If you want another open-world game while waiting for Dan Houser’s next project, start with the kind of GTA experience you want: Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition for crime, driving and martial-arts combat; Watch Dogs 2 for a modern city and mission-driven play; or Mafia: Definitive Edition for a focused gangster story. The other picks below trade GTA’s mix of crime, driving and freedom for comedy, role-playing, detective work or spectacular traversal.
Houser’s announced A Better Paradise game is a separate future project, not a game you can play now. Smilegate described it in August 2025 as an open-world science-fiction action-adventure in early development, without announcing a release date.
Choose by the part of GTA you want
“Like GTA” can mean very different things: an open city to drive around, a crime story, a sandbox full of distractions, or the freedom to approach missions in different ways. These recommendations share particular features with GTA; none should be treated as a direct replacement for its specific combination of modern crime, driving and open-world mayhem.
- Crime story, driving and physical combat: Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition.
- A modern city, missions and a distinctive mechanic: Watch Dogs 2.
- A tightly focused gangster narrative: Mafia: Definitive Edition.
- A futuristic city with role-playing systems: Cyberpunk 2077.
- Comedy and outrageous power: Saints Row IV: Re-Elected.
- Traversal and destruction: Just Cause 4 Reloaded.
- Investigation instead of criminal freedom: L.A. Noire.
- Compact city districts and side activities: Yakuza 0.
Crime stories with driving and city missions
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition
This is the closest fit here if you want a crime story in a city, vehicles and action on foot. GameSpot describes undercover detective Wei Shen’s story in Hong Kong, with martial-arts combat, street races and vehicles; GamesRadar also highlights its open-world crime setup and martial-arts action. Its defining difference from GTA is the emphasis on hand-to-hand fighting rather than making gunplay the main attraction. (GameSpot; GamesRadar+)
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- STUNNING VISUALS — Enhanced levels of fidelity and performance with new graphics modes featuring up to 4K resolution, up to 60 frames per second, HDR options, ray tracing, improved texture quality, and more
- FASTER LOADING — Quicker access to the action as the world of Los Santos and Blaine County load in faster than ever before.
- ADAPTIVE TRIGGERS AND HAPTIC FEEDBACK — Feel every moment through the DualSense controller, from directional damage to weather effects, rough road surfaces to explosions, and more.
- TEMPEST 3D AUDIO — Hear the sounds of the world with pinpoint precision: the throttle of a stolen supercar, the rattle of neighbouring gunfire, the roar of a helicopter overhead, and more.
- Please note that although this game is Region Free or Region Unlocked and will work on all systems, this is the European version and may differ from the local version in age rating, labeling or instructions.
Watch Dogs 2
Pick this if you want a contemporary city, driving and missions, but would welcome a new way to interact with the world. GameGeeker’s editorial roundup points to its San Francisco setting and real-time hacking as the distinguishing feature. The recommendation is based on that editorial description, rather than an official game-page comparison. (GameGeeker)
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Mafia is for the player who values a gangster narrative over the freedom to cause trouble between missions. GameGeeker describes its 1930s crime story as scripted and focused, with less emphasis on sprawling sandbox play. Choose it for the period setting and cinematic story, not as a substitute for GTA’s freeform city activity. (GameGeeker)
Rank #2
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Open worlds that change the tone or genre
Cyberpunk 2077
For a crime-saturated city with role-playing depth, Cyberpunk 2077 shifts the setting to science-fiction Night City. GameGeeker describes a mercenary story shaped by choices, gunplay and cybernetic upgrades. It is an RPG first, not a contemporary crime simulation, so choose it for its futuristic setting and character-building rather than for a close GTA match. (GameGeeker)
Saints Row IV: Re-Elected
If GTA’s chaos is the part you enjoy but realism is not, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected pushes the idea toward absurd comedy and a power fantasy. GameGeeker’s roundup describes a crime boss, an alien invasion and superpowers in an open-city setting. That makes it a deliberately broad tonal departure, not a grounded crime-story alternative. (GameGeeker)
Rank #3
- STUNNING VISUALS — Enhanced levels of fidelity and performance with new graphics modes featuring up to 4K resolution, up to 60 frames per second, HDR options, ray tracing, improved texture quality, and more
- FASTER LOADING — Quicker access to the action as the world of Los Santos and Blaine County load in faster than ever before.
- ADAPTIVE TRIGGERS AND HAPTIC FEEDBACK — Feel every moment through the DualSense controller, from directional damage to weather effects, rough road surfaces to explosions, and more.
- TEMPEST 3D AUDIO — Hear the sounds of the world with pinpoint precision: the throttle of a stolen supercar, the rattle of neighbouring gunfire, the roar of a helicopter overhead, and more.
- Please note that although this game is Region Free or Region Unlocked and will work on all systems, this is the international version and may differ from the local version in age rating, labeling or instructions.
Just Cause 4 Reloaded
Choose Just Cause 4 Reloaded when movement and spectacle matter more than the crime premise. GameGeeker highlights its grappling hook, parachute, wingsuit, stunts and destruction. Its appeal is turning traversal and environmental chaos into the main event, rather than recreating GTA-style urban crime. (GameGeeker)
Alternatives for investigation and side activities
L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire turns the crime-game perspective around: instead of playing as a criminal, you investigate cases in 1947 Los Angeles. GameGeeker’s roundup emphasizes police work and interrogation, making it a fit for readers more interested in detective stories than criminal freedom. (GameGeeker)
Rank #4
- Included is the following: Grand Theft Auto V for PlayStatio 5 PS5, 2 pack of PremGear 2 Sizes Thumbsticks made to increase accuracy and comfort (1 High-Rise, 1 Mid-Rise), PremGear Quality Cleaning Cloth
- STUNNING VISUALS: Enhanced levels of fidelity and performance with new graphics modes featuring up to 4K resolution, up to 60 frames per second, HDR options, ray tracing, improved texture quality, and more
- FASTER LOADING: Quicker access to the action as the world of Los Santos and Blaine County load in faster than ever before
- ADAPTIVE TRIGGERS & HAPTIC FEEDBACK: Feel every moment through the DualSense controller, from directional damage to weather effects, rough road surfaces to explosions, and more
- TEMPEST 3D AUDIO: Hear the sounds of the world with pinpoint precision: the throttle of a stolen supercar, the rattle of neighboring gunfire, the roar of a helicopter overhead, and more
Yakuza 0
Yakuza 0 suits players who prefer dense urban districts, brawling and diversions to a huge, continuously explorable map. GamesRadar notes its varied side activities and story; GameGeeker describes compact areas in Tokyo and Osaka, substories, minigames and hand-to-hand combat. Its city exploration and plentiful distractions are the connection to GTA, while its scale and brawling focus make the experience distinct. (GamesRadar+; GameGeeker)
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is known about Dan Houser’s next game?
Smilegate announced on 2025-08-07 that it would globally publish an AAA open-world science-fiction action-adventure set in A Better Paradise, the world of Absurd Ventures. The announcement said the game was in early development, with Houser writing and creative directing alongside Lazlow and Michael Unsworth. It did not give a release date or say that the game was playable. (Smilegate newsroom)
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- ATEMBERAUBENDE GRAFIK: Visuelle Verbesserungen und eine hhere Leistung mit neuen Grafikmodi, die eine Auflsung bis zu 4K, bis zu 60 Bilder pro Sekunde, HDR-Optionen, Ray-Tracing, verbesserte Texturqualitt und mehr bieten
- SCHNELLERE LADEZEITEN: Rascherer Zugang zur Action, da die Welt von Los Santos und Blaine County schneller geladen wird als jemals zuvor
- 3D-RAUMKLANG: Geniee die Klangkulisse der Welt mit hchster Przision: den Motor eines gestohlenen Supersportwagens, das knatternde Gewehrfeuer um die Ecke, das Drhnen eines Helikopters ber dir und mehr
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- ZUGANG ZU ALLEN AKTUELLEN UND FRHEREN UPDATES: Profitiere von allen Gameplay-Verbesserungen, Erweiterungen und Inhalten, die seit Verffentlichung von GTA Online hinzugefgt wurden
That project is distinct from Grand Theft Auto VI. Rockstar’s official page describes GTA VI as a story following Jason and Lucia in Vice City and a criminal conspiracy across Leonida. The page also carries a changing news feed, so consult it for current official updates rather than treating an older description as a release-date confirmation. (Rockstar Games)
For a game to play now, choose from the available alternatives above according to the experience you want; neither the A Better Paradise announcement nor the GTA VI page makes an unreleased game a playable substitute. Storefront availability and regional editions can change, so check the relevant store for your platform and location before buying.
Quick Recap
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