Buy 8 Games Like GTA

Rebooting a franchise that already wore its GTA inspiration proudly on its sleeve, Saints Row (2022) takes a stab at modernising its over-the-top formula. Set in the fictional city of Santo Ileso, it follows a ragtag group of outlaws as they build their own criminal empire—one rocket launcher, wrecking ball, and chicken costume at a time. It’s the most self-aware street-level chaos simulator on this list, and it knows exactly what it is.

Like GTA, Saints Row gives you a full city to play in, side missions to conquer, and cars to jack. But it pushes things further, letting you dive headfirst off buildings in wingsuits, customise weapons with garish skins, and even build criminal businesses ranging from insurance fraud rings to fast food fronts. Its DNA is unmistakable, and it's the closest spiritual sibling GTA has ever had.

That said, Saints Row trades Rockstar’s satirical storytelling for slapstick absurdity. It’s less about social commentary and more about how many explosions you can chain together before the police arrive. It’s also more customisable, letting you craft your own boss from head to toe, right down to voice and swagger. If GTA is the HBO drama of open-world crime, Saints Row is the Saturday morning cartoon—with assault rifles.

No surprise that Red Dead Redemption 2 makes the list; it’s from the same studio, after all. But don’t let the cowboy setting fool you. This isn’t just GTA with horses. It’s a richly detailed epic about loyalty, survival, and the slow death of the outlaw lifestyle, all set in a vast world where every muddy road and misty mountain feels alive.

At its heart, RDR2 shares GTA’s emphasis on open-world immersion, cinematic storytelling, and emergent chaos. You’ll rob banks, evade lawmen, and spend as much time messing around in saloons or fishing in rivers as you do completing missions. It has the same commitment to giving you a living, breathing world and letting you ruin it in creative ways.

Dive a little deeper, and Red Dead is more methodical than its contemporary sibling. Where GTA 5 often throws you headfirst into heists and hijinks, RDR2 encourages you to slow down, soak in the world, and think twice before pulling a trigger. It's emotional, sometimes devastating, and often beautiful in ways GTA rarely attempts. Still, if you love Rockstar's ability to craft unforgettable characters and let you loose in a wild sandbox, you’ll find plenty to saddle up for here.

Set in a lovingly recreated Hong Kong, Sleeping Dogs is the game you play when you want GTA’s freedom but crave a tighter, more personal story. You take on the role of Wei Shen, an undercover cop infiltrating a deadly triad gang. It’s part cop drama, part martial arts flick, and all-around underrated.

It checks most GTA boxes: open world, gunplay, vehicular mayhem, side activities (including karaoke), and a criminal underworld to navigate. But what really sets it apart is the combat system. Where most GTA games rely on shooting, Sleeping Dogs shines in hand-to-hand martial arts brawls, with slick animations and crunchy impact.

Unlike GTA’s sprawling narrative that jumps between characters, Sleeping Dogs zeroes in on a single protagonist torn between duty and loyalty. It’s more focused, more dramatic, and filled with style. Sadly, a sequel never materialised, but what’s here remains one of the best GTA-style experiences available on PC.

Mafia 3 trades the bright lights of Los Santos for the swampy grit of 1968 New Bordeaux: a fictionalised New Orleans teeming with racial tension, political unrest, and organised crime. You play as Lincoln Clay, a Vietnam veteran turned one-man army, out for revenge against the mob that betrayed him.

Structurally, it mirrors GTA with its mix of open-world missions, vehicle action, and large-scale shootouts. But narratively, it’s a cut above. Mafia 3 leans hard into its historical setting, confronting issues like racism, PTSD, and systemic corruption in ways few games dare.

Its sandbox may be a little more repetitive than GTA’s, but the world-building, soundtrack, and sheer conviction of its storytelling make up for it. If you’re after something that offers moral weight behind the bullets and bloodshed, Mafia 3 hits hard and stays with you.

It might not look like GTA on the surface, with tight city districts instead of sprawling maps and karaoke bars instead of high-speed chases, but Yakuza 0 shares more DNA with Rockstar’s giant than you’d think. It’s got the crime, the quirky minigames, and an unforgettable cast of characters caught up in Tokyo’s seedy underbelly.

You play as Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima across a dual storyline of betrayal, real estate wars, and punching people so hard they drop briefcases full of cash. Instead of guns and cars, you get slick beat-em-up combat, business management sims, and side quests that range from heartfelt to absolutely absurd.

While GTA is all about breadth, Yakuza 0 focuses on depth. The maps are smaller but denser, the characters more emotionally driven, and the humour even more offbeat. If GTA is the blockbuster action flick, Yakuza 0 is the award-winning foreign drama with a surprise dance number halfway through.

GTA is a playground, but Just Cause 3 is a whole fireworks factory. You play as Rico Rodriguez, an action hero with a grappling hook, wingsuit, and bottomless appetite for destruction. The plot is paper-thin, tasking you with liberating the fictional Mediterranean nation of Medici from a dictator, but that’s beside the point. You’re here to blow stuff up and have every tool at your disposal.

The open-world design borrows heavily from GTA: cars to steal, enemy outposts to raid, and side missions galore. But what sets it apart is scale and physics. Want to tether two helicopters together mid-air and watch the chaos unfold? Done. Surf a jet as it explodes into a gas station? Absolutely.

Where GTA toes the line between realism and ridiculous, Just Cause 3 launches itself into full Michael Bay mode and never looks back. It’s silly, spectacular, and perfect for players who want to trade story for spectacle.

Instead of stealing cars on impulse, PayDay 3 puts you behind the mask of a professional heist crew. This co-op shooter is all about planning, executing, and escaping high-stakes robberies with your friends, or against AI if you’re flying solo. Think Heat by way of Left 4 Dead.

The connection to GTA comes in the form of heists, shootouts, and law enforcement resistance. GTA Online’s heist missions clearly borrowed a few tricks from PayDay’s formula. But here, it’s the entire game. You choose loadouts, prep your crew, and decide whether to go in guns blazing or try the stealth route.

What PayDay 3 lacks in open-world freedom, it makes up for in tight, tactical gameplay. It’s not a sandbox, but it’s a fantastic change of pace for players who love GTA’s heists and want a more dedicated, co-op-centric experience.

Yes, it’s Lego. Yes, it’s family-friendly. But Lego City Undercover is more like GTA than you might expect. You play as Chase McCain, an undercover cop trying to clean up a criminal empire while navigating a city full of secrets, side missions, and vehicle stunts, all wrapped in self-aware humour.

Structurally, it follows the GTA template closely: story missions, sandbox freedom, and dozens of optional distractions. It even lets you hijack cars, though you'll politely commandeer them while shouting apologies.

Of course, Lego City Undercover swaps grit for giggles. The writing is sharp, filled with movie parodies and fourth-wall breaks, and the gameplay is surprisingly deep for a Lego title. It’s the perfect pick for younger players or adults who want GTA’s structure with zero carnage and plenty of charm.