Ex-Rockstar Veteran Thinks GTA 4 Should Be Remastered: ‘Niko Is Still the Best Protagonist in Any GTA’

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.

Obbe 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.

Again, 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.