GTA 6 is still slated for a 2025 release, though when exactly it will grace players' screens is still a mystery; no specific date has been revealed. In the meantime, fans of open-world crime games have a bevy of promising titles to choose from, and for those who have exhausted the usual suspects, like Cyberpunk 2077 and Sleeping Dogs, the upcoming Mindseye could be a good stopgap.
Mindseye is currently hurtling towards a June release date, and while GTA 6 has yet to announce a firm launch date of its own, it's highly unlikely that it will drop before then—the biggest game of the year will probably demand a longer breathing period to accommodate marketing, pre-orders, et cetera. As the debut title from Build a Rocket Boy, a breakout studio founded by former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies, Mindseye can be assumed to share at least a little bit of DNA with the GTA series, and its urban open-world setting makes comparisons even more reasonable. With any luck, Mindseye will appeal to both fans and non-fans of GTA, making it a good game to check out ahead of GTA 6.
Rockstar North is only one chapter of Rockstar Games, and has headed up the development of most GTA games, while working as a support studio for projects like Max Payne 3 and Red Dead Redemption.
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Mindseye Looks Like Cyberpunk 2077 Crossed with GTA
Described as a "single-player, action-adventure thriller," Mindseye will transport players to the fictional futuristic city of Redrock, a technocratic metropolis that appears to be loosely based on real-world cities like Phoenix and Albuquerque. Redrock is highly reminiscent of so-called "smart cities," which focus on leveraging technology to provide the safest, most convenient, and healthiest experience for their citizens. But as Mindseye will likely argue, what's "best" for citizens is anything but an objective truth, and it's not a concept that's immune to corruption.
Filling the shoes of ex-solider Jacob Diaz, Mindseye players will be caught in the crossfire between Mayor Shiva Vega and billionaire tech mogul Marco Silva, who struggle for control over ever-advancing artificial intelligence. It's a fairly interesting, if not entirely original, premise for a video game story, and it promises to provide action-packed thrills and thought-provoking social commentary in equal measure—a dichotomy that Mindseye shares with the satirical, over-the-top Grand Theft Auto games.
This narrative will unfold in a large open-world, which players can explore on foot or by vehicle, in a manner highly familiar to GTA fans. Hopefully, Benzies' experience working on the GTA franchise will translate to Mindseye's world design, as this is often among the strongest pillars of any given GTA title.
Mindseye Will Need To Be More Than Just High-Tech GTA
Whether it was Build a Rocket Boy's intention or not, Mindseye releasing in 2025 puts it in direct competition with GTA 6, which isn't exactly a contest most developers want to find themselves in. Indeed, while games like Sleeping Dogs and the Mafia franchise prove that alternatives to GTA—that is, open-world, cinematic crime games—are possible, reaching the same critical or commercial heights of Rockstar's flagship franchise is another story. In a nutshell, Rockstar has the resources, prestige, and pedigree to make one-of-a-kind open-world action titles, so any game vying for GTA's crown is facing an uphill battle.
In light of this, Mindseye should strive to find its own identity, lest it be unfavorably compared to GTA 6. Thankfully, this appears to be exactly what Build a Rocket Boy is trying to do, as Mindseye seems much more serious and action-oriented than GTA, and its radically different premise is a key point of difference as well. Hopefully, this originality translates to the gameplay.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 33 /100 Critics Rec: 6%
- Released
- June 10, 2025
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Build A Rocket Boy
- Publisher(s)
- IO Interactive Partners A/S
WHERE TO PLAY
Play as Jacob Diaz, a former soldier with a mysterious neural implant who is suffering from memory loss and flashbacks. Set out on a series of dangerous covert missions to unlock the secrets of your past in a world filled with the persistent threat of artificial intelligence, high tech experimentation, corporate espionage, political corruption, and an unchecked military.
MindsEye is an immersive experience with a mind-bending complex narrative, rich environments, groundbreaking combat, future tech, and high speed chases.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
