Jason Zumwalt, the voice of fan-favourite Roman Bellic in Grand Theft Auto IV, has come out in support of a long-rumoured remaster, saying he would "love" to see one happen and that he cannot understand why Rockstar hasn't acted on it yet.
What Zumwalt Said
The comments came via an Instagram clip posted by the account loveitfilm, featuring an interview between Zumwalt and host Jamie Lovett. Zumwalt joined the show to reflect on the making of GTA IV, and the remaster question was put directly to him given his history with the game.
Zumwalt provided the voice of Roman Bellic in Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost and Damned, and The Ballad of Gay Tony. In the interview, he said he'd "love" to see a remaster materialise, adding that Rockstar seems to have the perfect opportunity - yet still hasn't taken it.
When asked why no remaster has appeared, Zumwalt floated a specific theory: SAG union contracts could be the obstacle, suggesting Rockstar may not want to "open that can of worms." He also noted that both he and Niko Bellic actor Michael Hollick were brought back for the game's DLC expansions, so prior contract friction has been navigated before.
Zumwalt went on to defend GTA IV's storytelling, arguing - without bias, he said - that it has the best narrative in the series, thanks to its more "intimate" tone compared to the rest of the franchise.
A Remaster That Won't Go Away
The call from Zumwalt lands against a backdrop of persistent, unconfirmed reports about a GTA IV re-release. A remaster of GTA 4 could be in the works, according to tipster Tez2, who wrote on the GTA forums that a port for modern consoles was potentially being developed. Rockstar reportedly had earlier plans to remaster both GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption, but those were shelved following the critically panned release of GTA: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition in 2021, with Rockstar reportedly not wanting a repeat of that situation.
A separate signal emerged in mid-2025: an update to Rockstar's support page listed PlayStation 4 as one of GTA IV's available platforms, lending credence to the notion that the game could be coming to more modern systems. Grand Theft Auto IV released in 2008 and has remained locked to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on consoles. The PS4 listing was later removed without comment from Rockstar.
On the technical side, former Rockstar developer Obbe Vermeij - who worked on GTA IV as well as GTA III and San Andreas - has weighed in on the difficulty involved. According to Vermeij, remastering GTA IV would require a significant investment: much of the artwork would have to be improved, especially cutscenes, and it might cost close to the original development budget to make it competitive in today's market.
Take-Two Interactive's May 2025 earnings report confirmed that only one more remaster is coming in the near term, widely believed to be a Red Dead Redemption 2 next-gen update, meaning any GTA 4 re-release won't be arriving anytime soon.
Where Things Stand
Grand Theft Auto IV originally launched on April 29, 2008, and has never received an official current-generation release on PlayStation hardware. Because GTA 4 was built around the PS3's notoriously convoluted Cell processor, the game is stranded on older hardware, with no native port for PS4 or PS5. Xbox players fare better - Microsoft's backward compatibility allows the original Xbox 360 version to run on Series X or S at a smooth 60fps.
For PC players, the existing Steam version remains the most accessible way to play, with a thriving mod community filling the gap where an official remaster hasn't arrived.
Zumwalt's endorsement won't move Rockstar's release schedule, but it does add a notable voice to a conversation that clearly isn't going away. With GTA 6 now the studio's all-consuming priority, any GTA IV remaster looks like a post-launch project at the earliest - but given the demand, and the rumour trail, it remains one of gaming's most-wanted do-overs.
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