5 reasons to play GTA Liberty City Stories in 2025

Despite it being almost 20 years since GTA Liberty City Stories' release, the title's gameplay continues to be as intriguing as before. Rockstar Games released the title in October 2005 for the PlayStation Portable console. Liberty City Stories included many unique features that were loved by veteran fans. Owing to this, if you get the chance to play the game in 2025, you should not miss the opportunity.

With that being said, this article lists five reasons why you should play GTA Liberty City Stories in 2025.

Note: This article is subjective and only reflects the writer’s opinions. The listing is not in any particular order.

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5 notable aspects that make GTA Liberty City Stories worth playing in 2025

1) Can be played on handheld devices

Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories was a handheld game since its inception (Image via Rockstar Games)

GTA Liberty City Stories can be played on various handheld gaming platforms, including PlayStation Portable, Android, and iOS. You can also play the popular GTA title on PlayStation Vita (Backward Compatibility), PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3.

While the popular game isn't available for PC and Xbox consoles, PC gamers can still enjoy it using PlayStation emulators. Since the gameplay was originally designed for handheld consoles, the controls and functions are well-optimized for small screens.

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2) Engaging storyline

Despite being smaller than most other mainstream titles in the series, GTA Liberty City Stories packs an engaging storyline that will surely make you love the game. The title has 70 story missions that you can complete solo. The plot follows the story of Antonio "Toni" Cipriani and the events of Liberty City in 1998.

Keep in mind that the missions are relatively smaller than other Grand Theft Auto games. Nonetheless, you can spend a good amount of time knowing the life story of the protagonist and how Liberty City came into being.

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3) Intriguing side missions

Along with the 70 main story missions, you can also play various side missions in GTA Liberty City Stories. Rockstar Games divided the side missions into the following four categories:

• Portland Side Missions
• Staunton Island Side Missions
• Shoreside Vale Side Missions
• Other Side Missions

Each category has multiple missions that will keep you engaged when you are not playing the main story. However, players are advised to complete the last category side missions as soon as possible since they unlock special perks.

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4) Serves as a prequel to GTA 3 and GTA Advance

The plot of Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories paves the way for other GTA titles (Image via Rockstar Games)

The plot of GTA Liberty City Stories dates back to 1998, which is two years before Grand Theft Auto Advance and three years before Grand Theft Auto 3. Rockstar Games composed the 2005 title in such a way that it perfectly aligns with the other games.

You will get to know more about the events in Liberty City and how Claude and Mike met their fates in their respective games.

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5) To kill time before GTA 6’s release

While the GTA 6 release window of fall 2025 is gradually approaching, Rockstar Games has continued to remain silent. After December 2023, the studio hasn't shared any updates about the upcoming game.

Therefore, to kill time till the release period, we advise you to play all Grand Theft Auto titles, including GTA Liberty City Stories. If you have the GTA+ subscription on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S, you can play the Android and iOS versions of Liberty City Stories for free.