Saves (GTA 4)

This article deals with the format of a save game file for the PC version of GTA 4.

Location

1.0.8.0 IV / 1.1.3.0 EFLC and older

By default, the game places its save game files into the "%LocalAppData%\Rockstar Games\GTA IV\savegames\user_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\" folder where XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX is a 16-character string tied to the user's Games for Windows Live account.
Players using Xliveless or downgrade patches may find the save files in "%HomePath%\Documents\Rockstar Games\XXXX\savegames\" folder where XXXX is either "GTA IV" (base game), "TLAD", or "TBoGT".

1.2.x CE and newer

Save files for the Complete Edition can be found in "%HomePath%\Documents\Rockstar Games\GTA IV\Profiles\XXXXXXXX\" where XXXXXXXX is a 8-character string tied to the user's Rockstar Social Club account.

Save Slots

The save files themselves are named in the format "SGTA4XX" where XX represents the in-game slot number minus 1. There are 12 slots available in the game (1-12) plus additional auto-save slots (SGTA412 for the base game, SGTA413 for TLAD, and SGTA414 for TBoGT).

Format Details

• Save file size varies but is typically just under 2 megabytes.
• Byte order is little endian. For example, the number 3452 (0x0D7C) is represented as as 0x7C 0x0D.
• A savegame consists of 32 data blocks, two blocks with metadata and a checksum number.

Savegame Metadata

A savegame file starts with this block, which has a constant length of 0x110 bytes.

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x00	dword	savegame version number
0x04	dword	savegame size in bytes
0x08	dword	global variables size (?)
0x0C	char[4]	"SAVE" string
0x10	wchar_t[128]	Name of last mission passed
0x110	end

Notes:

• Savegame version number value is set under the [SAVEGAME_VERSION_NUMBER] section in the GTA IV/common/data/version.txt file
• Last mission name is prefixed with either "TLAD - " or "TBoGT - " for Episodes From Liberty City saves

Data Blocks

Each data block consists of the 5 characters BLOCK followed by a variable amount of data; in general, each block has its own unique internal format. Following the BLOCK character is always a dword specifying the size of the block, starting at the beginning of BLOCK characters.

Block 0: SimpleVars

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x00	char[5]	a "BLOCK" string
0x05	dword	size of block in bytes (always 0xB9)
0x09	dword	start of data; see below

SimpleVars

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	closest safehouse index
0x0004	bool	fade in after load
0x0010	Vector4	camera coordinates (x, y, z, w)
0x0020	uint32	length of ingame timer (ms)
0x0024	uint32	weather timer (?)
0x0028	uint32	in-game month
0x002c	uint32	in-game day
0x0030	uint32	in-game hours
0x0034	uint32	in-game minutes
0x0038	uint32	in-game day of the week
0x003c	bool	whether the player has cheated
0x0040	uint32	game timer
0x0044	uint32	frame count
0x0048	uint32	weather 2
0x004c	uint32	weather 1
0x0050	uint32	forced weather
0x0054	uint32	game hour fraction
0x0060	int	vehicle camera mode
0x0064	int	ped camera mode
0x0068	int	don't zoom on aim
0x0080	int	max wanted level
0x0084	uint32	max chaos level
0x0094	uint32_t	waypoint blip
0xB0	end

Block 1: PlayerInfo

This block has a constant length of 0xD4 bytes.

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	size of block
0x0004	float[3]	player coordinates
0x0010	uint32	constant 192 (size of PlayerInfo)
0x0014	PlayerInfo	player info

PlayerInfo (192 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0008	uint32	player money
0x0010	uint32	player display money
0x0020	uint8	never tired
0x0021	uint8	fast reload
0x0022	uint8	fire proof
0x0024	uint16	max health
0x0026	uint16	max armour
0x0028	uint8	keep weapons after busted
0x0029	uint8	free health care
0x002a	uint8	can drive by
0x002b	uint8	can be hassled by gangs
0x0030	uint32	max wanted level
0x0034	uint32	max chaos
0x0040	float[4]	player coordinates (x,y,z,w)
0x0050	float	health
0x0054	float	armour
0x0058	uint32	(current weapon slot?)
0x005c	uint32[10]	weapon slots
0x0084	uint16[10]	weapons ammo
0x00a4	uint32	prop variation
0x00a8	uint8[11]	drawable variation
0x00b3	uint8[11]	texture variation

Block 2: ExtraContent

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	block size
0x0004	uint64	flags (bit set for the active episode(s))
0x000C	Episode[64]	episodes array

Episode (65 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint8	episode id
0x0001	char[64]	episode name

Block 3: Scripts

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	size of block
0x0004	-	start of block (data below)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	MissionCleanupEntry[456]	mission cleanup entries
0x4E60	uint32	global variables size (size)
0x4E64	uint32[size]	global variables array

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	unknown (value used for padding below) ^
0x0004	int32	xlive globals buffer size (n) ^
0x0008	uint8[n]	xlive globals buffer

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	threads count
0x0004	uint8[24][77]	thread names
0x073C	uint32	threads count
0x0740	Thread[77]	threads

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
?	uint32[]	padding (sum of the following values) (68604 - total stack pointers written[stack pointer]) (77 * 2048 - unknowns written[unknowns]) 2049 - xlive buffers written[xlive buffers] 1024 - unknown number[unknown number]
0x0000	uint32	unknown
0x0004	uint32	last mission pass time
0x0008	Unknown[140] (Unknown is 44 bytes long)	unknown array (script store names)
0x17B0	BuildingSwap[25]	building swap array
0x18DC	InvisibleObject[10]	invisible objects array
0x192C	uint32	ped queue membership size
0x1930	Unknown[8] (88 bytes each)	ped queue membership
0x1BF0	uint32[10]	suppressed car models
0x1C18	ConnectedLOD[10]	connected lods
0x1C68	Unknown[16] (32 bytes each)	unknown (related to TXDs)
0x1E68	Unknown[100] (48 bytes each)	unknown (related to textures)

ConnectedLOD (8 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	object 1 pool index
0x0004	uint32	object 2 pool index

Invisibility Settings (8 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	type (0 = none, 2 = building, 3 = object, 4 = dummy object)
0x0004	uint32	index in the respective pool

BuildingSwap (16 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uin32	type (2 if building swap, 0 if empty)
0x0004	uint32	index of building in pool (0 if type is 0)
0x0008	uint32	new model
0x000C	uint32	old model

Thread

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint8[24]	thread name
0x0018	uint32[2]	(unknown)
0x0020	uint32	saved death arrest stack off
0x0024	uint8	(unknown)
0x0025	uint8	is script safe for network game
0x0026	uint8	should the script be saved
0x0027	uint8	is a minigame script
0x0028	uint8	can remove blips created by any script
0x0029	uint8	(unknown)
0x002A	uint32	(unknown)
0x002E	ThreadContext	script context
0x0082	uint32	constant zero
0x0086	uint32[]	script stack

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	xlive buffer last index (n)
0x0004	uint8[4 * n + 4]	xlive buffer data only if (n) if greater than 0

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32[]	unknown array (size is (1 + unknown last index[unknowns]))

ThreadContext (84 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	thread id
0x0004	uint32	script hash
0x0008	uint32	state
0x000C	uint32	instruction pointer
0x0010	uint32	number of stack pointers ^
0x0014	uint32[3]	timers
0x0024	float	wait time
0x0050	uint32	unknown data last index ^

MissionCleanupEntry (44 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	byte	type
0x0004	uint32	handle
0x0008	uint32	thread id

Types:

• 1 = vehicle
• 2 = character
• 3 = dummy character
• 4 = object
• 5 = ptfx
• 6 = fire
• 7 = group
• 8 = ped queue
• 9 = sequence task
• 10 = decision maker
• 11 = checkpoint
• 12 = texture
• 13 = txd
• 14 = streamed txd
• 15 = cover point
• 16 = anim
• 17 = model
• 18 = blip
• 18 = blip
• 19 = onscreen timer
• 20 = onscreen counter
• 21 = camera
• 22 = viewport

Block 4: Garages

Stores garages defined in the game along with their stored vehicles.

The block starts with a 4 byte integer containing the size of it. The below data follows.

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	garage count
0x0004	uint8	(unknown)
0x0005	uint8	resprays are free
0x0006	uint8	resprays are disabled
0x0007	uint32	(unknown)
0x000B	uint32	safehouse garage count
0x000F	StoredCar[20]	stored cars array
0x05AF	Garage[40]	garages array

StoredCar (72 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	float[3]	position (x, y, z)
0x000C	uint32	handling flags
0x0010	uint16	model index
0x0032	uint8[4]	colors
0x0038	uint32	extras
0x003C	uint32	livery
0x0043	uint8[3]	rotation (x, y, z)
0x0048	uint16	flags (see below)

flags - Bitfield

• 0b000000001 = Valid
• 0b000001000 = Bullet proof
• 0b000010000 = Fire proof
• 0b000100000 = Explosion proof
• 0b001000000 = Collision proof
• 0b010000000 = Melee proof

Note:

• There can be leftover stored cars from previous save games in empty slots. Check if the "Valid" flag is set to see if it will be loaded in game.

Garage (72 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint8	type
0x0001	uint8	open state
0x0002	uint8	door flags
0x0004	float[3]	position (x, y, z)
0x0010	float[2]	direction a (x, y)
0x0018	float[2]	direction b (x, y)
0x0020	float	top z
0x0024	float	(unknown)
0x0028	float	(unknown)
0x002C	float	left coordinate
0x0030	float	right coordinate
0x0034	float	front coordinate
0x0038	float	back coordinate
0x003C	uint32	(unknown)
0x0040	uint32	garage name hash
0x0044	uint8	original type
0x0045	uint8	safehouse garage index (if safehouse)

Block 5: GameLogic

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	size of block
0x0004	uint8	lose money on being wasted
0x0005	uint8	lose weapons on getting busted
0x0006	uint32	unknown (subtracted from money for $500,000 achievement)

Block 7: Pickups

This block contains an array of 650 Pickup structures plus 9 bytes of padding. Each Pickup structure is a constant 0x54 bytes.

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x00	char[5]	a "BLOCK" string
0x04	dword	size of block in bytes (always 0xD55A)
0x08	int	total number of pickups
0x0C	Pickup[650]	pickups array

Pickup

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x00	int32_t	index (-1 indicates unused pickup)
0x04	dword	unknown
0x08	dword	unknown
0x0C	dword	amount (ammo, etc.)
0x10	dword	unknown
0x14	dword	unknown
0x18	int32	blip
0x1C	dword	timer
0x20	Vector3	location (x,y,z)
0x2C	dword	unknown
0x30	dword	unknown
0x34	Vector3	rotation
0x40	dword	unknown
0x44	int16	object ID
0x46	int16	reference number
0x48	byte	pickup type
0x49	byte	flags
0x4A	byte	flags
0x4B	byte	pickup type (HiddenPackage = 3)
0x4C	dword	unknown
0x50	dword	unknown
0x54	(end)

Block 8: Restart

This block stores where the player respawns on dying or getting busted.

It also stores the coordinates for the safehouse spawns

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	wasted restart point count
0x0004	RestartPoint[10]	wasted restart points array
0x00F4	uint32	busted restart point count
0x00F8	RestartPoint[20]	busted restart points array
0x02D8	uint32	safehouse count
0x02DC	Safehouse[6]	safehouses array
0x0432	uint8	override next restart
0x0433	float[4]	overridden restart point coordinates (x, y, z, w)
0x0443	float	overriden restart point heading
0x0447	uint8	supress fade in after death arrest
0x0448	RestartPoint	extra wasted restart point
0x0460	RestartPoint	extra busted restart point

RestartPoint (24 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	float[4]	coordinates (x, y, z, w)
0x0010	float	heading
0x0014	uint32	town (0 = Broker and Dukes, 1 = Algonquin, 2 = Alderney)

Safehouse (57 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	float[4]	coordintaes (x, y, z, w)
0x0010	float	heading
0x0014	char[32]	name
0x0034	uint32	town (see above)
0x0038	uint8	enabled

Block 9: Radar

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	block size
0x0004	uint32	"centre blip" index/id
0x0008	uint32	"north blip" index/id
0x000C	uint32	"simple blip" index/id
0x0010	uint32	saved blips count
0x0014	Blip[150]	blips array

Blip (100 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	blip index
0x0004	bool	not a simple blip
0x0005	uint16	flags
0x0007	float[4]	position (x, y, z, w)
0x001F	char[30]	sprite name * see note below
0x003D	uint16	blip id?
0x003F	uint32	mission cleanup handle
0x0043	uint32	priority
0x0047	uint32	type (only type 4, 8 and 5 are saved)
0x004B	uint32	display
0x004F	float	scale
0x0053	uint32	colour id
0x0057	uint8	alpha
0x0058	uint32	sprite hash?
0x005C	char[8]	unknown ("0000000")

* In 1.2.x CE and newer versions, the sprite name has changed to wchar_t[60]. Add 30 (0x1E) bytes to the offsets after it for this version.

flags - Bitfield

• 0b0000000010 = Friendly Blip (0x2)
• 0b0000000100 = Flashing Blip (0x4)
• 0b0000001000 = Short Ranged blip (0x8)
• 0b0000010000 = A route is displayed to the blip (0x10)
• 0b0010000000 = Is a weapon pickup (multiplayer only) (0x80)
• 0b0100000000 = Alternative Flashing Blip (0x100)
• 0b1000000000 = Long Distance blip (0x200)

Block 10: Zones

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	block size
0x0004	uint32	zone count
0x0008	Zone[300]	zones
0x2EE0	char[100]	(unknown) (likely unused)
0x2F44	uint32	(unknown) (likely unused)

Zone (40 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	char[8]	name
0x0008	char[8]	gxt entry (also used for audio)
0x0010	float[6]	bounds (x1, y1, z1, x2, y2, z2)
0x0020	uint8	population type (bitfield)
0x0021	uint8	scumminess (bitfield)

Block 11: Gangs

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	block size
0x0004	CGang[11]	gangs

CGang (20 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	char[4]	unknown (possibly unused)
0x0008	int[3]	weapons
0x0010	byte[3]	decides the chances for the weapons above
0x0013	byte	unknown (possibly unused)

Note: The game will not give gangs the 2nd weapon in the array until the maximum wanted level reaches 5, and the 3rd weapon until the maximum wanted level reaches 6

Block 12: CarGenerators

This block stores Car Generators managed by scripts in GTA 4. This includes mission rewards and boats or helicopters disabled before Algonquin and Alderney are unlocked.

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	CarGenerator[25]	Car Generators array (see below)
0x044C	Unknown[15]	Unknown is 16 bytes each

CarGenerator

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	float[3]	Position of the Parked Vehicle
0x000C	float[2]	Rotation (X,Y)
0x0014	float[2]	Unknown (has something to do with Z rotation)
0x001C	uint16_t	Model ID
0x001E	uint16_t	Pool index (normally always 0)
0x0022	uint8_t	Color 1
0x0023	uint8_t	Color 2
0x0024	uint8_t	Color 3
0x0025	uint8_t	Color 4
0x0026	uint8_t[5]	Unknown (flags)
0x002B	uint8_t	Enabled (0 = disabled, 101 = enabled)

Block 13: Stats

This block has a constant length of 0x1724 or 0x173C bytes depending on the game version, and stores various statistics; most of which can be viewed the game's Stats menu. To get the offset of a stat from its ID, multiply the ID by 4 and add the offset for Start of stats (0x54 or 0x6C).

1.2.0.32 CE and older

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x00	dword	Size of block
0x04	byte[80]	unknown radio-related stats
0x54	float[]/int[]	Start of statistics by id
0x1724	end

1.2.0.43 CE and newer

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x00	dword	Size of block
0x04	dword[3]	unknown integers
0x10	byte[92]	unknown radio-related stats
0x6C	float[]/int[]	Start of statistics by id
0x173C	end

Block 14: IplStore

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	block size
0x0004	uint32	length of the following array (500)
0x0008	bool[500]	an array of boolean (the wpl of that index will be loaded if true)

Block 15: StuntJumps

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x00	dword	Size of block
0x04	byte	whether stunt jumps are enabled
0x05	dword	number of stunt jumps completed
0x09	dword	number of stunt jumps
0x0E	byte[4]	total stunt jumps
0x11	StuntJump[64]	start of stunt jump structs (0x64 bytes each; see below)

StuntJump

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x00	dword	pool index
0x04	float[4]	Start zone point 1 (x,y,z,w)
0x14	float[4]	Start zone point 2 (x,y,z,w)
0x24	float[4]	Land zone point 1 (x,y,z,w)
0x34	float[4]	Land zone point 2 (x,y,z,w)
0x44	float[4]	Camera coordinates (x,y,z,w)
0x54	dword	reward amount
0x58	byte	is completed
0x59	byte	is found
0x5A	byte[10]	unknown, maybe align/padding

Block 16: Radio

The radio station block stores the recently played tracks for radio stations in the game. It's used for music weights and to ensure two random tracks (like the weather reports) don't play right after each other.

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	bool	is lazlow station locked
0x0001	uint8	unknown
0x0002	bool	taxi garage radio state
0x0003	RadioStation[n]	radio station save data

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	RecentTracks	recently played news tracks
0x0029	RecentTracks	recently played weather reports
0x0052	RecentTracks	recently played adverts
0x007b	uint8[256]	news stories state

RadioStation (144 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	RecentTracks	recently played ident tracks
0x0029	RecentTracks	recently played music tracks
0x0052	RecentTracks	recently played dj solo tracks
0x007b	uint8	unknown
0x007c	short[10]	unknown array

RecentTracks (41 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint8	current position in the array
0x0001	uint[10]	track hash (as defined in GAME.DAT16)

Note:

• n is the number of radio stations defined in the game. That's 20 for versions before Complete Edition, and 23 for Complete Edition.

Block 17: Objects

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	block size
0x0004	uint32	object count
0x0008	Object[10]	objects (only mission cleanup objects are saved)

Object (72 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	pool handle
0x0004	uint32	model hash
0x0008	float[4]	coordinates (x,y,z,w)
0x0018	Matrix	compressed rotation matrix

Block 18: Relationships

This block stores the relationship groups defined in Relations.dat.

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint32	block size
0x0004	Relationships[70]	Relationship groups

Relationship (72 bytes)

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x0000	uint96	respect bitfield
0x000C	uint96	like bitfield
0x0018	uint96	? bitfield
0x0024	uint96	dislike bitfield
0x0030	uint96	? bitfield
0x003C	uint96	hate bitfield

Note:

• uint96 is a 12 byte (96 bits) integer.
• The array index corresponds to the ped type, so array index 1 will be the relations for ped type 1 (CIVMALE)
• The bits also correspond to the ped type, so the first bit in the bitfield will be for ped type 0 (PLAYER) and so on.

Block 19: Inventory

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Block 20: Pools

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Block 21: PhoneInfo

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Block 22: AudioScriptObject

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Block 23: SetPieces

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Block 24: Streaming

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Block 25: PedType

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Block 26: Tags

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Block 27: Shopping

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Block 28: GangWars

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Block 29: EntryExits

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Block 30: 3dMarkers

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Block 31: Vehicles

This block is empty; Data is neither stored nor read by the game in this block after the initial "BLOCK" string and the constant size (9)

Checksum

The checksum follows the last data block.

• The savegame size in bytes in the meta data should be set to 1977922 (0x1E2E42), before calculating the checksum.
• It is the sum of all the bytes preceding the checksum value.
• Implementation Example: A Python script for calculating the checksum value

Note:

• The reason is that the game adds the GFLW data size to the metadata after it has calculated the checksum.
• The checksum value is ignored by the game. An incorrect checksum will not prevent a save file from being loaded.

End Block

This block has a constant length of 0x16C bytes. Data in this block appears to relate to Games For Windows Live data.

OFFSET	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
0x00	char[4]	END\0
0x04	dword	Unknown, appears to always be 0x128
0x08	byte[292]	Unknown, appears to always be a mix of 0x0, 0x1, 0x2 and 0x3 bytes
0x12C	byte[64]	Unknown
0x16C	end