Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition and Episodes From Liberty City Explained

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition and Episodes From Liberty City Explained

Grand Theft Auto IV has one of the more confusing release histories in the series. There is the base game, two large story expansions, a bundle of those expansions, and a later package that combines everything. The names overlap, the store listings vary by platform, and it is easy to buy one thing while expecting another.

This explainer walks through the pieces in plain language: what each release is, how they relate, and what to check before you buy.

The base game: Grand Theft Auto IV

Grand Theft Auto IV is the main game, originally released in 2008 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with a PC version following in 2008. It follows Niko Bellic in Liberty City. Everything else discussed here builds on or around that base game.

When people say "GTA 4" or "grand theft auto iv," they usually mean this core release.

The two episodes

Two expansion stories were made for Grand Theft Auto IV:

• The Lost and Damned — a story centered on a biker gang, played through a different protagonist.
• The Ballad of Gay Tony — a story centered on nightlife and organized crime, again with a different lead character.

These are not small add-ons. Each is a substantial story with its own missions, characters and activities. They are sometimes written as Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned and Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony.

What Episodes From Liberty City is

Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes From Liberty City — often shortened to Episodes From Liberty City — is a single package containing both episodes, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony.

The important detail: Episodes From Liberty City does not include the base Grand Theft Auto IV story. It gives you the two expansions. If you own only Episodes From Liberty City, you are getting the side stories, not Niko Bellic's main campaign.

On some platforms the episodes were also sold separately as downloadable content, which is where a lot of the naming confusion starts.

What The Complete Edition is

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition is the bundle that brings the base game and both episodes together in one package. In other words, it is the "everything" version: the main story plus The Lost and Damned plus The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Some store listings write it as Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition or with variations in punctuation. These generally refer to the same combined release, but always confirm the contents on the listing itself rather than trusting the title alone.

A simple way to remember the difference

Package	Base game	The Lost and Damned	The Ballad of Gay Tony
Grand Theft Auto IV	Yes	No	No
Episodes From Liberty City	No	Yes	Yes
The Complete Edition	Yes	Yes	Yes

If you want the full experience in one purchase, The Complete Edition is the one that covers everything. If you already own the base game and only want the extra stories, Episodes From Liberty City is the narrower option.

Why the names cause so much confusion

A few reasons:

1. Similar titles. "Episodes From Liberty City" and "The Complete Edition" both sound like complete packages, but only one includes the main game.
2. Platform differences. The same content has appeared in different forms across console generations and on PC, and store pages do not always describe contents the same way.
3. Bundle naming drift. Retailers sometimes shorten or reorder the official title, so the exact wording you see varies.
4. DLC history. Because the episodes were once sold as separate downloads, older guides and forum posts mix the standalone and bundled releases together.

What to check before buying

• Read the contents line, not just the title. Look for an explicit statement that the base game is included.
• Check the platform. A listing for one console or storefront does not guarantee identical contents elsewhere.
• Look at the requirements. The Complete Edition on PC has its own system requirements and known compatibility quirks on modern hardware, so check the requirements listed on the store page you are using.
• Be careful with third-party key sellers. Verify what edition the key activates, since the name on a resale page may not match the official product name.

Common questions, briefly answered

Do I need the base game to play Episodes From Liberty City? No. Episodes From Liberty City is designed to run as its own package containing the two episodes.

Does The Complete Edition include both episodes? Yes. That is the point of the bundle: base game plus The Lost and Damned plus The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Are the episodes just short extras? No. They are full story campaigns with their own protagonists and mission sets, which is why they were marketed as major releases in their own right.

Is "Complete Edition" the same as "Episodes From Liberty City"? No, and this is the single most common mix-up. The Complete Edition includes the base game; Episodes From Liberty City does not.

The short version

Grand Theft Auto IV is the main game. The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony are its two large story expansions. Episodes From Liberty City packages those two expansions together without the base game. The Complete Edition packages the base game and both expansions together.

If in doubt, ignore the title and read the contents list: the presence or absence of the main Grand Theft Auto IV campaign is the detail that matters most.