Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was, by most accounts, a completely awesome game. Released on the DS last March, critics loved the gritty, comical portable version of everyone’s favorite open world series, though it didn’t sell well – at all. According to 1Up, Rockstar will release the title on PSP this fall, in hopes of boosting sales on the presumably slightly older-skewing handheld.

Car related theft and carnage have been conspicuously absent on the DS for quite some time. After all, the PSP received two Grand Theft Auto games (Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories), so it stood to reason the DS was due.

Then, at E3 2008, Rockstar revealed the good news – Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was going to be a DS game. The only thing was, when? The official website only stated that we’d see the game “this winter.”

Now, we finally have dates. If you’re in North America, you’ll be able to stop in a store and pick up Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on March 17, 2009. European gamers shouldn’t feel left out, as three days later, on March 20, 2009, the game will be available in Europe. Rockstar was cutting it very close. Spring starts March 20 in 2009, so only the North American release is coming out in winter…