Bully: Anniversary Edition

It only takes a few minutes in Bully to realize you’re not playing Grand Theft Auto: Prep School Edition. Sure, it’s built on the same bones, open-world structure, sandbox chaos, mission-based progression, but instead of jacking cars or orchestrating criminal empires, you’re a scrappy 15-year-old armed with stink bombs, a skateboard, and a firm grasp of sarcasm.

You play as Jimmy Hopkins, a rough-edged delinquent tossed into Bullworth Academy, a decaying boarding school that’s equal parts ivy-league façade and teen-movie warzone. Every class, clique, and corner of campus is packed with equal opportunity chaos: Greasers, Jocks, Nerds, and Preppies all want your lunch money, and half the teachers probably need therapy. What begins as an uphill fight against bullies becomes a full-scale war for social supremacy, and it’s a total riot.

The Anniversary Edition brings the complete experience to mobile with extra missions, classes, and a surprisingly robust performance overhaul. It’s still a PS2-era game at heart, but that heart is beating strong. With new touch controls and controller support, this is the most accessible version yet, and it runs smoother than a hall monitor with a Red Bull.

What really separates Bully is its tone. Rockstar swaps nihilism for satire, trading in blood for wedgies and turning high school into the perfect sandbox for comedy and chaos. Missions range from sabotaging science fairs to smuggling frogs for dissection, and the writing leans fully into cartoonish caricature without losing bite. It’s rebellious, yes, but it’s also weirdly sincere. Jimmy isn’t some gun-toting antihero; he’s a kid trying to make sense of a broken system the only way he knows how: by breaking it right back.

Combat is scrappy and satisfying, with pressure-sensitive punches and a creative arsenal of slingshots, firecrackers, and cafeteria-grade projectiles. But it’s the world of Bullworth that steals the show, bustling, absurd, and brimming with side activities, from BMX races to carnival minigames to “chemistry” class that’s basically DDR with beakers.

Bully has always been misunderstood. But play it today, and it’s clear: this isn’t a controversy, it’s a coming-of-age classic. Just with more spitballs.