Ex-Rockstar Dev Pushes for GTA 4 Remaster

A former Rockstar veteran has addressed recent speculation about a possible GTA 4 re-release for current-generation consoles, suggesting the game deserves a full remaster instead.

The rumors originated from Tez2, a known insider within the GTA community who has leaked Rockstar information before. Tez2 claimed a modern port of GTA 4 might launch this year and that its development was partly why Rockstar recently shut down a GTA 5 Liberty City mod.

That said, it's important to note that Rockstar has given no official sign of plans to re-release GTA 4. Given the studio's intense focus on GTA 6, such a release would be quite surprising.

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Obbe Vermeij, a former Rockstar technical director who worked at the company from 1995 to 2009, was asked about the GTA 4 rumors on social media. While unaware of the speculation, he agreed that GTA 4—a project he contributed to—"should be remastered."

He added, "It's a great game, and we've seen several successful remasters lately," possibly referring to the well-received The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.

In a follow-up post, Vermeij continued, "I'd love to see it updated. Niko remains, in my view, the best protagonist in any GTA game."

Regarding how a remaster could be handled, Vermeij proposed that Rockstar might adapt GTA 4 for the newest version of the Rage engine, the technology behind their games.

Once again, it's worth emphasizing that Rockstar hasn't hinted at any remaster plans for GTA 4. Considering the massive effort behind GTA 6, taking on a GTA 4 remaster or remake simultaneously would likely stretch even Rockstar's considerable resources.

Rockstar could potentially assign the port to an external studio, similar to the Red Dead Redemption port. However, launching a GTA 4 re-release in 2025 seems unlikely with GTA 6 scheduled for release that fall. If GTA 6 isn’t delayed, Rockstar probably wouldn't market both a GTA 4 remaster and GTA 6 together, risking divided attention from the audience.

Switching focus back to Liberty City, some GTA enthusiasts believe the location could feature in GTA 6—either at launch or as downloadable content later.

Liberty City is the series' fictional version of New York, serving as the backdrop for 2008's GTA 4 and the 2009 spin-off GTA: Chinatown Wars. GTA 6 takes place in the fictional state of Leonida (based on Florida), which includes Vice City, the GTA universe's Miami.

While we await more news, there's plenty of GTA 6 content to explore—from everything we know so far and a collection of 70 new screenshots to expert analysis on how the game will perform on PS5 Pro.