Graphic Problems in "Grand Theft Auto IV" on XP

You might experience poor performance using the highest quality settings.

Most graphic problems you encounter while playing "Grand Theft Auto IV" on Windows XP can be attributed to your video card. The video card is responsible for rendering the images on the screen; and the more powerful it is, the less likely you are to have problems. The game also requires a minimum 1.8GHz, dual-core processor, which is especially important if you have the graphics set to the highest level.

Poor Performance

Poor graphic performance in Windows XP while running the game can be caused by a lack of updates. If your game meets all of the requirements listed at support.rockstargames.com, then you should upgrade to Service Pack 3. Rockstar recommends Service Pack 3, Directx 9 or higher, 2GB of memory and a 2.4GHz Quad core processor. If the service pack does not fix your performance issues, check your system specs against the recommended requirements rather than the minimum. The minimum requirements are only intended to get the game up and running, with the understanding that performance will be an issue.

Bad Quality

If you've turned up the graphics quality in the game and are still experiencing poor quality, it's possible the game is restricting your graphics options. This is due to the game believing your system does not meet the required specifications. It results from having a video card with over 2GB of memory, but there is a workaround. Make a text file called "commandline.txt" and enter "-availablevidmem 2.0." Save it in the following folder: "C:Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto IV," or whichever folder you installed the game in. Increase the value by one and try again until the problem is corrected.

Missing Textures

Missing textures is often caused by old video card drivers. If the drivers are updated and you still experience graphical glitches, uninstall performance tuners, like RivaTuner, and reset the driver values to default. If you'd like to keep the tuner, launch it and go to "Main>Driver Settings." Click the "Build" icon, and select "Reset All Driver Settings to their Default Values." Low video memory also causes missing textures, but this is corrected only by upgrading the card.

Drunken Camera

"Grand Theft Auto IV" uses SecuROM to help guard against unauthorized copies of the game. In addition, Rockstar implemented a few comical graphical problems to deter pirates. The infamous "Drunken Camera" strikes while the main character is walking. The screen slowly jiggles around as if he were drunk; and if he enters a car, it drives on its own without interaction from the player. The constant distraction makes it impossible to drive and complete the game. Purchase a legitimate copy of the game to make this issue disappear.

References

• Rockstar Support: PC System Requirements for GTA IV
• MK One: GTA IV Troubleshooting Guide to Fix Most Problems
• Rockstar Support; Issues with GTA IV Showing Video Cards with Over 2GB as Under Spec; May 2011
• Rockstar Support; Issues with Textures Not Loading In; May 2011
• Rockstar Support; GTA IV Copy Protection Q&A/ March 2011

Resources

• Nvidia: Nvidia Driver Downloads
• AMD: Graphics Drivers and Software
• Intel: Intel Driver Update Utility
• Rockstar Support; Corrupt Graphics on Systems with ATI Graphics Cards; March 2011
• Rockstar Games; Links Related to GTA IV PC Performance; March 2011