Rockstar explains GTA IV's DRM

Grand Theft Auto IV for PC will come equipped with DRM software to protect the game from naughty pirates, Rockstar has said, but there's no limit on concurrent installations.

You should also only have to authenticate it using the internet once, even if you uninstall and reinstall it at a later date, although this is done by leaving a few registry settings in place once the game's removed, which might prove unpopular...

"We have worked very hard to ensure that our solutions do not persecute the legitimate players of our games," an unnamed Rockstar spokesperson told IGN.

"Implemented correctly, SecuROM is the most effective form of disc-based copy protection and allows us to manage authenticity on a global level for Grand Theft Auto IV."

The game installs a number of applications, Rockstar said, including Games for Windows, Adobe Flash, Internet Explorer, SecuROM and the Rockstar Games Social Club software.

Rockstar also explained that it was using SecuROM "for protecting our EXE until street date has passed", and that authentication would require an internet-enabled PC - although if your gaming PC somehow isn't internet-enabled, you will be able to complete the authentication progress on any other net-connected PC.

Should you wish to install the game on multiple machines, that's fine too, although you will always need the disc in the drive to play.

DRM has been an increasingly sore point among PC gamers this year thanks to installation limits on games like Spore and pre-release concerns about Red Alert 3.

Grand Theft Auto IV for PC is due out on 3rd December and you can read our review on Monday. In the meantime, check out our GTA IV PC gamepage for previews, videos and more.