GTA 4 Remastered Could Arrive This Year for PS5 and Xbox Series

Word on the street is that Niko Bellic might be coming back. According to reliable Rockstar insider Tez2, a GTA 4 remaster is reportedly in development for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. And not only that, it could actually launch before the end of 2025.

This isn’t the first time Tez2 has teased something like this, but now he’s pointing to actual progress. In a recent post on the GTA Forums, Tez2 claimed someone at Rockstar “hinted” that a GTA 4 port has been underway and that it “should’ve gone up a year in development” by now. This lines up with rumors about the cancellation of the Liberty City Preservation Project, a fan mod that would’ve brought GTA 4’s map into GTA 5, something Rockstar allegedly shut down to avoid stepping on its toes.

“If still follow their plan laid out from the pandemic days, they’ll do an MP3 port after 4. So that is an opportunity to do a bundle or a Definitive Edition. Max Payne 1 & 2 remakes, and a Max Payne 3 port,” —Tez2, GTA Forums

So what’s this remaster going to look like? From what we know, it’s not going to be a full remake. Think more like an upgraded port, with smoother performance, modern console compatibility, and maybe some visual polish. If it follows Rockstar’s usual approach, it might drop with minimal warning, like they did with the Red Dead Redemption port to Switch and PS4.

And that’s pretty unfortunate, considering what one of the GTA 4 developers who recently left Rockstar said. He wrote that they had to cut a lot of content before release... And honestly, I remember replaying it recently, on the third island, it felt kind of empty, just a new strip club. I bet there was supposed to be a second spot for playing pool there.

GTA 4’s Strictness

What makes this potential re-release more than just nostalgia is GTA 4’s tone. Unlike the sunny satire of GTA 5 or the neon-cocaine energy expected from GTA 6's Vice City setting, GTA 4 was grim. It was Rockstar at its bleakest: Eastern European immigration, cynical capitalism, hollow friendships, and a city that never really loved you back.

Niko Bellic wasn’t in it for the money or the fame. He was looking for a second chance, and instead found moral compromise and violence wrapped in existential dread. Compare that to San Andreas' over-the-top gang culture, GTA 5’s heist hijinks, or GTA 6's pastel-drenched chaos. Liberty City was cold, grey, and wet. That contrast could hit even harder today.

And there’s another layer, Lucia Caminos, the main character in GTA 6, is canonically from Liberty City. Releasing GTA 4 before GTA 6 wouldn’t just be fanservice—it could be Rockstar giving players a look at Lucia’s roots.

The Legacy Still Holds

Back in 2008, Kieron Gillen called GTA 4 “a genuinely ground-breaking blockbuster.” He praised it not just for its systems or scale, but for the emotional impact of being in that world.

“There were moments playing GTA 4 that I thought back to my initial experiences with games, and realised exactly how far we've come. There's never been anything quite like GTA 4 in the world.” —Kieron Gillen, Eurogamer (2008)

That weight, that realism, and that mood haven't been matched since. And if Rockstar is serious about preserving its legacy, not just chasing viral clips and online cash grabs, then re-releasing GTA 4 makes a lot of sense.

The Full GTA Scoreboard

Here are all GTA games' scores on Metacritic by chronology:

Rockstar hasn’t confirmed anything yet, but if Tez2’s track record means anything, GTA 4 Remastered could be very real and very close. If it does drop this year, it’ll be the perfect reintroduction to Liberty City, and a rare chance to revisit one of the darkest, most human stories Rockstar ever told.

Before Lucia hits Vice City, maybe it’s time to go back where it all fell apart.