Grand Theft Auto 4 and 5 are two of the most highly regarded games in the series, as well as the most recent, but one just edges out the other.
Grand Theft Auto's most recent entries, GTA 5 and GTA 4, both have a fair claim to being the best game in the series. While both are strong overall, they each specialize in a different area, with GTA 4 boasting a more down-to-earth tone, and GTA 5 excelling in terms of scale and bombast. Both titles have their ups and downs, but one in particular feels like the highpoint of Grand Theft Auto.
With both games being Grand Theft Auto titles, there are a few obvious similarities. Both are crime-themed sandboxes that offer the player a large city to drive around in between missions. Each game's story pits the protagonist against much stronger figures than themselves, making their eventual triumph highly satisfying. Each title also features a customizable player character, with more outfits and weapons to purchase as time goes on. With GTA 6 looking likely to release in 2024, there's ample time for players to revisit the previous games.
Grand Theft Auto 5 Is A Big Game With Big Characters
Grand Theft Auto 5's biggest advantage is its large amount of content. With three customizable protagonists as opposed to one, players have more options than any other game in the series. This extends to the storyline, where each character has their own solo missions when they're not intersecting for major story events. It also benefits from being more polished than GTA 4, using the last game as a platform to build on. It also features a lot of funny encounters, with Franklin and Lamar's bickering bringing several of the game's high points.
The sheer size of Los Santos in GTA 5 actually hurts the game, since there are wide stretches of land that are basically pointless, especially in Sandy Shores. Grand Theft Auto 5's sense of humor is another potential downside, at least where Trevor is concerned. Although Franklin and Lamar are a riot, Trevor and the humor he brings can easily be too abrasive or uncomfortable for some. Finally, although the game's heists and several missions are quite fun, the story itself is not especially interesting. It often feels like the game is just spinning its wheels until it gets around to the next major heist.
Grand Theft Auto 5 did manage to bring new advancements to the series. The multiple characters can keep the game interesting, and the various experiments in the gameplay worked more often than not. At the same time, it can be hard to ignore the general weakness of the story, although GTA 5's immensely satisfying good ending does help to make up for that. Grand Theft Auto 5 has plenty of strengths, at least gameplay-wise.
Grand Theft Auto 4 Benefits From The Series' Best Story
Unlike GTA 5, Grand Theft Auto 4's story is easily its biggest asset. Rather than the chaotic excitement that the series usually revels in, it's a more somber story of hitman Niko Bellic coming to America to live with his cousin. Despite the darker tone, the story itself is excellent, with Niko's connections being its biggest strength. Although Niko is quiet and brutal, the story rather successfully manages to sell him as a fairly introspective character despite his crimes.
GTA 4 being something of a tonal departure can take players by surprise. Although Niko's life before Grand Theft Auto 4 as well as the events of the game are tragic, those traits are something of a hard sell for some fans in a series known for outrageous satire. A more definitive downside is GTA 4's driving controls, which are noticeably slippery compared to other games in the series. This is put on full display in an early car chase mission, where many players can struggle after having so little time behind the wheel. Since driving is a big part of any GTA game, that adds an extra wrinkle to the game's learning curve.
Grand Theft Auto 4 is easily the stronger game when it comes to story, but its age shows more when it comes to actual gameplay. While GTA 5 had an advantage due to coming out several years later, GTA 4 is in some ways be seen as its prototype. Rockstar's refusal to remaster GTA 4 only exacerbates this, removing the opportunity to polish the game. While still very functional, the game's shortcomings are difficult to ignore.
Despite Being Dated, GTA 4 Is A Better Game Than GTA 5
Grand Theft Auto 5 launched with a lot of hype behind it, and quickly became extremely popular. The fact that it came with GTA Online and returned to the setting of the fan-favorite title San Andreas likely had plenty to do with that. Even though GTA 5 does have plenty of good traits that keep it popular to this day, it ultimately doesn't match up to Grand Theft Auto 4 when it comes to story and characters.
In a series that normally doesn't put a lot of emphasis on story, Grand Theft Auto 4 shows up every other GTA title. Niko's web of connections, leading to moments such as choosing between GTA 4's Dwayne and Playboy X help to immerse the player in Niko's story, showing his thoughts and reactions to events that befall him. While GTA 4's gameplay is admittedly a step back from 5, it's not so far removed that it feels significantly worse to play. With mechanics that are still solid in addition to missions that feel more satisfying thanks to the stronger story behind them, GTA 4 ultimately has an advantage.
GTA 5 has a definite advantage in gameplay, while GTA 4 had the advantage in story and writing. In the end, the gaps in quality between the two traits are the deciding factor. GTA 5 is a little bit better to play than GTA 4 was, but the gap between the stories is more significant, and that is the deciding factor in GTA 4's favor. If a player considers what game GTA 6 can learn from, GTA 4 has more to offer in terms of making the game interesting.
It's a close race between Grand Theft Auto's most recent offerings in terms of quality, but GTA 4 just barely edges out its successor thanks to its better writing. Grand Theft Auto 5 is the more recent entry and has more content, but it doesn't have a powerful impact despite being technically sound. When it comes to Grand Theft Auto's most famous games, GTA 4 is the better experience.
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