Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City vs Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is an open-world racing game from Rockstar North / Toronto (2010) while Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition is an open-world racing game from Rockstar North.
Quick answer: Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition rates higher, 8.0 to 6.4 on the GamingPickz Score.
What each one is
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is filed under Open-World and Racing. In contrast, Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition under Open-World and Racing.
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City includes both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony together and does not require a copy of the original Grand Theft Auto IV to play.
PLEASE NOTE: Microsoft no longer supports creating Games for Windows-LIVE accounts within Grand Theft Auto IV. You can create an account through and then log into your account in game. This standalone retail title spans three distinct stories, interwoven to create one of the most unique and engaging single-player experiences of this...
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Most Grand Theft Auto games are set in fictional parodies of well-known United States cities, in a number of different time periods. The games are split into three different universes (2D, 3D, and HD), each with their own reinterpretations of previously established settings. The universes share the names of cities, several brands, and background characters who never make physical appearances in the games (with a few exceptions), but are otherwise… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Ever since the release of Grand Theft Auto III in 2001, the Grand Theft Auto series has been a major success, both critically and financially. It has shipped over 470 million units, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. In 2006, Grand Theft Auto was voted one of Britain's top 10 designs in the Great British Design Quest organised by the BBC and the Design Museum . (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting Grand Theft Auto IV takes place within an alternate version of Liberty City seen in Grand Theft Auto III . The design of the city focuses on a recreation of four of the boroughs of New York City : Broker (based on Brooklyn ), Dukes ( Queens ), Bohan ( The Bronx ), and Algonquin ( Manhattan ). The setting also includes the neighbouring state of Alderney (based on New Jersey ). (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical response Console versions reception Grand Theft Auto IV received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic . It is the second-highest-rated game on the site, and the highest-rated PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game. Reviewers praised the narrative, open world design and combat system. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City | Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.4/10 | 8.0/10 |
| Steam rating | Mostly Positive (74%, 10,072) | Very Positive (83%, 202,491) |
| Critic aggregate | 79/100 | 90/100 |
| Price | Not listed | Not listed |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | playable |
| Released | 2010 | — |
| Developer | Rockstar North / Toronto | Rockstar North |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City vs Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty CityOpen-world racing gameGrand Theft Auto IV: Complete EditionOpen-world racing gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty CityOpen World, Action, Automobile SimGrand Theft Auto IV: Complete EditionOpen World, Action, Automobile SimThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty CityScore 6.4 · 74% on Steam · 79 criticGrand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition ✓Score 8.0 · 83% on Steam · 90 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City10,072 reviewsGrand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition202,491 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty CityNot listedGrand Theft Auto IV: Complete EditionNot listedRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueGrand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City and Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition (GamingPickz Score 8.0)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition (202,491 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Open WorldActionAutomobile SimThird PersonMultiplayerCrimeAdventureShooter
Where they differ
DrivingMatureGreat SoundtrackNudityStory RichRacing
PhysicsClassicDark HumorFunnyGoreSatire
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City | Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | 256MB Nvidia 7900 / 256MB ATI X1900 |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8GHz, AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4GHz |
| Minimum RAM | — | 1.5 GB |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City · Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City and 1 for Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
If you like one, also try
Common questions
How different are Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City and Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition in scope?
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City has drawn 10,072 Steam reviews. Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition has drawn 202,491 Steam reviews.
Is Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City or Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition rates higher (8.0 to 6.4). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City or Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City or Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition?
Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition rates higher, 8.0 to 6.4 on the GamingPickz Score. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.