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The best game to play while waiting for GTA 6 or The Elder Scrolls 6 depends on which part of those promises attracts you. Choose Cyberpunk 2077 for a contemporary city, driving and RPG systems; Red Dead Redemption 2 or Mafia 3 for a focused crime story; The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or Skyrim Special Edition for fantasy exploration; Baldur’s Gate 3 for reactive party role-playing; and Elden Ring for difficult, discovery-led fantasy.
Use the guide below to match the game’s setting, narrative structure, freedom, combat and platform edition to what you actually want, rather than treating every “open-world story game” as interchangeable.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
![NAMCO - CD Projekt Red - The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt - Complete Edition, Playstation 5 [English Edition]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51dWUfwFl5L._SL160_.jpg)
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NAMCO - CD Projekt Red - The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt - Complete Edition, Playstation 5 [English Edition] | $37.16 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition - Xbox One | $27.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Start with the experience you want to replace
GTA 6 and The Elder Scrolls 6 represent different kinds of anticipation. One points toward a modern crime sandbox built around cities, vehicles and criminal set pieces; the other points toward fantasy exploration, character building and an enormous world to wander. A useful substitute therefore is not simply the game with the biggest map. It is the game that reproduces the specific activity you miss.
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Publisher descriptions also treat role-playing as a broad category rather than a single format. Bandai Namco’s RPG category describes the appeal this way: “Every story unfolds differently depending on the decisions you make, the skills you build, the world you choose to explore.” That sentence is a useful test for your shortlist: identify whether you want decisions, build experimentation, exploration, or all three.
Quick decision guide
| If you want… | Start with… | What you are accepting |
|---|---|---|
| A dense contemporary city, cars, action and side jobs | Cyberpunk 2077 | A more explicit RPG structure than GTA, with character systems and a futuristic setting |
| A cinematic crime story with time to observe its world | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Western scenery and a slower pace instead of a modern urban sandbox |
| Fantasy roaming and a central quest with substantial side content | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | A defined protagonist and a darker, authored story rather than a blank-slate hero |
| The most familiar Elder Scrolls-style fantasy sandbox | Skyrim Special Edition | An established older game, not a new release or a preview of The Elder Scrolls 6 |
| Decisions that reshape a party’s story | Baldur’s Gate 3 | A different RPG structure from seamless action open worlds |
| Dangerous exploration and demanding fantasy combat | Elden Ring | A less conventionally delivered narrative and a high difficulty ceiling |
| Organized crime with a tightly focused protagonist arc | Mafia 3 | A more directed crime campaign and platform availability that must be checked |
How to compare the candidates
Before buying, score each option on six axes. This prevents a game from winning simply because it shares one surface feature, such as having an open map.
- Setting: Decide between a modern or futuristic city, a historical western, or a fantasy world. Atmosphere affects almost every activity, from travel to side quests.
- Story focus: A single authored protagonist creates a different attachment from a party whose relationships and decisions drive the plot. Discovery-led games may communicate more through places and encounters than through extended scenes.
- Choice and reactivity: Look for decisions that alter relationships, quests or outcomes if that is your priority. A branching story and a large world are not automatically the same thing.
- World structure: Some games encourage constant free roaming; others divide progress into regions, acts or more directed sequences. Decide how much uninterrupted wandering you need.
- Combat and difficulty: Action-focused systems, RPG builds and deliberately punishing encounters produce very different rhythms. Choose the challenge you will enjoy for dozens of hours, not just the setting you like in screenshots.
- Platform and edition: Check your hardware or console, the exact store listing and whether an upgrade or expansion is already included. Availability can differ by platform and storefront.
Cyberpunk 2077: the closest urban and driving substitute
Cyberpunk 2077 is the clearest first stop if your imagined wait for GTA 6 involves a busy city, driving between jobs, action and optional activities. Its Night City setting is presented as an engaging open world with a strong driving component, and it is categorized as an open-world RPG. The combination gives you a dense urban playground while still providing the progression systems expected from a role-playing game.
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Why it fits
- A futuristic city supplies the contemporary urban energy that fantasy and western alternatives lack.
- Driving, combat, gigs and side activities let you leave the main story and create your own route through the city.
- Character development and equipment choices make the experience more overtly role-playing than GTA.
Where the comparison stops
Do not buy it expecting a one-for-one GTA replacement. The role-playing layer is central: your build and choices shape how you approach situations, while the setting is science fiction rather than a realistic crime city. Choose it when you want urban freedom plus RPG systems, not when you want an identical tone or mission formula.
Red Dead Redemption 2: a slower, character-first crime world
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a strong choice when the crime-story element matters more than modern vehicles or city density. Its western setting follows a character-centered outlaw narrative and gives equal weight to dramatic sequences and quiet stretches. Open-world encounters can pull you away from an intended objective, so exploration feels like part of the story rather than a checklist between missions.
Choose it for
- A carefully developed protagonist and a crime narrative with room for quieter character moments.
- Unplanned encounters that reward taking a detour from the mission marker.
- A broad landscape where travel and observation are meaningful activities.
Expect a different tempo
The western setting and deliberate pacing are substantial differences from GTA’s contemporary city. If you want rapid urban traversal and constant vehicle-based action, start with Cyberpunk 2077 instead. If you want to inhabit a crime world and let its people and routines set the pace, Red Dead Redemption 2 is the better fit.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: the strongest bridge to Elder Scrolls-style fantasy
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an open-world role-playing game set in a large, dark-fantasy world. You play Geralt while searching for Ciri, so the story has a defined hero and a clear central purpose even as you pursue side quests and explore. That makes it a useful bridge for someone waiting for The Elder Scrolls 6 who wants fantasy breadth but also wants an authored narrative with a strong lead.
Why it is a particularly complete package
- The main search gives your wandering a narrative anchor without forcing you to ignore optional content.
- The dark-fantasy tone offers political, personal and monster-focused stories rather than a simple heroic journey.
- The Complete Edition includes the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions, making it the clearest all-in purchase when that edition is available for your platform.
Current edition and upgrade checks
CD PROJEKT RED’s current US page says the Remastered upgrade is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. It also explains that existing owners receive the expansions at no extra cost in the described transition, with platform and storefront distinctions. Some storefronts replace base-game purchases with the Complete Edition. Confirm the exact listing, the platform you own and what is already in your library before paying for an upgrade or a second copy.
If you are searching a store, use the exact phrase The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Complete Edition, then verify that the result names your platform. The Witcher novels by Andrzej Sapkowski are optional supplementary reading if you want more of the setting; they are not a substitute for the game.
Skyrim Special Edition: the direct Elder Scrolls-style fallback
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is the most direct established-series choice while waiting for the next Elder Scrolls game. It returns you to the familiar fantasy-sandbox formula: create or develop a character, roam widely and decide which stories to pursue. That familiarity is its value, but it is important to frame it accurately. This is an existing game and not evidence of what The Elder Scrolls 6 will contain.
Pick Skyrim when
- You want the closest available match to Elder Scrolls-style freedom and fantasy exploration.
- You prefer choosing your own route through a world over following a single tightly authored protagonist.
- You are comfortable checking which Special Edition listing and platform release your store currently offers.
Edition names and platform listings should be checked at purchase. Do not assume that a listing, save compatibility or included content is identical across every storefront.
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- Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth and complexity.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year edition brings together the base game and all the additional content released to date.
Baldur’s Gate 3: for consequence-heavy party role-playing
Baldur’s Gate 3 is the recommendation for readers who put decisions and character relationships ahead of seamless action roaming. Its world is dense, its story is reactive and its party-based role-playing structure lets choices shape how the adventure unfolds.
What makes it different
- Your decisions are central to the narrative rather than an occasional diversion from a fixed route.
- Party members and their relationships are part of the role-playing experience, so the story is not built around one lone avatar.
- The game asks you to engage with a more structured RPG format instead of treating the open world as a continuous action playground.
Choose it when “choices matter” is your main search criterion. Do not choose it solely because you want a GTA-style map or an Elder Scrolls-style solo sandbox; its strengths lie in reactivity, party dynamics and role-playing decisions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Elden Ring: exploration and combat before conventional storytelling
Elden Ring belongs on this list for players who want fantasy discovery and a serious combat challenge. Bandai Namco lists it in its open-world RPG category, while GamesRadar emphasizes treacherous exploration and demanding encounters.
Its best fit
- You enjoy learning enemy patterns and accepting that progress may require repeated attempts.
- You prefer finding places, hazards and secrets for yourself rather than receiving every story beat through explicit exposition.
- You want a fantasy world where exploration and combat are inseparable.
Elden Ring is a broader story-driven option, not a mechanical substitute for GTA. Its narrative is less conventionally delivered, and its difficulty changes the rhythm of exploration. Select it because discovery and challenge sound appealing, not because “open world” alone appears on the product page.
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Mafia 3 is worth considering when your GTA interest centers on organized crime and a focused protagonist arc. It is described as grounded, with side activities and a slow-burning story about a veteran. That emphasis makes it more directed than the broader sandbox choices above.
Reasons to choose it
- You want a crime narrative with a clear central character rather than a fantasy party or a build-first RPG.
- You prefer a deliberate, slow-burning campaign to a constantly branching adventure.
- You still want optional activities around the main story, without requiring the full scope of a huge fantasy role-playing game.
Check platform availability before recommending or buying a particular edition. The right listing depends on the reader’s system and the storefront currently selling it.
A practical way to make your choice
Step 1: name the setting you can play for hours
Write down one of three answers: contemporary or futuristic city, western crime world, or fantasy realm. Choose Cyberpunk 2077 for the first, Red Dead Redemption 2 or Mafia 3 for the second, and The Witcher 3, Skyrim, Baldur’s Gate 3 or Elden Ring for the third.
Step 2: decide whether you need authored or emergent storytelling
If you want a defined hero and a planned dramatic arc, look first at Red Dead Redemption 2, The Witcher 3 or Mafia 3. If you want your decisions and party relationships to drive the plot, choose Baldur’s Gate 3. If discovery itself is your preferred storytelling tool, Elden Ring is the better match. Skyrim sits between these poles by emphasizing player-directed wandering in a familiar fantasy sandbox.
Step 3: set your tolerance for combat pressure
For a city-and-RPG blend, start with Cyberpunk 2077. For a slower crime adventure, Red Dead Redemption 2 or Mafia 3 keeps the focus on character and setting. For demanding encounters, Elden Ring is the explicit choice. The other fantasy recommendations provide role-playing breadth without making a high difficulty ceiling the defining reason to play.
Step 4: verify the purchase before checkout
- Confirm the game supports your PC, console or handheld.
- Read the complete product title, including “Special Edition,” “Complete Edition” or any remaster wording.
- Check which expansions are included and whether you already own the base game.
- Review the storefront’s edition and upgrade rules; do not infer them from another platform.
Common mismatches to avoid
- Equating open world with unlimited choice: A large map can still support a mostly fixed story. Examine the game’s actual narrative structure.
- Expecting every crime game to feel like GTA: Red Dead Redemption 2 slows the pace and Mafia 3 is more focused; Cyberpunk 2077 adds a substantial RPG layer.
- Expecting every fantasy RPG to feel like Skyrim: The Witcher 3 has a defined protagonist, Baldur’s Gate 3 is party-driven and Elden Ring prioritizes difficult discovery.
- Buying the wrong edition: Especially with The Witcher 3, confirm whether the Complete Edition, expansions or Remastered upgrade are included for your exact platform.
- Choosing by setting alone: A fantasy world will not compensate for combat you dislike, and a modern city will not compensate for a story structure you find too directed.
A sensible playing order while you wait
If you want to sample the range rather than commit to one substitute, begin with the game that matches your strongest preference. Start with Cyberpunk 2077 for urban freedom, Red Dead Redemption 2 for a slower crime epic, or The Witcher 3 for the broadest bridge between authored storytelling and fantasy exploration. Move to Baldur’s Gate 3 when you want more consequential party decisions, and choose Elden Ring when you are ready for discovery and demanding combat. Keep Skyrim Special Edition as the direct Elder Scrolls-style fallback, and Mafia 3 as the shorter, more focused organized-crime option.
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.
