10 games similar to Grand Theft Auto, a Racing, Shooter, Adventure game, drawn from IGDB's similarity data. Each pick below notes the genres it shares with Grand Theft Auto.
01Shares RacingShooterGrand Theft Auto 2 continues the isometric sandbox crime formula of the original, letting you freely roam an open city while completing missions for criminal gangs. Both games share arcade driving physics, carjacking mechanics, and dark humor centered on anarchic street violence. GTA 2 expands the structure with checkpoints and multiple gang factions, deepening the criminal underworld progression that defined the first game.
Games like Grand Theft Auto 2 →
02Shares AdventureRacingShooterVice City expands the sandbox crime formula of the original, letting you build criminal empire through carjacking, murder, and gang warfare across an open city. Both games center on climbing the mob hierarchy through increasingly brutal missions, though Vice City adds a narrative arc where Tommy Vercetti fights to control Vice City itself. The core loop of committing crimes for money and notoriety remains intact.
Games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City →
03Shares AdventureRacingShooterGrand Theft Auto III expands the sandbox crime formula of the original into a fully three-dimensional city where you still steal cars, complete missions for mob bosses, and rack up a notoriety system that tracks your criminal exploits. Both games center on anarchic open-world gameplay where you navigate between crime jobs and vehicle-based mayhem, though III adds a narrative-driven revenge plot and third-person perspective to the isometric structure.
Games like Grand Theft Auto III →
04Shares AdventureShooterBoth games center on crime and anarchism within sprawling open worlds where you carjack vehicles and complete missions for shadowy organizations. Watch Dogs 2 shares Grand Theft Auto's sandbox structure, letting you approach objectives through multiple methods while exploring interconnected city neighborhoods. Where GTA emphasizes raw criminal activity, Watch Dogs 2 channels similar anarchist themes through hacking and corporate sabotage, maintaining the same blend of action and dark humor.
Games like Watch Dogs 2 →
05Shares AdventureRacingVice City Stories carries forward the original's crime-sandbox formula, tasking you with carjacking, drug deals, and building notoriety through violent missions. Both games center on corrupt government and organized crime in open cities where you earn money through illegal jobs. Vice City Stories shifts to third-person perspective and 1980s Vice City, but maintains the core loop of committing crimes for profit and evading police.
06Shares AdventureRacingShooterBoth games center on crime in open cities where you earn money through missions and random acts of violence. Grand Theft Auto IV expands the formula with a living world full of side activities, deeper character motivations, and multiplayer modes, but maintains the core appeal of carjacking, hand-to-hand combat, and evading police while building your criminal empire through drugs, gangs, and organized crime.
Games like Grand Theft Auto IV →
07Shares AdventureRacingShooterGrand Theft Auto V expands the sandbox crime formula of the original, letting you carjack vehicles, commit murders, and accumulate money across a sprawling open world. Both games center on playing as criminals navigating corrupt systems through dark humor and extreme violence. Where the first game used isometric perspective and point-scoring, GTA V adds three playable characters whose interconnected storylines deepen the crime narrative across Los Santos.
Games like Grand Theft Auto V →
08Shares AdventureShooterBoth games drop you into open-world cities where crime and carjacking drive the action. Watch Dogs shares Grand Theft Auto's sandbox structure, letting you pursue objectives across a sprawling urban landscape while building your character's power. Where GTA emphasizes arcade driving and anarchic chaos, Watch Dogs layers in hacking mechanics and a conspiracy plot, but the core appeal remains the same: freedom to approach missions your way within a living city.
Games like Watch Dogs →
09Shares AdventureRacingShooterSan Andreas expands the sandbox crime formula that defined the original Grand Theft Auto, letting you carjack vehicles, commit murders for pay, and navigate corrupt cops across an open state. Both games center on climbing criminal hierarchies through violent missions and building respect in gang-controlled neighborhoods. San Andreas adds first and third-person perspectives and a deeper storyline, but preserves the core appeal of freedom within a crime-driven world.
Games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas →
10Shares AdventureShooterChinatown Wars transplants the original's isometric perspective and crime-focused sandbox design into a new setting, keeping the core loop of carjacking, committing crimes, and building notoriety intact. Both games layer dark humor over brutal violence and organized crime storylines, with economy systems that reward criminal activity. The sequel expands the formula rather than abandoning it.
Frequently asked
10 games similar to Grand Theft Auto: Grand Theft Auto 2, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto III, Watch Dogs 2, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto V, Watch Dogs.
Most of these games share Open world, Action, Shooter, Adventure and Sandbox with Grand Theft Auto, based on IGDB's similarity data. Each pick has a short note explaining what it has in common with Grand Theft Auto.