L.A. Noire is weird. It’s a game where you spend half your time staring at a digital man’s twitching upper lip trying to figure out if he’s lying about a stolen purse, and the other half accidentally running over pedestrians in a 1947 Cadillac. But when people talk about the DLC cases, L.A. Noire The Naked City always comes up as the one that actually feels like a cohesive piece of noir cinema. It isn't just a side quest.
Honestly, it's better than most of the main desk missions.
Originally released as a pre-order bonus for those who bought the game at GameStop (remember those days?), the case was eventually folded into the Complete Edition. It follows Detective Phelps and his partner Roy Earle—who is, let's be real, a total piece of work—as they investigate the "suicide" of a young model named Julia Randall.
She's found dead in her bathtub. Overdosed on sleeping pills. The scene looks staged because, well, it’s a noir game, and nothing is ever what it seems.
Why The Naked City feels different from the rest of the game
Most L.A. Noire cases follow a rigid rhythm. You find a matchbook, you go to the bar on the matchbook, you punch a guy, and you move on. The Naked City feels more like an actual procedural. It was inspired by the 1948 film of the same name, directed by Jules Dassin. If you’ve seen that movie, you know it’s famous for its "semi-documentary" style, filming on the actual streets of New York. Rockstar and Team Bondi tried to capture that gritty, "city as a character" vibe here.
You aren't just looking for a killer. You're looking at the gross underbelly of the fashion and modeling industry in post-war Los Angeles. It’s cynical.
The case starts at a high-end apartment. You meet the housemaid, Virginia Reynoldson. She's the one who found the body. Right away, the game forces you to deal with Roy Earle’s blatant misogyny and the general dismissiveness of the LAPD at the time. It sets a mood. It makes you want to prove everyone wrong.
💡 You might also like: Why the GTA San Andreas Motorcycle is Still the Best Way to Get Around Los Santos
The evidence that actually matters
When you're poking around Julia’s apartment, the game does that little "ding" sound when you hover over something useful. You find a prescription pill bottle. It’s for Benzedrine. You find a modeling contract. You find a pearl ring that looks way too expensive for a girl who’s supposedly struggling.
The "aha!" moment happens when you realize the victim's black dress has been cleaned recently, but her body was found in the bath. Why would a girl put on a freshly pressed dress just to take it off and drown herself?
It doesn't add up.
You end up at the D’Assis dress shop. This is where the world-building shines. You meet Margaret Mary, the owner, and you start to see the exploitation inherent in the business. Young girls coming to Hollywood with stars in their eyes, only to end up "befriended" by guys like Guy McAfee or Dr. Stoneman. It’s heavy stuff for a game that usually focuses on car chases.
Breaking down the interrogation of Dr. Stoneman
Interrogations in this game are notoriously finicky. The "Truth, Doubt, Lie" system (which was later changed to "Good Cop, Bad Cop, Accuse") is at its most frustratingly brilliant here.
- The Victim’s State of Mind: Stoneman acts like a grieving mentor. He’s lying through his teeth. You have to use the Benzedrine prescription to call him out.
- The Pearl Ring: He tries to dodge this. You need the jewelry store record to pin it on him.
- The Relationship: This is where the mo-cap really earns its paycheck. Watch his eyes. He looks down and away. He’s terrified of what Roy Earle represents.
Dr. Stoneman is a tragic figure in a way, but he’s also a coward. The way his story ends—jumping out of a window during your second meeting—is one of the most jarring moments in the game. It’s sudden. There’s no boss fight. He just decides he can't live with the guilt or the public shame, and he’s gone.
📖 Related: Dandys World Ship Chart: What Most People Get Wrong
The fashion industry's dark side
The Naked City dives into "The Arnett Group." This is where the investigation gets messy. You track down Heather Swanson and her fiancé, Arnett. Arnett is the quintessential "Hollywood creep." He’s handsome, charismatic, and obviously involved in something shady.
What's interesting here is how the game uses the "Naked City" moniker to strip away the glamour of L.A. You visit the garbage-strewn back alleys and the warehouses. You find out that Julia wasn't just a model; she was being used as a mule for a high-end jewelry heist ring.
The pearls weren't a gift of love. They were loot.
The chase sequence at the end, where you pursue Willy Hopkin through the streets and eventually up to the top of a building, is a bit of a cliché, sure. But the payoff—finding out the scale of the theft and how many "respectable" people were involved—is pure noir.
Technical hurdles and the 2026 perspective
Playing L.A. Noire The Naked City today is a trip. The facial animations, which were mind-blowing in 2011, sometimes look like the characters are wearing melting rubber masks. But it works. The "Uncanny Valley" effect actually adds to the creepiness of the case.
There's a specific nuance in the performance of the actor playing Roy Earle (Adam J. Harrington). In this case specifically, you see the friction between Cole Phelps’s moral rigidity and Roy’s "this is just how the world works" attitude. It’s a masterclass in writing.
👉 See also: Amy Rose Sex Doll: What Most People Get Wrong
Critics at the time, like those from IGN and GameSpot, noted that The Naked City felt more "complete" than some of the main-game homicide cases. They were right. It has a tighter narrative arc. It doesn't overstay its welcome.
Misconceptions about the ending
A lot of players think they "failed" the case because they couldn't save Dr. Stoneman. You can't. His death is scripted. It’s meant to show Cole that even when you follow the clues perfectly, you can't control the outcome. People are fragile.
Another common mistake is missing the hidden collectibles in this DLC. There’s a specific film reel located near the final shootout location. Most people miss it because they're too busy trying not to get shot by a guy with a Tommy gun.
Actionable steps for your next playthrough
If you’re going back to play this case, or playing it for the first time, don’t rush the apartment scene.
- Examine the bathroom thoroughly. There are minor details about the water level and the placement of the glass that don't trigger "clues" in your notebook but help you understand the crime scene layout.
- Pay attention to Roy’s dialogue. He actually drops hints about Arnett’s reputation before you even meet him. It’s subtle foreshadowing.
- Check the vents. In the final warehouse area, there are vantage points that make the shootout much easier if you aren't a fan of the clunky cover-shooter mechanics.
The Naked City isn't just a piece of extra content. It’s the soul of L.A. Noire. It captures that feeling of a city that is beautiful on the surface but rotting underneath. It reminds us that in the world of 1940s Los Angeles, the "Naked City" has eight million stories, and most of them don't have a happy ending.
To get the most out of the experience, try playing the case in the "Black and White" mode found in the settings. It completely changes the atmosphere of the dress shop and the final rooftop chase, making the shadows deeper and the facial expressions even more dramatic. It’s how the developers clearly wanted the game to be experienced.
Once you finish, go back and compare the Benzedrine clue to the medical records found in the later "Vice" desk missions. You'll see how the writers were already planting the seeds for the systemic corruption that eventually swallows Cole Phelps whole. The attention to detail is staggering.
Make sure you've updated to the 4K texture pack if you're on PC or the "Remastered" console versions. The extra clarity on the textures of the dresses and the environmental clutter makes finding clues significantly less frustrating than it was on the PS3 and Xbox 360.