Grand Theft Auto 4 PC Uses SecuROM DRM

Today Rockstar Games released quite a hefty FAQ on the installation process of the PC version of GTA IV. As part of an anti-piracy strategy, the publisher has implemented a strong form of Digital Rights Management, DRM for short, that requires you to activate your copy of the game once through the internet.

- Activation via Internet (1x per system, no limits, Fallback for systems without web access)
- Copy protection Securom: The original disc is required for playing (Execpt: Download version of GTA 4, for example from Direct 2 Drive)
- Requirements for playing (singleplayer): Games for Windows Live account for saving/achievements (1x free creation), original disc, Securom runs in the background
- Requirements for playing (multiplayer): Active internet connection, Games for Windows Live account, For uploading videos: Rockstar Social Club Account.
- If you don't have web access or don't want to connect your gaming PC to the Internet, Rockstar wants to offer a not yet specified system to activate GTA 4 via another PC with web access. Details are supposed to be available on launch.
- For the normal GTA 4 (PC) version with disc installation, activations are unlimited. But the original disc is required for playing.
- This does not apply for legally downloaded versions of GTA 4: Depending on the vendor the following is possible: Five parallel installations with the possibility to revive a "free” installation, if an old installation is deleted. For this purpose the customer has to have web access with the PC GTA 4 is installed on.
- Those playing GTA 4 with an illegally hacked version have, according to Rockstar, to fear that the game will not be fully playable.
- If you change two major components of your PC (like the graphics card or the CPU), you will possible have to reactivate GTA 4.