Grand Theft Auto IV was released in 2008 and took the gaming world by storm. In less than a day of its release, the game sold an estimated 3.6 million copies and surpassed 6 million copies sold worldwide by the end of its first week. GTA IV would go on to sell over 25 million copies over time, making it one of the top-grossing video games in history.
One of the great things about GTA IV was the incredible realistic physics that raised the bar, and helped it stand out against previous titles and other open-world games. Although most Grand Theft Auto entries prior to its release relied on arcade-like gameplay mechanics, along came Grand Theft Auto IV and the introduction of the groundbreaking Euphoria physics engine that made character movement, ragdoll effects and vehicle handling feel exceedingly realistic.
In contrast to previous GTA titles, there was an added level of realism in GTA IV and the series, at that time, hadn’t had a game with such grounded vehicular catastrophes. Vehicles responded in real time to collisions, shifts in weight and elements from their environment. Not only did Liberty Like come alive as you drove through its streets, every car had their own set of unique car handling, and crashes created deep damage models, as opposed to pre-determined animations.
That realism also applied to NPC (non-playable character) interactions. Be it jumps in reaction times of pedestrians to what the player does, or characters stumbling and grabbing hold of items after being shot, the physics made Liberty City interesting and unpredictable. Even minor aspects such as the movement and physics of Niko Bellic, the protagonist of the game, and how he interacted with his environment made it stand out from other titles of that era that shared a similar open-world approach.
The emphasis on realism in GTA IV went past physics. It`s more serious and mature plot and other involving game mechanics helped it becoming one of the most praised entries in the Grand Theft Auto series. Some fans were put off by the more serious and grounded gameplay seen in GTA IV compared to other titles in the series, but many praised the depth of the title and the innovations found within it.
Even today, GTA IV is remembered for its elaborate physics, storytelling, and extremely intricate open world. It still holds up as a fan-favorite and a checkmark in the open-world video game genre, and represents the extent to which Rockstar Games challenged the boundaries of realism in video gaming.
