Video Games Like GTA to Play

Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is one of the biggest and longest-running gaming franchises in the video game space. Many fans of gaming have spent countless hours exploring the city of San Andreas, living a life very different from their own. Whether that be stealing army tanks or street racing, among many other possibilities.

While GTA is extremely popular, with a lack of new games coming out over recent years, many enthusiasts are looking for similar games to play and enjoy.  While none of these games are exactly like GTA, they all offer unique aspects to the gaming world and are enjoyable for players who enjoy GTA.

Here are some games similar to GTA:

Red Dead Redemption 2

It’s easy to see why RDR2 is one of the games on this list. Red Dead and the GTA series are both made by the same studio. Red Dead Redemption 2 and its predecessor, if we feel the need to go back in time, represent GTA’s values: player freedom in an open world that feels alive, a commitment not to exclude any details, and morally questionable men doing morally questionable actions. Red Dead Redemption 2 could be called “Grand Theft Auto with Horses,” but it’s worth checking out if you like GTA. The game has a number of unique aspects that add to its enjoyment as a game.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Saints Row: The Third

Saints Row began as a pale imitation of GTA and tried to imitate Rockstar’s designs. It was a poor effort that gained a cult following in two games but didn’t really stand out. Saints Row: The Third changed all of that. It saw how serious and grim the GTA games were becoming and decided to go in a completely different direction, making a silly game. Your gang is so beloved and well-known that you have to rob a bank in novelty costumes. Even things like a  small-scale zombie apocalypse is possible. While this may all sound a bit whack, the game has gained excellent prominence and is said to be extremely fun to play.

GTA-likes can get too serious, but Saints Row prefers to be silly. It’s an older title, but it’s still compatible with Xbox One and was ported over to Nintendo Switch in 2019. This gives you a great excuse to play Saints Row again.

Just Cause 4

Just Cause 4 is a joyous place to be in chaos. It does this by giving you, as the player, an incredible amount of freedom. Wingsuit: check. Grappling hook: check. Double-check the ability to surf on cars when a huge tornado lifts them up into the air. You might have been amused at the ragdoll physics of GTA 5, but just wait until you see what you can do in The Republic of Medici. Just Cause 4 doesn’t have the same storytelling power or mechanical polish as Rockstar, but it excels in its sky-high approach to choreographing massive carnage.

Watch Dogs 2

Ubisoft took criticisms of Watch Dogs’ original title to heart when it created the sequel. The studio’s sequel aims to be more in line with contemporary GTA titles by using the setting as a stage for witty satire. Do you remember GTA 5’s “Life Invader” mission? Watch Dogs 2 is basically the same, but it’s scaled up to the size of an entire game. Ubisoft’s parody on Silicon Valley holds plenty of laughs and lots of fun for gamers. Anyone who has had to endure an Apple conference or a Facebook advertisement will find something in Watch Dogs 2. You can also use pool balls attached with bungee cords as weapons, which is something quite unique!

Yakuza 0

GTA is known for its ability to bring cities to life, offering dozens of side activities that can be enjoyed outside the main campaign. Yakuza 0 adopts the same design philosophy and takes it to the next level. GTA 5 offers tennis, yoga, stock brokering, and karaoke. Yakuza 0 offers karaoke, pool, arcades, wrestling, and bowling. This last one can confirm that not all side activities are well-made, but there is a huge variety of things to do. Although the scale of Yakuza isn’t as large as GTA, what Yakuza lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality.

Final thoughts

So if you are looking for something new, away from GTA but still a similar style of gameplay, now you have a couple of choices. Each of these games brings something unique to the table and can add to your gaming experience.