2008
This page documents events taking place in the year 2008.
Game World
HD Universe
- The events of Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony take place between September and early November.
- Steve Haines becomes the host of The Underbelly of Paradise.
Real World
- 2 January: The Deathmatch mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is released.
- 14 January: The Things To Do In San Andreas Beta 4 mod is released.
- 23 January: TeamXbox, IGN, CVG, VideoGamer.com, GamesRadar, GameSpy, GameSpot and Kikizo preview Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 24 January: The worldwide release date for Grand Theft Auto IV is announced as April 29, 2008.
- Power Unlimited release four new screenshots.
- IGN Australia preview the use of NaturalMotion's Euphoria Technology in Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 27 January: Three new screenshots of Grand Theft Auto IV are released by BestBuy.
- 29 January: IGN preview combat in Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 30 January: LCPD wanted posters of Niko Bellic are put up in New York City.
- Dan Houser (Vice President of Rockstar Games) previews Grand Theft Auto IV to the Associated Press. The Boston Herald published an article based on the review.
- 1 February: One new screenshot of Grand Theft Auto IV is released by Yahoo.
- One new screenshot of Grand Theft Auto IV is released by Planet Grand Theft Auto.
- 3 February: One new screenshot of Grand Theft Auto IV is released by Yahoo.
- 4 February: Rockstar Games announces that the Australian version of Grand Theft Auto IV will be uncensored, having been rated MA15+ by the Office of Film and Literature Classification.
- 6 February: German magazine Computerbild-Spiele previews Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 8 February: The official Grand Theft Auto IV website is launched.
- 9 February: PSM3 and GamesMaster magazines preview Grand Theft Auto IV. The Games Master magazine releases new game art for Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 11 February: Kotaku previews Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 14 February: CVG interview Dan Houser.
- 17 February: Gamespy release a screenshot of Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 19 February: Information from the French PSM3 magazine, scheduled to be in newstands on 25 February, is revealed.
- 20 February: Rockstar Games announce that the first episode of downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto IV will be released in August 2008.
- 21 February: Two new screenshots for Grand Theft Auto IV are released on Planet Grand Theft Auto.
- The official Grand Theft Auto IV website is updated. New screenshots, videos and pieces of information are released.
- 22 February: Game Planet publish an article about Grand Theft Auto IV and release a new screenshot.
- Information from a preview, for Grand Theft Auto IV, from the Swedish magazine Level is reported on the internet three days before the magazine hits news stands.
- 24 February: Electronic Arts announce they have made a $2 billion offer to purchase Take-Two Interactive, who own Rockstar Games.
- Take-Two Interactive reject Electronic Arts offer.
- 27 February: Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle, or USK, rate Grand Theft Auto IV 18 in Germany.
- 28 February: IGN, TeamXbox, GameSpy, CVG, VideoGamer, Kikizo and 1UP preview Grand Theft Auto IV. New screenshots for the game are released.
- 1 March: Artwork of Niko Bellic is found on a wall in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in New York City.
- Electronic Gaming Monthly preview Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 3 March: A poster of Niko Bellic begins to be up at the corner of Spring and Canal in Manhattan, New York City.
- 7 March: The official Grand Theft Auto IV website is updated with new screenshots and pieces of information released.
- 10 March: EDGE Magazine previews Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 11 March: A poster of Niko Bellic at the corner of Spring and Canal in Manhattan, New York City is completed.
- Take-Two Interactive release their first quarter financial results for the period November 1, 2007 to January 31, 2008.
- UGO and Game Informer magazines preview Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 12 March: Two new screenshots are released on Planet Grand Theft Auto.
- KING Magazine previews Grand Theft Auto IV and reveals that DJ Green Lantern will appear in the game as a DJ.
- 13 March: MTV preview Grand Theft Auto IV and release two new screenshots.
- 14 March: PSM magazine in Spain previews the multiplayer aspect of Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 16 March: German magazines MAN!AC and GamePro preview Grand Theft Auto IV.
- Portuguese magazine BGamer previews Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 17 March: EvilAvatar releases a new screenshot for Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 18 March: The Our-Own Reality section of the Grand Theft Auto IV website is updated and a new screenshot is released.
- 20 March: The official Grand Theft Auto IV website is updated and new screenshots are released.
- 21 March: PLAY Magazine previews the mulitplayer aspect of Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 24 March: The Weazel News section of the official Grand Theft Auto IV website is updated.
- 25 March: Xbox 360 World magazine previews Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 26 March: The Official Xbox Magazine in the United States of America previews Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 27 March: Rockstar Games announced the Rockstar Games Social Club.
- Planet Grand Theft Auto release a new screenshot from the fourth trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV, hours before the trailer is released.
- The fourth trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV is released.
- 28 March: IGN publishes an article called IGN Presents: The History of Grand Theft Auto.
- IGN publish an interview with the developers of Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 29 March: Three new game arts for Grand Theft Auto IV appear on Planet Grand Theft Auto.
- 30 March: The Australian edition of Zoo magazine publish an article about Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 31 March: IGN preview Grand Theft Auto IV and release new screenshots.
- 1 April: A new screenshot is released by Planet Grand Theft Auto.
- The BBFC rate Grand Theft Auto IV 18 in the United Kingdom.
- A video is released and gives a guided tour of Liberty City.
- 2 April: Kotaku preview Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 3 April: OPM, EGM and the Portuguese version of PS3M preview Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 4 April: A writer at Games Radar is interviewed after having completed Grand Theft Auto IV.
- It is revealed that that the Australian version of Grand Theft Auto IV will be censored to achieve the MA15+ rating.
- Rockstar Games purchase Mad Doc Software, which was then re-named Rockstar New England. The company had previously worked with Rockstar Games to help publish Bully: Scholarship Edition.
- 7 April: The official Grand Theft Auto IV website is updated with new screenshots released.
- Game Kult release twelve new screenshots of Grand Theft Auto IV.
- 8 April: USAToday.com publish an article about Grand Theft Auto IV.
- Game art of Karl Lagerfeld is released.
- 29 April: Grand Theft Auto IV is released.
- 6 August: Grand Theft Auto IV is confirmed for PC. It will be released on November 18 in North America and November 21 in Europe. Sam Houser, the founder of Rockstar Games, says: "We are very excited to be releasing the PC version of Grand Theft Auto 4. The whole team is dedicated to bringing an amazing gaming experience to the PC. The game looks and plays beautifully on PC and we can't wait for people to play it." [Note: Rockstar Games delayed the game for December 2, 2008 Usa And December 3, 2008 in the U.K.]
- 20 October: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is released onto Xbox live marketplace as an Xbox originals download on Xbox 360 for 1200 Microsoft points.
- 2 and 3 December: Grand Theft Auto IV for PC is released in North America and Europe, respectively.