Clothing in GTA IV

The ability to choose and wear clothing in Grand Theft Auto IV is a feature similar to that of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, albeit much less complex.

Access to various outfits is absent in The Lost and Damned, but is reintroduced in The Ballad of Gay Tony, where a simpler wardrobe system more akin to those found in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is used.

Basic outfits
In GTA IV, there are three different clothing chains, with a total of four stores, in Liberty City. However, the shopping experience of clothing in GTA IV has changed from GTA San Andreas - rather than outfits loading from the changing rooms, the player approaches clothes racks or shelves to try on the various articles of clothing. Already-purchased clothes can be re-purchased for immediacy's sake (i.e. the player will not have to go back to a safehouse to don the item).

With the exception of the medical scrubs (see below), clothing has no influence on gameplay with the exception of comments from girlfriends; unlike in previous GTA games, changing clothes does not lower the player's Wanted Level.

Female clothing and accessories cannot be purchased the story mode. However, limited female clothing and accessories is available in multiplayer mode. Players can still find some non-interactive retailers showcasing female clothing and/or accessories on their window displays.

The range of clothing offered can be categorized as follows: In addition, unlike GTA San Andreas, players do not have the option of removing their top, bottom or shoes.
 * Hats;
 * Glasses/Sunglasses;
 * Tops;
 * Bottoms (pants); and
 * Shoes.

The three clothing retailers in GTA IV include:
 * Russian Shop: opened after the mission Three's a Crowd. Located in Hove Beach, the Russian shop sells cheap "street" clothing, in styles popular in post-Soviet countries. This is also the only shop where hats, glasses and sunglasses can be purchased.
 * Modo: opened when Algonquin is unlocked. There is one location for this store, in East Holland. Modo sells casual and sporting clothes.
 * Perseus: opened when Algonquin is unlocked. There are two outlets, in Middle Park East and The Exchange. Perseus sells suits and exclusive clothing.

If the player happens to be hit by a vehicle or dies with headwear (hats, glasses, ski masks) on them, the headwear will most likely fall off their head or vanish. The player will have to go back to a safehouse in order to reapply them.

Additional outfits
Several additional clothing sets or parts are awarded to the player after completing specific missions or specific actions; these stay in the player's wardrobe after their respective missions are completed. They include:

Fingerless gloves in GTA IV were prominently featured in official pre-release screenshots and videos but they are not acquirable in the game. The gloves were merely shown as teaser; even the screenshots for the PC version show Niko wearing the gloves. The model and texture of the gloves exist in the game, and can be worn only by spawning them using a trainer or modification.

Helmets may also be donned by the player character when they ride a motorbike; this is possible when the player does not immediately control the motorbike after getting up. After getting off a bike, the player character will automatically discard the helmet after around five seconds, unless the player character gets on a bike again soon enough.

The Lost and Damned
In The Lost and Damned, Johnny Klebitz's only outfit consists of a black Lost MC leather jacket, a black button down dress shirt, grey jeans, and black biker boots. The player has no ability to change the outfits. Johnny does not wear helmets when riding motorcycles, due to his biker lifestyle.

The Ballad of Gay Tony
In The Ballad of Gay Tony, Luis is able to change his clothes but cannot purchase additional clothing. Instead, six pre-set outfits are already in the wardrobe in the beginning of the game. They include:

Trivia

 * In GTA IV and TLAD, Luis is shown to wear black sneakers, but in TBOGT, they were changed to the white tennis shoes also available in GTA IV.
 * Originally Johnny could presumably wear two outfits – one that he wears in GTA IV and one that he wears in TLAD and TBoGT.