While they used to be dubbed 'GTA clones', the best games like GTA take influence from Rockstar Games' open-world franchise and offer new kinds of spectacle. Whether you're looking for exceptional gunplay, superb storytelling, or just a massive sandbox to wreak havoc within, this solid selection of games will send you on your next adventure.
Before you keep on scrolling, check out this list of the best Steam Deck games, as well as everything you need to know about Steam Deck alternatives like the Asus ROG Ally - one of the best portable gaming consoles. We've also got plenty of retro handheld consoles to look at, too.
Here are the best games like GTA:
Just Cause 3
Portable Platforms: Steam Deck, and Windows Handhelds
Avanlanche Studios' third entry in the Just Cause franchise is included over the fourth because, frankly, the next game was disappointing. What you get here is a massive tropical sandbox, where you bear arms as The Agency operative Rico Rodriguez to destabilize another villainous dictator. With a story inspired by cheesy 1980s action movies and bombastic carnage to cause at any moment, Just Cause 3 delivers action thrills like nothing else in the genre.
Use Rico's wingsuit to glide at any moment, combining it with his infinite parachute and a huge arsenal of weapons, gadgets, and more to reign absolute destruction.
Red Dead Redemption
Portable Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows Handhelds
Red Dead Redemption is a classic for a reason, inviting you in to experience "the epic Western adventures that defined a generation". It also certainly fills that 'GTA but with cowboys'-shaped hole you may or may not have in your life, in our Red Dead Redemption Switch review, we mull over how the "language and straightness" of the story feels "far more GTA than RDR2" - and that's not necessarily a bad thing!
In case you're unfamiliar, Red Dead Redemption is set in early 1900s America, and follows the story of former outlaw John Marston. After his wife and son are taken hostage by the government in ransom for his services as a hired gun, he sets out to bring three members of his former gang to justice. If you're going back to Red Dead Redemption after RDR2, there are loads of little nods and tidbits to pick up on, enhancing the franchise's rich storytelling.
Sadly, the excellent multiplayer mode is missing as this is a port of a game from 2010. It is unlikely this will be added in any future patches, but for now, getting to ride along the plains on the go is an impressive feat. Red Dead Redemption is a thrilling adventure with a wide, open world, heaps of intriguing characters to meet, and some truly engaging stories to explore. And, as of 2023, you can play it any place, any time, thanks to the surprisingly strong Switch port. So come on, cowboy, it's time to hop up on that horse and take down some baddies!
L.A. Noire
Portable Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows Handhelds
If you like the criminal aspect of GTA, but want to be on the right side of the law, why not give L.A. Noire a try? If for no other reason than it's a Rockstar game, the very same company that gives you Grand Theft Auto. The detective action-adventure game features an interactive open world, allowing you to roam the streets in a vehicle or on foot.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the game is that not only do you work for the police, you actually work for different bureaus solving a range of cases, including arson and homicide. If you want an authentic noir feel, you can even play the game in black and white.
Go To Town
Portable Platforms: Android and iOS
GTT, hmm, has a good ring to it, kind of like GTA. What a coincidence. Go To Town resembles Grand Theft Auto in more ways than we can count, from gameplay to aesthetics and the font used in the game's marketing. So, it should come as no surprise that what you find inside is clearly inspired by Rockstar's series.
You get to explore a gorgeous open world either on foot, by car, or motorbike. There are many places to see and visit, such as a beach, football stadium, garages, and more. Of course, you also need to be willing to get your hands dirty, especially if you want to ride around the city in style.
GTA Chinatown Wars
Portable Platforms: Android and iOS
This game is lovingly crafted specifically for portable devices. Perhaps that's why it's one of the best Grand Theft Auto offerings for iOS and Android. Do we need to explain what you find here? Because it's exactly what you get in other Grand Theft Auto games - a crazy story, an open world, plenty of vehicles, guns, and lots of mayhem.
In Chinatown Wars, you take on the role of Huang Lee, a triad member who travels to Liberty City to deliver the Yu Jian sword. However, upon entering the city, he's attacked, leading to the events of the game. Violence and revenge await you in this great portable GTA game.
Maneater
Portable Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows Handhelds
If you like Grand Theft Auto, you probably like mindless carnage, and that's what Maneater gives you. Of course, it has an open world like GTA, action, and allows you to go on a rampage. Better yet, you play as a bull shark, which you can customize with various upgrades as the game progresses.
To be honest, it's the sheer bonkersness of this game that makes it worth playing, and if you enjoy GTA, we have reason to believe you're open to games that embrace the chaos. Furthermore, in GTA, revenge is a common theme, and that happens to be at the heart of Maneater's narrative too.
Gangstar Vegas
Portable Platforms: Android and iOS
If you're an avid mobile gamer who also has a strong love for GTA, Gangstar Vegas is the perfect game for you. You play as Jason Malone, a skilled MMA fighter who's in a fight for his life after winning a certain fight. Like other games in the Gangstar series, it features an open world that you can explore, and so many weapons that you'll cause more explosions than you can count.
Saints Row: The Third
Portable Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows Handhelds
This is the closest you can get to playing a Grand Theft Auto game without actually playing a GTA game. Saints Row: The Third is arguably the best in the series, and the fact you can play it on the go with your Switch is fantastic. Unsurprisingly, Saints Row: The Third features an open world and a lot of weapons.
The gameplay is extremely similar to GTA, so if you enjoy Rockstar's series, you'll feel right at home here. Much like in previous Saints Row games, you have but one goal and that's to lead the Third Street Saints gang as you try to best rival gangs in the ongoing turf wars.
Roblox
Portable Platforms: iOS, Android, Steam Deck, and Windows Handhelds
Okay, okay, here us out here - while Roblox may not be the first game you associate with GTA, with the amazing variety of user-made experiences populating the platform, it should be no surprise that there are some brilliant GTA-like titles for you to explore.
Some great Roblox games like GTA include Jailbreak, Southwest Florida, Da Hood, Mad City, and Streets of Blockwood: Remastered, plus many, many more. With new experiences dropping every day and heaps of Roblox game codes for you to grab, Roblox has definitely earned a solid place on this list, especially for younger audiences looking for a GTA-like experience suitable for their age. For more info on that, we've also got a guide to the Roblox age rating to help you keep your kids safe in the big, blocky world.
Saints Row IV: Reelected
Portable Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows Handhelds
Listen, we all know the Saints Row games are wild. But what if you could have superpowers and roam around the map like The Matrix's Neo or Superman? Well, Saints Row IV: Reelected is all about living out that fantasy.
Sure you've got all the usual antics of claiming power for your gang, but Saints Row 4 goes so outlandish that you can only commend the developers for going so bold. Like, this is game where you become the President of the United States in the first ten minutes. Amazing.
Dying Light
Portable Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows Handhelds
Like The Simpsons Hit & Run, this is cheating just a little bit. Dying Light's open world is filled with zombies trying to claw your face off, and surviving ain't easy in this resource-ridden world. But what the game does well is combine parkour movement with lean, mean combat as you traverse around a massive map, completing story quests, side encounters, and more. Just don't go out after dark, as Dying Light's foes get even stronger.
Techland's first Dying Light game sees Kyle Crane, an undercover operative for the GRE, infiltrating a deadly quarantine zone to find a political figure that has gone AWOL - and rogue. However, they have access to a file that could potentially cure the virus plaguing Dying Light's world.
Dying Light is packed full of spectacle, with chases across rooftops keeping you pumped full of adrenaline, or its satisfying combat enticing you to wipe out all the hungry undead.
RP Grand
Portable Platforms: Android and iOS
RP Grand is an odd game, but in the best way possible. Bringing more role-play elements to the GTA formula, this spin on the genre doesn't just include your typical gangster battles and open-world chaos. You can get a job, be an upstanding citizen, and build a life, all in the palm of your hands. Think GTA Online, but without getting blitzed by an Oppressor every two seconds. Or you can just cause havoc.
Lego City Undercover
Portable Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows Handhelds
Most of the time, when it comes to GTA-like games, you'll often be breaking the law - and that's pretty naughty. If you're looking to round up all the baddies, be a beacon of justice, and have a wicked time in the process, then the blocky fun of Lego City Undercover is worth a blast. This open-world entry into the Lego pantheon sees you become Chase McCain, a savvy police officer looking to put villain Rex Fury away behind plastic bars. With an excellent script that parodies popular crime movies and TV shows, there are plenty of laughs to be had alongside the action.
There you have it, our list of the best games like GTA. If you're after something different to play, our lists of the best iPhone games, best Android games, and best Switch platformers are full of great titles.