As a GTA fan, GTA IV to me is the most iconic. While this wasn't the first GTA I played, it was my introduction to the series through YouTube video's at the time. Back then all I could afford to play was GTA SA, so I did. Fast forward to today and I played every (non 2D) GTA game multiple times and I can pretty confidently say that this is still either the best GTA or a shared first position with GTA V.

GTA IV and GTA V are great games for different reasons. While GTA V has a better world map and is a return to the more classic formula of a GTA game, GTA IV shines more when it comes to realism and seriousness.

There are several factors that make GTA IV better compared to GTA V.

First thing being the physics. The way cars and pedestrians react to your actions in the world is miles ahead of any other GTA. Personally I think that the realistic behavior makes the game more enjoyable. Shooting people has a lot more impact and crashing into other vehicles does too.

Second of all the amount of detail is unmatched. While GTA V might have a lot of detail in it's world, GTA IV incorporates more detail in how the environment dynamically reacts to the player. You can shoot guns out of people's hands, when you shoot them in the leg they move accordingly, cops don't shoot with one star and try to arrest you alive instead, npc's react more appropriately to the player on foot, etc... I could go on, it's really an endless list. There is a very popular video showing the differences between V and IV that makes the same point. Although it does not mean GTA IV is necessarily the better game, it is a certain aspect that is much better that I care about very much.

Third point: The story is a lot more heavy and serious. GTA IV took a very different approach to it storytelling compared to other games. The story delved into some difficult topics and it was ultimately a very tragic story. While other GTA games are mainly about criminals rising to the top (for different reasons), this game is about a man that is stuck in the criminal life and doesn't really have a choice in that. It's a man with a tragic past looking for closure and a better life but is in some way unable to because of his unfortunate circumstances.

Now to talk about the game without comparing it to it's successor...

The story I just talked about and I don't really need to add anything else. It's a phenomenal character and a touching story.

All I can say is that the game is a very complete package. The city feels alive thanks to it's various activities and realistic features like the subway. The characters, the story, the activities, the world, the graphics and the realistic physics all combine into a real masterpiece that is underrated in my opinion.
I have a lot of fond memories of this game. This game is what got me interested into gaming all these years ago in the first place so there is also a factor of nostalgia.
Even though I've played this game many many times and have known it for many years, I keep coming back to it and I'll keep doing so for as long as I can foresee. This game really is one of the best games I've ever known.

The only reason why I can't give it five starts is because of the bad state of the PC port and how Rockstar has left this game in the dust. The issues are well known at this point. The performance is terrible and there are many bugs that have been known for years that never get fixed. It's so bad that this game technically isn't beatable at 60fps. The game itself is a masterpiece and the way the game was intended to be is perfect. But the state that they left it in on PC is a tough pill to swallow.

I could write a whole book about everything I like about this game. I could go into detail about the story, talk about features like the internet, talk about the lore and many easter eggs and myths, the atmosphere, the fact that this game serves as a time capsule at this point... There are many things I'd like to talk about that I just can't put into words in this review.

I think you get the idea.

Muy buen juego, lo disfrute bastante. Historia Buena con un protagonista con un arco de personaje muy, muy bueno. Creo que Niko Bellic se convirtió en mi protagonista favorito de los Grand Theft Auto. Cabe recalcar que no me parece que sea mejor juego que GTA V como menciona mucha gente, en mi opinión la historia de GTA V es mas emocionante, pero talvez sea nostalgia(No jugué el GTA IV en su tiempo ). Pero bueno, no estoy aquí para comparar juegos. El único problema con el juego que tuve fue que me pareció que los personajes interesantes y que me gustaban, no fueron muy recurrentes en la historia o por lo menos no salieron tanto como me hubiera gustado como por ejemplo little jacob, roman y brucie. El final me pareció bueno y apropiado para una historia como la de Niko Bellic. También quiero mencionar que el port de pc de este juego es un Vil mierda, demasiados crasheos y no corre como deberia. pero bueno, el juego me parecio lo suficientemente bueno como para tankear todos esos problemas.

o tal do GTA cinza é ABSOLUTE CINEMA, personagens, historia e jogabilidade achei tudo bom demais, a direção de arte do jogo deixar tudo acinzentado faz sentido com toda essa historia pesada (e diga-se de passagem boa pra caralho) que é contada, não joguei todos os GTAs mas acho que não tem nenhum que se leva tão a serio como esse. Já na parte da gameplay o que mais me incomodou mesmo foi os veiculos, a fisica muito real acaba fudendo tudo, e os carros não são divertidos de controlar porque o jogador tem que ficar tomando o maximo de cuidado possivel pra nao errar a curva mais facil que seja, porem um GTA igual esse acho que a Rockstar nunca mais vai fazer então ao longo do jogo eu fui entendendo que eu tava jogando algo diferente do padrão, acho que teve tanta reclamação na epoca por causa da fisica super realista desse jogo que a Rockstar fez o GTA V super arcade do jeito que é. As missões no geral eu gostei bastante por mais que tivesse algumas que parecia que eu tava fazendo a mesma coisa de outras, e os finais do jogo são sacanagem por conta da Rockstar, o tal do sonho americano não acabou sendo tão épico pro nosso mano Niko Bellic. Dentre os jogos da Rockstar que já joguei eu nunca vi nenhum jogo que fosse abaixo de "bom" e com esse a barrinha subiu muito, hypado demais pra ver o que eles vão cozinhar pro GTA 6 e como eles vão mostrar denovo que são uma das melhores desenvolvedoras de jogos.

esse GTA tem uma coisa tão especial que eu não consigo sentir outra coisa a não ser amor, paixão e muito afeto por esse jogo aqui, e também não tem como negar que esse foi o GTA mais interessante já feito.
o personagem principal é um muito interessante, sendo um dos poucos que realmente não queriam entrar pra vida do crime, foi enganado pelo "sonho americano" e eu acho isso muito foda.
a cidade não é tão memorável assim, tendo partes boas e ruins, mas o que me vence é a trilha sonora e a física do jogo que são satisfatórias demais, me deixa muito empolgado de verdade de rejogar essa coisa linda.