3 GTA 4 features that should return for GTA 6 and 2 that should stay in the past

With GTA 4's release in the late 2000s, the Grand Theft Auto franchise was propelled into the HD era. As the first foray with Rockstar's RAGE engine, GTA 4 was rough around the edges in more ways than one, but what it lacked in terms of polish, it made up for with ambitious features and game design choices that hold up to this day.

Here's a look at what elements of GTA 4 would enhance GTA 6 and which elements should never see the light of day in the GTA franchise again.

3 GTA 4 features that deserve to make a comeback and 2 that don't

---

Features that should return

1. Deep combat mechanics

GTA 4's hand-to-hand combat was something that made waves at launch and continues to impress till date. With varied animations and challenging timings to dodge and counterattack, getting into fistfights felt fun and rewarding when done right.

GTA 5's simplified hand-to-hand combat was a let down for some players who expected the combat system to be expanded on further.

2. Euphoria Ragoll Physics

GTA 4's physics engine was hailed as one of the absolute best of a generation. With multiple ragdoll points on a singular model, dynamic ragdoll effects and physics based interactions, GTA 4 absolutely nailed the interaction between the player and objects.

For example, if the player drove off while and an NPC was trying to open their door, the NPC would hang on to the side of the car and be dragged around until their grip wore out.

3. Player controlled death cams

GTA 4's death cam was an extremely underrated feature that added so much to the game while being relatively simple. Unlike GTA 5's death cam, which just plainly cuts to black after a few seconds, GTA 4's death cam allowed players to not only continue viewing the hilarious aftermath of their shenanigans, but also slow down time to truly bask in the glory of jumping across buildings before meeting their inevitable demise.

---

Features that should stay buried

1. Incessant phone calls

Roman Bellic's "Let's go bowling" has reached peak memehood in recent years, but with no way of turning these calls off, players were utterly frustrated by the feature back in the day. Contacts would constantly call on Niko Bellic to hang out, often in the middle of firefights that have led to many frustrating deaths.

2. No car customization

GTA 4's lack of car customization was a massive letdown for fans who expected to spend hours tinkering and tweaking their rides to perfection. A feature that was present for a few vehicles in GTA San Andreas, the lack of car customization in GTA 4 was a real downer.