Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Highly provocative expansion with drugs, sex, and killing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 15 parent reviews
Parents say the game offers a fun experience and a vibrant atmosphere but contains significant amounts of violence, strong language, drug use, and sexual content, making it inappropriate for younger audiences. Opinions vary, with some recommending parental guidance while others believe it should be strictly for adults due to its themes and content portrayal of women.
- content concerns
- suitable for adults
- good for older kids
- parental guidance suggested
- strong violence
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 40 kid reviews
Kids say the game is fun and entertains with its open-world experience but is filled with excessive violence, strong language, and sexual content, making it unsuitable for younger players. Many reviewers suggest that it is best suited for older teens or adults who can distinguish between the game's fictional violence and real-life morality.
- extreme content
- inappropriate for kids
- fun gameplay
- recommend for teens
- caution advised
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
Available as a Xbox 360 download or bundled on a disc with another episode(as Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City) , GRAND THEFT AUTO IV: THE BALLAD OF GAY TONY delivers new game-play to the controversial title, along with new weapons and vehicles that can be used in multiplayer modes. You play as Luis Lopez, a little-known and seedy assistant to Anthony \"Gay Tony\" Prince, a nightclub owner and associate of the Ancelotti crime family in the fictitious Liberty City. In one mission, \"Dropping In,\" you fly a helicopter over Star Junction (Times Square) and land on a building where The Rampage hockey team is hanging out in the penthouse suite. Your job is to take out the owner, but you must first get through his goons, and then escape by base-jumping out of the building, opening your parachute and landing on a moving truck. Another mission, \"For the Man Who Has Everything,\" Luis is challenged with stealing a train car for the over-the-top Iranian millionaire Yusef, which requires an assortment of serious firepower.
Is It Any Good?
If you liked Grand Theft Auto IV, then you'll love The Ballad of Gay Tony. It offers more memorable characters, irreverent dialogue, daring missions, and a fully interactive open-world you can lose yourself in for hours at a time. Much of your attention will be on dealing with Tony's debtors, addictions, and boyfriend, while also helping to run his nightclubs and play mini-games. The $20 download is well worth the investment, or $40 for the packaged episodes (Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City, which includes the first downloadable episode, The Lost and Damned) -- but just as its risqué predecessors, those easily offended need not apply.
Online interaction: GTA IV offers multiplayer online modes but this expansion pack lets you unlock new weapons and use them in a head-to-head mode. Interaction with strangers is unpredictable.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why games like this are appealing to many players. Does it let them live viraciously in a criminal underworld? Does it let them do things they'd never dream of in real life? Or are the many varied missions, open-ended environments, and humorous characters all for sheer entertainment?
Game Details
- Platform : Xbox 360
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Rockstar Games
- Release date : October 27, 2009
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : December 11, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate