Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! The GTA games have often been technical marvels within their respective eras, and some tricks are still impressive to this day. As fans reminisce over the incredible water physics that Grand Theft Auto 4 gave us back in 2008, even one of the game's original tech leads is shocked at what the game can do. On Twitter, fan account GTA 6 Countdown shared a clip of a helicopter landing in a shallow lake in GTA 4. As the chopper comes down, the rotors push away the water, creating a dry spot for you to land. When the blades stop spinning, the water rushes back in, only to be blown backwards again when you prepare for takeoff. "That's cool," Obbe Vermeij, who served as technical director on GTA 4, said in response to the video. "I intended it to be more of a visual thing. Didn't really consider the side effects in shallow water." Former Rockstar technical director " didn’t like GTA 4 that much" at launch because "we had to sacrifice so much" Rockstar's wildest ideas "wouldn't have been as good as GTA," says ex lead, who respects Larian ditching Baldur's Gate 4 This breakdown of graphical tricks in Half-Life and more is an incredible peek behind the curtain That's cool.I intended it to be more of a visual thing. Didn't really consider the side effects in shallow water.February 23, 2026 That's cool.I intended it to be more of a visual thing. Didn't really consider the side effects in shallow water.February 23, 2026 That's cool.I intended it to be more of a visual thing. Didn't really consider the side effects in shallow water.February 23, 2026 You've probably seen Vermeij's name come up a lot if you've been looking at GTA trivia recently, as he's been very publicly sharing insights into the development of the series for years now. He worked on everything from GTA 3 to the expansions for GTA 4, so he's got plenty of insights to share. Notably, Vermeij "didn't like GTA 4 that much." He pointed to the game's lack of mission variety as a major issue, and worried that the team sacrificed too much in terms of gameplay to deliver the impeccable sense of character and atmosphere that GTA 4 is known for. It's tough to say whether the game would be any more beloved than it already is if Rockstar had changed its approach, but one thing's for sure: that water tech looks real good. GTA 4 ranks pretty high on our list of the best Rockstar games.