GTA 2 Guide: Story, Characters, Missions, Gangs and Cheats

This GTA 2 guide covers Grand Theft Auto 2, the second major installment of the series and the fourth game overall. Rockstar North, then known as DMA Design, released it in North America on October 22, 1999, for the PC and PlayStation. A Dreamcast version followed, along with a toned-down Game Boy Color port, and it sold well compared with the first game.

Key facts

• Developer: Rockstar North (then DMA Design), released October 22, 1999.
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Dreamcast and Game Boy Color.
• Setting: Anywhere City, a retrofuturistic metropolis split into three districts.
• Hero: Claude Speed, an up-and-coming criminal.
• Gangs: seven factions, three of them in each district.

Story and setting

The game takes place in Anywhere City, a stylized metropolis that mixes a vivid color palette and science-fiction weapons with postwar architecture and cars built up to the 1960s. Anywhere City is divided into Downtown, Residential and Industrial sectors, and each one has three gangs whose bosses hand out jobs through payphones. The year is deliberately vague, anywhere between 1999 and 2013. You earn respect by working for one gang and attacking its enemies, which means your allies change from district to district.

Main characters

You play Claude Speed, the only hero on the PC, PlayStation and Dreamcast versions. The gang bosses are the faces of each district. Trey Welsh runs the Zaibatsu in Downtown, Johnny Zoo leads the Yakuza and Elmo the Loonies. In the Residential District you meet Red Valdez, Billy Bob Bean of the Rednecks and Dr. LaBrat of the Scientists. Industrial missions come from Uno Carb, Jerkov of the Russian Mafia and Sunbeam of the Hare Krishna. Browse the full list in the GTA 2 characters section.

Missions and walkthroughs

Missions come in three difficulties: easy jobs from green payphones, medium ones from yellow phones and hard ones from red phones that need maximum respect. This GTA 2 guide links each walkthrough, and you can also open the full GTA 2 missions category.

Downtown District

• Tutorial
• Get ZitZaki
• Bank Robbery
• Stop the Tank
• The Final Job

Residential District

• Residential District guide
• Benson Burner
• Science Friction
• Redneck Attack

Industrial District

• Industrial District guide
• Sunbeam Contract
• Power Station
• Army Base Alert

Vehicles, gangs and places

Every gang drives its own car. The Z-Type belongs to the Zaibatsu, the Miara to the Yakuza, the Meteor to the Scientists and the Dementia to the Loonies. Browse every model in the vehicles section. Learn the factions in the gangs section, including the Yakuza and the Rednecks, and explore the places section. Weapons range from the Pistol to the Flamethrower, all listed in the weapons section. Save at the Jesus Saves church, which costs $50,000, and spot it by hijacking a TV Van, since its antenna points toward the church.

Cheats and tools

Our GTA 2 cheats page collects the codes for the game. The GTA 2 lexicon works as a quick reference while you play.

Other GTA editions

Coming from the original game? Read the GTA 1 guide. Continue the series with the GTA London guide, or open the complete GTA lexicon for every edition.

FAQ

When was GTA 2 released?

Grand Theft Auto 2 launched in North America on October 22, 1999, for the PC and PlayStation, with Dreamcast and Game Boy Color versions later.

Who is the main character of GTA 2?

You play Claude Speed, who works both with and against the gangs of Anywhere City. The Game Boy Color version lets you choose between six other heroes instead.

How do you save in GTA 2?

Find the Jesus Saves church and pay $50,000. The Game Boy Color version uses a password system instead, given after each mission.

How many gangs are there in GTA 2?

There are seven gangs, and each of the three districts has three of them, with the Zaibatsu appearing in all areas. Use this GTA 2 guide and the lexicon to learn who hates whom.