Back in January 2020, Grand Theft Auto IV disappeared from the Valve store due to the unavailability of the old Microsoft Games for Windows Live platform.
And today it became known when the game will finally return to Steam, or to any other service for the sale of games.
Rockstar has updated the official GTA IV page on the Valve Store and prepared the following guide:
New Players:
Starting 03/19/2020, Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition will replace both Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City wherever it is currently digitally available. Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition will as also be available via the Rockstar Games Launcher.
Current game save files will be compatible with Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition.
As a result of this update the following services will no longer be available in Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition:
– Games for Windows Live
– Multiplayer mode
– Leaderboards
The following Radio Stations will be temporarily unavailable in Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition
RamJam FM, Self-Actualization FM, and Vice City FM (previously available in Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City)
FAQ on the game page on Steam
Current Players
Players who have previously installed and played Grand Theft Auto IV or Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City will be able to update their copy to Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition through the following means:
Steam Users:Depending on the game, players on Steam will need to install or update their current game:
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City will be removed and replaced with GTAIV: Complete Edition in the launcher library. Update file size is expected to be approximately 22GB
Grand Theft Auto IV owners will download content from Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City and their game will update to GTAIV: Complete Edition. Update file size is expected to be approximately 6GB
FAQ on the game page on Steam
Overall, the news is great. However, while GTA 4’s multiplayer was not unique or overly addictive, the lack of it in the new version is a little confusing and disappointing.
Most likely, Rockstar did not work on transferring the multiplayer mode to its servers and simply excluded this possibility from the new version of GTA 4.
The new version of Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition will be available for purchase/play starting March 19, 2020 in the digital stores Rockstar Game Launcher and Steam.
