GTA, also known as Grand Theft Auto, is a long lived franchise of action adventure video games. These games have been around since 1997. GTA is currently on its 5th edition. This game is created by the Rockstar company and Digital Eclipse. GTA takes place 3 fictional places. Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City. These places are based on real life New York City, California, and Miami. Grand Theft Auto is named after a famous feature in its game, stealing cars. This game has had questionable views because of its content that includes nudity, drugs, and violence.
The GTA game is played in an open world. This means that the world is open from the start, there is no unlocking each location. As a player, you can choose to go where you want, when you want, right from the beginning. It’s best to follow the main quest in the beginning to learn the ropes. In Grand Theft Auto, you can drive cars, shoot bad guys, beat people up, role play, use stealthy moves, race, and of course, steal cars. There’s a ton more things you can do in this game including finding cool loot, hidden locations, and customizing everything.
In each story of this series, you are the protagonist. It’s your job to become the top goon in a criminal infested world. Grand Theft Auto has multiple endings depending on how you play the game. The fifth GTA game has been released 3 years ago and so far, it’s sold 80 million copies worldwide on numerous devices. This game franchise is available on Windows, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, and other devices. GTA is the fourth selling game of all time. The only games that are more popular than this one are Pokemon, Mario Bros., and Tetris. If you like action games that are played in an open world and that let you kill bad guys and drive cars, you’ll love these games like GTA below. Try them all to find a new favorite.
1. Bully
Bully is one of the top action games similar to GTA. This game is also made by Rockstar and it’s the oldest one on our list. Bully was released in 2006 for PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox 360, Widows, Android, and iOS. This game caused a lot of controversy because of its violent and homosexual content, it was even banned in Florida, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. Bully is an open world game about a young boy called James “Jimmy” Hopkins. Jimmy goes to Bullworth Academy. In this game, Jimmy tries to bring peace because his school, and the streets around it, are riddled with bullies. Jimmy rides around on his skateboard, plays pranks, gets into fights and more. You must watch your trouble meter, because authority figures will come searching for you and the punishments aren’t good. Bully unlocks more places as you progress through the game. If you still have an old console lying around, give Bully a try if you love games like Grand Theft Auto. You won’t be disappointed.
2. Saints Row
Saints Row is the raunchy addition to our list of top action games like GTA. Saints Row is another long lived franchise with 5 games in its series that is playable on Xbox, PlayStation, Windows, and Linux. This game franchise was developed by Deep Silver, Volition, and THQ. Saints Row takes place in an open world. This series is about a street gang called the Thrid Street Saints. Saints Row has action, racing, killing, and more. This popular franchise is known for its sexy styles and comedic elements. In Saints Row, you can customize your weapons, your cars, and your outfits. You will meet various quirky characters and the storyline is bound to get confusing but you’ll understand it all when the game is over. Saints Row has a ton of easter eggs, hidden locations, and unique weapons like huge bouncy pink dildos. Try the entire Saints Row franchise for an open world experience like no other.
3. Mafia
Mafia is another series, just like most of the other GTA related games on our list. The Mafia Series is available on Windows, Mac, PlayStation, and Xbox. This franchise was developed by 2K Czech and it’s currently on its 7th edition. The Mafia games have been around since 2002. This action adventure video game usually takes place during a historical time in America with a fictional local that is modeled after the real place. Some of these historical times have been the 1930’s, the 1940’s, and the 1960’s. The Mafia games are all open world and you can advance in the game in a non linear manner. Like GTA, you are the protagonist who’s trying to become the top dog in a criminal world.
4. Sleeping Dogs
Sleeping Dogs is an open world game created by Square Enix. This action game is one of the best alternatives to Grand Theft Auto. Sleeping Dogs is available on Microsoft, Mac, PlayStation, and Xbox. In this game, you become Wei Shen. Wei Shen is an undercover Hong Kong-American cop. It’s your job to infiltrate the Sun On Yee Triad and take them down. When you play Sleeping Dogs, you can drive cars, race, fight, and more. This game’s main feature is your parkour abilities. Climb, jump, swim, and run everywhere in the game. Search everywhere to find the Jade statues which give you special abilities. Don’t forget the rooftops. Sleeping Dogs lets you customize your outfits and your apartment. You cannot customize your car but there are a ton of them in this fictional world. If you find one you love, park it in your parking spot to keep it.
5. Watch Dogs
We cannot forget to add Watch Dogs to our list of games like GTA. Watch Dogs is developed by Ubisoft and it’s available to play on Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, and Wii U. This game is filled with action, deception, and revenge. You can navigate the open world of this game on foot or in a cool vehicle. Watch Dogs is set in numerous locations that include the countryside, the suburbs, an urban city, and a run down neighborhood of Chicago. This game has you controlling a man named Aiden Pearce. Aiden is a hacker who must use his skills in numerous missions and side quests. Aiden can hack into anything including traffic lights, banks, alarm systems, and phones. To unlock special areas of the game you must progress in the story. How you do it is up to you. Watch Dogs also has huge collection of cars, clothing, and weapons for you to enjoy. Try to find them all.
6. Red Dead Redemption
If you like the Wild West and games like GTA, you’ll love Red Dead Redemption. This game was also developed by Rockstar and it’s set in an open world. In Red Dead Redemption, you will find yourself in 1911. During the decline of the American Frontier. You are a former outlaw called John Marston. Your wife and child have been taken hostage by the government. Your mission is to do what they say until your family is released. In this game, cars are replaced by horses. Use them to travel the fictionalized world of the Western United States and Mexico. Become the deadliest gunslinger in town as you fight your enemies and rise in the ranks. Red Dead Redemption has a huge map, a whole lot of hidden secrets, unique characters and more. Try the Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare to fight zombies in the wild west and don’t miss the upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2 that is scheduled to be released in 2018. This game can be played on PlayStation and Xbox.
7. The Crew
Some people play games like GTA because of the cars and the customizations. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll love The Crew. This game is one of the best driving games similar to Grand Theft Auto. The Crew is developed by Ubisoft and it’s available on Windows, PlayStation and Xbox. This game is set in an open world environment set in a fictional United States. You will find 5 regions in this game with their own special features. The Crew is played with a protagonist named Alex Taylor. Alex’s main mission is to infiltrate a criminal crew called the 501’s. Driving is another big part of this game. Use your driving skills to evade the cops, win races, master challenges and take calm cruises across the map. Earn cash to build your dream car that is just as unique as you are.
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