Forums aflame over GTAIV freezing

[UPDATE]: PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 players alike reporting crash problems with Rockstar Games' latest; Sony reports an "extremely low volume" of complaints, promises it is working on a solution.

Last month, the launch of Rockstar Games' Bully on the Xbox 360 was marred by a bevy of crash bugs and other glitches. With this morning's heavily anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto IV for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Rockstar finds itself dealing with still more troubleshooting trouble, as online forums are buzzing with reports of crashes.

Combing through crash threads on the Xbox.com forums, Sony's official message boards, GameSpot, and the NeoGAF forums, it seems that the issues are affecting PlayStation 3 users more frequently, although gamers with both systems are reporting problems. Reports of crashes on the 60GB version of the PS3 hardware are the most common, and tech support advice like deleting and re-installing the game doesn't appear to address the issue effectively.

[UPDATE] When asked about freezing issues, A Rockstar representative directed GameSpot to Sony for comment. Earlier today, a Sony representative replied with the following statement:

"Yes, we are aware of what the message boards and a few of the industry blogs are saying about a 'freezing' issue with GTA IV on a limited number of PS3s. Although we have seen an extremely low volume of contacts to our customer service department regarding such an issue, we want to ensure that every consumer has a great experience on our console and with GTA IV. All parties involved are working to isolate the problem for those few units and identify a solution."

A Microsoft representative has not yet returned a request for comment.

1303 Comments

  • prtarget

    Posted Jun 11, 2008 2:54 pm PT

    ive already changed my gta 2times because it shut off because it said disc needed to be cleaned and it still wouldnt work if i cleaned it but all my other games worked fine

  • vbadandy

    Posted May 29, 2008 9:15 pm PT

    I have the 40g PS3 after trying 2 disc i can"t get past the first part of the first mission now my ps3 won't play other games i'm totally screwed no other games will play anybody got a fix?

  • R3NeGaDeAnGeL

    Posted May 29, 2008 1:52 pm PT

    had to put up with about 15 freezes before i beat the game..every time it froze, i wouldnt play it for a couple days and had to beat it basically one mission at a time and couldn't play for more than an hour...complete bullcrap! never had any issues on last gen consoles.....what will happen with the newer technology we get int the future? will graphics and gameplay increase at the expense of a "limited" number of people who can't enjoy it because of crappy game engineering? who knows..

  • sutherlandc

    Posted May 19, 2008 8:50 pm PT

    The 7 May 08 patch from Sony fixed everything on my 80 GB PS3. The patch corrected the problem with the online server overload, which used to cause mine to freeze up even during campaign mode. Now, campaign and online play are perfect, fast, and flawless...like me, lol.

  • airman1027

    Posted May 17, 2008 3:44 pm PT

    I have the Xbox 360. Game played fine for like a week, many hours of play then it just froze. I can sit in his apartment when i first log in, then when I go outside and run around or hop in a car or interact with almost anything freeze. Happens every time.

  • Javier

    Posted May 14, 2008 7:22 pm PT

    I played for 33 hours and giot to a specific mission, the game would freeze at certain point. Restarted the console, tried again the mission andt get a freeze at the exact same point; tried a third time and the frezeeing continued, after that it may seem that the mission activated a "freeze continuosly" code that keeps popping "unable to read disc" message on the screen. The game is unplayable now.

  • bugzlayer

    Posted May 14, 2008 7:52 am PT

    I've been having unreadable disc errors on my Xbox 360 and it's beginning to get seriously annoying. Below is a message I emailed to Take Two via the "support" section on their website. This is clearly an issue with the game and not the hardware, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people having it. If you are experiencing problems too, please e-mail Take Two as well so it'll pressure them into releasing a fix.

    ------

    Hello,

    I am experiencing "Unreadable disc" errors with my copy of GTA IV (purchased in the UK). They usually occur after about half an hour of play, though occasionally they occur as soon as startup. The problem has been getting progressively worse as I have advanced in the game.

    I have tried the following things to correct the problem:
    - Restarting console
    - Moving console to a ventilated area
    - Playing without a memory device
    - Emptying hard drive cache
    - Deactivating Xbox Live
    - Changing PAL settings

    The game disk is not scratched. None of the above tricks have worked. Since this is the only game I have had issues with I can only conclude that the product is defective or there are serious bugs within the game.

    What solutions can you suggest to help me?

  • interdigitate

    Posted May 13, 2008 9:52 am PT

    Why isn't rockstar or the media mentioning all the freezing on the 360?? I got my GTA yesterday and I can't get past the first mission. First time I ran it it crashed with a black screen before the first cut scene loaded. The second time I ran it I passed the cut scene but once i started playing and i dropped the guy to his house in the first mission it crashed with a blue checkered screen. Then I got the RROD! I rebooted a few times nothing. Then I decided to remove the CD from the drive and it booted fine. When I came to shutdown my xbox crashed. Then it crashed when i restarted xbox. Somehow then my xbox started working fine. I put GTA in again and guess what, crashed again on the first cut scene!!

  • abguill

    Posted May 12, 2008 6:50 pm PT

    I found out the reason mine froze on the 360. I was using the system cooler on the back and apparantely, that and the game were using too much power so the system gave me the Red Rings of Death. Once I took of the cooler and just played that way, everything was fine. Hope that helps those out there with 360's who are having issues.

  • WJCJ

    Posted May 11, 2008 7:46 pm PT

    The only reason mine freezes is because i play it for 17 hours straight....lol

  • realtech49

    Posted May 11, 2008 2:25 pm PT

    i would like to now if a patch can fix the campaign mode cuz its not the online game play thats freezing on me, its the offline game play.

  • F-unit2008

    Posted May 8, 2008 12:08 pm PT

    cheasts thats my answer after i played it on the 20th % it was glitchin then freezes with cheats

  • dmabee

    Posted May 6, 2008 3:44 pm PT

    I have had mine for my PS3 for 3 days now, no problems yet, crossing my fingers that it doesn't freeze. Already have too much time invested!

  • rpgisforme

    Posted May 6, 2008 10:43 am PT

    i'm pretty far into the game just under 50% completion, on the baby 20 gig and I haven't had a problem yet. I asked my brother who has an 80 gig and he says it's playing perfect too

  • the3game

    Posted May 6, 2008 4:26 am PT

    I have a 60 gb ps3 console, and i've been playing gta 4 without being online, some days ago i saw this rumor of the freezing, and some of them told that it was when the ps3 is online that it freezes most of the times, so i created 2 saves, and went to test it on my console...
    Surprise, surprise it freezed. So i turned of the online, and continued playing without any other problems, just have to wait for R* to deliver a patch for it...

  • mergedsalem23

    Posted May 5, 2008 11:40 am PT

    this is some bull crap I've been throught three copies of gta4 it still freezess on my 360 I've didnt even make it throught 10% of the game and so what I've did is brought a brand new game rainbow six vegas 2 and it work perfectly rockstar better fix this probably or they will be losing money.

  • swisdwag

    Posted May 5, 2008 7:22 am PT

    Haven't had a single problem with my copy on my 360. Game runs flawlessly so far. My brother on the other hand, has the 60gb PS3 version and he can't get past picking Roman up at the garage. It freezes everytime in that spot. I told him to get a new harddrive and try that. I'm already 42% into the game WOOT. Game is great so far guys. The longest I've played before turning it off is about 4 hours. No lag, no freezing, no unreadable disk messages. I don't know what's wrong with you guys' disk or consoles but mine's workin like a friggin champ!

  • awnshegh

    Posted May 4, 2008 10:04 pm PT

    Played almost non stop on 360 and only had it freeze 3 times. Eachtime I clicked the Green X button to bring up the Xbox sidebar and then clicked B to close it again. Some how this cleared it all up. For me at least. I've also noticed it only happened when usg the wireless connection. Think it might have dropped out freaking the game out a little.

    Sorry guys but not so sure about the disc read errors. I haven't had that one on my elite console at all. Touch wood.

  • razza92

    Posted May 4, 2008 6:30 am PT

    the first day i bought it which was yesterday whilst connected to the internet and trying to go online or load the game..it doesnt..so this is what i did:
    turn the ps3 on
    sign-out of PSN
    clean the internet cache & cookies in the internet explorer
    disable the search for media server if not done so..
    turn on the game
    when trying to go online sign in from the game and not before starting the game
    wait about 30 seconds after connecting to stablilise connection to the server of the game
    then look for game and if customising, do so whilst in a game mode as it may crash..

    and you should be fine..

    well thats what i did and i can stay connect b4 it now..and i have a 60GB PS3..

  • isoseon87

    Posted May 4, 2008 5:40 am PT

    I have the 360 copy of the game, and mine freezes too, it says, disc is unreadable and to wipe it with a soft cloth, which I have, and there is no scratches or smudges or anything on the disk, yet it still wont work, I'm about 6-7hours into the game, just after completed 'Master and the Molotov', and now I cant play for more then a minuite without this happening, and yes, all of my other like 10games work perfectly fine,

    anyone?? please!!

  • djgrassi

    Posted May 4, 2008 3:05 am PT

    I have a 40GB PS3 and my game freeze at the loading screen, for fix the problem disable the internet connection of your PS3.

  • slim-shady

    Posted May 3, 2008 6:58 pm PT

    I have the 360 version of the game and i can play fine/with no lag and all for about 7 mins and than i get a "disk is unreadable" error...i tried my disk on my neighbors 360 and it worked for well over an hour....also all my games work fine on my xbox 360......9 other games ..also gta IV works excellently without my HDD attached to my 360 but as soon as i connect the HDD to thr 360..it will hang and freeze in about 7 mins....WOW im hella mad rockstar come on...

  • spidereddie

    Posted May 3, 2008 6:54 pm PT

    Thanks Rockstar for shoving our noses in what you just crapped out. My GTA forever sits on "starting new game". 30 minutes and counting. Throw me a freakin bone here!

  • Drkr_Zen

    Posted May 3, 2008 6:40 pm PT

    Here's hoping they fix it. The quick fix of signing off the network, prior to loading the game, is alright.. albeit annoying, for now. But I can't play this game online at all. Each time I choose connect for Multiplayer, the whole game freezes and I have to shut the system off manually.

    This doesn't hurt the game as a whole, as it's amazing.. but it certainly isn't pleasing the gaming community. So, hopefully Rockstar is working on this issue right away.

  • Mikeski

    Posted May 3, 2008 12:13 pm PT

    to sutherlandc: the fix works but you need to keep the internet connectivity off until you are sure you have a completely stable connection. If it keeps hiccuping then the game will continue to freeze.

  • Mikeski

    Posted May 3, 2008 11:42 am PT

    I completed 20% of the game and it froze. It's frustrating. Rockstar needs to develop a patch quickly because its annoying.

  • sutherlandc

    Posted May 3, 2008 11:16 am PT

    THE FIX!!!
    Update from my 29 April post: The solution which DOES work every time, is to release and renew the IP address by disabling, then enabling the internet connection in the XMB under network settings. The reason this works every time is because GTA IV must be the first PS3 game to have online connectivity on constantly in order to allow multiplayer access, as from the cell phone during campaign play. Any hiccups in your home network can cause the game to crash during campaign play, not cool. As a former internet technician, it just made sense to do a release / renew of my IP address. After I released / renewed the IP address, it didn't freeze any more. You may have to release/renew after a power outage if you have to reset your wireless router. This fix is reliable, and does NOT require you to delete your saved games!! Please try this and let me know if it works for you. Oh by the way, SONY, if you're listening, try this, and scratch the cell phone idea next time. Thanks.

  • vinmaster008

    Posted May 3, 2008 10:23 am PT

    this is crap i just got mine 2 days ago and it gets stuck on the loading screen

  • BrandonR89

    Posted May 3, 2008 9:41 am PT

    Mine has started freezing, I'm very frustrated, and it's also started getting stuck on the loading screen at startup. I've managed to get past it by ejecting and re-inserting the disc, but I've only done it twice so I don't swear by it. This is so disappointing.

  • Twitch27

    Posted May 3, 2008 7:50 am PT

    Yep mines freezing,

    f*****g hell i am so annoyed...

    Anyone got any solutions?

    xxx

  • Bull2

    Posted May 2, 2008 6:41 pm PT

    i just got my copy yesterday and at first im having my doubts of it not freezing on me.. and luckily it didnt.. now im thinking.. those problems of freezing comes from "overused" consoles.. im not really sure, but thats just my opinion..

  • Icehearted

    Posted May 2, 2008 5:14 pm PT

    Okay, so I don't know if this counts but last night mine went into a loading screen after a mission brief and it didn't stop. It just said 'loading', and that was that. I let it sit for about 3 minutes before I switched off the system. It was on my Xbox 360, but again, I don't know if that's what they mean by freezing.

  • McDog3

    Posted May 2, 2008 12:53 pm PT

    I haven't had much time to play for extended periods, but I haven't had a problem yet. I have the 20 GB PS3 (installed a 60 gig into it later on) and so far so good with no freezes or crashes from the game.....

  • geeko316

    Posted May 2, 2008 12:52 pm PT

    my 360 version froze once when i tried leaving a QUEB3D game about 15 hours in. I tried to replicate it and I couldn't get it to freeze again. I'm sure they are working hard to resolve this problem. We'll probably see a patch within the next week.

  • vulpecule

    Posted May 2, 2008 11:59 am PT

    my 60GB PS3 and an europe ver. GTA4...work together real fine...my longest hours so far is 7 hours 11 minutes...never freeze !!!

  • Phazevariance

    Posted May 2, 2008 11:28 am PT

    No freezing on my 360 copy.

  • Col_Swamp

    Posted May 2, 2008 9:40 am PT

    its froze up on me twice in prolly 15-20 hrs of gaming. so no biggie really. still though I wouldnt mind a patch to fix it. at least sony is letting it's consumers know that it's trying to work something out.

  • londonrider

    Posted May 2, 2008 5:16 am PT

    "an extremely low volume of contacts to our customer service"
    Everyone knows how hopeless the service is, so nobody's contacting
    However, all my colleagues with different versions of PS3 are experiencing friezing AND crashes

  • trapezanidis

    Posted May 2, 2008 3:17 am PT

    i have the xbox 360 AUSSI version and i played it on the 29th of april from 10 am till about 11:00pm and it did not freeze once on me and still playing it from about 9 am every morning till somtimes 12:00 am without turning my xbox 360 off so i have had no problems and yes im addicted to grand theft auto IV even though i completed it in 3 days i still play it ....

  • MadMattg22

    Posted May 2, 2008 3:09 am PT

    Not had any problems on my 250Gb PS3...

  • EvilAzn

    Posted May 2, 2008 12:39 am PT

    i have the 360 version, it freezes up randomly. for example, i can play 2 hours and then have it freeze. other times, it'll freeze 5 times in 30 minutes. i've exchanged the game at a gamestop, and the problem still persists. getting really annoying. it's also nice to see that microsoft has no reponse yet....awesome.

  • Devvy01

    Posted May 1, 2008 10:16 pm PT

    one word - Refund!

  • themanhw

    Posted May 1, 2008 9:56 pm PT

    I have a 60 gig that I got Feb '07. Didn't update my system yet to v2.20 (cuz my internet has some sorta problem now). Installed fine, played for 'bout 4 hrs and went thru some cut scenes just fine. I'm using the original Sixaxis controller rite now, luv the game.
    LONG LIVE VIRTUAL DRUNK DRIVING AND EXOTIC DANCERS!!!

  • bennae66

    Posted May 1, 2008 7:02 pm PT

    i have a 120gb elite and a 40gb bluray3. i bought the 360 version due to its online and the live service. i am close to 10 hours into it so far and no issues yet... check the halo/team america ripoff on tv... my favorite show!

  • thebeast619

    Posted May 1, 2008 6:50 pm PT

    i have the 60 gig ps3 and it didnt freeze not even once

  • Sony110

    Posted May 1, 2008 5:35 pm PT

    I have a 60gb Ps3 and 44gb free space. (if that has anything do to with it)

    I'm a couple of hours in the game and it has ran very smoothly so far. Game hasn't froze on me yet, and hopefully wont.

  • conyshea

    Posted May 1, 2008 4:33 pm PT

    during cutscenes it does take a while for me to load every now and then. quite the contrary to the xbox 360 spokesperson who said "you can virtually play the whole game through from start to finish without a single load screen"

  • lamprey263

    Posted May 1, 2008 3:13 pm PT

    it's funny that the one time the game did crash was just after reading this article, but I've played it plenty since and not had a problem

  • Richard__Joh

    Posted May 1, 2008 2:15 pm PT

    I have played it for 2 days now, and today the game started to mess with me. I have the 360 version and the game froze 3 times during 20 minutes . I then had to restart my box just to see the same thing happen again and again....... grrrrrrr!

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