reviews section, calling it "damn-near perfect".^[131]

Despite the almost unanimous praise given to GTA IV, the game has received some criticism, particularly its Windows port.^[132] A review in Ars Technica states that the game "...[is] not perfect. It does not deserve unquestioned, unadulterated praise. In many ways, the slight regression of the series from San Andreas is surprising: there are fewer vehicles, weapons, and story missions, less character customisation, and even the size of the city itself is smaller."^[133] GameSpot noted that there are occasional problems with friendly AI and avoiding the police being "a little too easy."^[116]There were some minor complaints with the game's cover system, which reviewers noted, stumbled in box-filled environments and the stickiness of cover points being an issue.^{[111][121][123]} The occasional presence of noticeable pop-in was also criticised.^{[107][111][123]}

In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.^[134]