Plot

This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (December 2010)

Grand Theft Auto IV follows the story of Niko Bellic, a thirty-year-old veteran of an unnamed war in Eastern Europe, who is haunted by the betrayal of his 15 man army unit. Ten years later, after a smuggling run goes bad due to a betrayal from a partner, Niko leaves Eastern Europe^[22] to escape the anger of his employer, Ray Bulgarin. After six months in the merchant navy (serving aboard the cargo ship the Platypus), and believing the stories of his cousin Roman, Niko comes to Liberty City to pursue the American Dream as well as searching for Florian Cravic, the man he believes to be the traitor of his unit. After his arrival, however, Niko quickly learns that Roman's tales of riches and luxury were lies concealing struggles with gambling debts and loansharks, and that Roman lives in a dirty apartment rather than a mansion.

Niko defends Roman from his loansharks several times, eventually killing Vlad Glebov, Roman's Russian loanshark, for having sex with Roman's girlfriend Mallorie. Niko also begins dating a friend of Mallorie's named Michelle and befriends with Jamaican drug and arms dealer "Little" Jacob Hughes. Niko also befriends steroid junkie and chop shop owner Bruce "Brucie" Kibbutz.

After Vlad's murder, Niko and Roman are kidnapped by members of the Liberty City Bratva, on order of Mikhail Faustin and his associate, Dimitri Rascalov. However Faustin is not angry with Niko for killing Vlad, and instead hires him. Niko quickly learns that Faustin is a psychopath when Faustin orders him to kill the son of Kenny Petrović, the most powerful man in the Liberty City Bratva. Dimitri tries to negotiate an agreement, but Petrović demands revenge. Dimitri presents Niko with two options: either Niko assassinates Faustin, or he dies. However, when Niko meets with Dimitri to collect on the assassination, Dimitri betrays Niko to his angry former employer Ray Bulgarin. Niko manages to fight his way through the ambush but Dimitri and Bulgarin escape.

Immediately afterwards, Niko and Roman are forced to escape to Bohan when their apartment and taxi company are destroyed in arson attacks by Dimitri's men. To make ends meet Niko takes jobs for former gangbanger Manny Escuela, prominent drug dealer Elizabeta Torres, Irish mobster Packie McReary, and Algonquin drug dealer Playboy X. Niko also becomes an errand boy for both Mafia Capo Ray Boccino and crooked Deputy Police Commissioner Francis McReary.

However, things go poorly in Bohan: one of the drug deals that Niko is working for Elizabeta turns out to be a sting and another is busted. After the latter incident, Niko's current girlfriend Michelle then reveals that she works for a government agency and entraps Niko into working for Michelle's agency, known only by its cover: United Liberty Paper. Niko kills several known or suspected terrorists for the agency in exchange for the promise of assistance in finding the man who betrayed Niko's unit. The Liberty City Police Department begins to close in on Elizabeta, who kills Manny Escuela when he attempts a citizens arrest. Soon afterwards Elizabeta is arrested. According to the ingame news channel, Weazel News, she is sentenced to 300 years imprisonment (that is, 30 counts of drug possession with a sentence of 10 years each).

Niko assists Ray Boccino in a conflict diamond deal with diamond dealer Isaac Roth, which goes badly and leads to the diamonds being stolen by Luis Lopez and the money being stolen byJohnny Klebitz. In retaliation Boccino sends Niko to kill Roth and Johnny's friend Jim Fitzgerald.

In exchange for Niko's help, Boccino locates Florian Cravic, the man that Niko has been searching for. But when Niko confronts Cravic he discovers that Florian has changed his name to Bernie Crane and has become an effeminate homosexual. Niko immediately determines that Bernie is not the person responsible for his unit's betrayal, leaving him one remaining suspect: Darko Brevic.

Niko also works for both Playboy X and Playboy's mentor Dwayne Forge. After Niko kills Playboy's business partners as a favour for Forge, the relationship between Playboy and Forge becomes so poisonous that each asks Niko to kill the other, leaving Niko a choice between the two.

While in Algonquin, Niko develops a strong connection with the McReary family, including Packie's older brothers Gerald and Derrick, and their sister Kate, with whom he begins a non-sexual relationship. Together Niko, Packie, and Derrick, along with "Saint" Michael Keane, heist the Bank of Liberty in Algonquin. However, the robbery does not go smoothly; Michael is killed and the others are forced to shoot their way out past the police to escape. After the robbery, Niko works with Gerry McReary to destroy the relationship between the Ancelotti Crime Family and their Albanian muscle-men.

Meanwhile, Derrick spends most of his share on drugs and alcohol, and sends Niko to eliminate former partners he believes are informing on him. Soon Francis McReary becomes concerned that Derrick's drug behaviour could ruin his plans to become police commissioner, and tells Niko to kill Derrick. Soon after Derrick asks Niko to kill Francis first giving Niko a choice between the two. In either case Niko is invited to the McReary funeral and informed that Gerry has been arrested.

After his incarceration, Gerry contacts Niko and asks him to help in the kidnapping of Gracie, the daughter of the Don of the Ancelloti Family, in exchange for a ransom of the "cursed" conflict diamonds stolen by Luis Lopez. However after exchanging Grace to Gay Tony for the diamonds, Niko and Packie are surprised by Ray Bulgarin, who claims the diamonds are his. In the ensuing gunfight the diamonds are thrown into a passing dumptruck and lost.

Niko also does work for the Pegorino family in Alderney, mainly with Associate Phil Bell, stealing heroin, and later for Don Jimmy Pegorino. This leads to a war between the Pegorinos, Pavanos, and Ancellottis. Eventually, after working for Pegorino several times, Niko is sent to kill Ray Boccino because Pegorino is convinced Boccino is an informant.

Toward the end of the story, United Liberty Paper locates Darko Brevic and brings him to Liberty City as a final reward. Niko confronts Darko, who is now a drug-addicted wreck, and learns that Darko betrayed the group for $1,000. The player is then left with the option of either executing or sparing Darko. Having dealt with his past Niko is summoned by Pegorino, who demands one final favour: to help with an extremely lucrative deal on the heroin in collusion with Dimitri Rascalov.^[21]

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