The publishers of the game Take Two expect to sell around 9 million copies across all formats before the Autumn, and with the delays in the release of the game the anticipation has only increased.

The publishers of the game have so much faith in the pre-order figures that they recently rejected a £1 billion bid for the company from Electronic Arts.  They described this bid as being at ‘the wrong place at the wrong time’.

It is estimated that pre-orders alone for the PS3 version of the game will reach around three quarters of a million, and as with many previous popular PS3 titles there is expected to be a shortage on launch date for those hoping to merely walk in to the shops to purchase.

Halo 3 was the most pre-ordered game in the World when it was released last year but with seven weeks still to go Grand Theft Auto 4 appears set to smash that record apart.

Grand Theft Auto IV is released on the 29th April 2008.

All you have to do is sign up with the PS3 Pad forum and site here and enter your online PS Network ID.

In the last week of February 2008, 6 lucky PS3 Padders will be randomly selected to take part in a Call of Duty 4 private match (which will be recorded for the site) and the winner in the ‘Free for All’ event will grab themselves a copy of the new Grand Theft Auto IV for absolutely nothing.

You will play against the top two chimps here at PS3 Pad towers and 5 fellow guests in a fight to the death. The top scorer takes the game as their own.

Welcome to the site and welcome to the forum.

Get registered on the forum to enter

Rules: 6 forum users who have entered their PS Gaming ID will be chosen at random on the 25th February 2008 to take part in an online Call of Duty 4 Free for All match. The winner will receive a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV for the PS3 courtesy of us monkeys at PS3 Pad. The Editor’s decision is final. Good luck!

This competition is now over.  For more information on the winner visit this thread in the forum.

On one of MTV’S blogs, Rockstar’s Jeronimo Barrera said: “It’s really no surprise to anybody that the PS3 was definitely a contributing factor to that. He then goes on to say, “Now, we’re neck and neck”, and ” while taking about the PS3 and xbox360 versions he said “They’re both identical.”

So now that the game has a solid release date on both platforms and is said to be identical on both machines too, it is just a matter of waiting untill this awesome game is released.

“We are so excited to be releasing Grand Theft Auto IV,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games.

“We’ve pushed ourselves very hard to make something incredible and hope the game sets a new benchmark for interactive entertainment.”

So now you know, and can all put a little note in your diary to book the day off work, hang up the phone and sit back to enjoy, what some think will be one of the best gaming experiences to date.

Pre order now for $59.82 or £39.99

For more information you can visit the official GTA IV website HERE

Enjoy…

See more screenshots and watch the three official trailers all at the official GTA IV website here

Grand Theft Auto 4 is to be released by RockStar on the 19th October 2007. A limited edition version of the game will be available and will come packaged in a metal Safe Deposit box.

Inside this Safe Deposit box will be:

- your specially packaged copy of GTA IV
- a limited edition Rockstar duffel bag
- production artwork for GTA IV in an exclusive book
- selected soundtrack CD for GTA IV featuring exclusive releases

Oh, and you also get the all important key for your safety deposit box!

This version is sure to sell out quickly and is available for £69.99 (or $86.99 in the US) – pre-orders are being taken by a number of suppliers now. The bog standard version of the game is expected to retail at £49.99 so we think the Special Edition represents excellent value for money.

You can pre-order your Special Edition copy of GTA 4
- for £69.99 in the UK
- for $86.99 in the US