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If you want a GTA-like game but do not want to wait for GTA 6, choose by the feature you value most: Red Dead Redemption 2 for Rockstar-style freedom, Watch Dogs 2 for modern-city hacking and satire, Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition for street crime and martial arts, Cyberpunk 2077 for a futuristic role-playing system, Mafia for an organized-crime drama, or Saints Row for deliberately absurd comedy and chaos.
These are not interchangeable GTA clones. Their settings, tone, combat and story structures differ enough that the right choice depends on what you want to do between missions. The guide below separates those trade-offs so you can pick one without relying on a generic “games like GTA” list.
Quick comparison: which GTA alternative fits you?
| Game | Setting | Tone | Main appeal | World and story shape | Platform or edition notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | Western frontier | Serious, immersive | Player freedom in a large sandbox | Broad exploration and a substantial story | Current platform availability varies by edition and region; verify before buying |
| Watch Dogs 2 | Contemporary city | Satirical and energetic | Hacking-driven problem solving | Open-ended missions with several ways to approach situations | Verify the platform and edition offered in your region |
| Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition | Modern urban crime setting | Street-level crime with B-movie stunt energy | Martial arts and physical combat | Focused crime story inside an open world | Listed for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | Futuristic Night City | Dark, dramatic and systems-heavy | Role-playing choices and character builds | Open-world exploration with deeper RPG progression | Check the exact edition and supported hardware for your platform |
| Mafia | Crime-drama city setting | Serious and cinematic | Organized-crime storytelling | More directed than a pure sandbox | Edition, platform and regional availability should be confirmed at purchase |
| Saints Row | Contemporary city | Exaggerated comedy | Chaos, spectacle and irreverent missions | Open-world activities with a deliberately heightened style | Verify the specific release and platform version |
Retail listings, stock and prices change by country and platform. Treat a game’s title and edition as separate buying decisions: a “definitive,” remastered or complete edition can have different availability from the original release.
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Choose by the experience you want, not just the crime theme
For the closest Rockstar-style sandbox freedom
Pick Red Dead Redemption 2. It is not a modern car-and-city game; its western frontier changes the pace and atmosphere. What carries over is the feeling of inhabiting a large world where exploration and player choice matter. GamesRadar describes it as an expansive world built around player freedom, making it the strongest substitute when the part of GTA you miss is the sandbox itself rather than its contemporary setting.
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For hacking, gadgets and a satirical modern city
Pick Watch Dogs 2. Its appeal is not simply having another urban map. The game treats connected infrastructure and devices as tools for solving problems, so observation and manipulation can matter as much as shooting. GamesRadar presents it as a contemporary, satirical alternative, while Ubisoft’s official description promises “a massive and dynamic open-world offering an incredible variety of gameplay possibilities.” Choose it when you want a present-day city and a lighter, more playful tone than a straight crime drama.
For hand-to-hand street fighting
Pick Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition. It combines an open-world crime framework with martial arts and B-movie stunt action. That makes it the clearest option for players who want physical combat to be central rather than an occasional change of pace from gunplay. The available comparison coverage lists the Definitive Edition on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
For builds, abilities and a futuristic metropolis
Pick Cyberpunk 2077. Its defining trade is that the city and the role-playing systems are inseparable: Night City provides the futuristic setting, while character-build choices give you more ways to shape how encounters play. Select it when you want an open world that asks you to think about progression and abilities, not only vehicles, weapons and spontaneous mayhem.
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Pick Mafia. This is the choice for readers who would rather follow a directed crime narrative than spend most of their time improvising in a broad sandbox. Its organized-crime emphasis gives the story a more deliberate, dramatic shape. If your ideal GTA session is the cinematic mission chain rather than unlimited side activity, Mafia is the better fit.
For comedy, spectacle and deliberate excess
Pick Saints Row. It takes the open-world crime premise toward heightened comedy and chaos. The point is not realism or a restrained underworld drama; it is the freedom to turn the setting into a playground for exaggerated situations. Choose it when you want the most openly comic alternative in this group.
Rank #2
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Red Dead Redemption 2: the freedom-first recommendation
Why it belongs on a GTA alternatives list
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the best recommendation when your priority is a world that feels larger than its mission checklist. GamesRadar’s description emphasizes an expansive setting built around player freedom, which is the key connection to GTA. You can approach it as a story-led western or as a long-form sandbox in which wandering, discovery and unscripted choices are part of the appeal.
The western setting is a substantial tonal change. You are not getting a modern city, contemporary satire or the same type of urban crime fantasy. That difference is useful rather than a flaw: it provides a genuine change of pace while preserving the broad-world structure that attracts many GTA players.
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Who should choose it
- Players who value immersion and exploration above a specific modern setting.
- Anyone who wants a Rockstar-made substitute while waiting for GTA 6.
- Players comfortable with a serious western tone instead of contemporary urban crime.
Who should look elsewhere
Choose another game if cars, hacking or martial-arts combat are the feature you are trying to replace. Red Dead Redemption 2 is the sandbox pick, not the answer to every individual GTA mechanic.
Watch Dogs 2: modern-city hacking with a satirical edge
What makes its open world different
Watch Dogs 2 puts a contemporary city and connected technology at the centre of its design. Ubisoft describes a “massive and dynamic open-world offering an incredible variety of gameplay possibilities.” In practical terms, that means the city is more than scenery: devices and infrastructure become part of the way you plan and improvise.
GamesRadar frames the sequel as a modern, satirical alternative. That tone matters because it separates Watch Dogs 2 from a grim organized-crime story. The game can still support tense situations, but its identity comes from playful technological problem solving and a lighter commentary on modern city life.
Rank #3
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Best reasons to pick it
- You want present-day urban scenery rather than a historical or futuristic world.
- You enjoy solving encounters through hacking and indirect options.
- You prefer satire and energy to a strictly serious crime drama.
Important trade-off
If you want the most traditional firearms-and-driving interpretation of GTA, Watch Dogs 2 may feel like a sideways move. Its distinctive value is the hacking layer; judge it on that feature rather than expecting a one-for-one replacement of every GTA activity.
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Why it is the specialist pick
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition is the strongest choice for street-level crime combined with physical combat. GamesRadar describes martial arts and B-movie stunt action inside an open-world crime framework. That combination gives the game a different rhythm from entries that treat hand-to-hand fighting as a secondary option.
The result is a focused urban-crime experience: you get the freedom associated with an open world, but the standout encounters are built around close combat and stunt-style action. It is the recommendation to make when a reader asks for “GTA with martial arts” rather than simply “another crime sandbox.”
Edition and platform check
The comparison source lists the Definitive Edition for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Store catalogues can change, and backward compatibility or regional listings can differ, so confirm that the specific Definitive Edition is offered for your hardware before purchase.
Who gets the most from it
- Players who want martial arts to be a defining combat system.
- Readers who like a street-level crime story with cinematic stunt exaggeration.
- Anyone looking for a compact, clearly differentiated alternative instead of another general-purpose sandbox.
Cyberpunk 2077: the RPG-heavy futuristic alternative
Setting and systems
Cyberpunk 2077 changes the fantasy at the foundation of the genre. Instead of a contemporary city or western frontier, it uses the futuristic Night City. The more important difference is mechanical: deeper role-playing and character-build choices sit alongside the open-world exploration.
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That combination makes it suitable for players who want to decide how a character develops and how abilities shape encounters. The city supplies the atmosphere, while the RPG layer supplies long-term decisions. You are choosing a progression path as well as choosing where to go.
Best fit
- You want a future metropolis rather than a realistic present-day setting.
- You enjoy comparing abilities and building a character around preferred approaches.
- You want more role-playing structure than a straightforward crime sandbox usually provides.
Trade-off versus GTA
Cyberpunk 2077 is not primarily a substitute for GTA’s contemporary criminal fantasy. It is a choice for readers willing to exchange that fantasy for a more systems-driven RPG. If your main question is “Which game has the richest character-building options?”, this is the strongest answer in the group.
Mafia: organized crime with a directed story
Why its structure matters
Mafia serves a different kind of GTA player: the person who wants organized-crime drama and a more directed story. The comparison coverage places it on the serious, cinematic side of the spectrum. Its open-world setting supports the crime narrative, but the narrative remains the priority.
That distinction helps set expectations. A broad sandbox invites you to create your own agenda; a directed crime drama asks you to follow a shaped sequence of events. Neither structure is automatically better. The right choice depends on whether you want freedom between missions or momentum from one story beat to the next.
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- You prefer a focused underworld narrative over a comic playground.
- You want organized-crime themes rather than hacking, futuristic RPG systems or martial arts.
- You value a more deliberate story shape.
Look at another game when
If your priority is unrestricted exploration, systemic experimentation or a large menu of side activities, one of the broader sandbox choices will suit you better. Mafia is included because its directed approach is a meaningful alternative, not because it copies every GTA feature.
Best Value
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Saints Row: the comedy-and-chaos option
What it emphasizes
Saints Row is the selection for exaggerated comedy and chaos. GamesRadar and the iTechGuides comparison distinguish it from Mafia’s seriousness: the appeal is heightened situations, irreverent energy and an open world designed to support spectacle.
This tone changes how you evaluate the game. Realism, restrained criminal drama and simulation-like immersion are not the target. If you want a game that treats the crime premise as a launch point for comic escalation, Saints Row is the clearest match.
Best fit
- Players who want comedy rather than a serious crime story.
- Anyone who values spectacle and unpredictable mayhem.
- Readers who find realistic or heavily dramatic alternatives too restrained.
Trade-off
Its exaggerated style will not satisfy someone seeking the grounded atmosphere of an organized-crime drama. Pick it because of the comedy and chaos, not despite them.
Compare the six games by the decision that usually matters most
| If your priority is… | Best starting point | Why | What you give up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandbox freedom and immersion | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Expansive world built around player freedom | Modern-city crime and contemporary technology |
| Hacking in a present-day city | Watch Dogs 2 | Modern setting, satire and technology-driven possibilities | The western or traditional organized-crime atmosphere |
| Martial arts and stunt action | Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition | Street-level crime with hand-to-hand combat as a defining feature | The broad RPG build system of Cyberpunk 2077 |
| Character builds and RPG systems | Cyberpunk 2077 | Night City plus deeper role-playing choices | A grounded or historical crime setting |
| Directed organized-crime drama | Mafia | More focused story structure and serious tone | The widest sandbox freedom |
| Comedy and uncontrolled spectacle | Saints Row | Exaggerated tone and chaotic open-world play | Realism and restrained drama |
A practical way to choose before you install anything
- Name the setting you actually want. Choose a western frontier with Red Dead Redemption 2, a contemporary city with Watch Dogs 2 or Sleeping Dogs, a futuristic metropolis with Cyberpunk 2077, or a crime-drama city with Mafia and Saints Row.
- Choose your tone. Serious and immersive points toward Red Dead Redemption 2 or Mafia. Satirical points toward Watch Dogs 2. Comic and chaotic points toward Saints Row. Martial-arts B-movie energy points toward Sleeping Dogs. A darker, systems-heavy RPG mood points toward Cyberpunk 2077.
- Choose the combat or problem-solving hook. Select hacking for Watch Dogs 2, martial arts for Sleeping Dogs, RPG abilities for Cyberpunk 2077, broad sandbox freedom for Red Dead Redemption 2, directed crime missions for Mafia, or comic spectacle for Saints Row.
- Decide how much direction you want. Mafia is the clearest directed-story choice. Red Dead Redemption 2 and Watch Dogs 2 are better when you want room to explore. Cyberpunk 2077 adds progression decisions; Sleeping Dogs and Saints Row sit between a focused crime premise and open-world activity.
- Verify the exact edition. Check the store listing for your country and hardware, especially when the title has a Definitive, remastered or complete edition. Do not assume that an edition listed for one console is offered on another.
Platform, edition and price checks
The available comparisons do not establish current regional prices, stock or retailer-specific availability. Those details can change by country, storefront and platform, so they should be checked at the time you buy.
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition has a specifically documented platform list here—PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One—but that does not guarantee identical storefront access in every region. For the other games, confirm the edition name, supported hardware and whether the listing is for a base game or a package that includes additional content.
- Check the publisher or platform store for your country rather than relying on an old price.
- Confirm the edition name exactly; “Definitive,” “complete” and standard editions are not interchangeable labels.
- Review hardware requirements for Cyberpunk 2077 in particular if you are choosing it for its RPG systems and Night City setting.
- Check whether your console supports the listed release through native support or backward compatibility.
Bottom line: the best pick depends on the feature you miss
There is no single GTA replacement because each candidate preserves a different part of the appeal. Choose Red Dead Redemption 2 for freedom and immersion, Watch Dogs 2 for hacking in a satirical modern city, Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition for martial arts and street crime, Cyberpunk 2077 for futuristic RPG systems, Mafia for a serious organized-crime story, or Saints Row for comic chaos. Start with the feature you want most, then verify the edition and regional listing for your platform.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
