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Grand Theft Auto IV Story Walkthrough: Choices and Endings
The story of Grand Theft Auto IV follows Niko Bellic through a series of missions in Liberty City, and its outcome turns on a handful of life-or-death choices plus one final decision that splits the ending into two versions: Deal or Revenge. Rockstar North released the game in April 2008, with a PC version following in December of the same year.
Who Niko Bellic Is and Why He Comes to Liberty City
Niko is an Eastern European war veteran who arrives in Liberty City by cargo ship. His cousin Roman had written letters describing a life of money, cars and women, but the reality is a small taxi depot, mounting debts and loan sharks at the door. Niko’s first missions are favors for Roman, and through them he slowly builds a network of contacts in the city’s criminal world.
Behind the jobs, Niko is also searching for someone from his past, a man connected to a betrayal during the war. That personal thread runs through the whole campaign and surfaces again near the end.
How the City Opens Up
Liberty City is modeled on New York and divided into islands: Broker, Dukes, Bohan, Algonquin and Alderney. At the start, the bridges out of the first area are closed, and the game unlocks new islands as the story moves forward. This keeps the early hours focused on Broker and Dukes, where Roman’s business is based, before the action moves to the dense streets of Algonquin and later across the river to Alderney.
The cell phone is the hub of progress. Contacts call or text with jobs, and new mission givers appear on the map as letters. Following the story contacts in order is the simplest way to unlock the whole city.
Characters You Can Spare or Kill
Several missions end with a choice between letting someone live or killing them. These choices change who appears later as a random character, who you can call for help and what rewards you receive:
| Mission | Choice | What follows |
|---|---|---|
| Ivan the Not So Terrible | Kill or spare Ivan Bytchkov | Sparing him lets him return as a random character |
| Ruff Rider | Kill or spare Cherise Glover | Sparing her lets her return as a random character |
| The Holland Nights | Kill or spare Clarence Little | Spared, he later tries to kill Niko as a random character |
| The Holland Play | Kill Playboy X or Dwayne | Killing Playboy X gives you his apartment and Dwayne’s backup; killing Dwayne pays $25,000 |
| Blood Brothers | Kill Derrick or Francis McReary | Killing Derrick lets you later call Francis to clear your wanted level |
| Bad Standing | Kill or spare Brian Jeremy | Spared, he later tries to kill Niko as a random character |
The achievement No More Strangers requires meeting every random character, so it is lost if you kill Ivan Bytchkov, Cherise Glover or Clarence Little.
Before each of these finales, save at a safehouse. Reloading lets you see both outcomes of a choice without replaying long stretches of the story.
The Final Choice: Deal or Revenge
Near the end, the mission One Last Thing presents the biggest decision of the campaign. Niko can take part in a lucrative deal alongside an old enemy or turn it down and go after that enemy for revenge. Both paths pay $250,000, but they cost Niko different people close to him:
- Deal – Niko loses Kate McReary’s respect, and Roman is killed at his own wedding.
- Revenge – Niko refuses the deal, and Kate is killed at Roman’s wedding.
The two branches lead to different final missions and different last targets, so the closing hours of the story play out in distinct ways. Many players complete one path and reload a save to watch the other.
Choosing Which Ending to Pick
Neither ending is labeled good or bad by the game. The Deal ending keeps Kate alive but costs Niko his cousin; the Revenge ending honors Niko’s personal code but costs him Kate. Players who have grown attached to Roman over dozens of missions often find the Deal outcome hardest to watch, while those who value Niko’s relationship with Kate may feel the opposite. Reading the two consequences above before the mission lets you decide based on which character matters more to you.
What Changes After the Credits
Finishing the main story unlocks a golden Buzzard helicopter. You also receive an in-game email about conspiracies that points to a website listing maps of weapons, health, armor, pigeons, stunt jumps and other locations. The city remains open after the final mission, so side activities, friendships and collectibles can be completed at your own pace.
For everything outside the main story, continue with the Grand Theft Auto IV friends and unlockables guide. The Liberty City secrets page collects the hidden details scattered around the map.
