig ps3. i just have trouble reading the on screen instructions and cell phone. its a great game and all it just feels different. maybe i should switch to classic controls

I don't care about disabling the internet because I don't want to spoil the single player with internet spoilers. it'll actually mean something when I unlock new weapons and parts of the city.

A small problem? It's all over the internet.

Step 13: Buy the version of the game that actually works.

Step 14: Hope that the console you're now playing it on doesn't brick.

Broken-ass PS3 gamer reporting for duty Mr. McWhertor, sir!

Hey at this point I'll sacrifice a chicken if they think that'll help.

The real cruelty in my case is that I had no problems for about two hours before the freezing set in - so I got a *taste* of the goodness... that's just cruel.

Will report back shortly after I finish chanting fell passages, burning incense, and whatever else is in that horrific list.

@googleguru:

Not the internet you say?! Seriously it's only affecting a small percentage of people. Many of whom have already resolved it.

I'd hope a fragmented hard drive isn't going to cause the crash. The data should still be good just read a bit slower if fragmented. Having a background defrag process is a good idea though.

While we shoot the shit about possible causes I'd wonder if there is some connection between the online capabilities of the game and the fact that millions of people are hammering it at the same time. What if the game is trying to upload/download some background data but the server response is corrupt/truncated and causes a crash.

Just a thought.

@googleguru: If you read the comments (at least on this site), the vast majority of gamers, myself included, are not experiencing this problem. It's likely that a lot of people are aware of it and posting about it, but only a small percentage are actually experiencing it.

Okay that was fast.

I followed everything perfectly on the Gamespots page and as soon as I picked up Roman from his work the game crashed in the garage.

Thank god I copied my game save to a memory card before deleting it. Now what do we do?

@Barbara: Thank you for taking the trouble to try it. I'm going to assume my troubles won't disappear either.

they made that BS list up!... I have a 60gig here and it is ok so far.

I don't have any problems even playing with DS3. Sounds like a lot of suggestions with no basis in fact. Like I said in another thread 'standing on your head' might have as much of an effect.

Watch this end up being a memory leak or something else requiring a patch if it's that random. Like I said I've had no problems on my PS3 with the game.

@Big World: i know 1 person with a ps3, and his gta4 doesnt work.

its not a representative sample, but he and i consider it pretty telling anyway.

he doesnt follow news sites so im waiting to hear of a fix for him.

Aaaaand the results:

Time to follow "12 step plan" re-install , configure the game: ~20 minutes.

Time until game froze ps3: ~2 minutes.

Not exactly a great return on investment.

@LittleBigPlaneteer:
With all due respect, I'm sure only a small percentage of total purchasers are affected... but I have yet to speak to anyone of the still-significant-number-affected who has had anything resolved. I have yet to hear from a single person who any of the suggested fixes has resolved anything.

This won't be fixed until Rockstar finds the actual problem. A patch is needed, not some stupid 12 step "fix". The problem seems to be that they didn't test launch models when testing the PS3 version. That's an oversight on their part.

@Big World: This is the first game besides Drake Fortune that I have ever experienced a problem with. I've never had a problem on any 360 game and yet with PS3 I get these problems.

I'll follow the steps, but I have 55GB free on my HD so it shouldn't be that fragmented.

Step 13. Buy a 360.

I bet a lot of people are just being impatient. I installed the game 3 times before realizing that it cycled through all of those pictures before it started loading. People are reading that it's freezing up and think that if it doesn't load up immediately then they should just delete their info and start over again.

There is no such thing as a Flick Filter on the PS3 GTAIV version.

Suddenly playing around with the Windows registry to get your game working doesn't seem so bad.

@KuromanKuro: There's a difference between "freezing" and "slowly shifting still images."

Hmmm, I did none of those steps and have no problems with my 60 gig PS3 which was bought when Sony said they were gutting the PS2 parts.

I have all those features turned on prior and have Final Fantasy 11 installed on my PS3. Plying GTA4 w/o any problems. I also have gigs of Rock Band stuff on my HDD.

Just for the record in case that helps anyone.

@KuromanKuro Live and PSN:

Words fail me.

I hope that your post is, in fact, a troll of such chutzpah and genius that it should be immediately inducted into the Billygoats Gruff Hall of Fame. Should such a hall of fame not exist, one should be immediately constructed post haste. Any origin of your post that does not originate in literary genius is just too horrible to contemplate.

The GTA Twelve Step Program does not work. I just tried it. I got to the part where Roman gives u the cell phone, right after the cutscene it crashed. This freezing problem is just unreal. Ive tried to the play the game over 50 times each time thinking it would just WORK, only to have it freeze after 10min of gameplay. Ive done every possible remedy and fix that ive seen over the internet, I even formated my hard drive without backing it up. I also have had four different copies, three from Gamestop one from Best Buy. Plz R* and Take Two bing out a patch quickly so i can play this masterpiece of a game.

Wheth