When Grand Theft Auto 4 first came out in 2008, multiplayer enabled in-game activities and allowed players to hang out together in Liberty City for the first time. But if you're hoping to relive those happy days on PC, we have some bad news: The game's multiplayer portion has been permanently disabled due to ongoing issues with the now- defunct Windows Live Games platform.
While this is a huge loss considering how important these multiplayer modes are to the game's success, there is still no improvement in the current situation. Since January, GTA 4 has not been available for purchase on Steam due to Rockstar running out of keys for Games for Windows Live. Since the service is now gone, Microsoft refused to provide any more, which led to the current situation. The single-player portion of the game is playable from March 19.
If you're unlucky enough to buy a physical version of GTA 4, you'll need to use your physical key or link your Rockstar Social Club account instead of Games for Windows Live to update to the new Full Version. It's a throwback to the "CD key" days, but, hey, that's what happens when you want to play a retro game like GTA 4.
The last few months have been pretty eventful for Rockstar, especially with the debut of Dan Houser, the writer and creative force behind many of its hit games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA V. With the studio still making some money, publisher Take-Two recently announced that microtransaction spending in GTA Online grew 54 percent in the first quarter of this year.
