Soviet Weapons in GTA: Liberty City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005) revisits the iconic streets of Liberty City, a stand-in for New York City, yet once again sidesteps any overt depiction of Russian or Eastern European criminal elements. This absence is notable, given New York’s real-world associations with post-Soviet immigrant communities and Russian-speaking organized crime.
Despite this, one subtle nod to Russian influence remains: the AK-47, a weapon deeply tied to Soviet military history and a recurring symbol in the GTA arsenal. In Liberty City Stories, it appears under its recognizable name and design, reinforcing the series’ continued use of Cold War-era weaponry to symbolize the global underworld. The AK-47 can be purchased directly over the counter at Ammu-Nation for $4,200, making it both accessible and central to late-game firepower. This time, the AK-47 is more detailed, far more than it even was in GTA: San Andreas.
AK-47 vs. M4
GTA III helped popularize a common video game trope: portraying the AK-47 as inherently inferior to the American M16 (AR-15 platform). Despite real-world debates—where the AK is praised for its reliability and simplicity, and the AR for its accuracy and ergonomics—games often depict the AK as a crude “third-world” weapon, while the AR is shown as a sleeker, more powerful, high-tech rifle. In GTA: Liberty City Stories this is clearly the case, as the M4 deals higher damage and is more accurate.
RPG-7
The game also features the RPG-7, another iconic Soviet-era weapon. Known for its role in global insurgencies and conflicts throughout the latter half of the 20th century, the RPG-7 in Liberty City Stories can be bought for $9,000 at Phil Cassidy’s “Fully Cocked” gun shop on Staunton Island. Its presence further emphasizes the global black market aesthetic of the GTA series—one where weapons of war are as casually available as candy bars.
While the GTA universe i purely satirical, in reality, such purchases would have been unthinkable in the United States in 1998, the year GTA: Liberty City Stories is set. The AK-47, classified under U.S. law as a semi-automatic assault weapon, became heavily restricted with the passage of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban in 1994, which prohibited the manufacture of such weapons for civilian use and banned certain military-style features [1]. While the law expired in 2004, it was still in effect during the game’s in-world timeline. Rocket-propelled grenade launchers like the RPG-7 are classified as destructive devices under the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 and the Gun Control Act of 1968, making them virtually inaccessible to civilians without extensive background checks, registration, and approval from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) [2].
Molotov Cocktail
Though simple in design, the Molotov Cocktail has a charged history. Its name dates back to the Winter War (1939–1940), when Finnish troops mockingly named their homemade firebombs after Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet foreign minister who claimed that Soviet bombers were delivering food, not explosives. The term stuck, and even the USSR later adopted similar devices during World War II.
In GTA: Liberty City Stories, the weapon’s use in gang conflicts mirrors its legacy: a symbol of improvised resistance born from wartime necessity, now repurposed for street-level chaos.
Conclusion: Echoes of the Cold War in Liberty City
The absence of any Russian mafia faction in GTA: Liberty City Stories, like in GTA III before it, is curious—especially in a city modeled so clearly after New York. While Italian-American crime families dominate the narrative, the lack of Russian characters or references feels like a gap in the otherwise rich tapestry of Liberty City’s criminal landscape. Still, the presence of Soviet weaponry like the AK-47 and RPG-7 maintains a faint echo of Russian influence, standing in for a broader, globalized arms culture that remains core to the GTA mythos. These weapons don’t just offer firepower; they evoke an era of geopolitical tension and shadowy international arms dealing, bringing Cold War echoes into Liberty City’s chaotic present.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
Developer(s): Rockstar Leeds
Publisher(s): Rockstar Games
Director(s): N/A
Producer(s): N/A
Programmer(s): N/A
Artist(s): N/A
Writer(s): N/A
Series: Grand Theft Auto
Platform(s): PSP, PS2
Release: NA: October 2005
EU: October 2005
Genre(s): Action-adventure
Mode(s): Single-player
About: Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories transports players to a reimagined Liberty City in a prequel to GTA III, blending open-world chaos with narratives that reflect both urban grit and international influences.
References
- Koper, C. S. (2004). An Updated Assessment of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban: Impacts on Gun Markets and Gun Violence, 1994–2003. Report to the National Institute of Justice.
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). (2020). National Firearms Act Handbook. U.S. Department of Justice.
- https://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto:_Liberty_City_Stories