Honestly, if you played Grand Theft Auto IV back in 2008 and didn't touch the DLC, you missed the real soul of Liberty City. I'm talking about The Lost and the Damned. It wasn't just some lazy map expansion or a few extra cars. It was a complete tonal shift.
Rockstar took the gray, cynical world of Niko Bellic and smeared it with engine oil and road grime.
You play as Johnny Klebitz. He’s the Vice President of The Lost MC, an outlaw biker gang based in Alderney. Unlike Niko, who was a lone wolf trying to find his footing, Johnny is a man defined by his brotherhood. Or at least, the idea of it.
The game starts with the club’s President, Billy Grey, getting out of court-ordered rehab. Things go south immediately. Billy is a loose cannon. Johnny is the pragmatist. This friction isn't just a plot point; it's the heartbeat of the entire experience. It’s about a man watching the only family he has left tear itself apart from the inside.
Why The Lost and the Damned Changed the Formula
Before this DLC dropped in February 2009, motorcycles in GTA IV were, frankly, a nightmare. They felt like they were made of paper. You’d clip a curb at 10 mph and Niko would go flying into the Hudson River.
The Lost and the Damned fixed that.
Rockstar tweaked the physics specifically for this episode. Suddenly, the bikes felt heavy. They gripped the road. You could actually weave through traffic without a death wish. They added "Formation Riding" too. If you stayed inside the gang’s emblem on the road while riding to a mission, your health and bike armor would regenerate. It made you feel like part of a pack. It was visceral.
Then there were the weapons. The Automatic Pistol and the Assault Shotgun basically turned Johnny into a walking tank. And the grenade launcher? Total game-changer for car chases.
The Story Most People Forget
The narrative of The Lost and the Damned is surprisingly short but incredibly dense. It runs parallel to Niko’s story. You actually see the other side of that infamous diamond deal at the Libertonian. Remember that mission "Museum Piece"? You played it as Niko, but in this DLC, you see it through Johnny’s eyes.
It’s a brilliant bit of world-building.
The conflict between Johnny and Billy is Shakespearean, if Shakespeare wore leather vests and did meth. Billy wants war with the Angels of Death. Johnny wants to keep the business running. It’s a classic power struggle that leads to a civil war within the club.
The ending is one of the most depressing in the series.
Johnny ends up burning down the clubhouse. The brotherhood is dead. His best friend Jim is gone. He’s left with almost nothing but a few loyal brothers and a whole lot of regret. It’s a far cry from the "American Dream" satire of the main game. This was a tragedy.
The Controversy of Johnny’s Fate in GTA V
We have to talk about it. The "Trevor" incident.
In 2013, when Grand Theft Auto V launched, Rockstar decided to bring Johnny back. But he wasn't the hardened biker we remembered. He was a shell of a man, addicted to meth and subservient to his ex-girlfriend, Ashley.
Then Trevor Philips stomps his head in.
A lot of fans, myself included, hated this. It felt like a cheap way to show how "crazy" Trevor was by killing off a former protagonist. But looking back in 2026, it sort of fits the grim reality of the world Rockstar built. The life of a biker in the GTA universe doesn't have a happy ending. Johnny’s story was always about decline.
Gameplay Features That Still Hold Up
Even nearly two decades later, some things in this DLC are just better than the base game:
- Gang Warfare: You could engage in side missions to take over territory. It felt meaningful because your brothers—Terry and Clay—would level up their combat skills the more you used them.
- The Soundtrack: LCHC (Liberty City Hardcore) got a massive update with tracks from Bathory and Deicide. It fit the vibe perfectly.
- New Vehicles: The Hexer and the Innovation were iconic bikes that actually had personality.
The game also introduced the series' first "full frontal" scene during a cutscene with a corrupt politician named Thomas Stubbs. It was Rockstar being Rockstar—pushing buttons just because they could.
🔗 Read more: X-Men 2 Mega Drive: Why This Brutal Sequel Still Matters
Is It Still Worth Playing?
Absolutely. If you have the Episodes from Liberty City or the GTA IV: Complete Edition, you owe it to yourself to ride through Alderney one more time. The grain filter they added to the visuals gives it this 1970s grindhouse look that distinguishes it from the neon lights of The Ballad of Gay Tony.
It’s a reminder of a time when Rockstar was willing to take big risks with narrative. They weren't just focused on GTA Online shark cards back then. They were telling gritty, focused stories about broken people.
Johnny Klebitz might have ended up as a stain on a trailer park floor in Sandy Shores, but in Liberty City? He was a king.
To get the most out of your replay, I'd suggest turning off the HUD and just focusing on the formation riding. The dialogue between the bikers during those long treks is some of the best writing Dan Houser ever did. It builds the world better than any cutscene could.
Next Steps for Your Playthrough
If you're jumping back into Liberty City, start with the main GTA IV story until you reach the "Museum Piece" mission. Then, switch over to The Lost and the Damned to see that exact moment from Johnny’s perspective. It makes the crossover feel much more impactful.