Grand Theft Auto - Episodes from Liberty City (USA)
PlayStation 3
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Reviewed in 2010
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✪ Reviewed on August 29, 2025
82
GTA Episodes from Liberty City groups The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, two GTA IV DLC as standalone. Two excellent and complementary Liberty City stories without needing GTA IV.
Your verdict
Category
Open-World4 players18+
Co-op
Description
Rockstar collection bundling both episodic Grand Theft Auto IV expansions on a standalone disc. Published by Rockstar, released in Europe in April 2010. Includes The Lost and Damned (bikers) and The Ballad of Gay Tony (clubs and trafficking), new protagonists Johnny and Luis, expanded Liberty City, and new weapons and vehicles.
Grand Theft Auto - Episodes from Liberty City review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
Liberty City recreated with a dense, disenchanted realism, grey light and teeming architecture: the metropolis breathes a raw, living America. The coherence of the world and the density of the streets compose a credible urban theatre. This visual direction, dark and vast, brought the open world to a new maturity.
Broadcast across a multitude of radio stations, the music weaves the cosmopolitan soul of Liberty City, from rock to Eastern European through rap. Michael Hunter's main theme, dark and Slavic, signs the game's identity. This musical generosity, polished and immersive, turns the slightest drive into a tailor-made soundtrack.
An immigrant come to chase the American dream in Liberty City, a former soldier collides with violence and the ghosts of his past. Darker and more adult than its forebears, the tale paints disillusion and revenge with unexpected gravity. Carried by a tormented hero, this bitter portrait of a city still fascinates.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Bringing together two standalone expansions, this entry offers two perspectives on Liberty City, from a jaded biker to a flamboyant dealer. The clunky driving and cover-based shootouts bear the mark of their time, but the writing and the freedom of the sandbox hit home. A still-delightful plunge into a city of remarkable density.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
A living, detailed metropolis, where you improvise heists, chases and chaotic joyrides at will: the urban sandbox reaches an unprecedented density here. The pleasure springs from this total freedom, where the slightest drive can spiral into gleeful chaos. Rich, immersive and masterfully written, a landmark open-world that redefined the genre's standards.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Crisscrossing Liberty City between scripted missions, unplanned joyrides and side activities sets up an urban sandbox where there's always a reason to extend the outing. Following the story and unlocking the city reward exploration. Its heavy driving and its phone calls grate, but the life of its metropolis and its freedom of action grip you relentlessly.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Two complete stories grafted onto Liberty City, seen from the bikers' side then the gilded-nights side, are enough to double the stakes without the original game. Johnny and Luis roam an extended city, granted fresh missions, new weapons and emergent rides unique to each tale. Enjoying these episodes standalone offers a dose of dense open world, cut out for long sessions.
A standalone compilation of GTA IV's two expansions, playable without the original game, extending Liberty City with two new protagonists. Printed widely, it stays accessible and lightly priced. Its interest lies in its status as additional narrative content on physical media, valued by fans of the entry, more than in scarcity, its distribution remaining wide.
Better with friends
An urban sandbox turned legend, whose open playground lends itself to a thousand improvised antics between players, from wild races to coordinated heists. The fun springs as much from freedom as from unexpected situations that spiral into fits of laughter. The online side, once colossal, now depends on servers whose activity is no longer assured, but the sandbox spirit keeps a unique pull.
A questionable morality
Under the pretext of climbing the criminal ladder, you borrow other people's cars, lose the police and settle every dispute with gunfire, all across open cities built for chaos. The game makes no secret of its irony, yet the thrill of total freedom makes you accept, without flinching, a daily routine of crimes chained together with a slightly guilty grin.
Is Grand Theft Auto - Episodes from Liberty City still worth playing in 2026?
Episodes from Liberty City gathers as a standalone the two GTA IV expansions, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, playable without the base game. These two complementary tales illuminate Liberty City from fresh angles, from Johnny Klebitz's twilight biker gang to the gaudy extravagance of Luis Lopez's nightlife. Rockstar's mature writing and grating humour work wonders here, and the freer tone brings real freshness. For anyone who loved GTA IV or wants to explore Liberty City differently, this diptych remains an excellent acquisition.
