2025 All Hotdogs Contest (originally posted July 4th, 2025)

As some of you might know, I've been working out the kinks for an official - All Hotdogs run/category in gta 4. We have confirmed (on July 5th, 2025) that all of the hotdog vendors have been found. The vendor with yellow dot (shown on the map below) is known as "Hotdog 81", once thought to be impossible, the vendor was sure to be broken. Thankfully, on July 7th, 2025, we confirmed that it is possible to make this 6star purchase.

Having completed a handful of runs already and develop a route, it's a lot of fun and I believe is worthy of a category here. A map with an updated or "optimal" route can be found further down in this forum.

Rules: Timer starts on first frame of the game, just like any other category. Timer ends when "-$5" is shown for the last hotdog vendor. A hotdog must be purchased from each vendor for 81 in total.

In order to work out any remaining flaws and potentially start on a leaderboard, here is what I'm considering/proposing.

• NO LONGER AVAILABLE - $10usd offered to the first runner who can submit a completed run.

• NO LONGER AVAILABLE - $10usd offered to any runner(s) who find a missing hotdog vendor, $10 per vendor found.

• NO LONGER AVAILABLE - $20usd offered to any runner who can solve (buy a hotdog from) the broken hotdog vendor.

• NO LONGER AVAILABLE - $30usd offered to the runner with the fastest time by the end of the contest - August 17th, 2025 (11:59 EST).

All runners who complete a run will receive a very limited and custom made trophy (image only, not a physical trophy) for taking part in the contest.

BREAKING NEWS - There is now an Autosplitter for All Hotdogs, made by AssaultKifle47. Thank you for figuring this out as this is a major improvement for runners and a big step toward making this a category. This link should send you to the download for the LiveSplit file. It can be found in the GTA Speedrunning discord or you can ask for it directly.

https://discord.com/channels/139535251235012609/271678192874422272/1390924817867473038

It appears to work without any issues, but will split if a vendor is repeated. There is also a stat in the game menu (under Misc) that can help confirm if all 81 hotdogs were eaten. Manual review will likely be required (mostly for wr runs) to confirm no vendors were missed.

Please post your run in this thread. You may also highlight it on your channel and send me a link, whatever works best for you.

If you have any suggestions that could improve the run, is appreciated. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks and gta 4

"These dogs is hot, come and eat them." -Kyle

Where the 81st at?

Please enlighten us with 81, it's super arbitrary but I'd love to see what we are missing and why. Because questions arise and saying "I don't know" is kinda weird :P

UPDATE - Please post your run in this thread. You may also highlight it on your channel and send me a link, whatever works best for you.

The vendor is located in the south-western part of Algonquin, near the boat docks. It is the only yellow dot on the map I've made.

The vendor just doesn't work. He spawns in with the hotdog stand but is usually facing away from the stand and cant be interacted with in anyway. Since a hotdog can't be purchased from this vendor, I don't think this one should be required to complete the run. So we thought it would be a good joke to still consider it similar to 69/70 stunt jumps in SA.

This is the ONLY vendor we have found to behave this way. We've tried both versions of the game, we've tried tlad & tbogt, we've tried varying fps values, but have yet to find a proper fix for the 81st hotdog guy.

Ah I see. How about requiring to punch him instead, so if a way is ever found in the future you won't have to make a new category due to the big difference in time? :D

After a couple attempts last night, I noticed there is a cop spawning (with assault rifle) very close to the broken vendor. I'm starting to suspect that this might have something to do with the vendor not spawning in or working properly. Or is possibly getting locked in a state of panic, similar to how taxi drivers get spooked and can't be hailed anymore.

Some possible things to still test:

• Varying view distance setting.

• Take out the cop, leave area and come back to try respawn vendor.

• See if vendor is working without the 6 star wanted level, on Algonquin unlocked save.

• Waiting. Just wait it out and see if the vendor is set on some sort of timer.

• Benchmark save or ng+, I don't think this has been tested at all yet.

There's probably other things we can still try, but this what comes to mind. If no solution can be found by the end of the month, we can discuss the rule around this vendor then. There is also other vendor stands (burgers/nuts) around the map that never have a server, so we could consider this broken vendor to be like those.

I took my time today to find all hotdog stands in hopes of seeing some missing ones and claiming the reward. Turns out, the information is stored in .wpl files which in turn are stored in .img files. After figuring that out (took a few hours) and manually exporting the files I wrote a small glizzy finder script. The output is a json you can import here https://ehgames.com/gta/map/. I can't share the json here as the message becomes too big, but if you need it for precise locations, feel free to hit me up.

So you might be wondering: how many hotdog stands are there? The answer is, sadly, 81 which means all of them have been found and this reward cannot be claimed. Before I go, I'll share a fun fact: burger stands are also called hotdog stands internally. And there's only 14 of them.

As for the impossible stand: I believe it should be visited just like the last jump in 69/70 jumps in SA.

This is incredible discovery! Thank you Zazaza691 for putting in the time and effort to confirm this for us. You will be rewarded well with a special made hotdog trophy. Unfortunately though, the bounty for discovering a new hotdog vendor can no longer be collected.

Thank you for the insight on this. Having reviewed how 69/70 Stunt Jumps works out I believe you're right and the broken hotdog vendor should at least be visited. This will also eliminate the need for a separate category if this vendor is one day solved or working. Maybe the rule should be "runner is required to either melee or throw an item to hit the broken hotdog vendor."

This would require the runner to get off the bike and actually interact with the vendor in some way, rather than simply shooting or running them over. Allowing for a similar interaction to the other locations.

Confirmed -- KyleDoesIt has found a way to collect the 81st hotdog. He is the first to submit proof of buying one, claiming the $20 bounty.

This major news has blown things wide open as to how we should handle this vendor moving forward.

With this discovery we have seen that the hotdog stand is somehow getting bugged in the ground when normally spawning in. Kyle did further analysis (with trainer) to also confirm that the trigger for the vendor falls under the ground once the vendor pops up. By spawning and popping up the hotdog stand first (without the vendor) and standing close enough to it, there is enough time to trigger the purchase after spawning in the vendor.

Zazaza691 has been awarded the very special "12 inch" glizzy - for his hard earned efforts in confirming the total number of All Hotdogs in gta 4. #real

PLEASE NOTE - ONE OF THE RULES HAS BEEN UPDATED - along with one of the bounties too... READ THE FIRST POST!!!

This has been a very busy day in the world of gta 4 hotdog speedruns. Not only that, but all the madness from the mw tournament is not slowing down one bit. Today we have achieved what appears to be.. the first - All Hotdogs run in gta 4. (OMFG)

It is unfortunate, I fat fingered a split and missed a hotdog in south Algonquin during this attempt, but eventually got all 81 hotdogs. 11min22s has been retimed and added to the end of the run. (I used to collect this hotdog on the way down to castle gardens, but routes since improved.. oh well..)

At approx. 47:55 on the video is where the current heli strategy for "hotdog 81" is used. Plenty of time save yet to be found, especially here by sticking the landing first try and collecting that tricky dog. I would suggest practicing this part before attempt a run.

Thank you and gta 4

now this is a real category.

*THIS SECTION CAN BE IGNORED; BETTER METHODS/MAP CAN BE FOUND FURTHER IN FORUM: -> USE 12-15fps (on nrg) for Hotdog 81 !!!

Confirmed Methods for Hotdog 81 -

The first method for collecting hotdog 81 is by slamming a heli into the wall just below the vendor, as fast as you can - around 27 fps. I imagine any low fps value around this should work, some might be better or more consistent than others. Further testing required.

https://www.twitch.tv/wewili/clip/YawningUnusualWalrusPeanutButterJellyTime-HngBxrydADWThtlM

The next best strategy is to approach the vendor as fast as you can, around the 27 fps. I'm still trying to find a more reliable bike strategy, as this only works approx 25% of the time. It is still worth attempting 1-2 times though (or until cops overwhelm the area) before moving on and trying a heli attempt later, as it can save a decent amount of time in the run.

https://www.twitch.tv/wewili/clip/RealCarelessPartridgeStrawBeary-vdD27ctrC0cLf3vQ

The last method here is not reliable at all. I only managed to make it work 1 time out of maybe 20-30 tries. Maybe it could be used as a last ditch effort to nail down this dog, but it would be a lot safer to just drive back to Alderney for another heli. A better boat method would allow this dog to be grabbed after Happy Island to end the run, possibly improving the route.

https://www.twitch.tv/wewili/clip/CharmingRealArmadilloOpieOP-xLJKRjQtd3mkWlsC

.

Updated Map with "Optimal" Route -

There's probably a few quicker roads to take, but this considers cop manipulation in some places too... The heli route (purple) changes if you manage to get hotdog 81 while on the nrg; after south Alderney (the "Noel" hotdog) just go directly to Happy Island instead.

Good luck and remember to have fun!

UPDATE !!!

I will be away for the next week (no runs till then) and with no runners having posted yet, is been decided to extend the contest - to now end on August 17th, 2025 (11:59 EST).

This will make up for any time lost earlier in the contest; for solving Hotdog 81 and finalizing the run requirements.

This decision was also made on the basis that some runners are still focused on the Most Wanted Madness tournament taking place.

Trophies (awarded to all participants) will be updated in the next week, to now read "ate All Hotdogs in gta 4" instead of the "80/81" shown in the initial post.

If you have a run or plan to attempt one, I will still be checking back here periodically and reviewing any submissions. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.

The $10 bounty for the first runner to complete a run has been claimed!

This run has been verified.

~ This is major milestone in making All Hotdogs an official category. A running leaderboard of times will be updated to the initial post in this forum.

There is still plenty of opportunity to claim your very own "All Hotdogs" trophy and compete for the remaining $30 prize! Contest ends August 17th, 2025 (11:59pm EST).