Summary
- Rockstar Games has been innovating open-world gaming since GTA 3, with plenty of optional content and side activities.
- Games like Bully and Red Dead Redemption offer diverse side missions and unique collectibles.
- Each game provides a rich world beyond the main story, featuring exploration, hidden secrets, and activities tailored to the setting.
Since their genre-defining 2001 game Grand Theft Auto 3, Rockstar Games have been innovating on the open-world concept, pushing the boundaries and influencing other major developers. While the Liberty City of GTA 3 may seem bare-bones by today’s standards, it became the new yardstick in its time, boasting a compelling main campaign with plenty of side activities and collectibles to make the setting feel alive.
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Rockstar’s open-world games have eclipsed this feat in the decades since then, packing maps with plenty of secrets and interesting adventures for players to enjoy that aren’t even part of the main story. Here are some of Rockstar’s open-world games with the best optional content, ranked based on a combination of the game’s overall quality and how much fans enjoyed the noncompulsory extras.
8 Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Open-World Car Racing
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
- Released
- October 20, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
While fans of Rockstar’s open-world car racing series may prefer earlier entries, the fourth and final game to date is Midnight Club: Los Angeles and it contains a lot of optional content within the boundaries of its expansive map. The open-world is larger than that of all three cities in the previous game combined, meaning lots of exploration and hidden secrets for players to discover on their travels.
Outside the main story missions there are tons of side missions, many of which can be repeated for anyone hoping to earn more money and rep. Sixty yellow barrels are spread across the map, which can be destroyed to earn in-game modifiers for every ten destroyed, such as invincibility and unlimited nitro. Budding racers can also create their own tracks, even altering traffic levels and weather conditions.
7 Bully
Attend School And Complete Side Missions
Bully
- Released
- October 17, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
Known as Canis Canem Edit in the PAL region, Bully is like Grand Theft Auto but in a school setting. The six chapters of campaign missions for Jimmy Hopkins to tackle at Bullworth Academy and the wider town are a drop in the ocean compared to the full experience on offer, with class attendance being completely optional.
The various classes operate like minigames and provide rewards upon completion, such as the geography class highlighting collectibles on the map. These collectibles give Jimmy some rewards in the form of new weapons and outfits, but side missions are some of the most fun, adding to the overall story and game world. There are also races, romance options, and arcade games to keep Jimmy busy.
6 L.A. Noire
Solving Crimes In Post-War Los Angeles
L.A. Noire
- Released
- May 17, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Team Bondi
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Throughout Cole Phelps’s journey through the various departments of the LAPD in L.A. Noire, he encounters plenty of action on the streets of 1940s Los Angeles. While driving to and from the necessary and largely linear cases, street crimes will occur, which Cole and his departmental partner at that time may investigate and intervene in.
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The severity of these forty optional cases ranges from petty theft to gang-related issues, often being resolved quickly when the player gets involved, and they help to add more life and spontaneity to the game world. Cole can also collect many things while out and about, which usually provide new suits for him to wear if he finds them all, from landmarks visited and vehicles driven to golden film reels.
5 Grand Theft Auto 4
Plenty Of Side Missions To Keep Niko Busy
Grand Theft Auto 4
- Released
- April 29, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
Returning to Liberty City, Grand Theft Auto 4 completely improves the New York City-inspired setting. Apart from the story of Niko Bellic’s gradual rise through the ranks of the criminal underworld, there’s plenty for him to do in this bustling metropolis, from hunting vigilantes to stealing cars for Brucie Kibbutz.
Apart from that, Niko can go on dates, participate in races, or enjoy a round of bowling with his cousin Roman. The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and the Damned are full of great side activities too, such as gang wars and nightclub management. Collectibles are the only real let-down, so exterminating the city’s pigeon population is probably best avoided unless players are going for a 100% run.
4 Red Dead Redemption
Experience And Explore The Old West
Red Dead Redemption
- Released
- May 18, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar San Diego
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Android, iOS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
John Marston’s classic tale of revenge and salvation is full of things to do outside of hunting his former gang. Red Dead Redemption spans a large section of the western frontier of the United States and northern Mexico, leaving a detailed world with extra jobs to do that fit the setting, such as stranger missions, bounty hunting, and gambling.
Outside the fifty-seven story missions, these side quests can add tens of hours to gameplay time, and many players will spend most of their time playing Liar’s Dice or Blackjack. The Undead Nightmare expansion is also packed with zombie-themed side quests, like clearing out cemeteries, saving towns, and assisting survivors.
3 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Pioneering Open-World Game
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Released
- October 26, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
Considered one of the best video games ever made, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is certainly not lacking in content. The lengthy campaign barely even scratches the surface, with all the usual GTA side missions on offer, races and police car missions for example, plus a whole host of firsts for the series.
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There are six potential girlfriends to date, multiple collectibles offering their unique bonuses, plus activities for CJ to do in his downtime, like playing pool and gambling in a casino in Las Venturas. One major feature that fans love about San Andreas is gang warfare, which takes place in Los Santos after the mission "Doberman," where CJ’s Grove Street gang can take over rival territories and protect their turf.
2 Red Dead Redemption 2
A Huge World Filled With Secrets
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
On the surface, the large open world of Red Dead Redemption 2 seems like a desolate wilderness, but those who explore it to the fullest are rewarded the most. Arthur Morgan’s redemption arc can be completed without too much fuss and with plenty of enjoyment for players, but side missions and hidden missions uncover some valuable backstory and reveal more details about the game world.
Stranger missions and companion activities are among the most rewarding in the game, and Arthur can hone his shooting skills in duels and bounty hunting. The popular gambling games are back from RDR2’s predecessor, causing many players to lose tens of hours and plenty of cash challenging NPCs in dominoes and blackjack.
1 Grand Theft Auto 5
Hidden Missions And Leisure Activities
Grand Theft Auto 5
- Released
- September 17, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
If this were only based on collectibles, Grand Theft Auto 5 would be among the worst. Outside of that minor disappointment, GTA 5 arguably has the best extracurricular activities of any game in the series. The usual jobs and races are available, but there are some hidden missions that usually only appear when playing as a specific character.
The fictional state of San Andreas features plenty of places to keep Michael, Franklin and Trevor busy in their spare time too, with sporting endeavors like golf and tennis on offer, plus more financially motivating enterprises like stock markets, business management and heists. GTA Online offers virtually limitless options too, thanks to player-created games and races.
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