Rockstar Games has officially announced the phasing out of automatic save migration functionality for Grand Theft Auto 4 from the legacy Games for Windows - Live platform. While the automated system will be discontinued, players will retain the ability to manually transfer their saved game data through a straightforward process.

When Rockstar reintroduced Grand Theft Auto 4 to Steam in 2020, the company completely removed all components associated with Games for Windows - Live, a service Microsoft had discontinued back in 2014. This overhaul integrated the game fully with Rockstar's proprietary online services and launcher ecosystem. To facilitate this transition, the Rockstar Games Launcher incorporated a background scanning feature that automatically detected and imported legacy save files from the GFWL era. Until now, this process has operated automatically, with users having the additional option to manually initiate scans through the launcher's settings menu.

On August 21, Rockstar officially announced the discontinuation of the background scanner and its associated features. Consequently, automatic migration of save data from Games for Windows - Live will no longer be supported. This change will be implemented through a staggered rollout, with the initial phase scheduled for Monday, August 25. Starting from that date, the option to scan for GFWL-era Grand Theft Auto 4 save files will be removed from the Rockstar Games Launcher settings. The complete removal of the automatic scanner will occur on September 16. Between August 25 and September 16, the scanning function will operate exactly once—during the game's installation process.

This discontinuation primarily affects user convenience rather than functionality, as Grand Theft Auto 4 players will still be able to manually migrate their GFWL save data. Legacy files are stored in the "savegames" folder, typically located at "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Rockstar Games\GTA IV" or "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Rockstar Games\GTA IV". These files must be copied to the appropriate directory, accessible through the Rockstar Games Launcher via the save files section in the Settings menu. Note that this shortcut only appears if Grand Theft Auto 4 is already installed on the system.

Rockstar has not provided an official explanation for removing the automatic scanner. Broadly speaking, such decisions typically indicate that discontinued features no longer maintain a sufficient user base to justify ongoing support. This may have been the case with Grand Theft Auto 4's automatic save migration for several years, with the discontinuation serving to streamline the Rockstar Games Launcher's functionality.

How to Manually Migrate GTA 4 GFWL-Era Save Files

1. Install the Rockstar Games Launcher
2. Install Grand Theft Auto 4
3. In the Rockstar Games Launcher, select Settings
4. Under "My installed games," select Grand Theft Auto 4
5. Next to "View save files," select Open
6. Open another File Explorer window
7. Search for legacy save data either by searching for folders named "savegames" or in either of the following locations:
8. Copy any legacy save files to the Rockstar Games Launcher folder opened in Step 5
9. Launch Grand Theft Auto 4

Although this upcoming change is relatively minor, it highlights Rockstar's continued shift away from legacy PC technologies. The discontinuation of Grand Theft Auto 4's GFWL-era save file scanner follows approximately 18 months after the company's previous legacy technology move, which ended Rockstar Games Launcher support for Windows 7 and 8. The developer has not indicated any plans to discontinue the manual migration capability for Grand Theft Auto 4 GFWL save data in the foreseeable future.

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