Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Join one of the best GTA 5 RP Grand RP servers - gta5grand.com/?ref=1281 (Get a $25,000, prime status, and choose a cool car in the game for registering at this link)
Edited by VFXShaun
Shauns Twitter: https://x.com/VFXShaun
Shauns Portfolio ytjobs.co/talent/profile/3229?r=333
Shauns YouTube Channel: youtube.com/c/PlaystayShaun
Get 20% when buying G Fuel:
gfuel.com/THATBOYAQUA
Wite Nite's video: youtu.be/mDPCY1BlGMU
BBC Article: bbc.com/culture/article/20230505-grand-theft-auto-iv-blockbuster-game-dared-political
- Chapters -
Intro: 0:00
The American Dream: 2:37
The Game: 18:24
You Won: 37:20
Another Angle: 53:07
Conclusion: 1:04:27
- List of Songs Used in Order -
- GTA IV: Pause Menu Theme
- GTA IV: The Soviet Connection
- Everhood: At The Races
- Joe Hisaishi: Merry Go Round of Life
- Max Payne 3: Painkiller
- Metro 2033: Main Theme
- Metro 2033: Guitar Song 1
- Metro 2033: The Chase
- Max Payne 3: Future
- Mafia 2: Cosa Nostra
- Georges Bizet: Habanera
- Mindseye: Odyssey
- Metro Exodus: Premonition
- GTA V: The Jewel Store Job
- Johnny Cash: Hurt
- Metro 2033: Guitar Song 3
- Metro 2033: Guitar Song 2
- Last Light
- Ginuwine: Pony
- Ride to Hell Retribution: Moving The Soul
- Buck Bumble: Title Screen
- Swift Current: Blaster Master
- Tomoki Hirata: Ain't it Good
No other 7th generation game left a greater impact than Grand Theft Auto 4. Sitting as the 3rd highest rated game on Metacritic with a 98, and with a fanbase still loving, modding, and playing the game, it’s hard to not have high expectations for GTA IV, even in 2025, 17 years after launch. It was the first Grand Theft Auto game to feel bigger than itself, to offer a deep critique of American culture, and was the first Grand Theft Auto to feel, emotionally, hollow by its conclusion. It’s not just the dark setting that gave an impression of realism as everything from the physics to the graphics saw an absurd overhaul. Remember, this was the last major entry in the series, and to go from that, to this, is a jump in fidelity I don’t think we will ever see again.
Striking a balance between humorous satire and cutting criticism, few worlds have as much to say as Liberty City, and while there might be better protagonists than Niko, there is no one else better fit for this kind of story. Starting development right after the release of San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto was by all means meant to be the next step not just in the GTA series, but in gaming. It aimed to create a dense, magical world that represented the glamour of New York City, and acted as a backdrop for Rockstar’s cultural and political satire. In the years since, we’ve seen plenty of people comparing this game to its successor, Grand Theft Auto 5, and some of them hold the opinion that 4 is better. So I want to take a look at the game, see if it still holds up, if perhaps we were too kind, and if, 17 years later, Grand Theft Auto IV is still bigger than itself.
Liberty City is obviously based on New York City. Famous Landmarks make appearances, but the layout is different, the size is distorted, and certain iconic imagery is swapped. This could have been to avoid copyright issues, something we have seen modern releases grapple with, but I like to think it is because this isn’t simply a parody of New York, but the entirety of America condensed into one city sized hyper satirical depiction of the American dream. I should clarify that I don’t use the word satire in the way most do on the internet, using it as a catch all defense for abrasive humour. Rather, I use it in terms of its ability to critique something through an exaggerated, often humorous, portrayal. For example, we see themes of American consumerism all over Liberty City, with one of the most notable, being how we regain health.
Grand Theft Auto 4 is one of the most impactful games I have played. In the years since Grant Theft Auto IV released, we have seen the release of it's sequel and yet still, GTA 4 feels unlike anything else I've played. GTA IV these days begs a the question of if Grand Theft Auto IV is still a masterpiece, and this GTA 4 review will answer why the answer is still, obviously, yes. This GTA 4 retrospective or GTA IV critique will be a full GTA IV analysis ranging from it's setting, to it's story, to it's gameplay. GTA IV years later still remains one of the best games of the generation, as many GTA IV review from the time noted. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a Grand Theft Auto retrospective for the channel, as there are plenty of other games Grand Theft Auto review I would like to do, even including the dreadful Grand Theft Auto remaster. Hopefully we get a GTA 4 remaster, maybe before or after GTA VI, and if so, I could revisit this Grand Theft Auto critique. I just hope the Grand Theft Auto 4 story and Grand Theft Auto 4 ending are unchanged.
Join one of the best GTA 5 RP Grand RP servers - gta5grand.com/?ref=1281 (Get a $25,000, prime status, and choose a cool car in the game for registering at this link)
Edited by VFXShaun
Shauns Twitter: https://x.com/VFXShaun
Shauns Portfolio ytjobs.co/talent/profile/3229?r=333
Shauns YouTube Channel: youtube.com/c/PlaystayShaun
Get 20% when buying G Fuel:
gfuel.com/THATBOYAQUA
Wite Nite's video: youtu.be/mDPCY1BlGMU
BBC Article: bbc.com/culture/article/20230505-grand-theft-auto-iv-blockbuster-game-dared-political
- Chapters -
Intro: 0:00
The American Dream: 2:37
The Game: 18:24
You Won: 37:20
Another Angle: 53:07
Conclusion: 1:04:27
- List of Songs Used in Order -
- GTA IV: Pause Menu Theme
- GTA IV: The Soviet Connection
- Everhood: At The Races
- Joe Hisaishi: Merry Go Round of Life
- Max Payne 3: Painkiller
- Metro 2033: Main Theme
- Metro 2033: Guitar Song 1
- Metro 2033: The Chase
- Max Payne 3: Future
- Mafia 2: Cosa Nostra
- Georges Bizet: Habanera
- Mindseye: Odyssey
- Metro Exodus: Premonition
- GTA V: The Jewel Store Job
- Johnny Cash: Hurt
- Metro 2033: Guitar Song 3
- Metro 2033: Guitar Song 2
- Last Light
- Ginuwine: Pony
- Ride to Hell Retribution: Moving The Soul
- Buck Bumble: Title Screen
- Swift Current: Blaster Master
- Tomoki Hirata: Ain't it Good
No other 7th generation game left a greater impact than Grand Theft Auto 4. Sitting as the 3rd highest rated game on Metacritic with a 98, and with a fanbase still loving, modding, and playing the game, it’s hard to not have high expectations for GTA IV, even in 2025, 17 years after launch. It was the first Grand Theft Auto game to feel bigger than itself, to offer a deep critique of American culture, and was the first Grand Theft Auto to feel, emotionally, hollow by its conclusion. It’s not just the dark setting that gave an impression of realism as everything from the physics to the graphics saw an absurd overhaul. Remember, this was the last major entry in the series, and to go from that, to this, is a jump in fidelity I don’t think we will ever see again.
Striking a balance between humorous satire and cutting criticism, few worlds have as much to say as Liberty City, and while there might be better protagonists than Niko, there is no one else better fit for this kind of story. Starting development right after the release of San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto was by all means meant to be the next step not just in the GTA series, but in gaming. It aimed to create a dense, magical world that represented the glamour of New York City, and acted as a backdrop for Rockstar’s cultural and political satire. In the years since, we’ve seen plenty of people comparing this game to its successor, Grand Theft Auto 5, and some of them hold the opinion that 4 is better. So I want to take a look at the game, see if it still holds up, if perhaps we were too kind, and if, 17 years later, Grand Theft Auto IV is still bigger than itself.
Liberty City is obviously based on New York City. Famous Landmarks make appearances, but the layout is different, the size is distorted, and certain iconic imagery is swapped. This could have been to avoid copyright issues, something we have seen modern releases grapple with, but I like to think it is because this isn’t simply a parody of New York, but the entirety of America condensed into one city sized hyper satirical depiction of the American dream. I should clarify that I don’t use the word satire in the way most do on the internet, using it as a catch all defense for abrasive humour. Rather, I use it in terms of its ability to critique something through an exaggerated, often humorous, portrayal. For example, we see themes of American consumerism all over Liberty City, with one of the most notable, being how we regain health.
Grand Theft Auto 4 is one of the most impactful games I have played. In the years since Grant Theft Auto IV released, we have seen the release of it's sequel and yet still, GTA 4 feels unlike anything else I've played. GTA IV these days begs a the question of if Grand Theft Auto IV is still a masterpiece, and this GTA 4 review will answer why the answer is still, obviously, yes. This GTA 4 retrospective or GTA IV critique will be a full GTA IV analysis ranging from it's setting, to it's story, to it's gameplay. GTA IV years later still remains one of the best games of the generation, as many GTA IV review from the time noted. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a Grand Theft Auto retrospective for the channel, as there are plenty of other games Grand Theft Auto review I would like to do, even including the dreadful Grand Theft Auto remaster. Hopefully we get a GTA 4 remaster, maybe before or after GTA VI, and if so, I could revisit this Grand Theft Auto critique. I just hope the Grand Theft Auto 4 story and Grand Theft Auto 4 ending are unchanged.
