Roman Bellic
Cousin
He lied to Niko in his letters, gambles money he does not have and remains the only person Niko truly trusts. Most of his calls are irritating, which is precisely the point.
He came for the American dream. He found a cousin buried in debt.
GTA IV is the only entry in which the protagonist wants to build nothing. Niko Bellic wants to stop, and the whole game is about nobody allowing him to do so.
Last checked on 20 August 2026.
Niko Bellic arrives in Liberty City aboard the cargo ship Platypus. He goes to his cousin Roman, who wrote about mansions, sports cars and women, while escaping a war whose events still burden him.
None of Roman's claims is true. There is no mansion or car, only a failing taxi business, loan-shark debts and a leaking flat. GTA IV's American dream ends about ten minutes after arrival.
That is why GTA IV differs from the series. Earlier protagonists wanted empires. Niko wants to rescue his cousin and find the man who betrayed his unit in an ambush.
We examine the whole story except the resolution itself. The ending has a separate page so nobody reads it unintentionally.
Who Niko Bellic is
A former soldier from Eastern Europe. During the war, he survived an attack that could not have happened by chance: someone within the unit sold them out. Three of twelve men survived.
After the war he survived through various work, including aboard a ship transporting people. Ray Bulgarin accuses him of theft from that period and follows him to Liberty City.
Why this is an exception in the series
Niko is not innocent, and the game never pretends otherwise. He kills for money and knows it. Unlike other protagonists, it costs him something: he does not do it smiling, and nobody applauds him.
Who is who
Nine names without which the story makes no sense
Mikhail Faustin
Russian mobster and first employer
Unpredictable and dangerous mainly to himself. He gives Niko work while drawing him into a dispute Niko did not create.
Dimitri Rascalov
Faustin's right-hand man and the main antagonist
Calm, polite and entirely without feeling. He betrays Niko at the first opportunity and repeatedly tries to do so throughout the rest of the game.
Little Jacob
Yardies member and friend
One of the few people who wants nothing from Niko. Alongside Roman, he shows that Niko is capable of something other than work.
Packie McReary
Irish gangster
A companion on several jobs, including a bank robbery that ranks among the best-written missions in the series.
Kate McReary
Packie's sister
An unusual GTA relationship: Kate wants neither money nor a favour from Niko and is the only person who tells him that his actions are wrong.
Michelle
Undercover government agent
She appears to be Niko's girlfriend but leads him into a trap that results in work for government agencies.
Ray Bulgarin
Former employer from Europe
He recalls the past Niko left across the ocean, proving that moving country does not mean escaping oneself.
Darko Brevic
The wartime traitor
The man behind Niko's entire search. When government agents bring him from Romania, the player receives the choice discussed for ten hours.
Five parts of the story
From arrival to the final choice
- 1
Arrival and Roman
Niko discovers Roman's real situation and helps with the loan sharks. The game teaches its controls while setting a tone smaller and dirtier than expected.
Roman's debts are not a problem money can solve. They are people.
- 2
The Russian strand
Through Faustin, Niko begins working for organised crime, doing what he did not come to America to do.
Dimitri betrays him. From then on, the game has a clear opponent and Niko a clear reason.
- 3
Working for everyone
Niko works through several families and factions: the Irish, the Italian Mafia and government agencies. Each hires him for the same purpose and promises this job is the last.
None wants Niko to stop. This cycle is deliberate within the story.
- 4
The trail to Darko
The search for the unit's traitor continues throughout. Niko's government contacts eventually bring Darko to him.
The meeting is not an action scene. It is a conversation and a choice.
- 5
The final choice
Niko ultimately chooses between a deal with Dimitri and revenge. Both routes lead to Roman's wedding and both carry a cost.
The precise outcome is examined on a separate page so nobody reads it unintentionally.
How the fourth game differs from the rest of the series
Our analysis, not information from Rockstar
A protagonist who does not want it
CJ wanted his neighbourhood back, Tommy an empire and Trevor chaos. Niko wants to stop. The game is about nobody allowing him to do so.
The phone as relationship and irritation
Characters call Niko and want to meet. Many players disliked it, yet it is one of the game's most accurate ideas: relationships consume time even when inconvenient.
A city rather than a playground
Liberty City is modelled on New York and is dense, grey and confined. It is not a theme park but a place where people live.
Choices that resolve nothing
The player repeatedly decides whether a supporting character lives. No outcome brings relief, and the game does not attempt to identify the right one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the story of GTA IV about?
Niko Bellic, a former soldier from Eastern Europe, joins his cousin Roman in Liberty City. He wants a new life and to find the man who betrayed his unit during the war. Roman lives on debt and lied, so Niko instead enters organised crime.
Who betrayed Niko's unit?
Darko Brevic. He sold Niko's unit for money, and three of twelve men survived the attack. Government agents bring him from Romania near the end, and the player decides his fate.
Who is GTA IV's main antagonist?
Dimitri Rascalov. Initially the right-hand man of Russian mobster Mikhail Faustin, he betrays Niko at the first opportunity and repeatedly tries to kill him afterwards.
When was GTA IV released?
On 29 April 2008 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, followed by PC in December that year. The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony were released in 2009.
Why is GTA IV so different from the other games?
Its protagonist wants to build nothing. Niko tries to stop, but his surroundings and the people around him will not let him. The dense grey Liberty City and Euphoria physics also make it closer to a drama than a carefree drive.
Does GTA IV have multiple endings?
Yes, two. Niko chooses between Deal and Revenge, and both routes lead to Roman's wedding. The endings page explains who dies in each and what follows.
How it ends
The final choice has two outcomes, and both carry a cost. We examine them separately so nobody encounters spoilers unintentionally.