Overview
Grand Theft Auto IV is known by many to be a classic…that said, the PC port has gained much scorn due to it’s quality. Despite a new patch, if you’re looking into buying this game on the PC, or if you already own this on the PC, there is one BIG issue: crashes! It’s not uncommon to have to deal with game crashes on the PC, but GTA IV’s port is notorious for a consistently high amount of crashes. I dealt with game crashes after I bought GTA IV, but have been able to play it since then.For now, here’s a little guide on a few possible fixes for game crashes. Please keep in mind that I don’t know every possible solution, and that there is a possibility that none of these methods might help you. Without further ado…
(Added on 7/28/18) Preface
This is something that I should’ve added when I first wrote this humdrum guide to begin with, but whatever. Here I go.
I AM NOT an expert with this type of ♥♥♥♥. I don’t know the game’s code in and out; I am a simpleton like you. This guide was built off of common knowledge and surface level research. Truth be told, it was a lazy effort on my part, and little else. If you have an incredibly specific technical error, don’t add a comment on this guide expecting me to know how to solve it for you. If you really want help with that type of thing, post your errors on the Steam forums and, if that doesn’t work too well for you, look elsewhere.
I could easily remove this guide, but it might help some people so it’ll stay up for now.
Thank you.
Method 1: Mods
This part is kind of sad to me…
due to the recent patch by Rockstar for both GTA IV and EFLC (Episodes from Liberty City), the mod framework (or, all ASI loaders in general, if you have any previous knowledge of GTA modding) is outdated and will no longer work. This means that trying to run the game with mods AND the framework will crash the game (from experience, running the game with just the files for the mod you want to install has a chance of not crashing your game. That said, though, don’t expect the mods to, well… work).
If you have mods installed, or just installed a mod, and forgot what files to delete, then fear not!
The first step to remove the mod framework is to go to the game’s root folder. Since this is about the Steam version in specific, the root folder should be found in:
C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonGrand Theft Auto IVGTAIV if you have a 64 bit system, or C:Program FilesSteamsteamappscommonGrand Theft Auto IVGTAIV if you have a 32 bit system.
The file you’re looking for is called dsound.dll. Have no worries about deleting this, as the ASI loader does not replace any actual game files. That said, if you have OTHER mods that aren’t the ASI loader that are crashing your game, it’s best to look to see what those files are (by either re-downloading the zip/whatever files they came in and/or extracting them again if you still have it) and delete them. If any of those files has replaced a critical game file, then re-install the game. No joking there.
“But I WANT mods!” (UPDATE: 12/31/16)
It’s a little difficult for me to explain this, but it is very much possible to downgrade your version. If you’re interested in the PC port for mods alone, this guide should help you (I didn’t make the guide, but it’s still very well done and worth checking out): [link]
Method 2: GFWL Marketplace (UPDATE: 5/22/17)
Before reading up on this method: Due to the new patch, I can’t confirm that this either works or doesn’t work at all. Be cautious when trying this method.
Another method of getting this game to work is to install the Games for Windows Live Marketplace. You can get it here[www.xbox.com]. Don’t worry about viruses, this is the official Xbox website I’ve linked to. The installation should be pretty straightforward, even on Windows 10. After it’s installed, it will ask you to sign into your ‘live’ account.
From here, things diverge. GFWL will force you to always be online in order to save, though there is an option to fix this. There is a slight chance that GFWL won’t work either way; if this does happen to you, downgrade your game (using the guide I’ve provided you) and download liveless[gtaforums.com]. The installation for liveless is super simple, you just need to put the files in your game’s root folder. Again, if you want the LiveLess method, you’ll need to downgrade your game. Keep in mind, the previous version of GTA IV is known to have performance issues on newer PCs.
If you think you can handle GFWL, there are two ways of going about:
This can be done by signing into your Microsoft account. If you don’t have one, then get an Outlook (Microsoft’s version of Gmail) account – it worked for me. Another thing: before singing in, I recommend checking ALL the boxes (automatic sign in, remember me, save password).
I’m not so sure about this one since I used the former method, but I’m fairly certain you can do this in GTA IV as well. When starting up your game for the first time, you should be given an option to Sign In or Create an Account. Click on Create an Account, and in a block of text found there, there should be a blue hyperlink that will allow you to create an offline account.
If any of this is confusing to you, here’s a video demonstrating the process:
There’s no saying if this will work for you at all. If it doesn’t and you don’t want to be online 24/7, refer to my previous statements on liveless.
Method 3: GFWL Connection Error fix (WTV270 Error)
Due to the new patch, a new error has been added. If you’re getting the error ‘WTV270’, then chances are, you’re not able to connect to the GFWL servers. While it’s hard for me to describe how to actually fix this error (don’t know too much about it myselft), there is a reddit post that might help you (it’s meant for Dark Souls: PTD Edition, but should really work for all GFWL-Backed games), which can be found
Help me get Dark Souls working on Windows 8.1 from darksouls
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T-t-t-that’s all, Folks!
I hope this guide helped you, and if it didn’t, then please, feel free to whine about some sort of error that I have no idea about any solution to. That said, if you have any other solutions that worked for you, then please feel free to tell me them and I’ll add them to the guide.
Otherwise, enjoy GTA IV!