Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories arrived on mobile phones as a port of a game already ten years old from the PlayStation Portable, and this shows at every turn – it's a full-fledged open-world title with cars, weapons, missions, and an overview of mafia factions of a kind that didn't commonly make it onto touchscreens in 2015. The player takes on the role of Tony Cipriani and goes through a story that chronologically precedes the events of GTA III, including a return to the well-known Liberty City in its older, more densely populated form, with its own set of locations and characters.

The controls were reworked for touch devices – a virtual joystick for movement and buttons for shooting and entering vehicles are placed around the edges of the screen and can even be adjusted to finger size and the player's habits. Playing with support for a physical controller is also possible, which brings the game closer to a console experience than a mobile pastime for a few minutes between other activities. Transferring such an extensive world into a smaller format naturally brings compromises – textures are simplified and object pop-in is more noticeable than on the PSP, but the actual feel of driving, shooting, and completing missions remains functional and enjoyable to play.

The game is paid, with no ads and no microtransactions, which places it among the more honest mobile ports of big brands – compared to later titles in the series, it relies on a one-time payment instead of a free-to-play model with add-on purchases.

Why play: Fans of the series will appreciate a complete GTA experience with clear touch controls for a one-time price without aggressive microtransactions.