The bulk of gameplay in Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars is made up of missions. There are required missions, which are tied to the story of the game, as well as side missions, which are optional.

Just like in other Grand Theft Auto games, the bulk of the gameplay in Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars is broken down into missions. The player will have a number of characters they can speak with in order to get missions of varying goals and purposes. Some of the missions are directly connected to the story of the game and must be completed in order to move forward, while others are optional, simply providing ways for the player to earn more money. Some of the types of side missions that appeared in other Grand Theft Auto games make a return in Chinatown Wars, including taxi and vigilante missions. In these missions the player can choose to run a taxi service or hunt down wanted criminals, respectively.UGO: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - Controls and Missions

Another mission type from previous Grand Theft Auto games that's making a return in Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars is the rampage mission. These missions basically involve the player going a large killing spree or rampage. In an interview with IGN, Rockstar said they were excited to be able to include these missions in Chinatown Wars," but also wanted to make them different from what gamers had seen in previous games.

"We recognised that they'd been in a lot of GTA games, and we needed to change the formula a little to keep them fresh and interesting to players. When they trigger a rampage, the player has 90 seconds to cause as much damage as possible. You're not restricted to using just one gun any more, but you're given a weapon and you'll earn bonuses for using it. We've also put bonus multipliers in to reward quick action," said Gordon Hall, the head of Rockstar Leeds, the division that developed Chinatown Wars.IGN: Cars, Combat, and Missions in Chinatown Wars