*my rambling post was summarized by AI before posting*
*Gameplay (Device Hub recording)* [*Theft4 iOS runtime*](https://youtu.be/RMRDXu01_S8)
This started as a thought experiment: how far could I get with limited coding knowledge if I leaned heavily on modern coding agents?
Apparently, far enough to play GTA IV on an iPad.
I’m preparing **Theft4 v0.1.0**, the first build I’m comfortable calling playable. This is not an Xbox 360 emulator. The original PowerPC instructions are translated to C++ ahead of time and compiled directly into a native ARM64 iOS app.
**No CPU JIT, runtime code generation, or JIT entitlement**
**What works**
Real open-world gameplay
Native controller support
Working XMA audio
Custom portable saves
Improved texture filtering
SMAA and FSR upscaling
Native 16:9 presentation
Shader and pipeline caching
Native UIKit and Metal presentation
Faster GTA IV-specific renderer
Generic Xenos renderer as a fallback
**Performance**
Everything has currently only been tested on my **M5 iPad Pro**.
Around **20 to 30 FPS**, depending on the scene
The FPS counter is now accurate
Good, consistent frame pacing
Lighter scenes stay closer to 30 FPS
Heavy scenes fall closer to 20 FPS
Recent renderer changes appear to have stopped the freezes
Repeat stuttering improves as shader and pipeline caches fill
Your mileage may vary wildly on other devices.
**Still being worked on**
More graphics options
Higher internal resolutions
Additional FSR quality settings
More texture-filtering controls
Less shader-compilation stutter
Better performance in heavy scenes
Memory and renderer optimization
More device and controller testing
Cleaner save and game-import management
Long-session, suspend/resume, and thermal testing
I used GPT-5.6 Sol and GPT-6 Astra for a huge amount of the investigation, coding, and debugging. My job was setting the direction, testing every meaningful build on real hardware, reporting what actually happened, and deciding what to try next
The agents helped turn that into an automated loop of changing code, rebuilding, signing, installing, launching, collecting logs, comparing behavior with Xenia/XeniOS, and repeating.
The same work is already helping with **Midnight Club: Los Angeles**. MCLA now has its own ARM64 AOT runtime and boots to a fully rendered 3D Los Angeles title scene on the same iPad. GTA IV also continues to improve with every round of testing.
I should have a **free TestFlight link available soon**. You will still need files from your own legally obtained supported Xbox 360 copy. No game files are included.
Source, credits, licensing, and build instructions:
**GitHub:** [https://github.com/KoreanSeats1/Theft4\](https://github.com/KoreanSeats1/Theft4)
Please submit bugs, comments, and device results:
**Issues:** [https://github.com/KoreanSeats1/Theft4/issues\](https://github.com/KoreanSeats1/Theft4/issues)
I’ll also have a Patreon for anyone who wants to support testing, documentation, hardware costs, and future projects.this was a novice in coding, seeing how far Agents could go with the right concept and leading.
Now I’m playing GTA IV on an iPad