If you want a game with GTA’s mix of a walkable city, crime, and irreverent commentary, start with Watch Dogs 2. For a more outrageous sandbox, choose Saints Row; for martial-arts crime action, Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition; and for a futuristic city with deeper role-playing, Cyberpunk 2077. None is an exact GTA replacement: each matches a different part of the formula.
Which GTA-like game best fits what you want?
| Game | Best fit | How it differs from GTA |
|---|---|---|
| Watch Dogs 2 | A contemporary city, hacking, and a satirical edge | Hacking and manipulating connected city systems are central. Its fit for sharp satire is an editorial comparison, not a claim made by Ubisoft’s product description. |
| Saints Row | Customization and an exaggerated criminal sandbox | Its official description highlights clothing, vehicles, weapon looks, and factions. The more outrageous tone is a useful way to distinguish it, not an official quoted label. |
| Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition | Crime-story action with martial arts | Its distinguishing appeal is close-quarters combat and action-movie style rather than GTA-style satire. PlayStation says the Definitive Edition integrates 24 previously released DLC extensions. |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | Exploring a futuristic city with RPG progression | It is an open-world action-adventure RPG set in Night City, with character and playstyle customization and story-shaping choices. Its setting and tone are far from contemporary crime satire. |
Watch Dogs 2: modern city systems and satire
Watch Dogs 2 is the closest choice here if the appeal of GTA is its contemporary urban setting and social commentary. You play as a hacker in San Francisco and use connected systems as tools, making technology—not just weapons and vehicles—a defining part of the sandbox. Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs page frames the first game around Chicago and Aiden Pearce’s revenge, describing the city as “the ultimate weapon for a man bent on revenge.” That is publisher copy for the first Watch Dogs, not a description of Watch Dogs 2.
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Open World: Video Games and Contemporary Art | $53.58 | Buy on Amazon |
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Ghost of Tsushima - PlayStation 4 | $22.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Mad Max - PlayStation Hits (PS4) | $18.64 | Buy on Amazon |
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Elden Ring - PlayStation 4 | $33.15 | Buy on Amazon |
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The satire comparison is an editorial judgment; Ubisoft’s product information establishes the series’ city-hacking premise, not a formal claim that the game satirizes society. If you want to test whether that premise appeals, look at Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs 2 page. Check the exact game, platform, and edition on the store where you plan to buy it.
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Saints Row: customization and a heightened crime sandbox
Choose Saints Row if you want to build a character and crew, personalize rides and weapons, and lean into criminal escapades rather than pursue GTA’s more grounded city crime. Deep Silver’s official Saints Row site highlights self-expression, vehicles, weapons, and factions. That makes customization a stronger reason to pick it than a promise of GTA-style social satire.
#1 Best Overall
Because platform and edition affect what is available, verify the current store listing before purchase. The Steam listing is one official storefront destination; availability may differ by region and platform.
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition: crime action built around martial arts
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition suits players who want an open-world crime story but would rather fight with martial arts than make satire the main attraction. Its action-movie style is the key distinction from GTA’s broader driving-and-shooting sandbox. PlayStation’s Definitive Edition page says it integrates all 24 previously released DLC extensions. That figure describes the contents of this edition, not a count of new expansions included at no cost across every platform or release.
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.
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Cyberpunk 2077: a futuristic city and deeper role-playing
Pick Cyberpunk 2077 if you want an expansive city to explore and more RPG structure: character and playstyle customization, quests, and choices that shape the story. CD PROJEKT RED describes it as an open-world action-adventure RPG in Night City on its official Cyberpunk 2077 site. The trade-off is substantial: it replaces GTA’s contemporary setting and crime satire with a futuristic world and role-playing focus.
Platform availability can change. The publisher announced that Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition arrived on Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025; consult the release notice and the current store listing for edition and regional details.
Rank #3
- 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.
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How to choose between them
- For a modern city and hacking: Watch Dogs 2.
- For customization and comic-book-scale criminal chaos: Saints Row.
- For crime drama and martial-arts combat: Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition.
- For a futuristic setting and RPG choices: Cyberpunk 2077.
Before buying, compare the store listing for your platform and region, confirm the specific edition, and check its age rating. For example, the ESRB rates Watch Dogs Complete Edition Mature 17+ for blood, intense violence, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, and use of drugs and alcohol; it also notes user interaction and in-game purchases. Those descriptors apply to that edition only. Check the rating for the edition you intend to play using the ESRB rating search.
Quick Recap
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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
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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
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