Sometimes the game tries to use DirectX 11 or 12 fallbacks, which triggers the VDS100. Forcing DirectX 9 via a wrapper is a nuclear option, but highly effective.
Option A (Registry):
Option B (DXVK – Advanced):
If Fix #1 and #2 fail, download the latest DXVK (DirectX 9 to Vulkan translation layer). Extract d3d9.dll into your GTA IV root folder. This bypasses the native DirectX driver entirely, completely eliminating the VDS100 error on modern GPUs. gta iv fatal error vds100
Laptops and some desktops with Intel/AMD integrated graphics plus a dedicated NVIDIA/AMD GPU frequently trigger VDS100 because GTA IV selects the wrong GPU.
For NVIDIA (Optimus):
For AMD (Switchable Graphics):
GTA IV was coded when 60Hz was the maximum. If your monitor runs at 144Hz, 165Hz, or 240Hz, the game’s driver system can crash immediately. Sometimes the game tries to use DirectX 11
To fix:
Launch GTA IV. Once you confirm the game runs, you can revert your monitor to 144Hz and use -refreshrate 60 in your commandline.txt to avoid changing settings every time. Option B (DXVK – Advanced): If Fix #1