GTA IV Remake or Just a Port? Leak Hints at Return to Liberty City

For years, fans of Grand Theft Auto IV have been following rumors that the game will be brought back to Liberty City with a new look. Those hopes might finally be true. In May 2025, a famous Rockstar insider leaked a lot of information, stating that a GTA IV project wasn't just a pipe dream; it was actually being worked on.

An insider from Rockstar Games stated on the GTA forums that Rockstar is working on a GTA IV project. The leak indicates that work on this version has been ongoing for approximately a year and that it may be ready by the end of 2025.

This information came out soon after Rockstar confirmed that GTA VI would be delayed, which made it easy for rumors to start. The leak said that this GTA IV project could be the reason why Rockstar shut down mods like the Liberty City Preservation Project so quickly. This is something that companies usually do when they are working on a remaster or port.

It's interesting that the leak also suggested that this GTA IV project might be followed by a port of Max Payne 3 and possibly even remakes of the first two Max Payne games, which would be compiled into a "definitive" collection.

The leak suggests that the GTA IV project is more likely a port, similar to how Rockstar ported Red Dead Redemption to PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch in 2023 and 2024. These weren't full remakes or even major remasters; they were just better copies of the originals that would work on modern consoles.

But could Oblivion Remastered be used to fix up GTA IV?

The remastering was done by Virtuos using a method called "engine layering," which involves using the original engine (Gamebryo) as a base and utilizing Unreal Engine 5 for modern graphics. Fans loved it because it was a great middle ground between a simple port and a full remake. It would be a dream come true for longtime fans if the same formula could be used on GTA IV, either with the Rage engine or newer technology added on top.

Think about Rockstar hiring a good studio like Virtuos to give Liberty City the makeover it needs. That's the kind of remaster that could really live up to its name—better framerates, better graphics, bug fixes, and full 4K support while keeping the spirit of the original game.

It would be great if Rockstar did a remake or remaster, but even a simple port would be great. GTA IV is currently stuck in the past. You can only play it on Xbox through backward compatibility or on PC, but there are bugs and other technical problems that make it less fun to play. The PS4 and PS5? Not at all included. What about Nintendo Switch? Not there at all.

Rockstar had a lot of success with the simple 2023 ports of Red Dead Redemption. Those versions sold well even though they were just minor improvements, which shows that people still want to play their older games on newer systems. That kind of success could definitely happen again with GTA IV.

Also, GTA VI takes us back to Vice City and adds characters from Liberty City. This means that a whole generation of gamers will hear references to Liberty City without having played the game. A port makes it possible for new fans to finally play GTA IV and fully understand how Rockstar's universe is connected.

There's no chance that this leak happened at this time. Officially, GTA VI won't come out until May 2026. The leak suggests that Rockstar wants to use the GTA IV project as a means to pass the time while they wait.

If work on it starts in early 2024, it may be released before the end of 2025. In fact, Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, said on a recent earnings call that four new versions of games that have already been released will be out by April 2026. Borderlands 4, Civilization VII VR, and Civilization VII for Switch 2 are thought to be three of them so far. That only leaves one mystery game, and GTA IV is almost too good to be true.

Releasing GTA IV before GTA VI makes sense from a business perspective. Rockstar will focus on support and online updates after the release of GTA VI. After that, there won't be many reasons to play GTA IV again. But if they start working on the project early, fans will still be interested and nostalgic when excitement is at its highest.

Many fans would be happy with even a small update, like better frame rate and resolution, since it's already hard to play the original. There are still passionate people in Liberty City who are willing to go the extra mile to protect the city in some way, as this project showed.

To be honest, Niko Bellic's story is still one of Rockstar's most realistic and emotionally powerful. His journey as an immigrant, the darker tone, and the moral choices were very different from GTA V's flashy style. This is a story that should be told and retold.