5 things that cement GTA 4 as the most realistic game in the series

While Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 4 is one of the most underrated titles in the series, it has some of the best features and gameplay mechanics. They enhance the overall experience and make the game quite realistic. Many of these things were absent from GTA 5, which fans sorely missed. These features are why a big part of the Grand Theft Auto community considers GTA 4 the most realistic game in the franchise.

While the newer title offers better graphics and several other enhancements, Rockstar failed to implement various features that made the previous game's world feel more realistic. Fortunately, Rockstar Games overcame this issue with Red Dead Redemption 2. This article lists five features that make GTA 4 the most realistic game of the series.

Note: The article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.

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5 realistic features in GTA 4 that are missing from other Grand Theft Auto titles

1) The NPC and Police AI

NPCs fill up most of the world in Grand Theft Auto games, and is the same for GTA 4 as well. However, Rockstar put some serious work into enhancing the AI of pedestrians and cops to make them more realistic. Unlike GTA 5, the police do not start shooting players just for staring at them for too long.

While still too brave for their own good, pedestrians do not die from just a single punch. Instead, it takes a couple of hits for them to go down. Cops are also relatively sensible and will try to arrest Niko before shooting. Most notably, pedestrians take out their umbrellas or use newspapers to cover their heads if it suddenly starts raining. All this makes them way more realistic.

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2) Ability to turn off a vehicle's engine

Vehicles are a crucial part of all the Grand Theft Auto games. Driving around the map soaking up the scenery is quite enjoyable. However, the general vehicle physics and features in GTA 4 are way more advanced than those of other titles in the series. They take damage in a realistic way, with dents appearing on the parts where the car crashed. Players can also turn off the engines.

While this does not necessarily affect the gameplay, it still allows the game to be grounded in reality and offers more immersion. Rockstar decided not to carry forward this feature into Grand Theft Auto 5.

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3) The highly dynamic background

A vast map requires a lot of activities to keep it interesting. However, GTA 5 fails to deliver the charm of the pedestrians and the realistic background activities that one can witness in Grand Theft Auto 4, similar to Red Dead Redemption 2.

Unlike other titles, the police take notice of pedestrians and even arrest them for crimes and violence. Players love to aggravate them into attacking while a cop is near to get them apprehended. Other NPCs are also busy performing activities like construction instead of just walking by aimlessly or driving their cars.

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4) The ability to disarm people

Being a sharpshooter and taking out the targets from afar requires skills and precision. However, Grand Theft Auto 4 allows players to disarm the enemies and engage in melee combat.

One can knock off knives and other weapons out of their hands and then perform several combos available in the game. This makes the fights way more realistic than the other titles.

Notably, various fighting and martial arts styles were only present in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and didn't appear in such details later on.

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5) The damage mechanics

This entry will discuss how the environment and NPCs in Grand Theft Auto 4 react to taking damage in the game. As mentioned before, vehicles have better physics compared to other titles where only the body part that crashed will form dents.

Similarly, the NPCs will hold their stomachs when Niko stabs them and have a limp if players attack their feet. This is a great way to make the game feel realistic without having advanced graphics or overly complicated gameplay mechanics.

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If the GTA 6 leaks turn out to be true, the police chase and the NPC AIs in the upcoming title will surpass both Grand Theft Auto 4 and Grand Theft Auto 5.