Multiplayer Details

Grand Theft Auto IV - Multiplayer Details

To start a multiplayer match, select the “Multiplayer” option from the cell phone menu while in the single player game. There are several options available from the get-go:

Player Match: Brings you to the Player Match menu, in which you can select “Quick Match” or “Custom Match.” Quick Match will send you to a lobby in the game type of your choosing, while Custom Match allows you to host a match yourself, giving you free reign over the pre-game options.

Ranked Match: Unlike Player Match, you are not able to decide whether you would like to host the current game or not. After selecting Ranked Match, you are simply presented with a  list of game types; pick one and you will be sent to a lobby of that type, where you may or may not be host depending on the amount of players already there.

Party Mode: This is fairly similar to the Free Mode game type, though with no customization. Players always spawn at the old casino at the north end of Alderney, where a variety of respawning weapons—and sometimes helicopters—can be found. Party Mode is only open to players you invite to the game.

Player Model: Allows you to customize your in-game persona to be used during multiplayer matches. You can create a male or female character, and also edit several aspects of its appearance. The clothes selection is limited from the get-go, but you can unlock more by increasing your personal rank (more on that further down).

Tutorial: Takes you to a tutorial that explains many aspects of the multiplayer game; a good idea to pursue before hopping online.

Personal Rank

Cold hard cash is the way of prestige in the multiplayer game. To improve your personal multiplayer rank, you must participate in Ranked game sessions. Though you still earn money in non-ranked matches, this money will not accumulate beyond a simple stat on the non-ranked leaderboards. You need a certain amount of money to progress to the next rank; the requirement starts out as quite attainable, but soon increases exponentially; you can see how much money is needed to reach the next rank at the post-game screen. A personal rank of 10 is currently the highest achievable rank.

How you go about earning money depends on the game type, but the universal method is by simply killing your opponents. You are awarded $100 for a kill, and the dead player will also drop a small amount of cash that can then be picked up. In object-oriented game types such as Mafia Work, however, it is much more beneficial money-wise to complete the objectives rather than simply killing the other players. 

If you're looking for a quick way to earn money in multiplayer, try the ranked co-op game types: Hangman's Noose, Bomb da Base II, or Deal Breaker. Before trying any ranked game type, it would be best to experience it first through a non-ranked instance, where the environment is a lot more relaxed and there isn't anything at stake.

Game Types

There is a total of 14 multiplayer game types. Here is a quick rundown of each one:

Deathmatch: Simply put, it's a free-for-all kill-a-thon. It's $100 a kill, and don't forget to pick up money dropped by fallen players. The player with the most money at the end of the game wins. For 2-16 players.

Team Deathmatch: The team-flavored version of Deathmatch. Players must work together with their team to collectively earn more money than every other team to win the game. At the end of the game, each player walks away with the money that they individually earned for their team, so in a sense this game type can still be just as competitive. For 3-16 players.

Mafiya Work: A free-for-all, object-oriented game type. Players must compete with each other to complete contract work for one Kenny Petrovic. Petrovic will phone each of the players with the same task, after which the task will be marked on the radar for all to see. Blue markers denote delivery, escort, or vehicle theft tasks, while red markers denote kill and destroy tasks. There is a large number of tasks, each with a different worth. Though completing the objectives definitely offers the biggest payout, killing other players will also net you $100 per kill. The player with the most money at the end of the game wins. For 2-16 players.

Team Mafiya Work: It's Mafiya Work, but with teams. Teams must compete against each other to complete contract work for Kenny Petrovic. The team with the most money at the end of the game wins; the total amount of cash earned is split equally between the remaining team members. For 3-16 players.

Car Jack City: Much like Mafiya Work, but with only car-jacking objectives. In this free-for-all game type, players must compete against each other to steal cars for Kenny Petrovic. Although stealing cars definitely offers the biggest payout here, killing other players will also net you $100 per kill. The player with the most money at the end of the match wins. For 4-16 players.

Team Car Jack City: It's Car Jack City, but with teams. The teams must compete against each other to steal cars for Kenny Petrovic. The team with the most money at the end of the mat wins; the total amount of cash earned is split equally between the remaining team members. For 4-16 players.

Race: There is no killing or destruction to be found here; the Race gametype is similar to Brucie's races in the single player game. Simply put, just follow the checkpoint around the track, and be ahead of the pack when the final checkpoint is reached. If you're even in a really bad wreck, don't forget that you can respawn your vehicle near the last checkpoint. Each player is able to select their car at the beginning of the match, so be sure to pick the fastest one available. (If you aren't sure which vehicle is the fastest, take a look at what the other players are selecting). The first four racers to finish will earn a small amount of cash depending on the number of players left remaining in the game. For 2-16 players.

GTA Race: This is Race with road rage. This is a no holds barred, gun-toting affair. That is, you can use drive-by weapons to mess your opponents up. The weapons available depends on the hosts' pre-game settings; you can switch weapons by driving over them and holding the Change Weapon button. The first four racers to finish will earn a small amount of cash depending on the number of players left remaining in the game. For 2-16 players.

Cops 'n Crooks: The players on one team are cops, and the players on the other team are crooks. It's the cops' job to best the crooks, and it's the crooks' job to outsmart the cops. The objective for both teams depends on the game type selected; in All for One, the crooks must get their boss (a player on the crook team selected at random) to safety, while the cops must kill the boss; in One for All, the crooks help each other escape, while the cops work together to wipe out the crook team. For 4-16 players.

Turf War: In this game type, teams compete with each other to take over and hold marked locations in the city. Players on one team trying to take over another team's turf must hold that location for a certain period of time, and with more players at that location, the faster it can be captured. Furthermore, the turf cannot be captured if any member of the opposing team is in the area. While a location is under a team's control, that team will periodically earn money from it. The team with the most cash at the end of the game wins. For 4-16 players.

Deal Breaker: This is one of the cooperative game types. In it, you and 1-3 other players are working for Kenny Petrovic. It's your job to crash a drug deal between the bikers and Mafia, eliminate all witnesses, and get out with the merchandise.

Hangman's N.O.O.S.E.: Another cooperative game type wherein you and 1-3 other players must deliver Petrovic to safety. If Petrovic dies, the  mission is a failure.

Bomb da Base II: In this co-op game type, it's the job of you and 1-3 other players to steal some explosives, plant them on a docked tanker, and flee the scene before the bombs go off.

Free Mode: It's anything goes in this non-ranked exclusive game type. The host can tweak a variety of options on the pre-game menu, but there is neither an objective nor winners or losers. Invite some friends in and have fun! For 1-16 players.