Comparison

GTA vs Payback 2

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

GTA

Embark on a mission of revenge and riches in a dangerous city after a family tragedy. Experience a gripping story of honor and survival in a morally bankrupt world. Play a free trial before committing to the full game.

Highlights
  • Open-world exploration
  • Story-driven missions
  • Vehicle combat
  • Gang warfare
  • Criminal underworld
  • Free trial available
Features
Read full description

Download and play up to thirty minutes as a free trial.* Purchase GTA: Chinatown Wars Full Game as a one-time, in-app purchase to play without any time limits. Following his father's murder, Huang Lee has a simple mission: deliver an ancient sword to his Uncle Kenny to ensure his family retains control of the Triad gangs of Liberty City. Huang is a spoiled rich kid who expects everything to run smoothly, but his trip does not go exactly as planned. After being robbed and left to die, he will search for honor, riches and revenge in the most dangerous and morally bankrupt city in the world. Software license terms in game and at www.rockstargames.com/eula; online account terms at www.rockstargames.com/socialclub. Non-transferable access to special features such as exclusive, unlockable, downloadable or online content, services, or functions may require single-use serial code, additional fee and/or account registration (varies 13+). Access to special features require internet connection, may not be available to all users, and may, upon 30 days notice, be terminated, modified, or offered under different terms. Violation of EULA, Code of Conduct, or other policies may result in restriction or termination of access to game or online account. For customer & tech support visit www.rockstargames.com/support. This videogame is fictional; doesn’t depict any actual event/person/entity; & any similarities are coincidental. Take-Two doesn’t endorse or encourage engaging in any conduct depicted in game. Unauthorized copying, reverse engineering, transmission, public performance, rental, pay for play, or circumvention of copy protection is strictly prohibited. *Free trial limited to one per user. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited.

About

Payback 2

Experience intense, action-packed gameplay with a variety of campaign events, including gang battles, races, and tank duels. Compete with friends and millions of players online, or create your own custom events with diverse cities, modes, and vehicles.

Highlights
  • Varied campaign events
  • Extensive online multiplayer
  • Hourly, daily, and weekly challenges
  • Custom event creation
  • Diverse cities, game modes, and vehicles
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

"Bite sized, action-packed stages; boils down the GTA flavor to an intense punch" - AppSpy.com Gaming App of The Day - Kotaku.com "[Payback 2] manages to create a sense of overblown fun that permeates everything from straightforward races to capture the flag-inspired heists ... an immensely entertaining experience" - pocketgamer.co.uk Featured as one of the best games of the week by The Guardian DESCRIPTION: Payback 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the hit GTA-style game from the early days of the App Store. It concentrates that classic formula by offering exciting event-based gameplay that is all action, all the time. FEATURES: • VARIED CAMPAIGN. Fifty campaign events featuring everything from massive gang battles to rocket car races to epic tank duels! • TAKE ON THE WORLD. Battle your friends or over a million other players online with the game's extensive multiplayer, leaderboard and Game Center support. • HOURLY, DAILY AND WEEKLY CHALLENGES. Try to beat the rest of the world in the latest new events! • ENDLESS REPLAYABILITY. Make your own events in "custom mode" using any combination of the game's seven cities, nine game modes, varied weaponry and dozens of vehicles.

Screenshots

GTA4 screens
Payback 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: GTA at none against Payback 2's shown. Payback 2's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 58%) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. GTA sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Payback 2 sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Payback 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Payback 2 has 55K ratings behind it against 3.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of GTA's written reviews are positive against 85% of Payback 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
GTA versus Payback 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGTAPayback 2
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (3.9K ratings)4.7 (55K ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.9% of reviews85.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.9K55K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#101 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size915 MB179 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperRockstar GamesApex Designs Games LLP

Customer experience

GTA

All ratings3,770 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral3.0%
Negative9.2%
Written reviews568 reviews
Positive57.9%
Neutral10.0%
Negative32.0%

Payback 2

All ratings54,371 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews1,889 reviews
Positive85.2%
Neutral6.1%
Negative8.7%

User reviews

GTA

From 3.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Nostalgic GTA experience
  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 💡 Unique drug dealing mechanics
  • 🎮 Great for mobile devices
  • 💰 Good value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🎮 Challenging controls
  • 🔍 Outdated graphics
  • ⏱️ Slow loading times
  • 💰 Paid content not clearly disclosed

Payback 2

From 55K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Smooth gameplay
  • 🚀 Offline playability
  • 💡 Customizable game modes
  • 🎨 Good graphics and visuals
  • 🕹️ Fun and addictive

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 📺 Too many intrusive ads
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔨 Unfinished or unpolished features
  • 🚗 Unrealistic vehicle physics

Bugs and requests

GTA

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Molotov cocktail equipping issue
  • Inability to move character with analog stick
  • Crashes on certain devices and iOS versions
  • Graphical glitches on iPhone X and newer
  • Saved game data being deleted

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add cloud save support
  • Improve controller compatibility
  • Increase frame rate and resolution
  • Add new content updates
  • Optimize for larger screens

Payback 2

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Vehicles and physics issues
  • Multiplayer matchmaking problems
  • Inconsistent or missing game progress
  • Unresponsive controls and input issues

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add more vehicles and customization options
  • Improve graphics and animations
  • Implement a story mode or campaign
  • Add more game modes and multiplayer features
  • Reduce the number of ads or make them less intrusive
Show 3 more
  • Fix bugs and improve overall stability
  • Introduce a sandbox or free-roam mode
  • Add support for controllers and higher frame rates

In-app purchases

1 purchases

GTA

One-time1
  • GTA: Chinatown Wars Full Game$4.99
10 purchases

Payback 2

One-time10
  • 200 Coins$0.99
  • 500 Coins$1.99
  • Disable Ads$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Coin Doubler$2.99
  • 1200 Coins$3.99
  • Unlock Episode 2$4.99
  • Unlock Episode 3$4.99
  • 2500 Coins$7.99
  • Unlock Custom Mode$9.99
  • Unlimited Coins$14.99

Questions

Is GTA free?
GTA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Payback 2 free?
Payback 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, GTA or Payback 2?
Payback 2 is rated higher. GTA averages 4.5 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while Payback 2 averages 4.7 from 55K ratings.
Do GTA or Payback 2 have ads?
Payback 2 shows ads; GTA does not.
Which is updated more often, GTA or Payback 2?
GTA ships an update every 2 months, and Payback 2 every 2 months. Most recently, GTA was updated on November 4, 2026 and Payback 2 on November 5, 2026.

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