Image: Rockstar Games
My name is Gibson Vasela. I am a freelance writer who has been playing video games for almost 20 years now. I play all kinds of games, but I especially love immersive sims and RPGs.
Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
Despite its age, GTA IV is still to this day one of the best games that Rockstar has ever created. It features an excellent and memorable story, a realistic and bustling open world, and an incredibly fun sandbox to mess around in. It’s no surprise then that GTA IV has a HUGE library of user-made mods.
But out of all the different mods that have been released for Grand Theft Auto IV over the years, which ones are the best? What are some “must-get” mods for a play-through in 2023? Here in this ranking, we’ll be going over our picks for the Top 14 Best GTA IV Mods, ranked from the good to the very best.
Top 14 Best GTA IV Mods, Ranked From Good to Best
So what are we waiting for? Let’s dive right into our ranking!
Sound Overhaul V1
Sound Overhaul V1 is an audio mod that completely changes how the game sounds. It improves things such as weapons, explosives, certain vehicles, and much more. The mod may seem simple, but it really does add a lot to the game and improve on how it feels to play. I highly recommend you check out this mod by user Troph1hunter and download it today if you want to take the game’s sound design to the next level.
Rivers of Blood v 4.3 HD
Here we have Rivers of Blood v 4.3 HD, a texture-improvement mod that focuses primarily on the blood splash effects. This will greatly improve the blood that you see on NPCs, as well as the blood that is splattered on the ground. With GTA IV being a shooter, it makes perfect sense why you’d want to download this mod.
It really improves the combat without changing anything about the weapons themselves. It’ll make your guns feel even more powerful than they already are. Additionally, this mod also improves ragdoll effects. While the ragdolls are already well done in GTA IV, there’s nothing wrong with improving them even further. You can find this mod made by filtsdester by clicking the link here!
DXVK (Stutter & Low Performance Fix for GTA IV/EFLC)
Next on this list of the Top 14 Best GTA IV Mods, we have a utility mod called DXVK. This is a mod that will DRASTICALLY improve your frame rate in GTA IV, reducing stuttering and overall improving the game’s performance. For some people, this mod might not be needed. But if you are someone who struggles with poor performance on GTA IV–or are just looking to improve your frame rate–this mod is a must-get.
You can download this mod–made by mod author DIRECREEP–by clicking the link here.
Robbery Mod V2
The Robbery Mod V2 by user wiebrendh allows you to perform armed robberies on many of the different stores in Liberty City! In a game all about being a criminal in a place like Liberty City, you’d think the game would have a bigger emphasis on letting you rob stores outside of missions, right? Technically you can do that in the vanilla game, but only in specific, unmarked stores.
But this mod changes that, allowing you to steal from many different businesses and locations in the game. This is a really great mod for getting your hands on some cold hard cash, especially early on when that kind of commodity isn’t as common in the early game. I definitely recommend this mod if you want to improve your immersion and you want another activity you can do in the open world.
Shark-O-Matic Gun
The Shark-o-Matic Gun is perhaps the most unique mod ever released for GTA IV, perhaps one of the most unique mods ever made! This is a mod that adds a gun which when fired, will cause a shark to manifest out of the ground and swallow up any poor soul standing above it. This mod–created by JulioNIB, the same person who brought us the jetpack mod also on this list–is both humorous and awesome to see unfold in-game.
If you are looking for a mod to really spice up the combat, then this one gets my full recommendation. It’s a really unique and fun-to-use weapon that not many other games have. I don’t recommend it if you don’t enjoy your immersion being broken and you want the game to stay realistic/believable. This mod was inspired by a weapon in the Saints Row series, after all.
GRIM’S Weapon Pack
GRIM’S Weapon Pack adds a total of 14 unique, brand-new weapons to the world of GTA IV! This mod is pretty simple and straightforward, but it adds a lot to the game. Vanilla GTA IV does have a decent selection of weapons, and the DLCs do add a few new ones that are fun to use. While all the weapons we have in the base game are fine, there’s nothing wrong with adding a little over a dozen more!
As for the weapons themselves, the models and textures could be better, but for the most part, it’s a solid mod that clearly had a lot of thought put into it. If you haven’t already, you can download the mod by following the link here.
Enhanced Snow Mod
This is a snow-mod that completely retextures Liberty, giving it a fresh blanket of snow. It also adds loads of high-quality particle effects in the form of snowflakes that will slowly fall onto the city. This mod is actually based on another mod called Mod Snow v2.0, which was made by the mod authors Jumbo0, Alisa Bellucci, gr8man, Flash, and Jantsu92. This particular version was updated and improved by the user Alexkander_.
This is a really simple, yet awesome mod that totally changes the look and feel of Liberty City. If you’ve been playing Grand Theft Auto IV for a long time, then chances are you are already very familiar with the map. This mod is a great way to shake things up and make the same locations feel refreshing to re-experience.
Liberty City Customs (Autobody Shop Mod)
The Liberty City Customs (Autobody Shop Mod) by user XxproxXgammer is a really fantastic mod that allows users to customize their cars in the game for the right price. Car customization is something that was strangely absent from GTA IV, despite the fact it was a prominent feature in GTA: San Andreas. This mod re-adds that missing feature, allowing players to spend some money to customize and upgrade their favorite vehicles.
Using the mod shop, you’ll be able to do simple things like change the color of your car or get more advanced upgrades that will improve the stats of your vehicle. This mod is great because it makes GTA IV feel more immersive. It also makes Liberty City feel just a little more alive, adding a meaningful location for you to visit. One problem I had with GTA IV was that it felt like there wasn’t much to spend your money on, especially late-game. This mod negates the problem a little bit.
First Person
This First Person Mod by user Razor Vermillion/C06alt allows you to see the world through Niko’s own eyes in a first-person perspective. The game looks and plays completely differently when you are no longer viewing it through third-person! It gives you an entirely new way to play the game that for many will be enough to justify a new play through.
This mod doesn’t half-ass it when it comes to how it’s implemented. Not only can you fire your guns from first-person mode, but you can also drive cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles as well! Do keep in mind that since the game was never designed for first-person, some of the textures on the models for weapons and vehicles can look a little… Blurry. Regardless, this is still a great mod that really kicks up the immersion in this game to the next level.
Jetpack Mod
A Grand Theft Auto mod list can be completed without a jetpack mod! This fantastic mod by users JulioNIB, Krlos_Rokr, and Bob Lester allows you to head to Liberty City’s airport to pick up your very own flying jetpack. This is a really great way to explore the city without fear of crashing your aircraft. The jetpack is a lot more agile and maneuverable than your standard helicopter. That makes it incredibly fun and easy to do.
It’s especially exciting to tear up the town while flying in the air! You can fire your weapons while you are using it. Imagine getting a wanted level and flying around the city with this thing while you are being hunted down by the police. Speaking of which, the mod goes the extra mile to add other features for more fun. NOOSE agents wearing jetpacks will come after you once your wanted level is high enough! But don’t worry, the mod lets you spawn in friendly NPCs in jetpacks to protect you.
Zombie Apocalypse
Up next is the Zombie Apocalypse mod! This is one of the oldest, most iconic mods in GTA IV’s history. Despite its age, it still manages to be one of the best GTA IV mods, able to stand up to some of the more recent releases. With this mod, Liberty City is turned into a post-apocalyptic nightmare! Regular civilians have been turned into vicious zombies, and now you must fight through the massive hordes to survive.
This mod is really fantastic if you love the combat in this game and are looking for something to challenge you. It’s really cool to drive across the map trying to keep the hordes at bay so you can make it out in one piece. I definitely recommend you give this mod a try when you can, it’s a piece of GTA modding history and it’s still worth playing to this very day.
4K2K Allagga Graphics Mod 1.0
Some of the best mods out there aren’t the ones that add new features or completely overhaul the game’s mechanics… But are instead the mods that just make the game look prettier. This mod by user Allaga does exactly that. It drastically improves the resolution of many of the textures that you find in the game. It’ll make a game from 2008 look much more recent and much more high-quality.
This mod will improve the textures of nearly everything in the game: the ground you walk on, the buildings that you see, the models of all the characters, and much more. Regardless of how you like to play the game, this is definitely a must-get mod that everyone should add to their mod list.
iCEnhancer 3.0 Natural
Another visual enhancement mod, iCEnhancer 3.0 Natural by DayL is a pretty recently released mod that completely overhauls the look and feel of the game. It vastly improves the game’s lighting, as well as the blood textures and water shaders. It really makes the game look so much better. While I personally still like GTA IV’s base look, this is a great mod for the people who dislike it and want something better.
The iCEnhancer mod works really well with the 4K2K Allagga Graphics Mod 1.0 that I mentioned earlier. While this mod does improve textures, its main benefit is the lighting improvements. Being able to have better lighting and higher-resolution textures will really help the game feel like a modern title. This mod also works well with the Enhanced Snow Mod mentioned earlier.
Farnsworth’s Business Mod Complete v2
Farnsworth’s Business Mod Complete v2 is probably my FAVORITE mod for Grand Theft Auto IV. With this installed, you will be able to purchase a HUGE number of different businesses around the city! These businesses can then be managed and interacted with to improve your profits. You can manage your employees, for example, to ensure all of your operations are running nice and smoothly.
There are also various different odd jobs that you can pick up. It’s similar to what you could do in GTA: San Andreas. This mod adds a LOT of content to the game. It also fixes the biggest problem I have with GTA IV: the lack of things to spend your money on. I recommend you get this mod installed after you finish the main story. You’ll have lots of money by that point, allowing you to get many different businesses. And you’ll have something to do with your time after you’ve finished the campaign.
Join the High Ground
We hope that you enjoyed reading this article covering the Top 14 BEST GTA IV mods! What do you think of our list? Have you played any of these mods before? Feel free to leave a comment down below! And make sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more regular GTA content.
Happy gaming!
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