The Ballad of Gay Tony missions
The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009), the second Grand Theft Auto IV episode, has 26 story missions according to the GTA Wiki. Luis Lopez takes them from seven contacts, led by his boss Tony Prince. The story opens with I Luv LC and ends with Departure Time, and every mission is scored on a percentage that does not block progress.
How many missions are in The Ballad of Gay Tony?
The GTA Wiki (gta.wiki) lists 26 story missions in The Ballad of Gay Tony, all played as Luis Lopez. Wikipedia does not give a count. Most come from Tony Prince, the club owner Luis works for, but the episode also brings in a loan shark, a property developer, a Russian crime boss and Luis's own friends and mother. Our Ballad of Gay Tony page covers the plot, so the notes below only say what each strand is about.
Who gives missions in The Ballad of Gay Tony?
| Contact | Missions | What the strand is about |
|---|---|---|
| Tony Prince | I Luv LC, Practice Swing, Chinese Takeout, Bang Bang, Blog This!..., Frosting on the Cake, Boulevard Baby, ...Blog This!, Not So Fast, Ladies' Night, Ladies Half Price, Departure Time | Keeping Tony and his clubs afloat, from the first night to the last fight |
| Adriana Lopez | Momma's Boy | A job for Luis's mother |
| Armando Torres and Henrique Bardas | Corner Kids, Clocking Off | Helping Luis's old friends with their drug deals |
| Yusuf Amir | Sexy Time, High Dive, Caught With Your Pants Down, For the Man Who Has Everything | Over-the-top thefts for a rich developer |
| Mori Kibbutz | Kibbutz Number One, This Ain't Checkers, No. 3 | Working off Tony's debt to the loan shark |
| Ray Bulgarin | Going Deep, Dropping In, In the Crosshairs | Jobs for the Russian boss who first owned the diamonds |
| Rocco Pelosi | Party's Over | Mafia work tied to Tony's debts |
What is the story arc of the missions?
The first half is about debt. Tony has borrowed from the Ancelotti family and from the loan shark Mori Kibbutz, and Luis spends many missions paying that back with his own work. Tony's attempt to buy smuggled diamonds goes wrong when The Lost ambush the deal, which pulls Luis into the diamond plot shared with GTA IV and The Lost and Damned. In the second half Luis works for Ray Bulgarin, who later double-crosses him during the ransom swap for Gracie Ancelotti. Rocco Pelosi then pushes Luis to kill Tony, and Luis refuses. The story ends with the two friends reopening their clubs, as our Luis Lopez page describes.
What are the most famous missions?
The episode is known for big set-pieces. Wikipedia notes that Luis steals an attack helicopter, an armoured personnel carrier and a subway train for Yusuf Amir. These thefts make up Yusuf's strand of missions.
The last mission, Departure Time, is given by Tony. Gta.wiki describes Luis wrecking Ray Bulgarin's heroin at Funland, riding to the airport with Yusuf giving cover from his gold helicopter, and getting on board Bulgarin's jet on the runway as its doors close. Luis kills Bulgarin, a grenade goes off and destroys the plane, and Luis escapes by parachute. Gta.wiki lists the reward as $10,000 plus Yusuf's gold helicopter, an armoured vehicle from Henrique and the option to replay story missions.
How does mission scoring work in The Ballad of Gay Tony?
Each mission is rated as a percentage. Gta.wiki says the score is based on things like accuracy, headshots and time. Wikipedia stresses that the scores have no effect on the game itself; they just rate the run and its special goals, and players can replay missions to do better. The idea first appeared in Chinatown Wars, and GTA V missions later turned it into bronze, silver and gold medals.
| Achievement | How to earn it (gta.wiki) |
|---|---|
| Past the Velvet Rope | Score at least 80 percent on every story mission |
| Gold Star | Score 100 percent on every story mission |
Which missions cross over with GTA IV and The Lost and Damned?
The episode takes place at the same time as the other two stories, and some missions replay their events from Luis's side.
| The Ballad of Gay Tony | Linked to | What connects them |
|---|---|---|
| I Luv LC | Three Leaf Clover (GTA IV) | Wikipedia says Luis is in the bank during Niko's robbery |
| Frosting on the Cake | The Lost and Damned missions | Involves Johnny Klebitz and The Lost, according to gta.wiki |
| Not So Fast | Museum Piece (GTA IV) and Collector's Item (The Lost and Damned) | One diamond deal seen from three sides |
| Ladies Half Price | GTA IV's Gracie Ancelotti ransom | Involves Niko Bellic and Packie McReary, according to gta.wiki |
Wikipedia also names the diamond exchanges in GTA IV's I'll Take Her and Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend, and in The Lost and Damned's Diamonds in the Rough, as part of the same thread.
What side missions are in The Ballad of Gay Tony?
| Activity | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Club Management | Tasks at Tony's clubs; gta.wiki counts eight |
| Drug Wars | Drug-deal jobs around the city |
| L.C. Cage Fighters | An underground fight club |
| Triathlons | Multi-stage races |
| Random characters | One-off encounters around Liberty City |
- ConfirmedGta.wiki lists Club Management, Drug Wars, L.C. Cage Fighters and random characters as side missions, with triathlons in its navigation. gta.wiki
- Not knownGta.wiki's introduction mentions six side missions but names only five, so the exact count is unclear.
For side work across the series, see GTA side missions. The episode later came on one disc with The Lost and Damned as Episodes from Liberty City.
Sources
- GTA Wiki (gta.wiki) — Missions in The Ballad of Gay Tony read 30 Oct 2026
- GTA Wiki (gta.wiki) — Departure Time read 30 Oct 2026
- Wikipedia — Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony read 30 Oct 2026