Algonquin

Updated 30 October 2026 · Fan site. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.

Algonquin is the borough of Liberty City modelled on Manhattan in GTA IV (2008), its two episodes and Chinatown Wars (2009). GTA Wiki calls it the largest borough, with 29 of the city's 65 neighbourhoods. It is closed at the start of GTA IV and opens after the mission Blow Your Cover. Landmarks include Rotterdam Tower, Middle Park and Chinatown.

What is Algonquin based on?

Algonquin is the Manhattan of the rebuilt Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV, released on 29 April 2008. Wikipedia notes that Rockstar first thought about recreating all of New York State, then narrowed the plan to Manhattan alone before widening it again to four boroughs and Alderney. Even the game files point to its origin: GTA Wiki says the map data for the borough is stored under the name "manhat". The island sits between the Humboldt River on the east and the West River on the west. Its name, like Manhattan's, comes from a Native American people, the Algonquin. GTA Wiki ranks it as the largest borough, holding 29 of Liberty City's 65 neighbourhoods.

How do you unlock Algonquin in GTA IV?

At the start of GTA IV, Niko Bellic can only roam Broker, Dukes and Bohan. Wikipedia explains that the bridges are shut because of a terror threat. GTA Wiki adds that police cars block the Broker, Algonquin, East Borough and Northwood Heights bridges until Niko finishes Blow Your Cover, a mission for Elizabeta Torres. Sneaking across early brings a six-star wanted level. Each game that uses the map opens the borough at a different point:

Which neighbourhoods are in Algonquin?

GTA Wiki lists 29 of them. Well-known ones include Star Junction, home of the Daily Globe newspaper and the Live Central music venue; Middle Park and the streets on either side of it; The Exchange; Chinatown and Little Italy; The Triangle; and Varsity Heights, home of Vespucci University, which the wiki says is based on Columbia University. Three islands also count as part of the borough: Colony Island, Presidents City and Happiness Island, where the Statue of Happiness stands.

What are the main landmarks in Algonquin?

The skyline is led by Rotterdam Tower in The Triangle, which GTA Wiki calls the tallest building in the GTA universe; it has an observation deck that players can visit. Other sights the wiki names are the Zirconium Building in Lancet, Grand Easton Terminal, Columbus Cathedral, the Daily Globe offices in Star Junction and Pier 45 in Fishmarket South. The borough also has its own subway lines, with 18 stations according to GTA Wiki, and the two lines meet at Easton.

Algonquin has the most upmarket shopping in the city. GTA Wiki lists a Grotti car showroom and a Perseus designer clothes store in Middle Park East, a Modo store in North Holland, the Memory Lanes bowling alley in The Meat Quarter and the Split Sides comedy club. Public services are dense as well: the wiki counts seven police stations, three hospitals and three fire stations on the island, plus several high schools.

How does Algonquin connect to the rest of Liberty City?

Bridges and tunnels tie the island to every neighbour. GTA Wiki lists the Broker Bridge to Hove Beach and the Algonquin Bridge from the east side of the island, both crossing into Broker. The East Borough Bridge leads to Dukes and Charge Island, and the Northwood Heights Bridge reaches Bohan. To the west, the Booth Tunnel and the Hickey Bridge cross into Alderney, and a cable car called the Skycar runs out to Colony Island.

What happens in Algonquin in GTA IV?

Once the bridges open, much of the story moves here. GTA Wiki lists two of Niko's safehouses in the borough: an apartment in Middle Park East, unlocked after the mission Hostile Negotiation, and Playboy X's penthouse in North Holland, which Niko only gets if he kills Playboy X and spares Dwayne Forge in The Holland Play. Wikipedia notes that Roman Bellic later uses insurance money to buy an apartment in Algonquin, a big step up from his old life in Hove Beach.

Algonquin in the episodes

The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony reuse the same island. The second episode is especially tied to it: GTA Wiki places Luis Lopez's apartment, the only safehouse in that episode, in North Holland, while the nightclubs Maisonette 9 and Hercules sit on Galveston Avenue in The Meat Quarter and Westminster. Both episodes are also sold together as Episodes from Liberty City.

Algonquin in Chinatown Wars

Chinatown Wars came out on 17 March 2009 for the Nintendo DS in North America. Wikipedia says it uses a scaled-down version of the GTA IV city without Alderney. Algonquin opens after the mission Yu Jian. GTA Wiki describes the borough's Chinatown, in the south of the island, as the main turf of the Liberty City Triads in both GTA IV and this game. Wikipedia describes Huang Lee himself as a Triad member.

Is Algonquin in GTA V?

No, you cannot go there in GTA V. GTA Wiki says the borough still gets a mention: Weazel News in that game reports a large storm hitting Algonquin and other parts of Liberty City in 2013, a story the wiki links to Hurricane Sandy in 2012.