Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition — Walkthrough, Tips & PC Fixes

A guide to GTA IV: The Complete Edition on PC: how the three stories fit together, the systems that matter (friends, cover combat, police), the big story choices, collectibles and achievements, and the mods and settings that make it run well on modern PCs.

Researched September 2026 — covers the Complete Edition as sold since March 2020 (GTA IV plus The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony). The game receives no content updates; mod versions change, so check the linked sources if something differs.

What the Complete Edition Is

In March 2020, Rockstar replaced the separate Grand Theft Auto IV and Episodes from Liberty City listings with Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition. It includes:

• Grand Theft Auto IV — Niko Bellic's story.
• The Lost and Damned — Johnny Klebitz and The Lost MC.
• The Ballad of Gay Tony — Luis Lopez and Tony Prince's nightclub empire.

What changed in the switch:

• Games for Windows Live was removed, and with it multiplayer and leaderboards. There is no official online play.
• Rockstar said three radio stations (RamJam FM, Self-Actualization FM, and Vice City FM, from the Episodes) would be temporarily unavailable due to licensing.
• Old saves stayed compatible.
• It's available on Steam and via the Rockstar Games Launcher. The Steam version runs through the Rockstar launcher.

Quick Start

1. Play GTA IV first, then the Episodes. The three stories overlap and each Episode reframes events you saw as Niko. The Lost and Damned then The Ballad of Gay Tony is the release order and works best.
2. Install FusionFix before you start. It fixes many PC-port bugs and high-frame-rate problems (see the PC section below).
3. Use cover. Press the cover button near walls and cars. Standing in the open gets you killed quickly on later missions.
4. Answer your phone and keep friends happy, but don't stress about it. Friend activities unlock useful abilities, but you can ignore most of them.
5. Lose the cops by leaving the circle. When wanted, a circle shows the search area. Get outside it and stay out of sight until the stars flash and disappear.
6. Save often in a safehouse bed. The game only saves when you sleep in a safehouse (plus autosaves after missions if enabled).
7. Retry texts are your friend. After failing a mission you usually get a text to retry quickly. Accept it to skip driving back.
8. Big choices are permanent. A few missions ask you to choose who lives. Save first if you care.
9. Buy body armor. Armor from gun shops or Little Jacob's trunk is the difference between life and death in shootouts.

Core Systems

Combat and cover

GTA IV's shooting uses soft lock-on plus free aim, and a cover system:

• Take cover behind walls, cars, and corners, then blind-fire or pop out to aim.
• Soft lock-on plus a small nudge upward gets headshots quickly.
• Cars are cover, but they can catch fire and explode. Move when one starts burning.
• Melee has dodges and counters. Timing a counter is the fastest way to win fist fights.

Driving

Vehicles have weight and body roll, which surprises players coming from GTA V. Tips:

• Brake before corners, not during them.
• Motorcycles are fast but you fly off at the slightest bump. The Lost and Damned makes bikes much more stable, which is worth knowing when switching.
• Taxis are a fast-travel system: hail one and choose "skip" to jump to the destination for a fee.

Police and wanted levels

• The wanted level (1 to 6 stars) sets a search radius on the minimap.
• Leave the circle and avoid being seen by cops to lose the level.
• Pay 'n' Spray (changing your car's color) clears it while you're not seen.
• Higher stars bring NOOSE teams, helicopters, and then heavy response.

Health, armor, and money

• Health regenerates only partly. Heal with food, hot dogs, vending machines, medkits, or a hospital.
• Armor can be bought at gun shops.
• Money is plentiful mid-game. Spend it on weapons and armor.

Phone, internet, and police computer

• Niko's phone handles friends, missions, and cheats (you can dial cheat codes).
• Internet cafés (TW@) have email and fake websites. Some missions come by email.
• Stealing a police car gives access to the police computer, which offers vigilante missions and Most Wanted targets.

Friends and their abilities

Hanging out raises a friend's like percentage. At high enough levels you unlock phone abilities:

Friends get annoyed if you cancel or ignore them too often, but you can play the whole game without much socializing.

Story Outline (GTA IV)

Niko arrives in Liberty City to join his cousin Roman. The story spreads across the city's islands, which open up as you progress:

1. Broker and Dukes. Roman, Vlad, Little Jacob, Brucie, Michelle, and Mikhail Faustin's crew. Learn cover, driving, and the phone.
2. Bohan. Elizabeta Torres, Playboy X, and Dwayne Forge.
3. Algonquin. Manny Escuela, the McReary family (Packie, Gerry, Derrick, Francis), and Ray Boccino.
4. Alderney. Jimmy Pegorino and the endgame.

The story builds to the question of whether Niko can leave his past behind, and finally to a choice between a Deal and Revenge.

Major Choices (Spoilers)

Deal vs Revenge is the big one. Both endings are valid. Many players do one, then load a save to see the other. Save before the choice mission.

The Episodes

The Lost and Damned (Johnny Klebitz)

• A shorter, biker-focused story about The Lost MC's power struggle.
• Bikes handle much better here. Ride in formation with your gang to repair bikes and gain bonuses.
• Gang members level up as they survive missions, becoming tougher. Keep them alive.
• New content includes gang wars, bike races, and new weapons such as the grenade launcher and assault shotgun.
• Johnny's side of GTA IV events (the diamond deal) intersects with Niko's.

The Ballad of Gay Tony (Luis Lopez)

• The loudest, brightest part of the package, set around Tony Prince's nightclubs.
• New gear: parachutes for BASE jumps, sticky bombs, an explosive shotgun, gold weapons, the Buzzard attack helicopter, an APC, and more.
• Side activities: club management, drug wars, cage fighting, BASE jumping, triathlons, golf, and dancing.
• Missions give a percentage rating based on bonus objectives. Replay missions to improve it.

Collectibles and 100%

Notes:

• Shooting all 200 Flying Rats in GTA IV unlocks the Annihilator helicopter.
• 100% in GTA IV also covers story missions, side missions, random characters, stunt jumps, activities with friends, Most Wanted and vigilante tasks, and more. Use a checklist from a reputable walkthrough.
• A few random character encounters only trigger at certain times or after certain missions. Check them off as you go instead of saving them all for the end.

Achievements worth knowing

• Key to the City — reach 100% completion.
• One Man Army — survive five minutes on a 6-star wanted level.
• Walk Free — lose a 4-star wanted level.
• Liberty City Minute — finish the story in under 30 hours of game time.
• Dare Devil — complete all unique stunt jumps.
• Fly Swatter — shoot down a news helicopter.
• Gobble Gobble — score three strikes in a row in bowling.

Multiplayer was removed in 2020, so goals that required online play can no longer be earned the normal way.

PC Setup and Fixes

GTA IV's PC port is famously rough. In 2026 the community solution is mostly one mod.

FusionFix (recommended)

GTAIV.EFLC.FusionFix by ThirteenAG supports the Complete Edition and:

• Fixes many gameplay bugs, including frame-rate-related issues and the difference in recoil between mouse and gamepad.
• Adds modern menu options: FOV, motion blur, anti-aliasing, an FPS limiter, and a DirectX 9 or Vulkan (via DXVK) option.
• Overhauls shaders, shadows, and tone mapping, and restores missing effects such as lamppost coronas and console-style tree lighting.

Install by extracting it into the game's root folder (where the .exe is). Proton/Wine users need a dinput8.dll override. Older (pre-Complete Edition) versions need an extra legacy addon.

Other settings tips

• Cap your frame rate. Some missions and physics break at very high frame rates. FusionFix has a limiter.
• Vulkan through DXVK often improves stutter and performance on modern GPUs.
• Don't max view distance and detail distance on weak CPUs. GTA IV is CPU-heavy.
• Controller support works, but FusionFix also fixes some control inconsistencies.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Playing without FusionFix and assuming the stutter and bugs are just how it is.
• Running out of cover during shootouts. Advance cover to cover.
• Forgetting to save. There's no quick save. Sleep at safehouses.
• Making the big choices without saving. You can't go back.
• Ignoring armor. It's cheap and it matters.
• Driving like it's GTA V. Brake earlier, especially on bikes.
• Rushing the Episodes first. They land better after GTA IV.

Advanced Tips

• Headshot with soft lock. Lock on, then nudge up. It's the fastest way through armored enemies.
• Use Little Jacob's trunk for cheaper weapons and ammo mid-mission.
• Use taxis to skip travel on long drives between missions.
• Replay TBoGT missions for 100% ratings once you have better gear.
• Keep TLAD gang members alive so they level up.
• Use the police computer for easy money from Most Wanted targets and vigilante jobs.
• Get the pigeons early if you want the Annihilator for the rest of the game.

FAQ

Is GTA IV multiplayer still available? No. Multiplayer and leaderboards were removed when the Complete Edition replaced the old versions in March 2020, along with Games for Windows Live.

Which order should I play GTA IV and the Episodes? GTA IV, then The Lost and Damned, then The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Which ending is better, Deal or Revenge? Both are canon-worthy and very different. Save before the choice and see both.

Why does GTA IV run badly on my PC? The original port has CPU bottlenecks and frame-rate bugs. Install FusionFix and consider its Vulkan (DXVK) option.

Are the missing radio stations back? Rockstar described RamJam FM, Self-Actualization FM, and Vice City FM as temporarily unavailable in 2020. Check the current game if you're looking for them.

What do I get for all 200 pigeons? The Annihilator helicopter.

Sources

• Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition on Steam
• Rockstar announcement: Important Updates to GTA IV and Episodes from Liberty City (Steam news)
• GTAIV.EFLC.FusionFix on GitHub