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If Red Dead Redemption 2’s character-led story was the part you loved, start with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. If you want a historical action adventure, choose Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut. For another dense city, move to Cyberpunk 2077; for secrets, freedom and self-directed discovery, choose Elden Ring. None reproduces both Rockstar games at once, so the right follow-up depends on whether story, setting, urban freedom or exploration mattered most to you.
Quick answer: which game should you play next?
Finishing two huge open worlds can leave you with a specific problem: you may want another substantial place to inhabit, but not necessarily another version of the same game. Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV offer very different pleasures. One is a slow, character-focused Western journey; the other is an urban crime story built around a tightly defined city. The four recommendations below deliberately cover different follow-up experiences.
| Game | Setting and tone | Story emphasis | Exploration pitch | Best match for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Large fantasy world | Defined protagonist and quest-led narrative | Travel through a richly described world while following Geralt’s work | Players who want another authored open-world RPG |
| Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut | Historical setting | Character-led action adventure | Traverse a historical landscape and uncover its activities | Players who want grounded atmosphere without a modern city |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | Futuristic science-fiction city | Role-playing story about a cyberpunk mercenary | Explore Night City and pursue the main game or its expansion | GTA IV players who want another dense urban setting |
| Elden Ring | Fantasy world shaped by mystery | More player-led than character-led | Travel on foot or horseback, find secrets and investigate mysteries | Players who value discovery and choosing their own route |
The table is a starting point, not a ranking. Read the individual sections before buying because the platform, edition and tone of each game differ substantially.
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Start with what you actually miss from the Rockstar games
You miss the characters and the long-form story
Choose The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It keeps the open-world role-playing structure but gives you a fantasy setting and a different kind of protagonist. The game’s official description presents Geralt of Rivia as a monster slayer facing a major contract, so the world is organized around a recognizable central character rather than an anonymous avatar. That makes it the strongest first recommendation for someone who wants another lengthy journey with a defined hero and a clear quest through-line.
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You miss riding through a coherent historical place
Choose Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut. It is a historical action adventure rather than a Western or a modern crime sandbox. The change in period is significant, but the appeal is similarly rooted in atmosphere, landscape and a protagonist moving through a territory shaped by conflict. Treat it as an alternative interpretation of an open-world journey, not as a mechanical copy of either Rockstar title.
You miss the city and the freedom to move through it
Choose Cyberpunk 2077. Its Night City setting gives you another urban world to navigate, but the tone shifts from realistic crime drama to futuristic science fiction. CD PROJEKT RED describes the player character as a cyberpunk mercenary in an open-world role-playing game. That premise makes it the most natural city-focused follow-up here, provided you are comfortable exchanging GTA IV’s realism for cybernetic technology and speculative fiction.
You miss getting lost and finding your own route
Choose Elden Ring. PlayStation’s description emphasizes travelling on foot or horseback, discovering secrets and pursuing mysteries. Its appeal is less about recreating a scripted crime or Western narrative and more about deciding where to go, what to investigate and when to return to a difficult-looking place. It is the exploration-first choice in this list.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — the best story-led substitute
Why it follows Red Dead Redemption 2 well
The Witcher 3 is an open-world role-playing game built around Geralt of Rivia. You are not simply dropped into a map and asked to invent a personality; the protagonist already has an identity, profession and history. That structure suits players who were attached to the relationships and authored drama in Red Dead Redemption 2.
The setting is the largest departure. Instead of a realistic frontier, you enter a fantasy world populated by monsters, contracts and supernatural threats. The emotional investment still comes from following one character through a substantial journey, but the problems Geralt faces belong to fantasy rather than Western or contemporary crime fiction.
What to expect from its world
The game’s official page calls it an open-world RPG and centers Geralt’s major contract. That means the map is a setting for role-playing quests, not merely a scenic route between action scenes. Expect the experience to ask you to spend time with the protagonist and follow story threads rather than treating the world as a pure playground.
Rank #2
This is the right pick when your priority is a substantial, character-led campaign. It is a weaker match if what you loved most was GTA IV’s contemporary city or its crime-story context; the fantasy premise changes both the social world and the kinds of conflicts you encounter.
Edition and platform check
The official game page now refers to a remastered version and current-generation upgrades. Before purchasing, identify your hardware and confirm which edition is sold for it. A listing that says “remastered” or mentions current-generation features may not describe the same package as an older release. Match the store listing, box or download page to your platform instead of assuming that every version is interchangeable.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut — a historical open-world adventure
Why choose it
Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is the recommendation for readers who want a strong sense of place without returning to either a Western frontier or a modern metropolis. Its historical setting gives the journey a grounded visual and cultural identity, while the open-world format lets you move through a landscape rather than simply selecting missions from a menu.
It is best understood as a historical action adventure. That description matters: the game is not being suggested because it reproduces Rockstar’s crime systems, satirical city life or slow Western simulation. It belongs on this list because it offers another carefully authored open-world journey with a distinct protagonist and setting.
How it differs from both reference games
Compared with Red Dead Redemption 2, the period and combat fantasy are different, so do not expect a Western-style social sandbox. Compared with Grand Theft Auto IV, the environment is not a contemporary city and the story is not a modern crime drama. The common ground is the feeling of moving through a fully realized place while a larger narrative gives your travel purpose.
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PlayStation includes the game in an open-world guide, and a PlayStation Blog post dated May 22, 2026, also features it among open-world experiences. Catalog availability is time-sensitive: subscription inclusion can vary by country, plan and date. Check the current catalog for your account before treating access as guaranteed. If you are buying rather than subscribing, confirm that the listing is specifically the Director’s Cut and that it supports your console.
Rank #3
Cyberpunk 2077 — the city option after GTA IV
Why Night City is the closest thematic bridge
Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world role-playing game set in Night City. Its official description frames you as a cyberpunk mercenary, which gives the game a clear urban identity and a profession-driven protagonist. If your favorite part of GTA IV was navigating a dense city and watching a character’s life unfold inside it, this is the most direct recommendation of the four.
The bridge ends at the setting. Night City is futuristic science fiction, not a realistic interpretation of a present-day city. Technology, cybernetics and speculative social structures shape the experience, so the change in tone is fundamental rather than cosmetic.
Base game or expansion bundle?
PlayStation’s open-world editorial highlights Night City and the Phantom Liberty expansion, while the developer describes the base game as an open-world RPG. Decide whether you want the base game alone or a bundle that includes the expansion before you check prices. Store pages can use different package names, and an expansion listing is not a substitute for the base game.
Read the contents line on the platform’s product page and verify the edition against your hardware. Do not infer availability from a page written for another console generation or region. If you already own the base game, check whether the expansion is sold separately for your platform before buying a complete package.
Who should skip it
Skip this recommendation if you want a realistic continuation of GTA IV’s crime-world tone. The city may satisfy your desire for urban scale, but the science-fiction premise is the defining feature. Choose it because you want that contrast, not because you expect a near-identical replacement.
Elden Ring — the exploration-first choice
What makes it different
Elden Ring is for the player who remembers wandering away from the main route more than following a specific character’s dialogue. PlayStation describes travelling through its open world on foot or horseback, finding secrets and pursuing mysteries. That pitch puts discovery ahead of the authored, chapter-like structure associated with Rockstar’s stories.
Rank #4
- Includes the Hearts of Stone and Blood & Wine expansions, 16 DLC's which offer a massive 50 hours of additional storytelling as well as new features and new areas that expand the explorable world by over a third!
- Affords access to all additional content released so far, including weapons, armor, side quests, game modes and new GWENT cards!
- Features all technical and visual updates as well as a new user interface completely redesigned on the basis of feedback from members of the Witcher Community.
The setting is fantasy, but its role in the recommendation differs from The Witcher 3. The Witcher 3 is the story-led fantasy option with a defined protagonist and central contract. Elden Ring is the option for deciding what to investigate and allowing the world to reveal itself through exploration.
When it is the right follow-up
Choose it if your ideal next game lets you set your own pace, leave a visible objective and search for an unexpected path. It is especially suitable when the pleasure of an open world comes from uncovering places and mysteries rather than completing a carefully ordered chain of conversations.
Set expectations before you buy
The game should be presented as a distinct, combat-focused experience, not as a direct substitute for Rockstar’s character-led narratives. The available descriptions support its emphasis on traversal, secrets and mysteries; they do not establish a like-for-like difficulty ranking against the other games in this article. If your main requirement is extensive dialogue and a central crime or family drama, one of the other three recommendations is a better fit.
Comparison by the decision that matters most
If setting is your deciding factor
- Western or realist atmosphere: none of these four returns you to the exact setting of Red Dead Redemption 2; The Witcher 3 and Elden Ring move into fantasy.
- Historical landscape: choose Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut.
- Modern-feeling urban scale: choose Cyberpunk 2077, while accepting its futuristic science-fiction tone.
- Fantasy with a defined hero: choose The Witcher 3.
- Fantasy built around secrets and mysteries: choose Elden Ring.
If narrative structure is your deciding factor
- Central protagonist and quest-led story: The Witcher 3 is the clearest match.
- Historical character-led adventure: Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is the alternative.
- Urban role-playing story: Cyberpunk 2077 supplies the city and mercenary premise.
- Player-led discovery: Elden Ring is the outlier and should be chosen deliberately.
If exploration is your deciding factor
All four are open-world games, but they invite different kinds of travel. The Witcher 3 uses a large fantasy world to support Geralt’s quests. Ghost of Tsushima offers a historical landscape for an action adventure. Cyberpunk 2077 concentrates its appeal in Night City. Elden Ring makes the act of searching—on foot or horseback, through secrets and mysteries—the core of its recommendation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Platform and edition checklist
The question does not identify whether you play on PlayStation, Xbox, PC or Nintendo hardware. Do not assume that a recommendation means universal availability or that every edition contains the same content. Use this checklist before you commit:
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →- Identify your platform and generation. Write down the exact console model or PC storefront you use.
- Open the current product page for that platform. Confirm that the title is sold for your hardware, rather than relying on a search result written for another edition.
- Read the edition name in full. Look for “Director’s Cut,” “remastered,” “current-generation” or an expansion bundle when those terms apply.
- Check what the purchase includes. For Cyberpunk 2077, distinguish the base game from a package that includes Phantom Liberty. For Ghost of Tsushima, verify that the listing is the Director’s Cut if that is the version you intend to play.
- Check subscription access separately from ownership. A catalog listing can change by region and date; it is not a permanent availability promise.
- Match any physical or digital listing to your hardware. The official description confirms relevance, but it does not confirm current stock, price or compatibility for every retailer.
A practical choice for four common player profiles
The story-first player
Pick The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. You want a named protagonist, a major quest and a world that exists to support a long role-playing journey. The fantasy setting is a change, but the authored structure is the closest fit in this group.
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- Race from one course to another through interconnected paths that span the world
- Traverse mountains, forests, cities, and more—with shifting weather patterns and a day/night cycle
- Ride on rails, jump off walls, skim across water, and more as you race for the finish line
- Take on the adrenaline-packed Knockout Tour—a fierce 24-driver elimination mode
- Explore courses at your own pace and wander the world to discover fun surprises in Free Roam
The atmosphere-first player
Pick Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut. You want a historical place with a strong identity and an adventure that takes its setting seriously. It is not a replacement for Rockstar’s systems; it is a different kind of carefully staged open world.
The city-sandbox player
Pick Cyberpunk 2077. You want another city to learn, cross and inhabit, and you are willing to trade realism for a futuristic mercenary story. Confirm whether you want the base game, the expansion or a bundle before purchasing.
The wanderer
Pick Elden Ring. You want to leave the obvious route, look for secrets and decide what the world means through your own discoveries. Its combat-focused identity makes it a deliberate departure from dialogue-heavy Rockstar storytelling.
What not to expect from this list
No single recommendation recreates both the Western story of Red Dead Redemption 2 and the urban crime world of Grand Theft Auto IV. The four games divide those qualities among different experiences. The Witcher 3 carries the strongest authored-RPG emphasis; Ghost of Tsushima supplies a historical adventure; Cyberpunk 2077 supplies the city; and Elden Ring supplies the most open-ended discovery.
That division is useful when your next purchase has a clear purpose. Start with the element you want to preserve, then accept the setting and structure that come with it. Checking the exact platform and edition prevents the most avoidable disappointment.
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.
