GTA 4 is still the third highest rated game ever on Metacritic

Even after a period of more than 17 years, GTA 4 continues to be considered one of the most significant and impressive accomplishments in the history of video games. According to Metacritic, the game continues to be positioned as one of the highest rated games ever created.

The game was originally made available to the public all the way back in the year 2008, and Rockstar Games created a new version of their fictional Liberty City. Read on to learn more about it.

Note: Parts of this article are subjective and based on the author's views.

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After all these years, GTA 4 still ranks among Metacritic’s top three highest rated games

According to Metacritic’s all-time rankings, GTA 4 remains the third highest rated game ever made, sitting proudly with an astonishing 98/100 score. The only games ranked higher are The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and SoulCalibur which both widely considered timeless masterpieces.

GTA 4 remains one of the highest rated games of all time (Image via Rockstar Games)

When GTA 4 released in April 2008, it was a complete reinvention of the open-world genre. Set in a beautifully realized Liberty City, inspired by New York, the story followed Niko Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant seeking a better life in America. What players got instead was a deeply human story about crime, loyalty, and disillusionment in a city that promised everything and delivered nothing.

At the time, it was a major leap forward for storytelling in video games, which is something that even non-gamers took notice of.

Also read: 5 reasons why Niko from GTA 4 might never return in the series

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A critical and cultural phenomenon

The acclaim for GTA IV was almost universal. It earned Game of the Year awards from Giant Bomb, Kotaku, GameTrailers, Time Magazine, The New York Times, and many more. At the 2008 Spike Video Game Awards, it led with eight nominations and won three major categories including Game of the Year and Best Action Adventure Game.

Michael Hollick, who voiced Niko Bellic, even won Best Performance by a Human Male. The following year, its expansion The Ballad of Gay Tony went on to win Best DLC, further proving that Rockstar wasn’t done pushing the boundaries of what GTA 4 could be.

Beyond awards, GTA IV helped define the tone and direction of modern open-world games. Its focus on character-driven storytelling, moral decisions, and environmental detail influenced nearly every major release that followed from Red Dead Redemption to The Witcher 3.

Read also: Soundtrack sample used for GTA 4 mini-game found after 17 years

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What made GTA IV one of the highest rated game ever made

Gameplay still from GTA IV (Image via Rockstar Games)

Even today, GTA IV stands out for how ahead of its time it was, and there are several factors that made the game one of the highest rated games, like:

• Unmatched worldbuilding: Liberty City felt real, dense, and alive. Every street corner told a story.
• A powerful, grounded narrative: Niko’s journey was personal and deeply human, exploring loss, guilt, and survival.
• Fluid mechanics and physics: The introduction of the Euphoria physics engine made movement, combat, and driving more realistic than ever before.
• Best combat in the series (at the time): Cover-based shooting and hand-to-hand mechanics were tighter and more tactical than in previous games.
• Great visuals for its era: The lighting, atmosphere, and city detail pushed the limits of what the PS3 and Xbox 360 could do.
• A surprisingly good multiplayer: Before GTA Online, GTA 4’s multiplayer was a chaotic, creative sandbox that built the foundation for what would come later.

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If this article is to your liking, you can check other GTA content below:

• Should the GTA 6 protagonists be anti-heroes?
• Which version of GTA IV is the best in 2025?
• 5 best GTA Online DLCs ever released, ranked

Edited by Rishi Pallav