Rockstar Games gave people this $2,000 key if they completed GTA IV in just two weeks

Did you know Rockstar Games gave people a $2,000 key if they completed GTA IV in just two weeks?

When Grand Theft Auto IV launched in 2008, players were challenged to achieve 100% completion within the first two weeks to earn a very unusual physical reward.

The catch was that completing the game meant far more than simply finishing Niko Bellic’s story.

For the players who managed it, Rockstar sent them a physical ‘Key to the City’, which has since become a highly sought-after piece of GTA memorabilia.

Rockstar Games had a very special reward for GTA IV players

When GTA IV launched in April 2008, Rockstar gave gamers an unusual reason to race through Liberty City.

Players who managed to achieve 100 per cent completion within the first two weeks could receive a physical ‘Key to Liberty City’ from Rockstar Games HQ.

The prize was a real, tangible key rather than an in-game reward, and it was connected to Rockstar Social Club, which tracked players’ progress.

The challenge was considerably harder than simply completing the Niko Bellic storyline.

GTA IV’s 100 per cent completion requirement included finishing the main storyline, completing various side missions, finding and killing all 200 of the game’s hidden pigeons, completing stunt jumps, dealing with the game’s random characters and completing activities with Niko’s friends.

There was even an achievement called ‘Key To The City’ for reaching 100 per cent completion.

Players were still hunting down the final pigeons and other requirements years later, while some players recalled finally earning the achievement after an extensive search.

And doing all of that within two weeks of GTA IV’s launch meant players had to put in some serious hours.

The GTA IV key has become a seriously valuable collector’s item

The physical key itself has become something of a holy grail for GTA collectors.

The exact number produced isn’t entirely clear, but estimates suggest only a relatively small number were made.

Some estimates put the number somewhere between 500 and 2,000, while long-time GTA fans have claimed that only a fraction of the people who completed the challenge ultimately received one.

That scarcity has made the item surprisingly valuable.

In 2025, French gaming publication Jeuxvideo.com highlighted an example that had reportedly sold for $750 on eBay, while another listing was asking for £1,800, which was more than $2,000 at the time.

There are also long-running reports from owners who say they received the key directly from Rockstar after completing GTA IV’s 100 per cent challenge.

One collector who shared their key online said Rockstar contacted them through the email associated with their Social Club account before sending the package.

The reward is particularly interesting because it wasn’t simply another piece of digital DLC or an achievement gamers could show off online.

Rockstar actually sent a physical collectable to players who had completed one of the toughest challenges the company had set.

And if you were one of the players who managed to finish GTA IV at 100 per cent within that tiny launch window, you may have unknowingly been sitting on a very valuable piece of GTA history ever since.