While Grand Theft Auto VI's online component remains a mystery, a look back at Grand Theft Auto IV's PC multiplayer reveals a simpler, yet equally chaotic, foundation for the series' online ambitions. Released on PC in 2009, GTA IV's multiplayer offered a significant leap over its console counterparts, primarily through its increased player count, which allowed for up to 32 participants to engage in mayhem across Liberty City.
This expanded scale transformed the game's potential for emergent gameplay. The PC version also allowed for greater customization of the experience. Players could select their avatar's appearance and tailor game modes with specific weapon limitations or objectives. This flexibility was key to fostering the "glorious chaos" described in contemporary reviews. For instance, limiting matches to only rocket launchers or focusing on vehicular races often devolved into spectacular pile-ups and survival scenarios reminiscent of Mad Max.
Unlike the tightly structured criminal empires and elaborate heists of GTA Online, GTA IV's multiplayer was less about long-term progression and more about immediate, often absurd, fun. Modes ranged from team-based deathmatches to objective-focused Turf Wars, but the true magic emerged when players pushed the boundaries of these systems. The addition of multiplayer fundamentally altered the game's tone, injecting the series' signature outlandishness back into an experience that was otherwise a more serious affair in its single-player campaign.
Even standard modes like team deathmatch became fascinating collisions between serious, Michael Mann-esque gunplay and slapstick-comedy car crashes. The inherent humanity players brought to the sandbox, whether through coordinated attacks or accidental self-destruction, was a core element of its appeal. While the official GTA IV multiplayer servers were shut down in 2020, fan-made projects like GTA Connected have kept the experience alive for those seeking to relive its unique brand of open-world pandemonium.
This era of GTA multiplayer was a distinct departure from the more structured GTA Online that would later dominate player engagement. The focus was on the spontaneous, often hilarious, interactions that arose from simply dropping a large number of players into a detailed open world with a set of flexible tools. The capacity for 32 players on PC meant that even standard races could quickly escalate into a free-for-all, with racers abandoning their vehicles to engage in street brawls or construct impromptu roadblocks with fallen debris. This willingness to embrace absurdity, even in organized modes, was a hallmark of GTA IV's multiplayer offering.