Years Later, Rockstar Releases New PC Patch For GTA IV

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been sitting around wondering when the next next Grand Theft Auto IV PC patch is going to hit. Wait no longer.

I’m actually not entirely kidding—I’ve been wanting to replay GTA IV for a while now, and have been bummed to find it so difficult to even start the version of the game I own through Steam. Yesterday, Rockstar released a new patch that should make it easier for more people to play.

Per Rockstar, here’s what the Game Patch 8 does:

• 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.

There’s also a new launcher update that should let some people play who were previously locked out by a server update.

Game Patch 7 was released in March of 2011, which makes for a hell of an extended dry spell between PC updates. Unfortunately, GTA IV is still a pain in the ass for me to get working, mostly thanks to the fact that it still uses the now-defunct gatekeeping service Games for Windows Live. I got the game working after tracking down and installing the XLiveLess workaround. Frustrating that good games like this one could theoretically be hobbled on PC forever.

I don’t really have a modern frame of reference for how GTA IV ran before the patch, but it works... okay for me now? It’s playable, though I definitely get some weird stutter in cutscenes and sub-60fps performance that seems like it shouldn’t be happening on my modern machine. Still, nice that Rockstar’s updating older games at all. Maybe next we can get a performance patch for Bully.