Grand Theft Auto Iv Will Return To Steam As A Complete Edition

Game publisher Rockstar removed Grand Theft Auto IV from Steam last month, rendering the game and any of its DLCs unavailable for purchase. The reason for that was pretty simple, and mainly pertained to Microsoft’s outdated Games For Windows Live (GFWL) service and how it was tied to Grand Theft Auto IV. Now, the game is ready to make a return to Steam, but will come with some stipulations.

Since GFWL was officially shut down in 2014, developers whose games were tied to the service either had to update them or ditch the service for something else. Since Grand Theft Auto IV used GFWL in order to handle multiplayer components, Rockstar didn’t really bother addressing the shutdown, nor update the game until recently.

Now that the company has managed to resolve the issue, Grand Theft Auto IV will return to Steam on March 19, but will be replaced with a more updated version that bundles the DLCs into it, ultimately being known as Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition. However, there are also a few conditions tied to the new version. First, Grand Theft Auto IV needed GFWL to host its multiplayer game mode. GFWL is completely gone now, taking GTA IV multiplayer with it. Current owners and those who buy the game in the future will no longer be able to play multiplayer together. On top of ditching multiplayer, the leaderboards will also be removed.

The removal of multiplayer and leaderboards aren’t the only aspects to be gone from the updated version of the game. Some of the radio stations that were previously found in Episodes from Liberty City, like, RamJam FM, Self-Actualization FM, and Vice City FM, will be temporarily unavailable, most likely due to licensing expiration. It’s safe to say, however, that the radio stations will make their return to the game at one point in the future.

The issue with GFWL may have been resolved, but the cost may prove to be a disappointing experience for those who enjoyed playing multiplayer in Grand Theft Auto IV. Nonetheless, seeing the game make its return back to the Steam store is positive news.

Source: PC Gamer