A modder has rebuilt the entire GTA 4 intro cutscene inside GTA 5 Enhanced. The project runs on the PC version’s ray tracing features, so the 2008 opening scene now plays with modern lighting and reflections.
The work comes from modder MrVicho13. It was shared on X by community member Ben (@videotech), who called it the first time a custom cutscene of this size has been ported into GTA 5.
What the GTA 4 intro mod includes
The mod goes beyond playing the original video file inside GTA 5. MrVicho13 imported the scene’s assets and rebuilt it in real time using the GTA 5 engine.
The recreated cutscene includes:
- Niko Bellic and his cousin Roman
- The Platypus cargo ship that brings Niko to Liberty City
- The boats and planes seen around the harbor in the original scene
The animations, voice acting and subtitles were also adapted so they work inside GTA 5. That means the scene plays with the original dialogue, not a silent recreation.
How ray tracing changes the GTA 4 opening scene
The cutscene runs on GTA 5 Enhanced, the upgraded PC version of the game. This version supports ray traced global illumination, reflections and improved ambient occlusion.
In practice, light behaves differently than it did in 2008. Sunlight bounces off surfaces, water and metal show live reflections, and shadows in corners and under objects look softer and more accurate.
GTA 4 was known for its grey, hazy look. Running the same scene through GTA 5’s lighting gives a direct comparison between the two eras of Rockstar’s RAGE engine.
What is GTA 5 Enhanced?
GTA 5 Enhanced is a free upgrade for PC players that launched on March 4, 2025. It brought ray traced shadows and reflections from the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions to PC. It also added two PC-only effects: ray traced ambient occlusion and global illumination.
Rockstar later added more ray tracing options through updates, including higher resolution reflections. These features are what make a project like this GTA 4 intro in GTA 5 possible.
Can you download the GTA 4 intro mod?
The posts shared so far do not mention a public download link or release date. For now, the project appears to be a showcase of what the modder was able to build.
Players who want to follow MrVicho13’s work can check the modder’s GTA 5 mods profile, where past releases are listed.
MrVicho13’s other Rockstar mod projects
This is not the modder’s first cross-game project. MrVicho13 also worked on a mod that brings the GTA San Andreas map into Red Dead Redemption 2.
That project surfaced while the community was focused on the GTA 6 map leaks, which put a large part of Leonida online weeks before Rockstar’s official showcase.
Other ways to play GTA 4 with ray tracing
Players who want GTA 4 itself with modern lighting have another option. Modder xoxor4d has released a GTA 4 RTX Remix path tracing mod, built with NVIDIA’s RTX Remix platform. The first public version arrived in December 2025, and a later update added DLSS 5 support.
The RTX Remix mod works on the original game. MrVicho13’s project is different because it moves GTA 4 content into GTA 5.
Fan projects that keep older GTA games playable in new ways are common. Another example is the fan-made web version that lets you play GTA Vice City in a browser with no install.
[Image: Side-by-side comparison of the original GTA 4 intro and the GTA 5 ray traced version | Alt text: GTA 4 intro original vs GTA 5 ray tracing mod comparison]
Will Rockstar allow the mod?
Rockstar and Take-Two have not commented on the project. Mods that move content between Rockstar games have faced action before. In 2017, a fan project that aimed to bring the Red Dead Redemption map into GTA 5 was cancelled after the team was contacted by Take-Two.
Whether this mod gets a public release may depend on that history. Rockstar’s focus right now is GTA 6, which has a confirmed $80 standard price and is due on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S later this year.
FAQ
Who made the GTA 4 intro mod for GTA 5?
The mod was made by MrVicho13 and shared on X by @videotech.
Does the mod use ray tracing?
Yes. It runs on GTA 5 Enhanced and uses ray traced global illumination, reflections and ambient occlusion.
Is the GTA 4 intro mod available to download?
No download link has been shared at the time of writing.
