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If you want one strong pick while you wait for Grand Theft Auto VI, choose Red Dead Redemption 2 for Rockstar’s detailed world and story-led freedom. For a contemporary city with driving, crime activities, and RPG progression, choose Cyberpunk 2077. The other games below suit more specific moods—from difficult exploration to co-op heists—rather than reproducing GTA’s whole mix.
Rockstar currently lists GTA VI for November 19, 2026, and describes Jason and Lucia’s story in Vice City and the wider state of Leonida. These recommendations are grouped by what you want to play, not ranked by hands-on testing. Rockstar’s game page
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Open World: Video Games and Contemporary Art | $60.25 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Ghost of Tsushima - PlayStation 4 | $22.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Mad Max - PlayStation Hits (PS4) | $19.45 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Just Cause 4 - PlayStation 4 | $11.80 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Elden Ring - PlayStation 4 | $33.83 | Buy on Amazon |
Choose by the part of GTA you want most
| If you want… | Try… | What makes it different |
|---|---|---|
| Rockstar-style world detail and a long story | Red Dead Redemption 2 | A lively western world with freedom and random encounters, but a period setting and slower pace instead of a modern city. GamesRadar+; PC Gamer |
| A modern city, vehicles, crime activities, and RPG progression | Cyberpunk 2077 | Night City, gigs, and vehicles sit within an RPG structure, not GTA’s crime-sandbox loop. GamesRadar+; PC Gamer |
| Exploration and demanding encounters | Elden Ring | Organic discovery and difficult combat in a fantasy action RPG, with no GTA-style crime or driving focus. PC Gamer |
| Hacking and contemporary satire | Watch Dogs 2 | A city-focused alternative built around hacking, with a different tone and systems from GTA. GamesRadar+ |
| Martial arts in a crime story | Sleeping Dogs | Combines crime drama with martial arts and stunt action; check availability for your platform before buying. GamesRadar+ |
| Co-op robberies | Payday 2 | Centers on squad-based heists rather than a single-player open-world campaign. GamesRadar+ |
| Traversal stunts and sandbox chaos | Just Cause 4 | Its wingsuit, grappling hook, and large-scale destruction favor spectacle; GamesRadar+ notes weaker story and polish relative to Rockstar. GamesRadar+ |
| A grounded organized-crime narrative | Mafia 3 | Leans more toward a character-led crime story than GTA’s broad sandbox. GamesRadar+ |
| Many activities in a compact city | Yakuza 0 | Offers varied side activities and an offbeat story at a smaller scale than GTA. GamesRadar+ |
Best picks for the closest match
Red Dead Redemption 2: the strongest Rockstar-world substitute
Choose Red Dead Redemption 2 if what you miss most is the sense that a large world keeps moving around you. GamesRadar+ highlights player freedom and an expansive, lively world; PC Gamer points to its detailed frontier, random encounters, and long story. It is the closest recommendation here for Rockstar-style world-building, but it is a western rather than a contemporary crime game. GamesRadar+; PC Gamer
Cyberpunk 2077: city driving with RPG systems
Pick Cyberpunk 2077 for a dense modern-city setting, vehicles, gigs, and criminal activity. It is the better fit if you want to roam a city, but its role-playing systems shape the experience more than GTA’s familiar crime-sandbox structure. PC Gamer describes the open-world RPG as improved after updates and Phantom Liberty. Check the platform and edition listing to see whether Phantom Liberty is included. GamesRadar+; PC Gamer
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Choose a different kind of open world
Elden Ring: discovery over crime and cars
Elden Ring is a strong choice when the draw is finding paths, places, and difficult encounters without being led through a conventional city-crime story. PC Gamer emphasizes organic discovery and demanding challenges. Treat it as an open-world alternative, not a GTA-like substitute. PC Gamer
Watch Dogs 2: hacking and satire
Watch Dogs 2 is the more relevant option if you want a contemporary city and the ability to interfere with its connected systems. Its hacking focus and satirical tone make it distinct from GTA’s crime-driven play. GamesRadar+
Rank #2
- Available Now - Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, a new cooperative multiplayer experience inspired by Japanese folk tales and mythology.
- Beyond war, ancient beauty endures: Uncover the hidden wonders of Tsushima in this open-world action adventure.
- The rise of the Ghost: Forge a new path and wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Tsushima.
Sleeping Dogs: martial arts and crime drama
Sleeping Dogs blends an open-world crime story with martial arts and stunt action. It is a fit for players who want street-level crime drama and physical combat, rather than GTA’s broader mix. Because it is an older release, confirm that the specific edition is available on your platform. GamesRadar+
Payday 2: make the heist the whole point
Choose Payday 2 if planning and carrying out robberies with a squad matters more than free-roaming a single-player world. Its focus is co-op heists, so it fills one particular GTA-shaped itch rather than offering a full open-world campaign. GamesRadar+
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- Be Mad Max - Become the iconic post-apocalyptic warrior, crafting and upgrading Max's equipment and weapons to survive by combining melee combat, gunplay and tactical techniques. Gamers must form alliances as they work towards the goal of building their "Magnum opus."
- Immersive savage Wasteland - Explore the gritty, dynamic world while braving the treacherous landscapes, hostile weather patterns and deadly marauders.
- survive the open-world landscape - Staying alive isn't easy. Players clash with deadly factions and gangs through scores of dangerous side-missions and quests in the dynamic open-world full of exploration.
- intense vehicular combat - Engage in dynamic inter-vehicular combat, taking down enemy vehicles with a range of powerful weapons. Car combat is entirely physics-based, so no two battles are ever the Same.
- build the ultimate survival machine - Players design, customize and upgrade their ultimate vehicle-the Magnum Opus-choosing from different car chassis and a slew of upgrades including mounted weapons, armour and engines to survive another day
Just Cause 4: go for stunts and destruction
Just Cause 4 favors traversal and spectacle: a wingsuit, grappling hook, and large-scale destruction give it a more deliberately chaotic sandbox feel. GamesRadar+ sees its story and polish as weaker than Rockstar’s, so choose it for the stunts rather than a comparable crime narrative. GamesRadar+
Mafia 3: stay with the crime story
Mafia 3 suits players who want a grounded organized-crime setting and a character-led narrative. Its stronger emphasis on story makes it less of a broad, anything-can-happen sandbox than GTA. GamesRadar+
Rank #4
- Day One Edition includes Neon Racer Pack with these DLC items Neon Racer Supercar, Neon Racer Wingsuit, Neon Racer Parachute; see description for full details
- Bring The Thunder Soar through the skies with your wingsuit Skydive, Base Jump and Free Dive, as you fight your enemies harnessing extreme weather to your advantage
- Rico’s Ultimate Mission Spearhead the rebellion and defeat a hi tech private military organization; Face off against the most capable adversary yet; Uncover the mystery behind Rico’s Father’s past
- Huge South American World 100 square kilometers to explore from rainforest to desert, and across snowy mountain peaks as you explore the world of Solis from bustling cities to rural grasslands
- Creative destruction at its best Customize your new grapple hook with evolved and new capabilities; Experiment with military jets, helicopters, turbo fueled sports cars, and construction vehicles
Yakuza 0: trade city scale for variety
Yakuza 0 offers a compact urban setting, many varied activities, and an offbeat story. Consider it if you want distractions and city life more than a vast map or a direct GTA-style driving loop. GamesRadar+
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Check platform and edition before you buy
Platform listings and editions can change, and availability may vary by region. Use current store listings for the platform you own rather than assuming every game in a roundup is available on your console or PC. For older titles such as Sleeping Dogs, check the exact edition and storefront listing. For Cyberpunk 2077, confirm whether the edition includes Phantom Liberty.
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- ELDEN RING is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki—creator of the influential DARK SOULS video game series; and George R.R. Martin—author of The New York Times best-selling fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire
- Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to-date
- HIDETAKA MIYAZAKI: President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls
- GEORGE R. R. MARTIN: the #1 The New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire—A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons
Rockstar Support currently says that the physical GTA VI product is a box containing a download code, not a disc. Code redemption rules depend on platform and region, and Rockstar advises buying in the country associated with your platform account to reduce possible activation problems. Check the current support page before ordering, since launch and retail details can change. Rockstar Support: platforms, editions, and versions
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