The Complete Edition bundles Grand Theft Auto IV with both episodes, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, into one Steam entry. The March 2020 update stripped out Games for Windows Live and the original multiplayer, added Steam achievements and moved DRM onto the Rockstar Games Launcher. Three campaigns overlap in the same Liberty City: Niko Bellic's 88 missions, Johnny Klebitz's 22 and Luis Lopez's 26, and all three converge on the same diamond deal from different sides.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Broker | Euphoria ragdoll physics basics | Johnny Klebitz | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Dukes | Friend like percentage and favours mastery | Johnny Klebitz | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Bohan | Branching story choices + gear | Niko Bellic or Johnny Klebitz | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Algonquin | Build optimization | Niko Bellic | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Alderney | Min-max | Niko Bellic or Drug wars and club management | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Broker)
Where Niko arrives and where Roman's apartment and taxi depot sit, modelled on Brooklyn. The early missions rarely leave it, so it is where you learn the driving model and the cover system.
Level/Difficulty: Story missions 1 to 20 Key Rewards: First safehouse, Roman and Little Jacob contacts, early pigeons
What to Do in Broker
- Learn Euphoria ragdoll physics. The RAGE engine runs Rockstar's Euphoria physics package, so pedestrians and Niko react to hits procedurally rather than playing a fixed animation. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Johnny Klebitz as your starting role. See our builds guide for why.
- Turn on free aim in the settings before the third mission. Auto aim locks onto the torso and most enemies take four or five body shots, whereas a free aimed headshot ends the fight immediately and saves the ammunition you would otherwise run dry on.
- Acquire your first weapons upgrade: Carbine Rifle or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Euphoria ragdoll physics fundamentals
- Johnny Klebitz selected and functional
- Broker main content cleared
- Ready for Dukes
Phase 2: Early Game (Dukes)
The Queens equivalent, connected to Broker and holding Francis International Airport at its edge. Wide roads make it the easiest borough to lose police in during the early game.
Level/Difficulty: Story missions 10 to 30 Key Rewards: Airport access, open roads for vehicle escapes
What to Do in Dukes
- Work on Friend like percentage and favours. Roman, Little Jacob, Brucie, Packie, Dwayne and each girlfriend track a like percentage that rises when you take them out and falls when you ignore their calls. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Carbine Rifle if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Answer friend calls during the first act rather than treating them as a chore. Little Jacob at high friendship delivers weapons to your car at a discount, Packie makes car bombs, Kiki Jenkins clears wanted levels by phone and Carmen Ortiz restores health, and all four save real time later.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Bohan.
- Consider whether Niko Bellic might suit your playstyle better than Johnny Klebitz.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Friend like percentage and favours integrated into gameplay
- Carbine Rifle acquired
- Dukes fully cleared
- Ready for Bohan
Phase 3: Mid Game (Bohan)
Liberty City's Bronx, opened after the first bridges unlock and home to Elizabeta Torres and Manny Escuela. It is compact and run down, and the missions here mark the turn toward the darker second act.
Level/Difficulty: Story missions 25 to 45 Key Rewards: Second safehouse, Elizabeta's mission chain
What to Do in Bohan
- Master Branching story choices. Several missions ask you to kill a character or spare them, with no indication of which pays better, and the finale splits between Deal and Revenge. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Combat Pistol. It's the best weapon and becomes accessible around now.
- Escape police by breaking line of sight and then leaving the search circle. The circle on the minimap is where they are looking, not where they are, so ducking into an alley and driving out the far side works far better than a high speed chase down an avenue.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Cover shooting and free aim for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Branching story choices mastered
- Combat Pistol acquired or in progress
- Bohan fully cleared
- Ready for Algonquin
Phase 4: Late Game (Algonquin)
The Manhattan analogue, dense with traffic, one way streets and the Star Junction lights. Police response is fastest here and the grid makes helicopters effective, so the subway is often the only clean escape.
Level/Difficulty: Story missions 40 and later Key Rewards: Middle Park, Star Junction, the largest weapon and clothing selection
What to Do in Algonquin
- Finalize your build. You should be running Niko Bellic or Johnny Klebitz with optimized gear.
- Combat Pistol should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Buy body armour before every mission you expect to be a shootout. Armour absorbs damage before health does and there is no regeneration beyond a slow crawl, so arriving without it is the most common reason a mission has to be replayed.
- Wanted level search circle optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Alderney.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Combat Pistol upgraded to max
- Algonquin fully cleared
- Ready for Alderney
Phase 5: Endgame (Alderney)
The New Jersey stand in across the water, industrial and comparatively empty. It holds the Pegorino family's territory and much of the late campaign, and its open lots suit vehicle heavy missions.
Level/Difficulty: Story missions 50 and later Key Rewards: Final safehouse, Pegorino mission chain, quiet roads for collectibles
What to Do in Alderney
- Alderney tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Use the subway when you have three stars or more in Algonquin. Helicopters cannot follow you underground and the tunnels move you across the borough while the search circle stays where you entered.
- The endgame loop: run Alderney, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Drug wars and club management for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Wanted level search circle mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Alderney fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Leaving auto aim on for the whole campaign, then complaining that enemies are bullet sponges when the game is simply aiming at their chest.
- Ignoring friend calls, which locks out Little Jacob's discounted weapons, Packie's car bombs and Kiki's wanted level removal for most of the story.
- Trying to outrun police in a straight line rather than breaking line of sight and slipping out of the search circle.
- Starting an episode before finishing Niko's story, which spoils the diamond deal crossover and drains the intended payoff.
- Skipping body armour before shootout missions and then losing thirty minutes of progress to a checkpoint restart.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Turn on free aim in the settings before the third mission. Auto aim locks onto the torso and most enemies take four or five body shots, whereas a free aimed headshot ends the fight immediately and saves the ammunition you would otherwise run dry on.
- Answer friend calls during the first act rather than treating them as a chore. Little Jacob at high friendship delivers weapons to your car at a discount, Packie makes car bombs, Kiki Jenkins clears wanted levels by phone and Carmen Ortiz restores health, and all four save real time later.
- Escape police by breaking line of sight and then leaving the search circle. The circle on the minimap is where they are looking, not where they are, so ducking into an alley and driving out the far side works far better than a high speed chase down an avenue.
- Buy body armour before every mission you expect to be a shootout. Armour absorbs damage before health does and there is no regeneration beyond a slow crawl, so arriving without it is the most common reason a mission has to be replayed.
- Use the subway when you have three stars or more in Algonquin. Helicopters cannot follow you underground and the tunnels move you across the borough while the search circle stays where you entered.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Guides
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Overview
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Best Builds
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Tier List
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Beginner's Guide
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Tips & Tricks
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Weapons Guide
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Combat Guide
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Boss Guide
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Maps & Locations
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Crafting Guide
- Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Classes & Characters
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