14 DAY TRIAL // PC gamers have been waiting to see GTA IV arrive on their systems ever since the game was released for the Xbox 360 and for the PlayStation 3 way back at the beginning of the year. But PC gaming can be a messy affair, with complex setups and worries related to whether a game will or will not run on a particular computer. Now, it will be easier to see whether your machine will run GTA IV or not as the system requirements for the game have been revealed.
Shacknews seems to have obtained the specifications just before they were to be posted on the Games for Windows website. You must have a dual core processor and at least 2 GB of RAM to handle the load of the game. You will also need a Direct3D 10 compatible video card or a Direct 9 compatible one with Shader support that has at least 512 MB of video memory. A full 18 GB of hard drive space will be required to install the game and you will, of course, need a dual layer DVD-ROM to load the game disk. In other words, I have to upgrade my home system to be able to play this.
Considering how the game looks on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, it's no wonder that some pretty powerful hardware is required to make the game work. The people at Rockstar are promising to deliver even better graphical quality for the PC version, with the texture set rumored to be completely redone. There's also talk of an enhanced multiplayer component, although cross platform play will probably not be allowed, and the developers say they will offer a control scheme better adapted to the mouse and keyboard setup that PC gamers prefer.
Grand Theft Auto IV will be launched for the PC on November 18. Take Two is also planning an advertisement campaign designed to push the profile of the game ahead of the winter shopping season.