GTA 4 map gets fully remastered in GTA 5 with next-gen graphics

Although Rockstar Games may have cancelled their planned GTA 4 remaster, the community keeps making mods to enjoy their own take. This time, YouTuber Digital Dreams has shared what the Liberty City map looks like in Grand Theft Auto 5, with a graphical overhaul that adds a new way to play GTA 4 in 2024. The 15-year-old game may look a bit dated by today's graphical standards, but with some simple tweaks using ReShade, it feels completely next-gen.

This is also the perfect time to replay a classic Grand Theft Auto title as the upcoming entry is still around a year away from release. With that in mind, here's everything to know about the next-gen graphical overhaul for GTA 4 that this particular video highlights.

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GTA 4 looks next-gen thanks to unofficial remaster with mods

The above video, made by YouTuber Digital Dreams, shows off a new ReShade preset for GTA 5 that they've made. According to the description, it makes full use of ray tracing to make the lighting look realistic, and focuses primarily on reflections. They may have used 4K textures as well, although they didn't mention the specific mod for it.

The skybox looks extremely realistic, and the YouTuber highlighted different times such as daytime, nighttime, and sunset, along with weather conditions like clear skies, overcast, and rainy weather. The lights are much more prominent at night, especially at Star Junction.

What may look a bit overkill to some players are the puddles. All the wet surfaces appear as clear as a mirror, with some users calling it a "mirror simulator" in the comments. However, ReShade is a highly customizable application, and this setting is probably adjustable in the preset. This custom ReShade is a paid mod, and it's linked in the video description. You can also find the GTA 5 mod at this link.

Rockstar's first trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 revealed that the upcoming game will look much more graphically advanced than any other title they've made in the past. Both Grand Theft Auto 4 and 5 look much more inferior in comparison, since they're both quite old at this point. As such, mods can often make these titles look more modern than they really are.

ReShade presets play a great role in this, with some of them making subtle changes to make the original games look better, while others attempt to completely change the aesthetics. This particular preset belongs to the latter category, as it replaces the gritty and grimy look of Liberty City to one that looks quite upbeat. A GTA 4 remaster in 2024 may have looked quite similar if it ever came out.

Some players may prefer this look, but the drowned-out colors don't always look great. Grand Theft Auto 4 had a strange yellow tint that made the game look much more grimy than it really was. This particular preset doesn't have that, since it's meant for Grand Theft Auto 5, and thus makes all the existing colors pop out more.

While fans wait for more news about GTA 6, including a trailer 2, players can try out Grand Theft Auto 4 with this ReShade preset.