Live GTA IV play free to Silver members

By Robert Purchese Published 10 February, 2009

But only for five days.

Microsoft plans to let Xbox Live Silver members play Grand Theft Auto IV online modes free for five days. This kind of treatment is usually reserved for Gold subscribers.

The promotion coincides with the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable expansion The Lost and Damned on 17th February, and ends on 22nd February.

Microsoft will hope the decision attracts more people to the Xbox 360-exclusive content, of course - a deal reports claimed cost rather a lot to secure.

The Lost and Damned follows rough-and-tumble biker Johnny Klebitz and the adventures of his motorbike gang, The Lost. You'll need to hand over 1600 MSP (GBP 13.60 / EUR 19.20) for the privilege, but Rockstar ensures us there's around one third of the original game's missions on offer, plus a slew of extra multiplayer modes.

And we were suitably impressed, as our hands-on impressions of Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned will point out.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (30) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • jonsaan #1 3 years ago

    It'd be nice if they made Gold free full stop!

  • X201 #2 3 years ago

    GTA IV play

    I see what you've done there. IV play :D


    If it was deliberate: Well done sir.
    If it wasn't deliberate: Fluke!.

  • Razz #3 3 years ago

    Woah! That's a lot of moolah for DLC.

  • smelly #4 3 years ago

    Having to play for online is the worst bit of the 360 imho.

    .. As for gta.. if they'd offered silver online when it got released - i mightve tried it.

    Ditto to the downloadable content.

    - but unfortunately i'm LOOONG since bored of the original game - didnt bother completing it.. Cant be arsed to pay for extra content for it either - if it'll be as boring and humourless as gta4 was! Gimme vice city any day of the week!

    Now saints row 2 dlc.. i'd have some of that!

  • Physically_Insane #5 3 years ago

    LIVE FOR FREE DAMN IT!!

  • smelly #6 3 years ago

    >Woah! That's a lot of moolah for DLC.

    Well if it really is a big game - then the money isnt the issue.. I dont understand why people think "it's downloadable therefor it must be cheap".

    .. if gta4 was a good game.. i'd be jumping at this... but it wasnt..

  • merkdot #7 3 years ago

    the deal really didn't cost them anything to secure, because it's just an advance.

  • kangarootoo #8 3 years ago

    "Play online for free" its the current kangarootoo prediction (of course, it always helps when I don't assign a time limit to these things :)

    "Now saints row 2 dlc.. i'd have some of that!"

    Amen. SR2 > GTA4

  • Santino #9 3 years ago

    ive actually started buying multi-platform HD games that are up to scratch on the ps3 now, i'm not even into online gaming much but at least having the option to play for free if i do decide to is nice. paying for online play is so stupid, and an even bigger slap in the face when you factor in the advertising profit for MS.

  • Kraftwurm #10 3 years ago

    I have a Gold Subscription and I have GTA IV. But somehow I was never tempted to even try that stupid online mode. Definitely won't pay for the DLC. For sure. Was bored after 30% into the main game already. Wouldn't play the DLC missions even when you GAVE me 1600 MPTS for it... :-)

  • Moribundman #11 3 years ago

    Saints Row (2) is a good bit of fun, with a lot more minigames. Thank God they got over the slightly wigga/Westwood stylings of the first game, but it's still very... shallow for such an expansive game. The morality is also slightly grubby.

    GTA IV is an artistic masterwork of dry humour, cinematography and nice looking watercolour graphics (love the way DLC seems to have ditched this and introduced the grainy grindhouse film stock effect). Thematically it's got more in common with the Sopranos, the Wire, Eastern Promises and "grown up" crime shows/movies and isn't exactly a bang bang bang consequence free teenager/at heart game.

    There are elements of older GTA games that have been lost on the way to this gens consoles, but these have been retained by Saints Row. I like the fact that we have both options available personally, and though my personal fave is GTA IV, the Row is always good for a laugh.

    As someone else commented, it's great to eat a gourmet meal at a classy restraunt, but it's also nice to have a massive sloppy greasy kebab once in a while!

  • Moribundman #12 3 years ago

    I'd be interested to know if the people who "tuned out" of GTA IV half way in are generally fans of movies or TV shows... I found the plot really enthralling and addictive. If you play games for 10 minutes at a time and have little or no interest in plot then Saints Row is much better, with all the fun mini games an little rewards.

    I'd like to see a game with the "reality" of GTA IV that also encompasses as many minigames as SR2 and offers the same depth in terms of unlockables and customisation... THAT would be the ultimate game!

  • Gruff #13 3 years ago

    Shouldn't current gold users be provided with free vaccinations before the great unwashed are allowed to descend on us?

    /Gets coat

    /Runs

  • Greebo #14 3 years ago


    Finished GTA4 on 360, then bought it for PS3 for £17.99 to play online.

    Cheaper than Live membership and about the only game I do take online these days.


  • BadBoyBonner #15 3 years ago

    Greebo

    What's a foul-tempered one-eyed grey tomcat doing playing 360 & PS3 games?

  • Greebo #16 3 years ago


    It's the lack of opposable thumbs that really gets in the way!

  • smelly #17 3 years ago

    @Moribundman:

    If i wanted an enthrawling plot.. i'd watch a tv series or movie.. or read a book.

    I play games for fun.. and gta 4 wasnt.

    Which is a shame as the previous ones were!

  • paulf #18 3 years ago

    if they could maintain the same standard of service with a free xbox live then great, but its hardly expensive and imo good value, psn maybe free and but in my experience is no where near as reliable

  • carrotcake #19 3 years ago

    Get rid of silver and gold levels... just make it free for all.
    Or I'll just buy multiplatform games on the ps3 for free online, thanks.
    I hate how demos on Xbox Live now take an extra week to become available to Silver.
    lol, I'm not ever going to pay the annual subscription fee to play demos a handful of days earler, it's just an annoying feature.

  • Santino #20 3 years ago

    if there is a demo you want just make a new account on ur xbox it will give u a month free gold, and any account on the system can play the demo. it isn't too much of a fuss either as there are hardly any demos that come out worth a damn anymore anyway.

  • Ryze #21 3 years ago

    @Santino

    Have you played much online on the PS3?

    I tried GTA IV about 2 months after launch for a few hours. There was no one online to even play with. When you find a game with a decent online population, many of them don't have headsets. Then there's the issues trying to keep in contact with people across the service. Bloody hell.

    Free is only good when you get something for free. Free shite vs. paid for quality. It is good that XBL has a free competitor, however, as it'll keep them on their toes - making sure that we get something for our £20odd per year.

    £29.99 for 13 months of the highest quality online service, or free for a fantastic online service minus the online play (Silver) is ok with me.

    Take your pick.

  • smelly #22 3 years ago

    >Get rid of silver and gold levels... just make it free for all.

    +1

    im especially pissed off that gold members get demos earlier too!

  • smelly #23 3 years ago

    Off topic : But does anyone else have problems with their 360 losing connection to their wifi?

    None of my other devices (including wii and ps3) have problems.. but my 360 keeps losing connectivity!

    (Which is another reason i wont be paying for gold membership)

  • mkreku #24 3 years ago

    After playing through GTA4, I must say I'm not the least bit interested in the DLC. It was annoying that it wouldn't come out on PC before I had played the game, but now.. meh. Whatever. I'm really hoping they bring back the fun factor for GTA5 and skip the whiny "friends" part.

  • Greebo #25 3 years ago

    Off topic : But does anyone else have problems with their 360 losing connection to their wifi?

    Is your PS3 located in the same place as your 360?

    I was just thinking, if the 360 is in a different room, it could be suffering from interference (central heating, neighbours wifi network on the same channel) or a dense supporting wall.

    I had similar problems (although it was my laptop that stopped playing) and I discovered that two of my neighbours were using channel 1 for wifi. Moved mine to 6 and all is well.

  • Kyle #26 3 years ago

    I would have thought that most people buying any DLC for a game would already be on Gold.

  • zarglu #27 3 years ago

    Live Gold = test of intelligence, if you're subscribed, you failed it.

  • MistaLarge #28 3 years ago

    1/3 of the missions for 1/2 the price - that's even before you consider that you've already purchased the game engine. Think I'll wait for the price drop.

  • miiiguel #29 3 years ago

    "I hope they never make live free, id miss all the whining about it if they did. "

    QFT! And it helps to make it a litle bit less crowded.

  • 8bitMofo #30 3 years ago

    To all the Silver members: you'll need more than 5 days to get the online achievements