A bit of a strange story has arisen today, it seems as though Grand Theft Auto 4 is no longer purchasable on Steam. The store page is indeed still up but the link to actually purchase the game is completely gone and so it’s essentially no longer possible to purchase the game on PC.
However we do have an actual answer for why it has disappeared. You see GTA 4 used the ancient “Games for Windows Live” system for distribution back in the day which was also used for a lot of Microsoft endorsed PC games such as Fallout 3 etc. The system however is now no longer being supported and as such it’s no longer possible to generate new keys for the system. The big problem here is that due to the system being hard coded into the game’s distribution and online functions aside from actually cracking the game you wouldn’t actually be able to play the game if you bought it now due to not having another key made during your purchase.
So the mystery is solved at least and we know why it’s gone. Rockstar has stated that they are looking into another way to distribute the game on PC but for the time being if anyone wants to try out GTA 4 on PC the only way to actually play it will be downloading it illegally. Certainly matches the themes of the game I suppose.
That’s all for now, and as always. It’s not just a game, It’s a Life.