Back in January we reported that Grand Theft Auto IV was no longer purchasable on Steam. Rockstar later confirmed that they had delisted the title in order to remove the game’s ties to Games for Windows Live. Now a month later, the game has been announced to be returning to Steam as Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition, and will bring with it a number of changes.
Arriving on the 19th of March, Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City will be replaced by Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition. Save files from the original version will be compatible, and the game will also make its debut on the company’s own Rockstar Games Launcher.
GTA IV: Complete Edition will see a number of features removed from the title, namely Games for Windows Live; Multiplayer modes; and Leaderboards. Furthermore, a number of radio stations have been removed – albeit temporarily: RamJam FM, Self-Actualization FM, and Vice City FM.
Those who already own either GTA IV or Episodes from Liberty City on Steam will be able to update their games to the Complete Edition. If you own the game on a physical disk however you’ll have to “use the Key on the back of the game manual to activate and update to Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition”. Lastly, if you activated the game through Games for Windows Live, you’ll have to link your Social Club account prior to being able to update the title.
Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition arrives on the 19th of March 2020. Until then, “new activations from players trying to install current copies of Grand Theft Auto IV may be disrupted.”
KitGuru says: Are you glad to see GTA IV back on Steam? Do you think the trade-off of removing Games for Windows Live is worth losing access to the multiplayer? What’s your favourite GTA game? Let us know down below.