The open-world gaming market is increasingly crowded, with numerous titles vying for attention each year. While action-adventure giants like Rockstar's GTA franchise dominate the scene, there's a diverse array of games that offer unique twists on the open-world experience. Currently, gamers are eagerly looking forward to getting GTA 6, but the wait seems to be longer, as no date has yet been revealed. While waiting for the upcoming GTA title, players can try some other open-world titles that will give the same GTA kind of feeling.
It's indeed confusing to decide what to play. So, here’s the list of top open-world games that deserve a try.
Mafia: Definitive Edition, as the name says, is a remake of the 2002-released game Mafia and the fourth entry in the series. Being a remake, this game follows the same storyline, which shows the rise and fall of Tommy Angelo and how he turns into a gangster from a simple cab driver.
This game features a GTA-like open world and gameplay. The primary task of players is to explore the fictional city of Lost Heaven and complete the missions. Released in 2020, this Definitive Edition adds improved graphics and movements in the game to make it one of the best open-world action-adventure games to play.
The next game that one can try while waiting for GTA 6 is Watch Dogs 2. As an action-adventure game fan, it’s highly unlikely that one has never heard of Watch Dogs 2. Set in the fictionalized version of the San Francisco Bay Area, this game is the sequel to 2014's Watch Dogs and the second entry in the series.
This open-world game is mostly focused on hacking and stealth, though it has loads of action elements present in the gameplay. Causing chaos will make things work sometimes, but mostly players need to use clever thinking to achieve what they are looking for.
Listing the best open-world action-adventure games can’t be completed without Cyberpunk 2077. It is impossible to miss this game, especially when the wait is for GTA 6. Released in 2020, this game is set in the fictional metropolis of Night City within the dystopian Cyberpunk universe. Players will take the role of the protagonist, V.
For hardcore GTA fans, this is a perfect choice, as this game takes the crime-ridden world of Grand Theft Auto to a new level. Another thing that makes it a good choice for gamers is its open-ended gameplay.
The next game that players should explore while waiting for GTA 6 is another masterpiece by Rockstar Games: Red Dead Redemption. This open-world action-adventure game was released in 2010 and was the successor to 2004's Red Dead Revolver. The game features a fictionalized version of the Western United States and Northern Mexico that players need to explore mostly on horseback.
This game places players into the shoes of John Marston and lets them witness how a simple life gets complicated when misfortune hits.
This suggestion seems a bit controversial for sure, but missing Saints Row: The Third doesn’t make any sense at all. It is in fact considered a worthy alternative to GTA V. Released in 2011, this game is set in the fictional city of Steelport to continue the story of 3rd Street Saints, where players are placed as the gang leader.
While the setting and the protagonist are the same, the game introduces a new city, with three gangs, the Morningstar, Luchadores, and Deckers, who are collectively called the Syndicate. Players who have enjoyed GTA V will enjoy this game as well.
The Just Cause series is made to provide players with a large sandbox experience, with a vast map and a destructible environment. Interestingly, each installment of this series takes place on a different island, but in every installment, players will play the role of Rico Rodriguez, a cop from the fictional nation of Medici.
These games revolve around a main storyline, but along with that, players will receive multiple side missions that often include liberating villages or taking over a drug cartel's villa. Side missions are repetitive in this game.
This is once again an action-adventure game by Rockstar Games that is worth giving a try while waiting for GTA 6. Players will take the role of Detective Cole Phelps, a cop from the Los Angeles Police Department who has cracked loads of complicated cases. However, the story of the game follows his rise and fall as he starts investigating a morphine distribution ring that includes several of his friends.
Overkill Software’s 2013 action-adventure game, Payday 2, is one of the finest examples of open-world action-adventure games. As the name suggests, it is a prequel that was the 2011-released game Payday: The Heist. The story of the sequel starts five years after the previous game, and this game shows that the Payday gang has shifted to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area to continue their operations.
The heists the game features range from bank robberies and drug trafficking runs to rigging an election. Some of these heists are based on stealth. Being a fan of open-world games, this one deserves a try.
This is the next game that should be put on this list. Now that one has played Red Dead Redemption, leaving the sequel behind doesn’t make sense. This game was released in 2018 and set in the United States in 1899. Players once again take the role of Arthur Morgan, the protagonist, and roam around the open world to complete various quests. Once again, this story will take players to the story of the protagonist and show his tragic downfall.
Seeing Yakuza 5 on the list, one may say these are not GTA-like games. Well, that’s true that Yakuza series games are not exactly GTA-like games, but when it comes to Yakuza 5, it has multiple GTA-like elements. Released in December 2012, this game has multiple elements that match GTA games.
This game has two distinctive modes: Adventure mode and Combat mode. Aside from that, this game has five protagonists, and throughout the game, there are plenty of opportunities to commit outrageous crimes.
These are some of the best choices to try out while waiting for GTA 6, as the game will be released during the Fall of 2025.