Best Similar Games Like the GTA Series

Here is our list of the best similar games like GTA Series. Rockstar Games raises the standard with new GTA 6, which includes AI-based gameplay, a smarter wanted system, and many more. Still, there are games which Players love and consider as best, similar to the GTA Series.

Plenty of other games try to copy the style and deliver the same type of games, which include Saints Row, Mafia and Cyberpunk 2077. Some of these games are about crime and gang wars, others provide the future cityscapes, but still don’t match the level of the GTA Series. Game is available for iOS devices, PC Consoles and Android Devices.

The list below of similar games like the GTA series will feature 12 such games that bring you a similar experience, mission and choices. Whether you’re a fan of Sleeping Dogs and Red Dead Redemption 2, or the action-based gameplay of Just Cause 4, these games offer everything you could want while playing similar games like GTA 6.

Sleeping Dogs

In 2012, United Front Games published Sleeping Dogs. The action-adventure game takes place in the criminal underbelly of Hong Kong. As Wei Shen, players assume the role of an undercover cop who delves deep into the Triads. The game incorporates hand-to-hand combat, street chases, and gunfights within an open world filled with optional quests, collectables, and mini-games. The central themes of the game’s storyline revolve around loyalty, betrayal, and one’s identity, all of which combine to produce an engrossing cinematic experience.

Sleeping Dogs is frequently compared to the Grand Theft Auto series, especially the upcoming GTA 6. Unlike the GTA series, Sleeping Dogs takes a more realistic depiction of Asian street culture and action rooted in martial arts. While Sleeping Dogs will be remembered for its superbly implemented combat and intricate emotional narrative, it will be the detailed combat mechanics and the emotional depth of the story that will keep it a timeless classic. It is a distilled version of GTA with an emphasis on superb melee combat and a more unique cultural lens.

Main Features

• Undercover cop with emotional layers 
• Martial arts–based combat 
• Open-world Hong Kong 
• Dynamic weather and full day-night cycles 
• Street racing and vehicle customization 
• Police undercover missions 
• Parkour and chase sequences 
• Cantonese voice acting 

Mafia Series

The Mafia series developed by Illusion Softworks (now Hangar 13) began in 2002 and centred around organized Crime from the 1930s to the modern day. Each entry focuses on the life of mobsters and the criminal cycle of rise and fall. The series combines open-world gameplay with linear storytelling and emotional narrative. The cityscapes and detailed environments are built around backstories centred on loyalty and power. Emotional narrative and cityscapes provide a stark contrast to the linear stories of open world gameplay and evoke a powerful feeling as one explores the world from Mafia 1’s classic prohibition-era to Mafia 3’s gritty 1968 New Bordeaux. 

In comparison to GTA 6, Mafia presents a more serious and cinematic experience. The contrast lies in that while GTA relies on satire, chaos, and the freedom to play, Mafia builds the gameplay around drama and realism, providing a historical context to the game. Players who enjoy the mature storytelling and character-driven missions from GTA 6 will find the Mafia series to be just as gripping.

Main Features

• Historical time periods from the 1930s to–1970s
• Realistic driving, gunplay
• Constructive narrative with quality voice acting
• Authentic city designs and vehicles
• Criminal empire management in Mafia 3
• Period-accurate music and atmosphere
• Mission-based structure with free roam
• Intense emotional narrative

Saints Row 2

Developed by Volition and THQ and released in 2008, Saints Row 2 is an open-world action game positioned in the city of Stilwater. The player commands the Third Street Saints gang and seeks to re-establish order in their territory after years of mayhem. As one of the first action games, it is renowned for the combination of fun and carnage, boasting creative character customizations, extravagant missions, and side activities that include insurance fraud and street racing.

In relation to GTA 6, Saints Row 2 is the closest in tone to the earlier GTA San Andreas. It features the same excess, allows players to cause large-scale destruction, and has maintained a level of humour that GTA has since removed. While GTA 6 is made with realism in mind, Saints Row 2 is for the players who enjoy pure, unlimited sandbox mayhem.

Main Features

• Full character customization 
• Massive open world with diverse districts 
• Dozens of crazy side activities 
• Cooperative multiplayer mode 
• Gang warfare and base takeovers 
• Humorous story with memorable characters 
• Vehicle and weapon customization 
• Freedom-driven mission structure 

Cyberpunk 2077

Developed by CD Projekt RED and released in 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 immerses players in the futuristic city of Night City. Playing as V, a mercenary for hire, players complete missions involving corporate espionage, hacking, and combat. The game offers a mix of first-person shooting, RPG progression, and open-world freedom with high narrative complexity and multiple endings. 

In the case of GTA 6, Cyberpunk 2077 represents a futuristic version of what GTA could become, full of neon skylines, advanced AI systems, and cybernetic upgrades. While GTA 6 focuses on modern realism, Cyberpunk thrives on sci-fi innovation and deep player customization. Both franchises share themes of ambition, corruption, and power struggles in vast urban environments.

Key Features

• An open world designed with futuristic elements 
• RPG mechanics in the first-person point of view 
• Complex skills and cyberware systems 
• Develop branching narratives throughout the game 
• Advanced technology in vehicles and weaponry 
• Real-time interaction with animated crowds and urban environments 
• Diverse playable narratives 
• Breathtaking visuals and immersive realism 

True Crime: Streets of LA 

True Crime: Streets of L. A was developed by Luxoflux and published by Activision in 2003. LA was designed in a realistic and geographically correctly laid out version. Streets of LA lets you control Nick Kang, the main protagonist, as he uncovers a foiled conspiracy throughout LA and also integrates some hand-to-hand and ranged gun combat while mixing in some car chases. Streets of LA also allows good and bad cop interactions in a mission-based with open-world system, pairing narrative with freestyle. 

In relation to  GTA 6, Sleeping Dogs seems to draw inspiration from True Crime while also being designed in a more moral-ethical gameplay paradigm as opposed to GTA. True Crime, unlike Sleeping Dogs, focuses mostly on the realistic combat system and freedom of choice. For a game released in 2003, the combat mechanics and open world design elements were state-of-the-art and groundbreaking and set the foundation for modern open world games.

The Main Features

• Completely explorable map of Los Angeles
• A system of police moral alignment
• Combinations of melee and firearm combat
• Chases and mechanics of automobiles in traffic
• Diverging paths in missions with various conclusions
• City AI and patrol system Simulation
• Authentic automobiles and soundtracks
• Sandbox-style flexibility in early game design

Saints Row (Reboot 2022)

Rebooted Saints Row, developed by Volition and released in 2022, reimagines the franchise with a new cast of characters and the new fictional city of Santo Ileso. The game uses a blend of Crime, humour, and business-building mechanics as players create their gang empire from the ground up. It features a combination of third-person shooting, driving, and extensive game world customization, all in a newly done graphical style.

While Saints Row presents itself as youthful and absurd, with the most absurd of missions, the 2022 version contains a more youthful vibe, especially in comparison with the mission-driven and realistic story of GTA 6. It still contains the chaotic, fun, and freedom of play elements, similar to the older GTA versions.

Main Features

• Highly customizable main character 
• Four-player cooperative multiplayer 
• An expansive open world comprised of desert and urban areas 
• Building and managing a criminal empire 
• Innovatively crafted vehicles and armaments 
• Missions and side activities infused with humour 
• Control of gang territories 
• Robust dynamics and game physics 

Red Dead Redemption 2 

Red Dead Redemption 2 was developed by Rockstar Games and was released in 2018. Red Dead Redemption 2 tells the story of Arthur Morgan, an outlaw, during the first few years of the American West. This game features a vast open world that consists of mountains, swamps, and towns, all of which are populated with NPCs, story events, and wildlife. It’s an open-world game where players go through a cinematic experience from the perspective of the character, confronting themes of loyalty, freedom, and survival.

RDR 2 is from the same studio as the GTA series and feels like the rural cousin of GTA 6. The level of detail for the animations and storytelling is something that GTA 6 is highly anticipated to meet. Both games focus on the morality of characters and the detailed worlds that change with the actions of the players.

Main Features

• An expansive open world containing wildlife ecosystems
• Flexible honour and reputation systems
• Cinematic stories and complex characters
• Substantial weapon customization
• Equestrian activities and relationship building
• Realistic AI and weather
• Interactive NPCs with procedural generated events
• Multiplayer (Red Dead Online) 

 The Godfather

The Godfather: The Game was developed by Redwood Shores and released in 2006. It adapted the Godfather movie into an open-world crime simulator. You join the Corleone family and rise in the ranks by completing missions, managing rackets, and taking over rival businesses. It is set in 1940s New York and focuses on making the player lose narrative loyalty and freely explore the world. 

In comparison with GTA 6, The Godfather is slower but more immersed in the mafia subculture. The GTA 6 is focused on modern crime realism, while The Godfather is focused on delivering the classic mob, which has territory control and respect in the family, providing a vintage organized crime gaming experience.

Main Features

• Open world set in 1940s New York
• Business extortion and racketeering
• Player rank progression within the Corleone family
• Authentic story missions based on the movie 
• Gunfights, stealth, and negotiations
• Territory-based gang warfare
• Historical setting and soundtrack
• Deep respect/reputation system

Fallout 4

Developed by Bethesda Game Studios and released in 2015, Fallout 4 places players in a post-apocalyptic Boston, known as the Commonwealth. As the “Sole Survivor,” you explore wastelands, craft weapons, build settlements, and make moral choices that shape the story. It combines RPG depth with sandbox freedom.

When compared to GTA 6, Fallout 4 trades urban Crime for survival and exploration. Yet, both share vast open-world design, mission variety, and player freedom. Fallout 4 is for players who love GTA’s open world but want more RPG systems and world-building depth.

Main Features

• Vast open-world wasteland
• Player-constructed bases and settlements
• Character skill trees and customization
• Extensive crafting and weapon modification
• Branching dialogues and moral choices
• Dynamic weather systems and radiation effects
• Faction-based questlines
• First and third person combat

Far Cry 3

Far Cry 3 is a first-person open-world shooter survival game crafted by Ubisoft Montreal and released in 2012. Players take on the role of Jason Brody, who gets stranded on a pirate-infested tropical island. In addition to survival and combat, the game emphasizes crafting and stealth as players navigate outposts and dense jungles. The narrative and the game’s villain, Vaas, are some of the leading reasons it became a hallmark of the genre.

While GTA 6 is an urban open-world game, Far Cry 3 is built around natural wilderness. The two games do share similar traits, such as non-linear gameplay, a variety of missions, and narrative immersion. If GTA 6 is urban chaos, Far Cry 3 is its dangerous island counterpart.

Main Features

• Lush tropical island setting 
• First-person open-world experience 
• Stealth and weapon crafting 
• Missions to liberate outposts 
• Skill advancement system 
• Engaging narratives and unforgettable antagonists 
• Hunting and gathering 
• Unrestricted exploration and fast travel options 

LEGO City Undercover 

TT Fusion developed and released LEGO City Undercover in 2013. This title allowed players to explore a free roamed humor, humour-filled open world LEGO City. Players assumed the role of enigmatic cop Chase McCain, tasked with capturing and investigating criminal Rex Fury. Missions in the game consist of vehicle chases, family-friendly platforming, and puzzles. 

LEGO City Undercover takes the open world format used in GTA 6 and reworks it as a lighthearted parody, devoid of violence. This is the perfect game for parents looking to provide their children with the same level of free exploration as in GTA, but without any adult content.

Main Features

• Fully explorable LEGO City  
• Hundreds of collectables and secrets 
• Dozens of vehicles and disguises 
• Humour-filled missions and story 
• Co-op play support 
• Puzzle and platforming elements 
• Mini-game variety 
• Bright, kid-friendly visuals 

Just Cause 4 

Just Cause 4, developed by Avalanche Studios and released in 2018, continues the explosive adventures of Rico Rodriguez in the fictional South American country of Solis. The game still prioritizes complex and high-octane action, including a variety of physics-based stunts. Players use grappling and customizable weapons to wreak havoc using wingsuits. Players can use the various tools to complete the game in a destructive manner and complete objectives in a variety of ways. 

Unlike GTA 6, Cause 4 takes chaos to a different level. While GTA 6 focuses on narrative and realism, Just Cause 4 prioritizes spectacle and creative destruction. It’s the perfect game for players who love freedom and love the ability to experiment and cause massive, fun explosions. 

Main Features

• Gigantic open world with dynamic weather  
• Tornadoes, storms, and other environmental destruction  
• Grappling hook and wingsuit mechanics  
• Vehicles and weapon customization 
• Physics-driven stunts and destruction 
• Faction missions and side contracts 
• Fast travel and free-form exploration 
• Unlimited creative chaos

Conclusion

The GTA series has changed the way we look at open-world games. Many other titles have followed its path, offering the same kind of freedom, action, and exciting stories. Games like Mafia and Sleeping Dogs bring realistic crime worlds, while Red Dead Redemption 2 offers a deep and emotional story. Cyberpunk 2077 takes players into the future, and Cause 4 or Saints Row let you cause chaos and have fun in your own way. Each game gives players a world they can explore and enjoy, just like GTA.

These games offer big maps, interesting missions, and plenty of action. Some focus on story and realism, others on fun and freedom, but all of them share that same feeling that makes GTA so popular. GTA 6 is more advanced than GTA 5. However, you can consider playing GTA 5till official version of GTA 6 releases.