Over the weekend some weird news appeared, GTA VI would not be able to be purchased at Steam anymore. When I checked it was still available, however, things are rapidly changing globally now. 

Rockstar now claims that Microsoft no longer supports the Games For Windows Live service and as such keys for GTA IV is therefore no longer possible. There have been problems with keeping Grand Theft Auto IV on digital platforms in the past. One of the main issues with the game is the soundtrack, as Rockstar Games has disabled the music in Grand Theft Auto IV in the past. There are limits to how long the licensed songs can remain in games that can be patched and fans can expect similar issues to arise with Grand Theft Auto V in the future.

Developer Rockstar has given an explanation about this to various websites, including Gamespot. According to the developer, the game was originally created for the Games For Windows Live platform. Due to the lack of support for this, according to Rockstar it is no longer possible to release keys for the current version of the game. Recently it turned out that it is no longer possible to buy a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV via Steam. There were speculations that this might have to do with licenses for the music in the game or the deployment of the Rockstar launcher.

The issues with Games for Windows Live might make a remake or remaster a more appealing prospect for Rockstar, in the future. Grand Theft Auto VI is likely Rockstar's highest priority project at the moment, even though CJ's voice actor has shot down the rumors about the game being in development. Grand Theft Auto IV is still loved by many fans of the series and it remains to be seen whether Rockstar is willing to put in the time and effort to get in running on Steam.

Rockstar haven’t said yet how long they expect GTA 4 to be absent from Steam.

GTA IV disappears from Steam - Games For Windows Live support the issue