Speculation has now led many fans to believe a remake or remaster of GTA 4 is in development over at Rockstar. Take-Two has recently stated their intentions to release “two new iterations of previously released titles” in Fiscal Year 2024, which ends in March 2024. Rumors have been abound about a remake of Red Dead Redemption, so it is entirely possible that is one of the two in question. While some fans speculate the other may be a Series X|S and PS5 port of Red Dead Redemption 2, others believe this is instead a rerelease of Grand Theft Auto IV.
It was previously reported that Rockstar Games had cancelled planned ports of Red Dead Redemption and GTA 4 after the poor reception to Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition which collected remasters of Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas. Unfortunately, the ports had many issues with their technical performances, often running worse than they did on original hardware, as well as many fans disliking the changes made to the game’s art and character models.
Why Port GTA 4 Now?
No truly solid evidence exists that GTA 4 is indeed coming soon, though it does stand up to some level of scrutiny to believe that if Rockstar decided to go back on their decision to not remaster and/or remake Red Dead Redemption, the same may have happened here, as well. It is also incredibly likely that Grand Theft Auto VI is finally not too far off in the distance, but still a couple of years away. With GTA V already ported to present platforms, perhaps a port of GTA 4 is what Rockstar may use to keep the franchise on the tips of everybody’s tongues for the next few years.
Fans of the franchise may not be happy about this, though, especially if the speculated rerelease turns out to be the full-blown remake treatment the way Red Dead Redemption is rumored to be getting. If that does indeed wind up being the case, many fans could likely be more frustrated than excited at the idea Rockstar may be using resources to redo an older game in the franchise than further their efforts on the next major release.
Of course, the possibilty of a current-gen port of Red Dead Redemption 2 also exists, which would pair well with a remake of the first game, especially if the latter were to make use of gameplay mechanics established in the sequel. It is also possible the other “previously released title” is something else entirely, such as Manhunt, Bully, or even something unrelated to Rockstar that is also owned by Take-Two Interactive, such as Borderlands or BioShock.
Whetever ends up happening, it likely will not be too long until we find out the truth. With March 2024 rapidly approaching, Take-Two is bound to lift the veil on the rereleases they have planned soon. Current rumors have suggested that an announcement for the rumored Red Dead Redemption remake may even happen next month. If its partner-in-crime is indeed GTA 4, perhaps their announcements would be paired together.
What are your thoughts on a potential GTA 4 remaster? Would you prefer Rockstar focus on GTA VI, or would you happily replay this classic entry? Sound off in the comments and on our social media feeds!
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