GTA 5 has remained a major open-world reference point because it combines free roaming, driving, missions, side activities, and a crime-focused story in one large city. If you want a similar sense of freedom, several games approach the formula from different angles.

Games to Play Instead of GTA 5

  • Watch Dogs 2
  • Sleeping Dogs
  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Mafia III
  • Saints Row
  • Red Dead Redemption 2

Watch Dogs 2

Watch Dogs 2 is one of the closest options if you want a modern city, vehicles, side activities, and freedom outside the main story. Its San Francisco setting gives you plenty of space to explore.

The main difference is hacking. Cameras, vehicles, and electronic systems can all become part of a mission, giving the familiar city structure a different set of tools.

Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs takes place in Hong Kong's criminal underworld. You can drive around the city, take part in police chases, and complete a variety of side activities.

Its combat is much more focused on hand-to-hand fighting. Environmental attacks and a strong crime story make it distinct from GTA 5 while keeping the urban setting.

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world RPG set in Night City. You can drive through different districts, complete missions, and spend long stretches away from the main story.

Character development is much deeper than in GTA 5. Weapons, skills, and cyberware directly change how you approach combat and exploration.

Cyberpunk 2077 open-world gameplay
Cyberpunk 2077 replaces GTA 5's modern crime setting with a science-fiction city.

Mafia III

Mafia III takes place in the fictional city of New Bordeaux in the late 1960s. The story revolves around criminal organizations and taking control of districts.

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Driving and gunfights will feel familiar to GTA players, but Mafia III puts more emphasis on story and territory control than on pure sandbox freedom.

Saints Row

Saints Row sits on the more exaggerated side of open-world crime games. Driving, gunfights, and side activities are central, but the series leans much harder into comedy and chaos.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is not set in a modern city, but it applies Rockstar's open-world design to a completely different period. Towns, forests, and wilderness can be explored freely across a huge map.

Detailed world design and mission storytelling give GTA 5 players something familiar, while horses replace cars and the modern criminal world gives way to the American frontier.

Which Game Is Most Like GTA 5?

Watch Dogs 2 is one of the closest matches for a modern city and free roaming. Sleeping Dogs combines urban crime with a different combat system. Mafia III and Red Dead Redemption 2 are stronger choices if story matters more, while Cyberpunk 2077 adds deeper RPG systems and Saints Row focuses on chaos and humor.