Liberty City was established in 1798, 22 years after the Declaration of Independence in the United States. Assuming a significantly different design compared to the previous incarnation in the first Grand Theft Auto, the city plays a role in five games in the series.
This is also the only rendition of Liberty City that is not based entirely on the real-life New York City, being a hybrid of midwestern American cities and port areas of Leith, Scotland. This rendition of Liberty City has three boroughs: Portland, Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale. Grand Theft Auto III marks the second appearance of Liberty City in the series, succeeding the 2D Universe rendition in the original 1997 game and preceding the current HD Universe rendition introduced in Grand Theft Auto IV. 8 Differences between GTA III & GTA: Liberty City Stories.
