Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars looks for success on the iPad

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was lauded by reviewers and critics but didn’t sell as well as expected. Now, publisher Rockstar is working on reviving the handheld crime title with a new, higher-resolution version for the iPad.

Above: Rockstar invested heavily into Chinatown Wars and the DS hardware in general. But sales figures were lower than expected

The new version will be re-titled Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD and will be given a visual overhaul to fit nicely on the iPad's notably larger screen. Controls will likely be similar to those of the iPhone version, which was released earlier this year.


Above: This is what the game looks like with the iPad version's improved graphics

Also added to the iPad version is the ability to sync directly to the device's linked iTunes account, allowing the in-game radio stations to pull from the user's own music library. We suggest flooding your iTunes account with only Lady Gaga songs prior to playing Chinatown Wars HD.

The game is available immediately for $9.99 from the App Store, a significant price reduction from the DS version. At $35, the original release of Chinatown Wars priced it at the highest-tiered level of standard DS games. $9.99 is a much more reasonable price point.

Sep 09, 2010


Rockstar's small step backwards is still a giant leap forward


See how the handheld Grand Theft Auto stacks up against its full-sized cousin


Popping caps and slinging drugs never felt so good

Latest in Action
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Dark Souls 2 fans remind Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima that he won’t be taking the DS2 acronym that easily
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding's themes of connection came about because "I thought I lost everything when I became alone nine years ago"
Beyond the Ice Palace 2
After 37 years, this Commodore 64 classic returns with a new Metroidvania sequel that gives serious old-school Castlevania vibes
Fortnite's Lara croft skin in front of a building
Fortnite has had Tomb Raider's Lara Croft locked away in battle pass exclusivity jail for almost 4 years, but she's reportedly getting a new skin very soon
The Last of Us 2
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann sounds like he's contemplating the end of his career: "When is it time to stop?"
Screenshot of Neil in Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says he chose Death Stranding 2's Solid Snake lookalike because he needed an actor who "would surpass" Mads Mikkelsen
Latest in News
Dino Crisis 2 art showing a young woman and man back-to-back amid tall green grass, both with their weapons drawn
Dino Crisis gets a fresh trademark filing by Capcom, but it might not mean the 26-year-old survival horror franchise will get a new installment like fans expect
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog
Dragon Age 2
Veteran Dragon Age dev says one big delay is better than several small ones: "You are laying band-aid on top of band-aid on top of band-aid"
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Dark Souls 2 fans remind Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima that he won’t be taking the DS2 acronym that easily
Minecraft Diamond Armor
Minecraft Pocket Edition got its name because one of its devs was a big "Nintendo nerd" who wanted to pay homage to the Game Boy Pocket
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding's themes of connection came about because "I thought I lost everything when I became alone nine years ago"