After 17 years the most sophisticated bike mod has landed in GTA 4, and it wasn't easy: 'I wanted it to feel like GTA 4 always meant to have bikes—not like some clunky workaround'

In the grand tradition of PC gamers refusing to let old games rest, one modder has finally gifted Grand Theft Auto 4 fully-working bicycles—a feature Rockstar apparently decided was too whimsical for 2008's bleak Eastern European immigrant crime drama.

Crucially, the originally-named Bicycle Mod for GTA IV isn't a daft model swap. Those familiar with the GTA 4 modding scene will likely have tried the suite of broken bike 'em ups that've graced the gritty streets of Liberty City, but in this instance, creator Shvab has thrown themselves into GTA 4's ageing vehicle logic, disabling engine health, bypassing fuel-tank explosions, and preventing NPCs from trying to 'start the engine' on a literal bicycle. There's even a custom IK system so Niko's feet land properly on the pedals. As Shvab puts it: "I wanted it to feel like GTA 4 always meant to have bikes—not like some clunky workaround."

The mod is open source too, which means Liberty City's most chaotic engineers are already plotting upgrades. Planned features include a proper bunny hop and the ability to stand while riding—presumably so you can flee the cops at a blistering 12 mph while looking even more ridiculous.

Shvab says the most surprising part of the project wasn't adding the bike itself, but convincing GTA 4's 2008 vehicle code to stop panicking about it. "The game treats everything with wheels like a car, so half the work was teaching it that a bicycle isn't supposed to explode, stall, or behave like a dying taxi," he explains.

According to Shvab, fixing that meant rewriting parts of the handling setup, disabling engine logic entirely, and forcing the game to accept that bicycles don't need starter motors, fuel tanks, or collision reactions designed for SUVs.

"I wanted it to feel native—like the systems were already there and just needed waking up," he says. Considering Niko now pedals around Liberty City without spontaneously combusting, he might actually be underselling the achievement.

And honestly? It's great. There's something quietly miraculous about watching GTA 4's famously dour protagonist wobble across Broker Bridge, dodging taxis like he's playing Frogger with outstanding warrants. In a world where official remasters are hit and miss at best, there's joy in watching a community fix a 17-year-old omission with sheer enthusiasm.