Forum:GTA IV Tips

Here are some general tips, hints and tricks to help you on your adventure through Liberty City in GTA IV.

General
As a note, you will get wanted level for pointing your gun at members of law enforcement.
 * To jack a car without too much conflict in GTA4, bring up your gun, point it at the driver of the car you want from the side of the road, the driver will then get scared and let you have the car. Doing this right in front of a police, or a police car will not attract any attention (Likely design flaw). Most of the time the driver will step out, running away.


 * To move up/down stairs more quickly, jump up/down them. You go much faster. Just be careful not to jump in the direction of the stair's edge, as you might vault over the side and fall.


 * As soon as you receive a gun, try to master headshots. First auto aim, then move the right anolog stick up a little bit; Niko will aim for the upper body/head instead of the stomach. Headshots are instant kills, so you'll save ammo (money) and kill enemies faster (keeping you alive) by learning to adjust your aim and go for headshots. Especially after you use receive the Assault Rifle and Carbine Rifle; holding the trigger for even a second will cause a spray of bullets that will guarantee a kill if aimed at the head.


 * Shoot the legs! If you can't bring down an enemy by shooting them in the head, shoot 'em in the knees. They'll crumple to the ground and you can get more shots in on them. This is also a great tactic for fleeing enemies.


 * Be careful. The pedestrians in GTA IV are a lot more dangerous and unpredictable than previous games, and many of them are armed. If you bother them, accidentally bump them, aim a gun at them, start shooting, or cause them distress in anyway, some might run, some might call the police, or some might even start a fight with you. If you pull a weapon, those packing heat will start shooting you without a care.


 * The police in this game are much smarter, better shots and more effective than in previous games. Expect to be swarmed even on 3 star wanted levels. Avoiding cop attention is a must, or they will put an end to your day quickly and painfully.


 * Use the "Sleep Mode" on your phone. If you just want to cruise around Liberty City without being nagged by mission-givers, go the Options in your phone and choose to turn Sleep Mode ON. This will halt the story's progress so you can call up your friends to hang out with them or just do whatever.


 * Un-bloodify your clothes. Did you just get your new suit all bloody and you have an interview in 30 minutes? Go to a safehouse and either sleep (Bear in mind this does cause game time to increase by six hours) or change your clothes & back again. Good as new. However, by saving (and therefore sleeping), time advances 6 hours. Another way to clean your clothes is just to replenish your health: get a soda or some food, call an ambulance, or be creative! Replenishing your health does the trick.


 * How to deal with blind firing enemies. If an enemy is blind firing like his life depended on it, aim for his arm/hand, as it is exposed when blind firing. If you hit it, he'll likely stumble out into the open, where you can hopefully kill him.


 * Need good weapons at the beginning of the game? Go to any weapons shop and kill the guy inside. Make sure he takes out his weapon first, then take it once he's dead. After about 20 seconds, his friends will show up for vengeance. Kill them too to get good weapons early in the game, but watch out! You'll get 1 or 2 stars for the murders and escaping the small shop and narrow alley with cops can be tricky.


 * Take your cousin Roman out once or twice early on in the game to get his friendship level up. Burger Shot and the strip club are good places. After you get his friendship level high enough, you'll be able to call him for a free taxi ride anywhere. This is good for a ride to a mission when you can't hail a taxi. And listening to the driver Mohammad is a laugh.


 * You can park more than one car in your safehouse parking spot by making sure that at least one tire of vehicle is within the yellow box. Technically, you can save as many cars as you can fit into the box, but 360 users might face the infamous car eating glitch.


 * Buy armor! If you know a firefight is coming up, buy yourself some armor. If the mission's begun, don't worry. The second destination listed in the taxis besides the "objective" is the weapons store.


 * Keep the meter running, cabbie! If you just need to buy some ammo or food real quickly, when the cabbie drops you off, wait a second or two and whistle for the cab again. Then run and buy your stuff. Come back out and he'll be waiting for you right where he left you, if not, then he's around the corner.


 * Many of the Assassin's missions can be simplified if you can get hold of a helicopter. Just land on a high position overlooking the target and take them out using the rifle.


 * Look around. Many players think that the car they were in is gone if the player enters a cutscene. But, usually, the car is parked somewhere near by. Look around the corner or down the street and you'll usually find.


 * Also, if you leave a crime-scene in a helicopter, it is incredibly easier to lose any wanted level. They also work very nicely for any kind of chase-mission, as they are much faster than cars and you can keep better track of your target. Just be careful not to fly too high, as that counts into the maximum allowed distance to your target. That can make following targets in Algonquin a little tricky.


 * If you are ever in need of a Police Car, Firetruck, or Ambulance, but are careful to take one in the middle of town, just call 911 and request one. You can do this somewhere in a dark side-alley, making it much easier to grab the car without too much attention. This can even save you a long trip, as getting into an Ambulance gives you a good amount of health back.


 * Another great spot to steal a Police Car is always the local Police Station. The one in Algonquin, which also features Francis McReary's missions, has a Squad Car parked behind it. No one will see you take it. Or just call the cops and jack it from them they are to slow and probably wont get you even if you take it from under their noses.


 * Looking for a helicopter with a little more style? The Police Station in Northern Holland features one of the Annihilators. Good luck stealing it though, the Cops there are armed to the teeth. A one star wanted level is all you will get though.


 * Use public transportation. Taking a taxi is cheap and fast, you can even take friends with you.


 * We've all been there. You look around, think that everything is clear and as you smash the window of a car the alarm comes on and a Squad Car turns around the corner. No worries. As long as they see you neither sitting in the car nor smashing the window, the alarm doesn't seem to bother them. Just interrupt your action, wait until the Police is gone and then get into the car.


 * If you're ever caught in a chase from the police, try to avoid driving too fast and instead constantly make turns around corners (watch out for cars that you may crash into). Also, keep track of where the cops are on your minimap.


 * Brake when you turn! Because of the new physics system, vehicles handle more realistically. As a result, don't just hammer on the accelerator. You need to find the right balance between using the handbrake and the normal brake when you take your turns. This becomes an invaluable skill (both online and off) to have when chasing someone or evading an enemy.


 * Never attempt to shoot at a car that's traveling behind you. You will end up crashing and quickly owned by police/team 2. The best idea is to either let a passenger do the shooting or brake and wait for them to fly ahead of your car and shoot forward.


 * super-easy way to get and keep 6 stars - before the other islands are open, drive your car on the metro tracks. If you drive across the river, you'll instantly get 6 wanted stars, but since the metro is underground on the other island, there are no police.  When you've stayed underground for a long time, drive back to the other side, drop down to street level near your safehouse and save the game.


 * Whenever you deliver vehicles for Stevie for extra cash you can get more money for the vehicle than the initial base value. This could be a glitch but if you damage the vehicle just a little you get more money. If the car is totaled you will receive less money. Damages like broken headlights, small dents, etc. It usually goes up a few hundred dollars. If you damage it just right the price could go up another thousand. Taking a busted up car to Pay'n'Spray will increase the value.


 * When traveling back and forth between islands, use a cop vehicle to avoid paying the tolls and attracting unwanted attention.


 * Cars and pedestrians respond to your horn, so if you're in a hurry and there are police around, use it.


 * Befriend Little Jacob quickly and buy armor and ammunition from him before any major conflict; this will make combat much easier. Be warned, he doesn't sell the RPG, Sniper Rifle, Desert Eagle or Pump Shotgun. So if that's what you need, a Gun Shop is the best bet.


 * Want that nice vehicle you saved at one of your parking spaces but don't want to lose it? GTA IV seems to save memory by spawning a lot of the same type of car you are currently driving. Simply get in your car and drive around the block a couple of times. You should suddenly spot one parked up somewhere. Park yours back in the parking space and go and steal the other one.


 * If a taxi won't stop for you, chances are that there's already a passenger inside. Simply walk up and 'hold' the button to get into the taxi as a passenger. Hey presto, you'll drag the passenger out of the cab and the taxi driver will now be happy to take you.


 * Find a barrel that can explode. To easily make it explode, shoot the top of it.


 * To easily gain ammo, get a wanted level. The higher your wanted level the better selection of weapons. Try not to lose too much health and/or armor. When you have your wanted level where you want it, go to any one of your safehouses. Kill some cops and N.O.O.S.E. officers in front of your safehouse. Kill as many as you can before losing all your health. Once your ready, go inside your safehouse and save your game. Be sure not to die. After you save your game, your wanted level will be gone and your health will be fully restored. Walk outside and collect all the weapons and ammo lying on the ground from all the officers you killed. If you died, the weapons probably won't be there.
 * Killing police officers will give you pistol and shotgun ammo.
 * Killing F.I.B. agents will give you carbine rifle ammo and/or SMG ammo.
 * Killing N.O.O.S.E. officers will give you carbine rifle ammo, shotgun ammo, and/or SMG ammo.


 * Another easy way to get ammo is from the officers in Police Mavericks and Annihilators shooting down at you. It's a little more difficult and you probably won't get tons of ammo. The easiest way to do this is by using one of the sniper rifles. Zoom in on the gun of the officer shooting down at you and fire. If you aimed correctly, the gun will fly out of the officer's hand. If your able to get to the gun you can collect the ammo. Be sure to do this before destroying the helicopter. If the helicopter is destroyed, you won't find any guns.
 * Need an extra parking space? Even if you can't use your first Safehouse to save you can still use the parking space outside.


 * Do everything in your power to prevent yourself from getting busted, even if that means getting wasted. If the cops bust you, you lose all your weapons and ammo, whereas if they waste you, you get to keep all your weapons.


 * If you think a car may have an alarm, try tapping it with your current car. This will trigger the alarm, wait for it to stop, then steal as normal, the alarm won't go off.


 * If you need to get somewhere fast like a date or hang out with someone call using your phone 227-555-0100 and you will get a FIB Buffalo. Turn on the siren and all the cars will get out of your way and you will pay no tolls.


 * Take a cab a lot but bring a gun, when you get out, go to the front, shoot the cab driver once, if he runs out keep shooting and you'll get a refund, if he drives away, keep shooting.


 * For an easy way to make as much as $3,000 a trip find and hijack a "Securicar" (its a large green box shaped van with Gruppe 6 written on the side. Jack any van, drive around and it should appear eventually) and make sure you have enough shotgun shells to make it easy, take the "Securicar" to the beach or an empty parking lot and proceed to shoot the front grill of the truck, once its on fire stand back. When the truck does blow up money will be everywhere, simply pick it up. NOTE: you may get cops on your case and up to two stars by blowing this up. Another way is to take the truck to a location between two hard objects (e.g. walls). By ramming the truck continuously into the walls, you will cause it to catch fire and blow up without getting the wanted level/cops on your case. If the truck stalls before catching fire, call someone and hang up, it should start again. The securicar is usually found in industrial areas such as Alderney industrial estate, Tudor,the industrial section of Bohan & BOABO.


 * If your in a firefight, and your target is hiding and shooting at you behind a large concrete support beam, you can now blast through it with a heavy weapon and kill your target.


 * If you are critically wounded and need health without risking a fatal gunshot in a stolen ambulance, paying the paramedics almost $1,000 or filling your gut with questionable food items from the street vendors, you can get an easy heal and gain the moral high ground by giving money to any one of the tramps or saxophone players that you see in Liberty City. It's $10 out of pocket which may sound a bit steep, but Niko will feel so good about himself that he will gain at least 90% health from this simple act of kindness.  You can find sax players in the subway, in the park, or any public place where people conglomerate.  On occasion, a sax player may accost you, calling Niko such names as "philistine" or "square."  Tramps may be found more often at night, in the subway or in the seedy spots of town.  When you approach a tramp who wants change, they will acknowledge your presence with a greeting like "Look who it is" or "'Sup family."  Occasionally, tramps will have some amusing commentary amongst themselves.  And if you are feeling frugal, after you throw your money to a tramp, you can regain your money if you move for it quick enough.  The tramp will continue as if they picked up the money and didn't notice you take it back.


 * Ever want to just stop and also turn off your engine? Well there is a trick to do that! Just stop and press and hold the Y button (Xbox 360) or triangle button (PS3) and the lights (if they are switched on) plus the engine will turn off!


 * While riding the Subway you're forced into a cinematic camera view but If you pull out your phone and enter camera mode you'll be able to have a first person view.


 * Cornered on top of a really tall building by cops or just wanna satisfy that crazy urge to jump and you don't want to die? Light yourself on fire! Use a Molotov Cocktail to light yourself abaze, then jump while withering in the fire. For some reason you won't die when you hit the ground, you'll only lose a little bit of health from the fire and the fall. Note this will only work some of the time.


 * To sober up rather easily, simply drive to a restaurant and eat up. You'll be sober in seconds; this works great if you go to Comrades and The 69th Street Diner as it is annoying trying to drive whilst intoxicated, as you can gain a wanted level.


 * Pick your friends up in a helicopter or a motorcycle to make them say something different.


 * To make most cars catch fire almost instantly, shoot the rear wheel wells (where fire appears right before it explodes).

by just simply going into the underground subway tunnels (unlock algonquin first).
 * In really big trouble? No matter how high your wanted level is, you can easily lose the cops

Combat and Shooting Tips

 * When shooting with an automatic weapon, improve your chances with the auto-aim by firing rapid single shots rather than bursts, and aim just above to hit the chest/head area.


 * One way to combat a car speeding towards you is to aim for the driver's side and keep shooting. As the car comes towards, roll out of the way (Free aim then X/Square), and keep shooting. Auto Aim should help with this.


 * When you need to shoot behind you in a car whilst driving, click the right stick in and press Lb. You can release the right stick, the camera is 'stickied' behind you, whilst also allowing you to aim and shoot.


 * If you're in a firefight with some punk who's hugging a dumpster for cover, trying aiming for the feet.


 * Crouch down for more accuracy. This may seem like a little thing, but when you aiming for someone far away, this boost in accuracy can really help.

Racing Tips

 * As the clock counts down in a multiplayer race, hold the handbrake and the accelerator. As it says 'GO', release the handbrake. You'll get a jumpstart.


 * In races, be wary of n00bs who like to play pinball on the first lap. Keep your distance or get out in front, and try to avoid collisions.


 * Can't seem to ever get your turns right while racing? Here are some tips...Don't brake or accelerate in the middle of a turn, especially if you intend not to drift or power-slide; simply brake or accelerate before the turn, then take the turn and let the car do its work. If you seem to be taking the turn too slowly then add some throttle but beware of understeer, if you're taking it too quickly try the handbrake and slide the car into bounds. But if you intend to power-slide or drift through a turn in the first place, point the car towards where you intend the nose of the car to slide around (apex). Then turn and just right after that apply a touch of the handbrake; at this point the car should start sliding. Now counter-steer or turn into the slide and as the car goes around the turn it should self-correct and you'll be driving straight again. Some cars might easily spinout in these drifting turns or you might go too slow in them, in which case some throttle might be necessary while sliding to hold the drift without spinning out. Each car handles differently in GTA IV and different amounts of braking, handbrake, throttle, etc. will be needed. The instructions above generally apply to rear wheel drive vehicles, which most are in the game. The few front wheel drive vehicles will take nice tight turns better, but not drift as well, and throttle in the middle of a drift will be useless in holding it. The all wheel drive vehicles in the game will generally handle similarly to rear wheel drive vehicles, due to there torque bias to the rear wheels.


 * A bootleg turn or driving forwards and spinning 180 degress, and facing the other direction is good technique to know if you miss a turn or end up going the wrong way during a race. To initiate a bootleg turn, quickly turn and immediately after apply the handbrake. Then as your car slides counter-steer or turn into the slide (Note: it takes some practice to get this bit right) and as the car begins to face the other direction, let off the handbrake and straighten your steering out. Then apply the throttle and drive off in the other direction! You can also try to quickly steer the wrong way then immediately start your bootleg turn, this is known as a Scandinavian flick. The slower you are driving the more likely it will work, at higher speeds the car will probably continually spin and you might end up facing the direction you were driving in the first place. Note that every car in GTA IV handles differently and different amounts of handbrake and turning ferocity will be required.


 * In races, use the radar to anticipate up coming corners, and enemy cars, especially the n00bs that like to do the race backwards and total the decent players.


 * In most races, some idiots will like to give their karaoke best over the chat to try and put everyone else off. Mute them!

Trophies/Achievements
Rolled Over
 * Screw trying to get 5 rolls from a single crash. The easiest way to get this is to take a car (preferably a Police Cruiser or Taxi cab) to the airport. Take it out on the runway and hold down the accelerator. Aim for the yellow markers in the grass median. Line up the car so that the left or right half of wheels will hit the edge of the yellow marker. When you do this the car will flip at least two to three times. Hold the accelerator down the entire time and keep jumping off the markers until you get the achievement. You MUST keep the accelerator pressed the entire time. Since doesn't counts the 5 rolls by crashes, but by rolls done by the same car in a short period of time, you can just keep trying over and over until the Achievement/Trophy pops up. UPDATE: If you don't know the swing glitch here goes reach firefly projects south-west of map the find a corner near the freeway it has a park and two swing sets take a patriot (hummer h3) to the swing set on the left and you should get thrown into the air keep trying at this and you should get the achievement within five minuted glad i could help :)

One Man Army
 * Load up on Armor, Combat Shotgun ammo, Molotov's and Carbine ammo. Head to the 'Cluckin Bell' food outlet in Star Junction. There is a pillar guarding the only entrance, hug to it and start murdering the fat customers. Wait for police and blow them away. Keep this up for 10 minutes and you'll have 6 stars in no time. Another method is to enter a new city when you're not supposed to and just hide for 10 minutes. Some people have also used a hospital. You will find many people to kill and get your wanted level up, and a health pack when you are almost dead. You can also visit littlelacysurprisepageant.com to get five stars, and use a cheat to gain a sixth star (this shouldn't prevent any achievements).


 * Another way is to go to your safehouse in eastern Algonquin, the one with the laptop. Go to littlelacysurprisepageant.com inside the apartment and then head down to the lobby. Wait in the lobby, killing police officers as they come in. As soon as you kill enough to get bumped up to six stars, immediately head back for the elevator to your apartment. You'll have six stars, but the police won't be able to follow you. Set down the controller, go make yourself a sandwich, and come back to a new achievement. When you're done, just save your game, and you'll be back to full health with no police to worry about.


 * Another easy way to do it is to get a helicopter and then get 6 stars. Fly as high as you can but be sure to stay in the police search area, and just sit there for five minutes, and you're done.

Chain Reaction
 * Get a large vehicle like a Bus and go to the large, main bridge. Park the bus sideways so it is blocking all vehicles and when you see 10 vehicles, simply fire a rocket launcher at one of them and wait for the achievement/trophy to pop up. Damaging the vehicles prior to this (using less powerful weapons) and using grenades as well may help.

Pool Shark
 * To get this Achievement/Trophy, all you have to do is beat someone at a game of pool (8 ball). Since all you have to do is beat someone on in a full game, try playing Michelle. She's really bad and it might take the unexperienced player a while to adjust to the pool controls. (Packie and Little Jacob are real good)

One Hundred and Eighty
 * Play a game of darts with anyone. Then, aim for the little red box in the middle of the 20 point slice (which is at the top). Hit it three times in a row. You can't miss one, or you won't get the full 180 points. Hit it 3 times then wait for the Achievement/Trophy to pop up.

Gobble Gobble
 * Go bowling with anyone and bowl in the most left lane. When it's your turn to bowl, Start by taking 2 full steps to the LEFT and lock that position in. Pull back for a second then roll the ball with no aftertouch. Since Niko is right-handed, the ball should roll straight for a strike. Make 3 strikes in a row for the Achievement/Trophy.

Finish Him
 * To get this Achievement/Trophy, you need to do 10 counters in a fistfight in 4 minutes. To counter, dodge with X/A, then press Square/triange/X/Y to do a countermove aganist your opponent (you'll see Niko do some snazzy Kung Fu move). The best place to get this Achievement/Trophy is at the helitour place in Algonquin. Go to the line at the building in front of the place and fight people through the line median thing (those sticks with the ropes connecting them that they have at real life airports) with Niko on one side and the person you're fighting on the other. These median things will force your opponent to make really wide swings, easy to dodge and counter. Since it will take at most 2 counters to knock out a opponent, you need about 5-7 guys to get the Achievement/Trophy. But the people will keep respawning because of the line and there's a hot dog stand out in front if you need health. Expect to get hit a few times, get a hotdog if you need it, and remember, girls will fight you too.

Wheelie Rider
 * Get a motorcycle capable of doing wheelies and go to the runway at the airport. The airport run is a nice, big, long, straight road to try this Achievement/Trophy on. You'll get a 4 star wanted level, but since you be driving fast around the airport, the cops will barely catch up to you. Start at one end, and pull back slightly to start a wheelie, and try to hold it. Hold it for a good 15 seconds to get the Achievement/Trophy.

It'll Cost Ya
 * This Achievement/Trophy is earned by using a taxi to get from one island to another without skipping the trip, meaning you have to watch the whole trip. Hail a taxi at one end of a bridge that connects 2 islands and set a waypoint at the other end. Male sure you start off the bridge and end off the bridge. Get in the cab, and make sure you get the guy to speed up to make the trip faster. When you arrive, get out and watch the Achievement/Trophy come up.