Out of all the video game series that have ever existed, few come close to the influence and cultural impact of Grand Theft Auto. The modern open-world titan has been at the top of the gaming world for decades now, setting the standard for the genre and immersing players in cities full of crime, cars, and a whole lot of shooting. However, the franchise's journey hasn't been without competition, as many other developers have tried to take the throne with a different take on city-based exploration and action.
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Grand Theft Auto 5 has a famously excellent story, but these open-world games not only rival it, but often exceed it in quality and scope.
Some games tried to innovate by building a world that focused on an entirely different gameplay loop, while others attempted to take first place by mimicking and directly borrowing from GTA, hoping that their product would shine the brightest. Despite countless titles and years of development, no game has surpassed or even matched the success of Rockstar's premier franchise, but that doesn't mean that the games that tried aren't worth playing.
Watch Dogs
Hacking Your Way Across The World
Watch Dogs
- Released
- May 26, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature // Blood, Game Experience May Change During Online Play, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action, Adventure
Watch Dogs was Ubisoft's attempt at breaking into the open-world city space, combining a huge amount of traversal options with the ability to hack many different pieces of technology throughout the world. Players will find themselves infiltrating criminal organizations and taking down big corporate schemes with some high-tech equipment, as well as a few gunshots when things get dicey.
While Watch Dogs found relative success and spawned several sequels, it could never quite capture the sandbox feeling of GTA. The world did feel interesting and full of life, with individual NPCs showing personalities and backgrounds that could be used to the player's advantage, but in a lot of ways, it felt more like a homage to Rockstar's franchise than a real contender for a spot at the top.
MindsEye
Futuristic, Yet A Slight Step Back
MindsEye
- Released
- June 10, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
MindsEye is a truly modern open-world shooter that sends players to a technologically advanced city full of crime and dystopian themes of surveillance and control. The storytelling takes a cinematic approach, blending up-close cutscenes with cinematic sequences to make the narrative feel like part of the gameplay. The story players on a journey of espionage that will force them to confront the past, present, and even the future.
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However, MindsEye fell short of expectations, primarily due to its launch state, which was riddled with bugs and performance issues that made it borderline unplayable for some. It has undergone something of a redemption arc since its release, with improvements being patched in to help with some of the major issues. At the end of the day, it still doesn't manage to take any major strides in a direction that wasn't already covered by GTA.
Sleeping Dogs
Unique Enough To Stand On Its Own
Sleeping Dogs
- Released
- August 14, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- United Front Games
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
Set in a beautifully realistic Hong Kong, Sleeping Dogs fuses martial arts combat with urban exploration in a city that hadn't previously seen the limelight in the open-world genre. Players control Wei Shen, a cop infiltrating the Triads and torn between loyalty and justice, forcing players to make decisions regarding their allegiances and how they want to be perceived by the characters in each world.
The game also focuses a lot more on morality than chaos, giving players fewer tools to turn the world into a playground and more focused gameplay loop that encourages patience over randomness. Its gritty narrative and choreographed brawls bring a cinematic flair to the open-world action, and although Sleeping Dogs was slightly smaller in scope than a fully fledged GTA title, it still stands out as a landmark in video game storytelling.
Crackdown
Superpowers Meet Open-World Chaos
Crackdown
- Released
- February 20, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Realtime Worlds
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Open-World
Crackdown trades GTA’s realism for comic-book mayhem, casting players as a genetically-enhanced agent in a sprawling, futuristic city. Players can leap across skyscrapers, toss cars, and destroy anything in their path with superhuman strength, all while focusing on taking down criminal empires in a vibrant world full of non-stop action.
The narrative takes a step back, leaving a lot of the missions feeling quite same-y and providing little in the way of a compelling loop to follow. The sequels tried to continue the assault on the GTA franchise, but none of them came close, even if they managed to carve out a decent niche in an already hotly contested genre.
Saints Row
Fully Leaning Into Parody
Saints Row
- Released
- September 1, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- 18+
- Developer(s)
- Deep Silver
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Shooter, Racing
Saints Row began as a street-level crime sandbox clearly inspired by GTA, throwing players into chaotic missions across an insane world full of mischief. The game follows a simple structure of taking over districts, building influence, and outgunning any rivals that overstep their boundaries, but with over-the-top humor as the main driving force for the gameplay and the narrative.
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While the franchise never reached GTA’ s cultural dominance, it managed to create a unique identity that was solely interested unapologetic fun. The tone of the franchise shifted from gritty realism to comedic excess, creating an experience that celebrated chaos and demonstrating that with enough ambition and a few silly ideas, success can still be found.
Mafia
Grounding The Mob In Reality
Mafia
- Released
- August 28, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Illusion Softworks
- Genre(s)
- Crime, Open-World, Action
Mafia was 2K’s answer to GTA, trading modern chaos for a classic crime drama and more in-depth storytelling. Set in the 1930s, the game has an old-school aesthetic that extends from the world to the dialogue. Players begin as a lowly mobster but quickly rise through the criminal ranks, gaining loyalty and acclaim for their violent actions and manipulation of the underworld.
The historical focus earned the game a lot of praise from fans of the open-world genre, but the overall scope could never quite live up to the ambition of GTA. Still, everything from the storytelling to the exploration proved that there was still space in the genre, even if it wasn't right at the top.
True Crime: Streets Of LA
Prototyping True Urban Chaos
True Crime: Streets Of LA
- Released
- November 4, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Action
True Crime: Streets of LA was one of the earliest challengers to GTA's dominance, offering a blend of driving, shooting, and hand-to-hand combat across a detailed recreation of Los Angeles. Players step into the shoes of Nick Kang, a hard-edged detective who operates with a mix of authority and recklessness and tackling criminal syndicates through explosive car chases and cinematic shootouts.
Its branching storylines and Hollywood-inspired presentation gave it a distinctive flair for its time, and while it wasn't quite as polished as Rockstar's releases, it still drew in a decent audience on release. The game remains a cult classic to this day for its intense action and witty storytelling, and it stands as a landmark title in open-world design that felt ahead of the curve compared to a lot of the competition.
The Getaway
The Darker Side Of London
The Getaway
- Released
- January 19, 2003
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
The Getaway was Sony’s ambitious attempt to deliver a grittier, more cinematic take on the open-world crime genre. Set in a faithfully recreated version of early-2000s London, the game follows two intertwined stories of a gangster seeking revenge and a detective hot on his trail, unfolding through tightly choreographed missions and realistic gunfights.
It abandons traditional game HUDs in favor of visual cues, using things like turn signals and character animations to guide players during missions, which heightens immersion and creates a uniquely intimate experience. The level of freedom is certainly less than something like GTA, but despite being over 20 years old, it remains one of the best recreations of the English capital in virtual form.
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