Games like Grand Theft Auto are not easy to find. Sure, there are plenty of games out there that try to mimmic it, but they rarely come close on quality. It’s difficult to live up to the level of quality that Rockstar strive for with their games. This standard has been shown time and time again with the amount of games that have been released over the years.
Are there many other open world shooters that give you the same sort of freedom that you get when you play the GTA games? I know Grand Theft Auto V is massively popular so chances are there are not any other games that come close to being as good as this, but what are some of the best games out there that copy the GTA style of gameplay.
Saints Row: The Third
Back when GTA 4 released, Saints Row became everything that GTA should have been, then GTA 5 came and Saints Row went to hell..literally. The Saints Row games are completely exadurated and unrealistic, but it is the same thing as GTA. Big open city for you to go around and cause chaos in. Lots of side missions and collectables to keep you busy along with the main story mode. I personally found the third game to be the best.
Sleeping Dogs
Grand Theft Auto in China. It isn't nearly as big as GTA V, but it's a fun game and nice to play a GTA style game in a city outside of the USA. Some good attempts were made to make this game feel a little different to GTA, but ultimately it is the same concept.
Mafia II
The Mafia Games are fun to play. I liked the second since it was set in the 1940s. The 3rd game is set in the 60s. You get most of the freedoms you have in Grand Theft Auto with a nice retro charm to it.
Scarface: The World Is Yours
I feel I have to mention this game because I absolutely love it. The game starts a few minutes before the final scene of the movie and lets you rewrite the history. You have to then build up your empire, which is pretty much what you do in every GTA game. Gameplay and all that is the same thing. Bit dated now when it comes to the visuals, but it was a fun game.
Watch Dogs 2
Watch Dogs is probably one of the newset entries to the city sandbox world. You have the ability to hack things, which opens up things from a new angle, but at it's core without the hacking, it's a game that follows the same guidelines as the GTA games.
Red Dead Redemption
Its Grand Theft Auto of the wild wild west. Same developer made both games. Obviously the gameplay is a bit different since you are driving wagons and stuff around, but its a big open world that fits the time period that it is set in. Follows a lot of the same ideas that GTA uses to keep you busy. The story is epic as well! (if you really like it, check out the Undead Nightmare expansion).
The Godfather II
This game feels a lot like Vice City. I love the retro Mafia stories so this is what made me enjoy this game.
Just Cause 3
Just Cause is a bit of a ludicrous game when compared to even the most obserd things in GTA. If you want a big open world like Grand Theft Auto where you can just go completely nuts with all sorts of cool vehicles then check out these games. Nice break from any serious stories and just go around wrecking the place.