Top 10 open world games like GTA that you should try

When mentioning the open world game genre, surely anyone immediately thinks of Rockstar’s classic GTA (Grand Theft Auto) game series. From GTA: Vice City, GTA: San Andreas to GTA V, it is not only the origin of the open world game series but also brings countless profound experiences to all gamers around the world. Currently, GTA V is still one of the most highly rated games, dominating the majority of game rankings around the world.

One of the biggest attractions of GTA is freedom. The open world game genre allows players to do everything they want, from actions such as fighting, driving, climbing to everyday activities such as dating, eating, playing games, sleeping… The large map system in the game allows you to go to every corner of the city as well as remote lands waiting for you to explore.

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If you are bored with the plot of GTA V, but still feel interested in the open world game genre, try the games below. This article will summarize the 10 best open world games like GTA that you should try.

You can probably guess why Red Dead Redemption 2 makes an appearance here – after all, both the GTA and Red Dead series are made by the same studio. Despite its early 20th century setting, Red Dead Redemption 2 (and its predecessor) still exemplifies GTA’s value of player freedom in a massive open world that feels alive.

If you enjoyed GTA 5’s ragdoll physics, wait until you see what you can achieve in The Republic of Medici. To be clear, Just Cause 4 has none of Rockstar’s trademark storytelling or grandeur, but instead excels in its approach to staging large-scale combat.

This Watch Dogs sequel sticks much more closely to the feel and tone of contemporary Grand Theft Auto titles. Do you remember the “Life Invader” mission in Grand Theft Auto 5? Watch Dogs 2 is essentially that, but upgraded to full-game scale. You can use billiard balls attached to bungee cords as weapons – that’s pretty cool.

Grand Theft Auto has always been celebrated for the way it brought cities to life, packing its virtual world with dozens of side activities to enjoy outside of the main campaign. Yakuza 0 inherits this design philosophy. While Grand Theft Auto 5 has tennis, yoga and stock brokerage, Yakuza 0 offers karaoke, billiards, video games, wrestling, bowling, dancing, etc. The number and variety of things to do is staggering. The scale isn’t nearly as scalable as GTA, but what Yakuza lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality.

Sleeping Dogs brings the martial arts and action genres of the movies to an open world game. The result is a game that feels like Grand Theft Auto with a touch of a classic Bruce Lee movie. The sequel includes a co-op campaign that makes Sleeping Dogs a rare gem that deserves to be appreciated for the new ideas it brings. The game was even re-released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2014, so there’s really no reason to miss Sleeping Dogs.

There still doesn’t exist a Grand Theft Auto game that doesn’t include an encounter with the Mafia in some capacity, which naturally makes 2K’s Mafia series a good starting point for open-world enthusiasts who like to fight organized crime. Mafia 3, the series’ most recent release from studio Hangar 13, is closer to Rockstar in its focus on side activities and its story revolving around a veteran trying to escape the demons of his past. That said, the slow, flowing story, inspired by the likes of The Godfather and Goodfellas as well as Grand Theft Auto, is written so effectively that at times you’ll forget you’re playing a video game and not watching Scorsese.

There’s a good reason why almost every Grand Theft Auto game is labeled as for mature audiences only, but what about those who want to watch cops fight robbers without the sex, drugs or rock and roll? Luckily, TT Games came up with a game that met this need in 2013. ‘Lego Grand Theft Auto’ is an effective pitch for one of the best Lego games: Lego City Undercover, but this adorable open-world platformer has much more to offer. The images in the game are very interesting, the side quests and collectibles are also very attractive. Lego City Undercover can now also be enjoyed as a co-op experience or even as a handy experience when traveling with Nintendo Switch.

If you’re someone who particularly enjoyed Grand Theft Auto 4’s infamous ‘Three Leaf Clover’ mission or the heists in Grand Theft Auto 5, then Payday 2 will be right up your alley. Overkill Software’s multiplayer co-op game allows players to freely carry out a series of high-value break-ins and robberies. Similar to Michael, Trevor and Franklin’s games, Payday 2 encourages players to strategize and think through their game plan down to the smallest detail, even allowing them to explore locations before taking action later that same day. The focus on online cooperative play also reminds one of the multiplayer heists introduced in 2013’s Grand Theft Auto Online, but Payday 2 fortunately doesn’t have those painful load times.

The Simpsons: Hit & Run is as much a game for Simpsons fans as it is for Grand Theft Auto veterans, as the game cleverly drops references to its serialized namesake throughout the entire campaign. Honestly, The Simpsons: Hit & Run is generally agreed to be one of the best Simpsons games of all time.

Volition released a Saints Row reboot in 2022. The new Saints Row isn’t the GTA 5 rival expected, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing interesting here. And besides, after nine years of exploring Los Santos, perhaps a new location is needed to stage open-world carnage.

All of the open world games listed above are extremely engaging and worth playing. What are you waiting for? Let’s temporarily forget about GTA V and experience more of your favorite open world games right away.