GTA IV's Liberty City: A Story Primer
Niko Bellic, the McReary family, the Pegorino mob, and the betrayer hunt — Grand Theft Auto IV's full plot, primed for replay.
Released April 2008 on PS3 and Xbox 360, Grand Theft Auto IV relaunched the series in the HD Universe with a darker, smaller-scale, more morally weighted story than anything Rockstar had shipped before. Niko Bellic's Liberty City campaign is GTA's most internally focused story — less empire-building, more disillusionment and survival.
Below: the full plot, condensed for replay prep. Spoilers throughout.
Setting and timeframe
GTA IV is set in 2008 Liberty City, a reworked version of New York City split across four boroughs plus Alderney (New Jersey analog):
- Algonquin — Manhattan analog
- Broker — Brooklyn analog
- Bohan — Bronx analog
- Dukes — Queens analog
- Alderney — New Jersey analog
The campaign opens with Niko arriving in Liberty City to live with his cousin Roman, expecting wealth and finding debt.
Act 1 — Broker and the Slavic mob
Roman's debts to Vlad Glebov (Slavic mob) and Mikhail Faustin (Russian mob) drag Niko into Liberty City crime. Niko works as a debt-collector and enforcer through the first act, eventually killing Vlad after discovering Vlad has been sleeping with Roman's girlfriend Mallorie.
The killing of Vlad escalates Niko into Faustin's orbit, and the first act closes with Niko killing Faustin himself at the request of Dimitri Rascalov (Faustin's lieutenant). Dimitri immediately betrays Niko, taking control of the operation and marking Niko for death.
Act 2 — The McReary family and Bohan
Niko relocates to Bohan in the second act, working for the McReary Irish mob family. Key members: Packie (the youngest), Gerry, Derrick, Francis (a corrupt cop), Patrick (the family head). The McRearys give Niko several heist missions including the iconic "Three Leaf Clover" bank robbery.
The middle act also introduces:
- Brucie Kibbutz — a gym-rat friend who becomes a recurring side character
- Little Jacob — Niko's Jamaican-Rastafarian friend and most reliable ally
- Ray Boccino — a Pegorino-family lieutenant who hires Niko for several mid-game contracts
Act 3 — The Pegorino mob and the war reveal
The third act centers on Jimmy Pegorino, the Italian-American mob boss in Alderney. Niko works his way up through Pegorino's organisation while pursuing the war-betrayer subplot — the search for Darko Brevic, the soldier who sold out Niko's Yugoslav-war unit.
