Liberty City Achievement Guide—Side Missions

Published May 19, 2008

Grand Theft Auto IV™ has fifty unique achievements, and as usual, some of them require a bit of effort. In this edition of our Liberty City Achievement Guide, we'll discuss the side mission achievements of GTA IV.

Unlock some Gamerscore!

Manhunt (15 Gamerscore)

Accessible from any police car, these seek and destroy Most Wanted missions are relatively straightforward affairs. Like every other achievement though, there are a few suggestions that can help smooth the way to quick success.

• There are thirty total Most Wanted missions, with each major island (Dukes and Bohan counting as one) featuring ten missions each.
• You can access the Most Wanted missions any time after you've completed the Crime and Punishment mission. Tap LB when the police car is at a complete stop to access the computer. Then, select Most Wanted from the menu and choose any of the available options.
• Finding and stealing a police cruiser can be a dangerous business, but you can alleviate the risk just by dialing 9-1-1 and asking for police assistance. When the cops show up, at least one officer should exit the car peacefully, giving you the chance you need to swipe it without bloodshed.

Cleaned the Mean Streets (20 Gamerscore)

This second police car-based achievement is both quicker and easier to power through than its Most Wanted counterpart. Tap LB when the squad car is at a complete stop to access the police computer and then select Current Crimes from the menu.

You can make things a good deal easier on yourself by singling out the "criminal on foot" crimes rather than the exciting but much more challenging "vehicle stolen" capers, which require unpredictable high-speed chases through the streets of Liberty City where a single mishap can spell failure.

Ten point achievement, coming right up.

Consider also that Current Crime missions are timed, so if you don't reach the criminal marked on your map before the timer runs out, you'll fail the mission. However, once you reach the target you'll have all the time in the world to finish them off. You'd be wise then not to trust the in-game GPS system since it doesn't take into account any path that doesn't involve a road. Instead, open up the in-game map yourself and pick out the fastest path available.

Order Fulfilled (10 Gamerscore)

This achievement, which requires you to steal cars for Brucie and deliver them to his garage, practically plays itself. All that's required is a visit to the Internet café in order to read and reply to Brucie's e-mail requesting a specific car. Once you've replied to the e-mail, a GPS marker will appear on your map. Head to the marker, grab the car, and deliver the ride. You'll be paid based on the car's condition, so make sure to drive carefully, and visit a Pay n' Spray to repair the car if you beat it up along the way.

You Got the Message (20 Gamerscore)

Hunting down thirty cars for Stevie can prove laborious without a plan of attack, but luckily the text messages he sends usually offer enough clues to track down the vehicle in question. Try the following:

• While the in-game map has its uses, the physical map that comes with the game is much more useful for these missions. Not only does it call out the names of each neighborhood, but every street is labeled as well. Keep this map handy anytime you're hunting for cars.
• Once you have a rough idea where the car is located, set a waypoint on your map and take a quick-travel taxi ride to that point. Tap A once the taxi is underway to skip the ride and go right to the waypoint.
• While the photograph of the car in Stevie's text messages is useful, it's the surrounding environment in the photo that really clues you in on their location. Make a note of the landmarks surrounding the car in the picture and then scan the horizon to track them down.
• If Stevie's directions include landmarks rather than street names in their description, take a helicopter to the neighborhood and scan the area from the sky. For example, the outdoor pool in Steinway is tough to notice at ground level, but you'll spot it immediately from the sky.

The bird's eye view sees all.

Assassin's Greed (20 Gamerscore)

Niko's assassin-for-hire services come into play only after completing the Truck Hustle mission. Once they're available, you can run through all nine of them back-to-back if you so desire. While each mission is different than the last, there are a few general pointers that should put your targets to bed sooner rather than later.

• Don't forget your employer will always leave you a bullet-proof vest and a weapon when starting a mission. You can find them just on the other side of the fence from the phone you use to trigger the missions.
• Whenever possible, use your sniper rifle to pick off the targets from afar. If you get too close to the target, you'll often trigger an attempted escape, but the sniper rifle's range allows you to reach out and touch your target without them ever knowing you were there.
• Be careful to note whether or not your target has access to an escape vehicle. If they do, take the vehicles out first with grenades or a rocket launcher. You can always chase down an enemy on foot, but once they fly off in a vehicle things get much more complicated.

Courier Service (10 Gamerscore)

Little Jacob's delivery side missions are fairly straightforward affairs, but no one likes repeating a mission so bear the following in mind:

• While you must always track down Little Jacob's broken down car to retrieve the package, you don't have to drive it to the drop off point. You need only get in the car for Niko to pick up the package. After that, you can hop back into your car of choice. This is particularly useful during the timed delivery runs.
• When ambushed by a rival gang, don't stand and fight but rather sprint past the nearest group of enemies and find cover immediately. You might take an initial shot or two, but you won't be surrounded.
• Don't stick around and fight with Little Jacob's customers if the cops show up. Rather, immediately run for your car and hightail it out of there before you increase your wanted rating even more.

Take your own ride to the delivery spot.

No More Strangers (5 Gamerscore)

To clear up any confusion, this achievement doesn't require that you encounter every distinct pedestrian and character model in the game. Rather, scattered across Liberty City are specific "strangers," which you must approach, talk with, and then play through their unique side missions.

You can track down these strangers by spotting a small, blue stick figure icon on the mini-map or the city map in the Start menu. The icons will only display though if you're within a block or two of the stranger, so keep a watchful eye on the map throughout your travels.

The preceding tips should shed some light on the side missions in GTA IV. Now go, and enjoy Liberty City!

Article by Ryan Treit