Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead vs Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead is an FPS open-world game from Bohemia Interactive (2010) while Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition is an open-world racing game from Rockstar North (2020).
Quick answer: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition rates higher, 8.0 to 7.7 on the GamingPickz Score, and Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead is the cheaper at $3.99.
What each one is
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead is filed under FPS and Open-World. In contrast, Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition under Open-World and Racing.
Three years after the conflict in Chernarus, portrayed in the original Arma 2, a new flashpoint explodes in the Green Sea Region. Coalition forces led by the US Army are deployed to Takistan to quickly restore peace and prevent further civilian casualties.
Niko Bellic, Johnny Klebitz and Luis Lopez all have one thing in common - they live in the worst city in America. Liberty City worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who don't.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead is set in the fictional country of Takistan and takes place in the then-future of summer 2012; nearly three years after the Chernarus conflict of fall 2009 that is depicted in Arma 2 , right after Arma 2's hidden ending. In the game's single-player campaign, Takistani government led by Colonel Muhammad Aziz threatens to use SCUD missiles against a neighboring Karzeghistan, following the outbreak of the economic crisis caused by… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception The game has received warm reviews from critics. GameSpot says " Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead , its stand-alone expansion, boasts all the beauty, realism, and action of the original and none of the game-breaking bugs. Improving upon its predecessor in almost every way. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting Grand Theft Auto IV takes place within an alternate version of Liberty City seen in Grand Theft Auto III . The design of the city focuses on a recreation of four of the boroughs of New York City : Broker (based on Brooklyn ), Dukes ( Queens ), Bohan ( The Bronx ), and Algonquin ( Manhattan ). The setting also includes the neighbouring state of Alderney (based on New Jersey ). (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical response Console versions reception Grand Theft Auto IV received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic . It is the second-highest-rated game on the site, and the highest-rated PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game. Reviewers praised the narrative, open world design and combat system. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead | Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.7/10 | 8.0/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (92%, 22,247) | Very Positive (83%, 202,430) |
| Critic aggregate | 73/100 | 90/100 |
| Price | $3.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2010 | 2020 |
| Developer | Bohemia Interactive | Rockstar North |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead vs Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Arma 2: Operation ArrowheadFPS open-world gameGrand Theft Auto IV: The Complete EditionOpen-world racing gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Arma 2: Operation ArrowheadSimulation, Military, ActionGrand Theft Auto IV: The Complete EditionOpen World, Action, Automobile SimThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Arma 2: Operation ArrowheadScore 7.7 · 92% on Steam · 73 criticGrand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition ✓Score 8.0 · 83% on Steam · 90 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead22,247 reviews · 3 add-onsGrand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition202,430 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead ✓$3.99Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Arma 2: Operation ArrowheadPlayableGrand Theft Auto IV: The Complete EditionPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueArma 2: Operation Arrowhead and Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition (GamingPickz Score 8.0)
- The cheaper right now: Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead ($3.99)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition (202,430 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
ActionMultiplayerShooterOpen WorldModdableCo-opSandboxSingleplayer
Where they differ
SimulationMilitaryTacticalRealisticStrategyFPS
Automobile SimCrimeAdventureThird-Person ShooterPhysicsAtmospheric
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead | Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | 256MB Nvidia 7900 / 256MB ATI X1900 |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8GHz, AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4GHz |
| Minimum RAM | — | 1.5 GB |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead · Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead and 1 for Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead and Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition in scope?
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead has drawn 22,247 Steam reviews and ships 3 add-ons. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition has drawn 202,430 Steam reviews.
Is Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead or Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition rates higher (8.0 to 7.7). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead or Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition?
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead is cheaper right now at $3.99, against $19.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead or Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition?
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition rates higher, 8.0 to 7.7 on the GamingPickz Score, and Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead is the cheaper at $3.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.