To date, only four parts of the game "GTA" have been released on the PC, although on consoles almost the whole year you can play the fifth. Gamers who play exclusively on a personal computer are looking forward to the release of the fifth part, but they do not have to be bored. After all, "GTA 4" for the first time in the history of the series was provided with a full-fledged multiplayer, which is able to captivate for a long time. However, this is not without problems, so before you start the game on the Internet, you should understand how to play "GTA 4" on the network. Otherwise, you may have some difficulties that can lead to disappointment, but the network mode of this game is really great.
License or pirate?
As always, the gamer faces a serious choice problem - to purchase a licensed version or download a pirated analogue for free? This is largely an ethical choice, although when it comes to multiplayer, the situation changes a bit. Indeed, from a decent player who pays money for purchased games, you will never hear questions about how to play GTA 4 on the network. The same applies to other computer games, because if they are officially bought for money, then there are practically no problems with multiplayer. But those who download games from torrents always have difficulties, since the pirated version of the game alone cannot support multiplayer. However, in the case of this version of the game, the question "How to play in GTA 4 on the network?" sometimes it arises even for those who bought a licensed version.
Internet problems
This is not to say that these problems can cause any difficulties - you don’t even have to take any serious actions or download additional programs. The thing is that "GTA 4" in network mode does not support the "router" connection, which in most cases is by default on modems. If you want to resolve the issue of how to play GTA 4 on a network, you need to turn to the network connection settings and change the value of the router to bridge. And then, if you have a licensed version of the game, there should be no more problems with multiplayer. You can safely enjoy the GTA 4 network mode, it’s a pleasure to play this masterpiece over the network.
Finding the right server
To start the game in network mode, you must first find the server that will suit you. But for this you first need to register in a special server of the manufacturer of the game Games for Windows. There you will need to fill out quite a lot of information about yourself, but it really will not take a very long time. Moreover, if you have previously played other network projects from the developer, then you may already have a registered account, and you only need to remember your username and password in order to log into it. After that, you can choose among a large number of official servers, each of which has its own conditions and rules of the game. Of course, they are based on one basis, but can differ in details, which makes them unique and, accordingly, in demand. But what should the owners of the pirated version do, because if you want to play GTA 4 online, the pirate will not allow you to. Do not despair, because there is a way out of this situation.
Connecting a pirate to the network
Do not think that you will have to easily when trying to play "GTA 4" on the network, if you own only a pirated version. You avoided paying for the game, so get ready to pay in other ways. If you plan to play GTA 4 online, then you will have to download more than one file. First of all, look for the latest update that updates the game to the new version. Next, you will need a fix that will bypass the product protection system, allowing you to play the pirated version without consequences. After that, you should download a special program through which you will play on the network. Remember that Games for Windows will be available only to those who paid for the license - the owners of the pirated version will not be able to enjoy all the delights of a network game on official servers. But access to unofficial servers is not a big price for avoiding financial costs. So, you need to run the game through a special file specified in the instructions, or through a regular EXE file, if nothing else is specified in the instructions - and you get access to the multiplayer.
Problems with Windows 7 and above
Do not forget that "GTA 4" was released quite a while ago, so this game may have compatibility problems. It is not designed for new operating systems, so the latest OS on which GTA 4 will run without problems is Windows XP. This does not mean that the game will not start on new OSs - it is likely that there will be no problems in principle. But if they did appear, then you should try to run the game in compatibility mode. It is best to choose the XP SP3 system, as this is the latest version of the OS that this game is designed for. In this mode, "GTA 4" should be launched in both single and multi-user mode.