The best GTA IV mods add a gravity gun, first person

Sometimes vanilla isn't enough.

Sometimes vanilla isn't enough. Perhaps you've finished the game and grown bored, or maybe it wasn't quite your taste to begin with, but you've reached a point where you need more. That's what mods are for: they're the chocolate sauce of games, making new what was old, and building a more perfect way to play. I've recently discovered the perfect way to play Grand Theft Auto IV, and it involves leaping between islands, playing in first-person, and using a gravity gun. Yes. I've included videos of my shenanigans and instructions on how to get those mods working below.

Mods aren't officially supported in Grand Theft Auto IV, but that hasn't stopped its community flourishing. They've added weapons, they've added cars, they've released tools to edit train routes. They've done amazing things and, when each new patch has broken their mods, they've fixed and improved them. They are all Community Heroes.

The real downside to that lack of official support is that mods are a little fiddly to get working. You need specific files installed to enable them, you need the right version for your copy of the game, and you often need to manually extract files to folders within your GTA IV install. It's easy once you know how, and so I've provided plain instructions below.

By the end of this post, you'll have every mod you need to make GTA IV a more fun place to explore and explode, and you'll have the tools and knowledge necessary to go download and install more mods on your own. Already know of a cool mod we've not included? Post it in the comments!

Let's get started.

An ASI Loader

What is it?

Every Grand Theft Auto IV mod requires an ASI loader before it'll work. It's a simple file that allows you to load custom libraries - i.e. mods - into the game. ASI is the file type most mods come in. Install this once, and almost every mod will work.

How do you install it?

1) Start by grabbing the latest GTA IV patch.

2) There are lots of ASI loaders, but the first - and the one I'm using - was created by Alexander Blade. You can grab it from this forum post. There are instructions there for how to troubleshoot problems, should you encounter any. You shouldn't. For now, just download it.

3) Once you've got the archive, open it and extract the dsound.dll within. Now put that file in your main GTAIV install folder - that's the one with the GTAIV.exe. If you installed from a disc and used the default location, you'll find that at C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto IV\GTAIV\ . If you've got the game via Steam, you'll find that at C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\grand theft auto iv\GTAIV\ .

Simple Trainer

What is it?

Trainers are normally simple cheats: infinite health, infinite money, and so on. The Simple Trainergoes further. It enables you to teleport around the world. It unlocks all three islands immediately. It gives you the power to set nearby pedestrians on fire. It adds a gravity gun.

A gravity gun in Grand Theft Auto IV? Oh yes.

You can pick up people and cars and fling them for miles. It's a little iffy on its targeting, often picking up cars you're not aiming at, but... Who cares? One car is as good as the next when you're hurling them on top of buildings.

How do you install it?

The official forum post gives you a wall of text, which makes it appear hopelessly complicated to get working. It's not. Here's what to do if you're running the latest version of GTAIV:

1) Download the mod using this handy direct link.

2) Inside the download, find the trainer.asi, trainer.ini and scripthook.dll files. Copy all three into the main GTAIV directory; the same place you put your ASI loader. That's C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto IV\GTAIV\ or, if you've got the game via Steam, C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\grand theft auto iv\GTAIV\

3) On the forum post, press CTRL+F to bring up your browsers find function, and type "list of options". That'll take you down the page to where it lists all the key binds for activating the mod's abilities. There's loads of them, so either print the list off or write down a few that sound interesting. Enable super jump? That's Right CTRL+C. Make the nearest pedestrian tumble over? O+ Num 3. Flick through the list and experiment with it.

4) Running Episodes from Liberty City, or an older version of GTAIV you can't upgrade? Use your browsers Find function again and type "Installation Instructions". There's simple guides there for all versions of the game.

More Liberty

What is it?

For a place inspired by New York, Liberty City has an oddly small population. More Libertyfixes that by adding more cars and pedestrian at all times. It causes the city to come alive. You walk along the street and people are chatting, yelling, bumping into each other. You need to steal a car, and there are plenty to choose from. You throw a grenade, and there are plenty to explode.

The best part? The AI can't quite handle it. Pedestrians get run over far more often, and sometimes you'll round a corner to find three cars on the sidewalk, their drivers having crashed into a building. It doesn't break the immersion. It just makes the city more lively.

How do you install it?

1) Download the More Liberty mod. The instructions in the included readme.txt are confusing, referencing a file that doesn't exist, but the following steps will make it work just fine.

2) Copy all the files in the download to C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto IV\GTAIV\common\data\ . or, if you've got the game via Steam, to C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\grand theft auto iv\GTAIV\common\data\ .

3) Then, copy all the files in the download to C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto IV\GTAIV\pc\data\ . or, if you've got the game via Steam, to C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\grand theft auto iv\GTAIV\pc\data\ .

4) Run the game and you should have people all over.

First Person Mod

What is it?

Third-person cameras are fine, but it's a revelation to explore Grand Theft Auto IV in first-person. By making you look pedestrians in the eyes for the first time, and forcing you to crane your neck to see the tops of buildings, it makes the city feel huge and Niko feel very, very small.

It's consequently a more impressive place to explore and a significantly more immersive experience. When you get into a car, the camera slides seamlessly inside. Your urban shenanigans no longer flit between "walking mode" and "driving mode," but form a continuing, improvised adventure. It makes simply walking around a pleasure. It makes you feel connected to the weapons you're firing. It's caused me to fall in love with the game all over again.

It also causes some fun bugs when you go bowling.

How do you install it?

1) Download First Person mod v1.22. A lot of sites only have v1.1, but it won't work with the latest version of the game.

2) Extract all three files in your download to C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto IV\GTAIV\ or, if you've got the Steam version of the game, C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\grand theft auto iv\GTAIV\ .

3) When in the game on foot, double-tap the camera view button (default is V) to switch to first-person mode. When in a car, press V as normal to cycle through the camera views till you find it.

Thanks to Lack 26, whose comment about GTA IV modsdrew my attention to all of these.