"Liberty City is a very different place in the 21st century. The most famous skyline in the world now belies a city gripped by fear and suspicion. In the shadow of an uncertain economy and the threat of terrorism, organized criminals, corrupt officials, and beleaguered security forces vie for supremacy in a city that is desperately trying to become a suburb. It is still a place where anything is possible, depending on how much of yourself you are prepared to sacrifice in the process."
―PC edition slip cover
GTA IV marks Liberty City's fourth appearance in the series after the original Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, which came out in 1997, 2001 and 2005 respectively. The new rendition of the city is, more likely, the "official" GTA universe's version of New York City. The city has more detail and personality, with many places which are based on landmarks such as the Statue of Happiness, Star Junction, and the Rotterdam Tower. This rendition of Liberty City has versions of four of the five boroughs of New York City, plus New Jersey. Brooklyn is Broker, Queens is Dukes, Manhattan is Algonquin, and Bronx is Bohan. The state and city of New Jersey is Alderney, which technically is separate from Liberty City. The only borough not to be recreated in the game is Staten Island. Although in the game, Liberty City appears to be an isolated set of islands, the rest of America is actually nearby. Rockstar Games stated that they avoided placing unreachable pieces of land in the distance to retain the city's "complete" feel.
