If you’ve recently finished your GTA 5 playthrough, chances are you have developed an appetite for story-rich, open-world games that keep you engaged from start to finish. To help you on your quest to find more games like GTA V, we have curated this helpful guide with the 10 best games that radiate that Grand Theft vibe.
So, let’s get into the list without any further dilly-dally!
Grand Theft Auto IV
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PC
GTA IV is a game that comes to our minds when thinking about Rockstar’s ability to deliver powerful protagonists and engaging storylines. While the game may be about 15 or so years old now, it’s still worth playing if you can make do with the janky PC port.
GTA IV carries a very different tone than GTA V. You play as Niko Bellic, a war veteran trying his best to earn some money and live a comfortable life.
Definitely give this game a try if you loved GTA 5 and want to experience something of the same caliber again.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Release Date: October 26, 2018
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PS4, PS5
Rockstar’s latest AAA release, Red Dead Redemption 2 is their most ambitious work to date. This game presents players with an untamed west setting that is filled to the brim with NPCs, events, secrets, dangerous animals, and landmarks to discover.
This is a prequel to Red Dead Redemption, and players take on the role of Arthur Morgan, a veteran member of the Van der Linde gang.
You’ll witness random events such as people getting robbed, random fist fights, predators attacking other animals, or even you
L.A. Noire
Release Date: May 17, 2011
Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch
L. A Noire was Rockstar’s attempt at a crime investigation game where players solve murders by conducting proper investigations, going through their findings and even reading the witness’s facial expressions.
You play as Cole Phelps, a war veteran who became a cop after he retired from the army. He is reputable for solving high-profile and the most difficult cases available at the time.
This semi-open world game has incredibly detailed crime scenes, motion-captured facial expressions, a gritty and engaging story, and some pretty grim cases.
Saints Row: The Third – Remastered
Release Date: November 15, 2011 (Original) and May 22, 2021 (Remastered)
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PS4, PS5
Saints Row the Third is the perfect open-world game for those looking for an excessive amount of jokes paired with fun and engaging gameplay. While this series started as a copy of GTA, they found their North Star with a few more releases. Right now Saints Row is known for completely different reasons.
You’ll be fighting territory wars against different factions. The mission variety here is unparalleled and keeps the game fun from start to finish.
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Release Date: September 25, 2020
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X
If modern crime games are boring you a bit, you can fall back to the Mafia series. The original Mafia got a remake recently and deserves to be played at least once.
You’ll follow Tommy Angelo as he joins and climbs the ranks of the Salieri Crime family. The world here is a semi-open world where the game lets you roam around in a few blocks as you travel between objective locations.
There is a separate free-roam mode that lets you cruise around the entire city without any restrictions and discover secrets and other cool details in the world.
Watch Dogs 2
Release Date: November 15, 2016
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PS4, PS5
When thinking about games that are like GTA V, the Watch Dogs series also comes to mind. We’ve included Watch Dogs 2 in this list as it is by far the most fun, optimized, and engaging game in the series. The first one was all over the place, and Legion doesn’t hit the same way.
You play as Marcus Holloway, a young hacker who roams around San Fransisco as a DedSec member and fights against the Blume and CTOS 2.0 organizations.
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition
Release Date: August 14, 2012 (Original) and October 8, 2014 (Definitive Edition)
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PS4, PS5
Sleeping Dogs is an open-world game where you play as an undercover cop who is looking to bring down the criminal triads of Hong Kong. This game delivers one of the best melee-centric combat we have ever seen.
Sleeping Dogs offers an incredible story with a memorable protagonist. Even the side characters have a lot of personality to them. The plot is filled with excellent crime drama, twists, and some heartfelt moments as well.
Yakuza 0
Release Date: March 12, 2015
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PS4, PS5
While Yakuza 0 is quite different from GTA V, it leans more on the strong narrative and fun side of things. The crime drama story revolves around Kiryu Kazama as he gets framed for the murder of his boss.
Yakuza 0 features a gripping story, strong cinematic presentation, memorable characters, and some hilarious side quests.
The combat is beat-em-up in style, with different stances that players can master. What’s great about Yakuza 0 is that you have around seven more games to look forward to if you like this.
Cyberpunk 2077
Release Date: December 10, 2020
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PS4, PS5
Cyberpunk 2077 is a first-person open-world RPG set in the futuristic Night City and is one of the best current-gen games like GTA V.
You play as V, a merc for hire who works for the highest bidder. The game offers an engaging plot, RPG mechanics, and the ability to approach combat however you see fit. Since this is an RPG, you can become a stealthy ninja or a door-kicker brute. Whatever floats your boat.
With the recent Cyberpunk 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty DLC launch, CP2077 is looking like a brand-new game, with a lot of system overhauls, bug fixes, and optimizations.
Mafia III: Definitive Edition
Release Date: May 19, 2020
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series S|X
You should definitely pick up Mafia III if you want to play a crime drama set in the late 1960s. The game follows the story of Lincoln Clay in a revenge/ crime/ drama plot. The open-world structure can get a bit repetitive, but the gameplay is solid for the most part.
Some people enjoy the repetitive, checklisty nature of the game…while others call it boring. The driving mechanics are decent, and the cars feel heavy (as they should for that time period).
That covers our list of the 10 best games that we think are like GTA V. Each game tries to put its own unique spin on the open-world nature of GTA. Let us know if you’ve played these titles and whether they scratched your Grand Theft itch or not. We always post informative and fun pieces, so check WIG for more!
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