Guide to Driving in GTA IV

A Bustling City

Since the game’s creation almost two decades ago, each GTA has one main mode of transport – the car. In GTA IV, the physics engine and the acute attention to detail by the developers has made the driving experience extremely realistic to the point where real driving experience can actually come in handy. Here are some tips for driving better in GTA IV.

Acceleration

This is key when there’s a cop running towards a car you’ve just stolen and is about to pull you out and put the cuffs on you. A natural reaction may be to slam down on the trigger and let the engine do the rest of the work. But getting off the mark quickly is better done when you think about it for a second. Just like in a real car, it’s better to open the throttle about ¾ of the way for a second or two and then push down the remainder of the way. Buy doing this, your car jumps forward quickly and has enough momentum to avoid wheel spin or stalling by the time to let loose on the gas.

Cornering

This is a real problem for some in GTA especially due to the way the city is laid out. Often, you have to make a tight corner, squeezing between other traffic and obstacles. When in a car that is responsive such as the Corquette, its best to approach the corner at full speed, slam on the brakes just as you enter the corner then accelerate and turn immediately after. This allows your car to turn on a penny. When in slower vehicles such as a taxi or Vincent saloon car, its better to lift off the gas about two seconds before the corner, allow the car to glide around the corner until about the halfway mark, then slam down on the gas and by the time you’re leaving the corner the engine will have caught up and will be pulling the car straight.

Braking

Probably more important than the two above because you have to know how to stop or slow down in order to drive well. There’s no point in working your way through Star Junction traffic jams at full speed as you’ll end up ploughing into the back of a bus. In most cases, it’s best to foresee and obstacle and brake in a straight line. This allows you to stay in control. For emergencies or missed turns, use the E-Brake and the normal brake to execute a quick stoppage.

Highway Code

Highways are great for cruising along at top speed, changing lanes and zooming past the other cars. Then, out of nowhere that Bobcat decides to change lanes pushing you over to the side of the road causing you to spin and loose control ending up with a ruined car and ego for that matter. The best thing to remember about GTA highway driving is to expect the other cars to swerve right out in front of you. To narrow the chances of this happening to you, use ¾ throttle when cruising and full throttle when overtaking. Or you could steal a cop car and have the traffic move out of your way! By following these above steps, you should be able to (with practice) get the basics of driving down on GTA so you won’t be embarrassed by a buddy getting in you car online and all you can do is spin out of control at every corner.