OVERLibertyRecompAndroid: GTA IV runs natively on Android handhelds through static recompilation
Grand Theft Auto IV is now running on Android handhelds without an emulator. LibertyRecompAndroid, by vaduur, is an Android port of Liberty Recompiled, the static recompilation of the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV. The game's code has been translated ahead of time into native arm64 code, and it draws through Vulkan using a Mesa Turnip driver that ships inside the app.
How well it runs
It was developed and tested on a Retroid Pocket 5 (Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650). There, the developer reports the intro, early story missions, free roam and driving all play, at the console's native 720p with FXAA and a 30 FPS cap that mostly holds, dipping to about 25 to 29 FPS on the heaviest skyline views. Shadows and draw distance match the console, while traffic and pedestrian density are lowered to save CPU time. Audio, the radio, cutscenes and videos work. Occasional crashes to the home screen still happen, so save often.
What you need
- Your own Xbox 360 copy of GTA IV and its title update. No game files are included.
- Android 10 or newer, 64-bit, on an ARMv8.2 chip (the Snapdragon 835 and similar crash on start).
- An Adreno 6xx or 7xx GPU; a Snapdragon 865 class chip or faster is recommended. Adreno 8xx support is experimental, and version 0.5.9.3 added very early Mali support that the developer only tried on a Pixel 7.
- About 15 GB of free space while installing and 8 GB of RAM recommended. An Xbox-layout controller is strongly recommended, though there's a new on-screen gamepad.
Worth knowing
The developer is upfront that the port was written largely with an AI coding assistant and is unstable, and says there will be no updates until the end of October. The episodes and online play haven't been tested on Android. If you have a Snapdragon handheld like the Retroid Pocket 5, AYN Odin 2 or Thor, it's worth a try; check our GPU drivers hub if you want to try a different Turnip build. Grab the APK from the project's GitHub releases.