Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - Playstation 2

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories for the PlayStation 2 is a prequel to Grand Theft Auto III, set in the same sprawling Liberty City three years earlier in 1998. Players step into the shoes of Toni Cipriani, a Leone Family enforcer who has been lying low out of town after carrying out a hit for the mob. Returning to Liberty City at the request of his boss, Salvatore Leone, Toni finds the city in a state of chaos — the Leone Family is under pressure from rival mafia families, corrupt city officials, and a political landscape teetering on the edge of collapse. What follows is a deeply personal rise-through-the-ranks story as Toni fights, schemes, and shoots his way from street-level muscle to one of the most feared figures in the city — establishing the events that set the stage for GTA III's Tommy Vercetti era.

The PS2 version of Liberty City Stories masterfully combines gameplay mechanics from across the 3D GTA era. On-foot movement and gunplay draw from GTA III and Vice City's feel, while the camera system borrows from San Andreas, and third-person free-aiming — absent from GTA III — is fully supported. The full open-world Liberty City from GTA III is recreated here with remarkable fidelity, meaning players who know the city from that game will immediately feel at home navigating its three islands — while new players get a head start on the geography before ever touching GTA III. Dozens of story missions are complemented by classic side activities including taxi runs, pizza deliveries, vigilante missions, and rampages, with 80–100 hours of content available for completionists.

Originally released as a PSP launch title in October 2005 — where it became the best-selling PSP game of all time according to Guinness World Records — Liberty City Stories was ported to PlayStation 2 in June 2006 at a budget price point. Both the PS2 and PSP versions are featured in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. It remains one of the most content-rich prequel experiences in the GTA series and an essential title for fans of the 3D era.

Language: English
Rating: M (Mature) — Blood, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Violence
Platform: PlayStation 2
Genre: Open World / Action Adventure
Players: 1 player
Developer: Rockstar Leeds / Rockstar North
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Release Year: 2006 (North American PS2 release: June 6, 2006)