A former Rockstar Games developer that has previously worked on Grand Theft Auto 4 has said that the studio should work on a remaster of the game. Responding to social media X users asking him a question about rumours surrounding a GTA 4 remaster, former technical director at the studio Obbe Vermeij said that it should happen, considering other successful remasters in recent times. “I hadn’t heard those rumours,” posted Vermeij on X. “I think GTA IV should be remastered. It’s a great game and there have been a number of successful remasters recently.” Vermeij also wrote about wanting to see GTA 4 protagonist Niko Bellic return in some form, saying that he is still the best protagonist of the franchise in his opinion. “I would like to see it updated,” Vermiej responded to a post asking his thoughts. “Niko is still the best protagonist in any GTA game I think.” Rumours about a remastered release of Grand Theft Auto 4 first started making the rounds all the way back in November 2021. The rumours came in light of the at-the-time recent release of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition. At the time, the rumours indicated that the remaster would be released in 2023 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and that it would include the Episodes from Liberty City expansions as a bundle. However, 2023 is a long time ago when it comes to video game releases, and Rockstar Games has still been quiet on the matter. While smaller rumours kept popping up here and there, they started coming back in earnest this year. A more recent rumour, courtesy of known Rockstar Games insider Tez2, indicated that a port for modern platforms is still in the works. Taking to the GTA Forums, Tez2 said that Grand Theft Auto 4 is being ported to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and that work on the ports had been going on for more than a year. While the post didn’t reveal too many details, it did indicate that Rockstar might be looking to tide fans of GTA 6 over in light of its recent delay to May 26, 2026 by releasing the GTA 4 port later this year. The insider also said that the GTA 4 port would be part of a larger plan by Rockstar to also release a remaster of Max Payne 3 down the line. The latter would be released in time with Remedy’s current work on remaking the original Max Payne games. “Someone at R* hinted at the [GTA] IV port, and by now it should’ve gone up a year in development.+,” he wrote. “We may end up seeing it drop later this year. And it’s one more reason, in addition to existing reasons, the LCPP mod was taken down. If they still follow their plan laid out from the pandemic days, they’ll do an MP3 port after IV. So that is an opportunity to do a bundle or a Definitive Edition. Max Payne 1 & 2 remakes, and a Max Payne 3 port.” Grand Theft Auto 4 was originally released back in 2008 on Xbox 360 and PS3. It has since also been released on PC, where it can still be played on modern systems alongside its Episodes from Liberty City story expansions. I hadn't heard those rumours. I think gtaIV should be remastered. It's a great game and there have been a number of successful remasters recently.— Obbe Vermeij (@ObbeVermeij) May 12, 2025 I would like to see it updated. Niko is still the best protagonist in any gta game I think.— Obbe Vermeij (@ObbeVermeij) May 13, 2025

A former Rockstar veteran has responded to recent rumors that a GTA 4 re-release on the latest generation of consoles could be in the works to say the game should be remastered.The GTA 4 rumor began life with a post from Tez2, who is known within the GTA community for leaking Rockstar information. Tez2 suggested a GTA 4 port for modern systems may be released this year, and its existence was part of the reason Rockstar recently had a GTA 5 Liberty City Mod shut down.However, it’s worth stressing that Rockstar has made no indication it plans to re-release GTA 4, and in truth such a game would come as a huge surprise, given the studio's ongoing focus on GTA 6.Every Celebrity in GTA 4Obbe Vermeij, former Rockstar Games technical director who worked at the company from 1995 to 2009, was asked about the GTA 4 rumors on social media. While he hadn’t heard about them, he did say GTA 4, which he worked on, “should be remastered.”“It's a great game and there have been a number of successful remasters recently,” he added, perhaps referring to the hugely popular The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.“I would like to see it updated,” Vermeij continued in another social media post. “Niko is still the best protagonist in any GTA game I think.”As for how this potential remaster might work, Vermeij suggested Rockstar would perhaps port GTA 4 to the latest version of the Rage engine, which it uses to build its games.PlayAgain, it’s worth pointing out that Rockstar has provided fans with no indication it plans to remaster GTA 4. We should remember the enormous undertaking that is GTA 6, and to take on a GTA 4 remaster or remake amid all that would perhaps be beyond the scope of Rockstar, even with its seemingly endless resources.Rockstar could have an external studio handle the port, as it did with the port of Red Dead Redemption, but the timing of a GTA 4 re-release in 2025 makes little sense when you think about GTA 6’s initial fall 2025 release window. If GTA 6 were not delayed, it’s doubtful Rockstar would sell a GTA 4 remaster and GTA 6 in the same window, diverting the audience's attention away from the main event.Sticking with Liberty City, some GTA fans think the location may end up in GTA 6 either at launch or as post-launch DLC.Liberty City is the GTA series’ take on New York City, and was the setting for 2008’s GTA 4 as well as 2009 spin-off GTA: Chinatown Wars. GTA 6 is set in the fictional state of Leonida (Florida), which includes Vice City, GTA’s take on Miami.While we wait to find out, we’ve got plenty more on GTA 6, including all the details we’ve discovered so far, a roundup of 70 brand new screenshots, and the expert opinion on how GTA 6 will look on PS5 Pro.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.