GTA IV Full Playthrough. Part 1 (2008)

Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. Set in the fictional Liberty City, based on New York City, the single-player story follows Eastern European war veteran Niko Bellic and his attempts to escape his past while under pressure from high-profile criminals. The open world design lets players freely roam Liberty City, consisting of four boroughs across three islands, and the neighboring state of Alderney, which is based on New Jersey.

Grand Theft Auto IV mirrors and parodies the real world. The previous games formed fictional universes of their own, which despite having many similarities with the HD Universe, are considered to be different continuities. Hence, the Liberty City depicted in Grand Theft Auto IV is different from its previous renditions, and the game itself serves as a reboot for the series. The new timeline established by Grand Theft Auto IV continues with two expansion packs, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Plot:
Niko Bellic, an Eastern European ex-soldier, arrives in Liberty City aboard the cargo ship Platypus to escape his criminal past, pursue the American Dream, and search for a man who betrayed his unit to an ambush ten years prior. Reuniting with his cousin Roman, he discovers that the stories of riches and success he was told of were embellished. Instead of living a life of luxury with nice cars and pretty women, Roman lives in a small, dirty apartment, owns an unprofitable taxi company, has gambling debts, and often disputes with loan sharks. Niko begins assisting Roman with his problems and makes criminal contacts in the city. He befriends Yardies second-in-command Little Jacob and is forced to work for Vlad Glebov, Roman's Russian loan shark. Niko eventually kills Vlad upon learning he had slept with Roman's girlfriend, Mallorie.

In retaliation, Niko and Roman are kidnapped by Russian mobsters on orders of their boss Mikhail Faustin and his lieutenant, Dimitri Rascalov. Indifferent to Vlad's murder, Faustin releases them and employs Niko as a hitman, ordering him to kill the son of Russian crime lord Kenny Petrović. When Petrović threatens retaliation, Dimitri persuades Niko to assassinate Faustin and satisfy Petrović. However, Dimitri betrays him after the killing and brings Niko to his former employer, Ray Bulgarin, who accuses him of stealing from him during a failed human trafficking job years earlier. Niko denies the allegation and a firefight ensues, allowing Dimitri and Bulgarin to escape.

Dimitri's men burn down Niko and Roman's apartment and taxi company, forcing them to flee to Bohan. While Niko finds work with several local drug lords, Dimitri briefly kidnaps Roman in a failed attempt to lure Niko into a trap. Later, Niko discovers that his romantic interest, a woman named Michelle, is an undercover government agent who then entraps him into working for her superior. In exchange for the murders of known or suspected terrorists, the superior clears Niko's criminal record and aids him with seeking Niko's traitor. Roman receives a large amount of insurance money from the arson, which he uses to rebuild the business and buy an apartment in Algonquin. Roman also proposes to Mallorie, who accepts.

While working for the Irish Mob, Niko befriends gangster Patrick "Packie" McReary, helping him and his brothers carry out various jobs, including a major bank robbery. Niko is later hired by Ray Boccino, a caporegime in the Pegorino crime family, to oversee a diamond deal, which goes awry. Boccino repays Niko by helping him find his ex-comrade Florian Cravic, now known as Bernie Crane, who claims he was not the one to betray their unit. Niko realises that the traitor was Darko Brevic, the only other survivor. Niko continues working for the Mafia and earns the trust of Don Jimmy Pegorino, who orders him to kill Boccino after suspecting him of being a police informant. Niko also helps Packie kidnap Don Giovanni Ancelotti's daughter to ransom her for the diamonds, but Bulgarin intercepts the exchange. In the ensuing firefight, the diamonds are lost.

Eventually, government agents find Darko in Romania and bring him to Liberty City for Niko to decide his fate. Afterwards, Niko is summoned by Pegorino for a final favour: to help with a highly lucrative heroin deal in collusion with Dimitri. Learning Dimitri is aboard the Platypus, Niko must decide to either work with Dimitri or exact revenge. If Niko agrees to the deal, Dimitri betrays him again, kills Pegorino, and sends an assassin to kill him at Roman's wedding, but the assassin accidentally kills Roman instead; Niko retaliates by tracking and murdering Dimitri. If Niko chooses revenge, he kills Dimitri, prompting Pegorino to target him at Roman's wedding but accidentally kill Packie's sister Kate, whom Niko had been dating; Niko tracks and murders Pegorino. In both endings, Niko learns that Mallorie is pregnant.