Grand Theft Auto IV PC is now available through the Games for Windows LIVE Marketplace Games on Demand service.  For any PC players that have not yet experienced Niko Bellic's journey through the Liberty City underworld, you can now download it directly to your PC the Games for Windows – LIVE client via Games On Demand for $29.99.

The Windows PC version also includes a wealth of exclusive features, including a deep, sophisticated and easy-to-use video editor tool to capture and edit in-game footage; stunning, high-resolution graphics; the Independence FM radio station that allows players to add their own songs for a truly personalized and unique musical experience.  All this, plus insane up-to-32-player multiplayer matches, like the ones experienced by current PC players in the recent Official Social Club Multiplayer Event.

This is also the perfect opportunity for those who have yet to experience Grand Theft Auto IV on PC and want to be ready for the release of the downloadable episodes, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony for PC on March 30th.

To download Grand Theft Auto IV, simply download the Games for Windows – LIVE client from the link below:
http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/Games/Pages/grandtheftautoiv.aspx

(The first Grand Theft Auto IV PC event in the Official Social Club Multiplayer Events series started off with quite a bang...)

We welcomed throngs of bloodthirsty Grand Theft Auto IV PC players last Thursday afternoon to play with and against us online in the first PC platform installment of the official Social Club multiplayer events series.

It definitely got kinda’ hectic with at one point a fully maxed-out 32-player multiplayer session on Games for Windows LIVE – and was good to get to play with more folks than ever as we tore through GTA Races and Deathmatches for over three full hours.  Have a glance at the recently announced full calendar of events which covers the coming months, including Grand Theft Auto IV, Midnight Club LA, and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.

The next event is coming tomorrow, February 26th – with a long-awaited Midnight Club Los Angeles session on Xbox LIVE.  Look for Gamertag details to be announced later today.

Read on for a full recap of action highlights from last week’s Grand Theft Auto IV PC event - with screens for evidence!

 
(32 accounted for and ready to roll...)

Rolling into the first lobby were 32 eager drivers eyeing the finish line on the Francis International runway.  Players lined the airstrip in a vast assemblage of Liberty City’s fastest sports cars ready to roll in some GTA Race action.  Seconds after the green light, bedlam was already ensuing - with several cars flipping over as racers jockeyed for position.  A couple poor souls even ran straight into the taxiing jumbo jet as it made its way to the airstrip.  Each turn was a fierce breakneck battle as players rammed their vehicles into each other, causing the hapless to careen into walls, ramps and even the sea.

From there, everyone cruised into Star Junction, just in time to give the midtown, midday lunch crowd of pedestrians a bit of a thrill.  Definitely separated the men from the boys with expert driving required to navigate the tight turns and city obstacles compared to the previous relative spaciousness of the Francis Airport runway – more than a few would-be speedsters couldn’t quite take those tight turns and found themselves airborne, in head-ons, or completely flipped...

(Watch out for that first corner in the race, Stars In Your Eyes - it's a doozy...)

Trigger fingers were itching – so we hopped over to the moonlit northern end of Algonquin, where players grabbed their pistols and jumped into full-on Team Deathmatch.  Some climbed back into vehicles ready for some drive-bys, some camped out at sniping positions on rooftops and a few others just ran around in the middle of the road (…suckers).  Action was spread all over the city: SMG's and bullet-riddled car chases in Alderney, pistol fights with tree cover in upper Middle Park, hit-and-runs outside the tw@ Internet Cafe and two cars trying to take down a helicopter at the airport.

(The night was dark and silent...with the notable exception of sudden muzzle flashes and gunfire...)

A new crop of players entered Team Deathmatch, ready to show their skills against Rockstar's purported prowess.  Bullets flew and no one was safe from that dreaded death slo-mo, black & white death sequence.  Eventually moving the action to an industrial area, the smart team was the one that took a more elevated position, lobbing Molotov cocktails and raining gunfire down on the opposing team below.

(The battle raged on with gunfire and Molotovs from above...)

Shell shocked from all the rounds fired, and by popular demand, we went into one last quick GTA Race, with 32 players in emergency vehicles burning off the starting line in Broker.  Sirens wailing as players zigzagged around one another, gaining speed for the jump beneath Outlook's arch in the middle of the roundabout.  Incoming gunfire and collisions thwarted one player's vehicle from even being able to make it one lap, rendering his LCPD cruiser a twisted heap of burning metal... Sorry, guy!

(Looks like the LCPD needs to call the LCFD...)

Big shout again to all of you that were able to make it through for the event – here’s a quick list of attendees by our accounts – as always, apologies to anyone omitted:

If you didn’t get in on this one, mark your calendars for our next scheduled PC event which will be for Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City the Saturday after the game comes out (April 3rd).  Check the calendar announcement for more information on all upcoming multiplayer events through to the end of April.

Also, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.  You never know when we'll feel like having a short-notice game...

Previously:
Social Club PlayStation Network Multiplayer Event Feb 5 Recap (Grand Theft Auto IV for PS3)
Social Club Multiplayer Events Series Calendar (Feb - April)

As we gear up for the recently announced release of Episodes from Liberty City for PC on March 30th, which will fully support the Grand Theft Auto IV PC in-game Video Editor suite of tools, we’re happy to present this roundup of winners from our last Social Club TV Video Editor Contest: Horror.

After combing through all of the eligible homemade horror flicks, we would like to be the first to congratulate Tr.Donk of Belgium on producing the winning entry, "The Devil in Her".  Tr.Donk wields the in-game Video Editor to chronicle the murder and subsequent ghost-riding rise from the dead of a restless doctor out for revenge in Liberty City.

"The Devil in Her" by Tr.Donk

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone that joined our Grand Theft Auto IV Multiplayer Session on Games for Windows Live.  Check out the Social Club Multiplayer Events Calendar for our upcoming events.

Here’s all the details you need to know for the PC event.

You will be able to find members of the Rockstar team using the in-game cellphone and selecting Multiplayer > Ranked Match > Quick Match > Team Deathmatch.

SPECTATE AND CHAT
Stuck at work or can't reach a gaming rig during our play time?  No worries.  Come follow all the action at the Social Club Multiplayer Event page with a live streaming broadcast of the entire event.  We'll also have a chatbox up and running on game day for those that want to discuss the action as it unfolds.

Look below for specific directions you can follow to get online, grab a partner, and jump into the fray!

HOW TO FIND US
Grab a multiplayer friend and start up Ranked Team Deathmatch via Party Mode using the in-game cellphone.  We're playing doubles again so make sure your team size is two.  By starting up Team Deathmatch from Party Mode, you will be automatically placed in special lobbies together with us and other event participants.  More info on using Party Mode is listed below.

NEED A PARTNER?
Hit up the chatbox during the event or just post your Games for Windows Live Gamertag in the Comments section below.

OFFICIAL ROCKSTAR GAMERTAGS
Participating Games for Windows Live Rockstar Games Gamertags for the event will be:

• GwRockstar3
• GwRockstar4

ABOUT PARTY MODE
Party Mode is an easy way to get your group together and find matches.  Here are the three quick and easy steps to get you up and running:

1. Save your current game.  To get started, fire up the in-game mobile phone by pressing "Up" on the keyboard.  Select Multiplayer > Ranked Match > Quick Match > Party Mode > Yes.
2. From here, open up your phone again and select the Friends option to invite your friends (you need at least one friend to play with Rockstar).
3. Once your team is ready to roll, open up the in-game phone again and select Games > Team Deathmatch for this event.

Again, please be sure that you enter the lobby in a group of two if you plan to get matched up against us and other players for the event.

Previously:
Social Club PlayStation Network Multiplayer Event Feb 5 Recap (Grand Theft Auto IV for PS3)
Social Club Xbox LIVE Multiplayer Event Jan 21 Recap - GTAIV PlayStation 3 Event Coming this Friday (Feb 5)

We are happy to announce the much anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows® - LIVE on March 30, 2010.  For the first time, PlayStation 3 and Games for Windows - LIVE players will have the opportunity to experience the last two thrilling chapters of the Grand Theft Auto IV saga. 

The two action packed episodes will also be available for download on the PlayStation Network and Games for Windows® LIVE on March 30, 2010.  Each episode boasts the same detailed and immersive Liberty City we all know and love.  Games for Windows - LIVE players can enjoy 32-player multiplayer matches and an advanced video editor, and all fans will have the chance to once again listen to the dulcet tones of Liberty City Radio.

The Lost and Damned is a dark trip through Liberty City’s seedy underbelly as outlaw biker, Johnny Klebitz, fights to keep his gang together as a rift in the gang’s leadership threatens to tear the brotherhood apart. In The Ballad of Gay Tony, players explore Liberty City’s high-end nightlife as Luis Lopez, struggling to balance the temptations of money and vice against loyalties to family and friends. Both episodes feature a slew of new vehicles and weapons, and each episode adds new activities including cage fighting, gang wars and BASE jumping.

There's only a couple more days left to enter the Social Club TV Halloween Horrors video contest over at Social Club TV.  The entrant with the winning video will take home a high-performance WD VelociRaptor Hard Drive and a Rockstar prize pack of limited-edition gear.  If you are still working on your horror masterpiece, make sure to upload it before our submission deadline this Friday night 11/20/09 at 11:59:59 ET.

All Social Club members (sign up for an account here) can head over to the official Halloween Horrors channel to vote and comment on all of the contest entries thus far.

Void in certain countries and where prohibited. See www.rockstargames.com/socialclub/events for official rules and eligibility details.

Title update five (version number 1.0.0.4) for Grand Theft Auto IV PC is currently available on Games for Windows LIVE. This update addresses the following:

GENERAL:

• Converts all region SKUs into the same SKU
• Includes support for all languages within single .exe

CONTROLS:

• Allows controls to be double mapped on keyboard
• Adds option in controls menu to disable mouse controls in helicopters
• Adjusts keyboard control sensitivity in hood cam view in vehicles

MULTIPLAYER:

• Security Updates to deter cheating in multiplayer
• Hosts can now immediately Kick users from their games in Lobby and in game via Cell phone without having to rely on peer voting
• Fixes a bug in Cops 'n Crooks mode where Host would drop out and prevent remaining players from leaving game

You will be prompted to download and install the update when signing into LIVE.  The update can also be downloaded at http://www.rockstargames.com/support/IV/PC/patch/index.html and then manually installed. 

Congratulations to Rockstar Games Social Club's Chocoflo of France for directing the winning video entry in the Social Club TV Jams Music Video Contest.  Chocoflo used the Grand Theft Auto IV PC in-game Video Editor suite of tools to create a music video for the song “St Thomas” by Sonny Rollins (as featured in Grand Theft Auto IV’s JNR Jazz Nation Radio 108.5) featuring one man, one sax and all the wonders of Liberty City.  

"St. Thomas" by Chocoflo

For his outstanding work, Chocoflo takes home a one-of-a-kind customized set of Rockstar-branded Logitech PC gear as pictured below.  The 5.1 speaker package and keyboard/mouse combo have been specially tricked out by Rockstar in black and yellow with glowing white LEDs that make the whole kit easily standout from the crowd. 

Don’t miss your next chance to win – the Social Club TV Horror video editor contest just launched this past Halloween Saturday.  The best Romero, Carpenter, Corman or Browning to strike fear with a homemade short-subject horror flick using the Grand Theft Auto IV PC video editor will win a high-end VelociRaptor hard-drive along with a Rockstar prize pack of limited edition gear.  You’ve got til 11/20/09 to submit.  What chu waiting for?

(after the jump – check out the two runners-up of the Music Video Contest – with music videos created for David Axelrod and David McCallum’s “The Edge” and Hello’s “New York Groove”)