5 Best GTA Clones Of All Time, Ranked

Technically, the "Grand Theft Auto" series didn't invent the concept of an open world game. Likewise, "Grand Theft Auto 3" wasn't even the first fully 3D open world game. But there is little denying that the explosion of the open world genre — and the subsequent integration of an open world structure into every major genre and many major AAA releases — is in direct response to how massively successful the "GTA" franchise became.

There are indeed games that have been released in a post-"GTA 3" world that were directly intended to replicate what "GTA" did in some way or another. Whether it's because the games are specifically about rising through the ranks of the criminal underworld, or otherwise allow you to partake in illegal activities if you so choose, these games would have a hard time denying the fact that they're meant to appeal specifically to "GTA" fans.

Aside from the law-breaking element, these games also have similar mechanics to "GTA," follow a very "GTA"-like progression and mission structure, and otherwise riff on various "GTA" gimmicks and tropes in fairly obvious ways. A few of these games can even be classified as "GTA" parodies to a certain degree. What unites them all is that they are the best of the love letters to "GTA" that have been released since "Grand Theft Auto" bent the industry to its cheeky, boundary-pushing will.

From the very start, video game adaptations of "The Simpsons" have been mostly embarrassing. For every gem like the iconic arcade beat-em-up, there are a dozen clunky duds like "Virtual Bart" and "Simpsons Wrestling." You had to be a massive Simpsons fan to get much enjoyment out of most Simpsons games — that is, until things turned a corner with the shockingly excellent "The Simpsons: Hit & Run."

After finding success shamelessly ripping off "Crazy Taxi" with "The Simpsons: Road Rage," developer Radical Entertainment swung even harder with the follow up by taking aim at "GTA." The result, "Hit & Run," was a great-looking, mechanically-sound, and utterly hilarious riff on the "GTA" formula. For the first time since the aforementioned arcade game, a Simpsons game wasn't just "good for a Simpsons game" — it was a legitimately good game, period. It also doubles as one of the only remotely decent "GTA"-likes that is relatively family friendly and that you can actually let your kids play.

Fans of "Hit & Run" have spent years wondering if it will ever see a sequel or at least a remaster — and with all the licensing baggage attached to it, it seemed unlikely. That is, until Simpsons creator Matt Groening let slip at Disney's D23 2026 event that "Hit & Run" might be returning in some capacity. Whatever it is, hopefully it's not only real, but happens real soon.

2009 was one of the all-time great years for gaming — which didn't bode well for underdog releases that didn't get the same level of marketing or hype as, say, "Uncharted 2," "Street Fighter IV," or "Modern Warfare 2." As such, "The Saboteur" was all but doomed to become an awesome game nobody bought, overshadowed by not only those aforementioned heavy hitters, but other open world games in particular. After all, "GTA 4" came out only a year earlier, and "The Saboteur" also had the likes of "Assassin's Creed II" and "Borderlands" to contend with as far as 2009 open world releases.

Which is a shame, as "The Saboteur" is not only one of the best open world games featuring a morally grey character released in the last 20 years that wasn't made by Rockstar, but it's a unique and powerful experience all its own. You are Sean Devlin, mechanic and race car driver who is trying to leave his criminal past back in his native Ireland for a new start in Paris. Unfortunately, it's Nazi-occupied Paris in 1940, and Sean is dragged into the violent battle against the city's oppressors.

In addition to the usual "GTA" trappings, "The Saboteur" also borrowed from "Assassin's Creed" in that much emphasis was placed on vertical traversal of buildings, towers, and other structures. The game also begins in black and white, with the areas that have been fully liberated being colorized in a striking visual effect that further sets this underrated gem apart. 

It was easy to be incredibly skeptical at the announcement of "Scarface: The World is Yours." Games based on movies weren't exactly having a moment in the mid-2000s, and ones based on/following up old movies were a wildly mixed bag. "The Warriors" was great, "The Godfather" was decent, and "Reservoir Dogs" was awful. The fact that the "Scarface" game was loosely a sequel to the movie — complicated by the fact, you know, Tony Montana died in the movie — was even more reason to assume the worst.

And yet, seemingly against all odds, "Scarface: The World is Yours" ended up being pretty awesome. If any game gets a pass on being a clone of "GTA," it's a "Scarface" game, given that "GTA: Vice City" in particular borrowed heavily from the movie. (To say nothing of "GTA 3" having a radio station that was essentially the movie's soundtrack.) But even more surprising is that "The World is Yours" actually managed to advance the open world genre beyond where "GTA" had taken it up to that point, from the complex empire building mechanics to more polished NPC interactions.

Perhaps most crucially, the story and dialogue was incredibly well written, and certainly more mature than anything "GTA" had done at that time — despite the fact that it holds the world record for most swearing in a video game. Sequels were planned, and were well-deserved, but sadly it all fell apart when publisher Vivendi folded into Activision. 

One of the first games to directly take on "GTA" at its own game following the success of "GTA 3" was "True Crime: Streets of LA." It was a little rough around the edges, but it was scrappy and ambitious, most notably excelling in the areas where the PS2 "GTA" trilogy struggled most: fighting, shooting, and third person controls in general. It showed great promise as an eventual "GTA killer," as it were. Sequel "True Crime: Streets of New York" was more of a lateral move overall, improving on some things but faltering on others. Still, it seemed like "GTA" finally had an actual franchise to contend with.

While what started out as a sequel to "Streets of New York" ended up being rebranded due to lapsed rights and publisher shifts, "Sleeping Dogs" is very much a spiritual successor to the "True Crime" series. It also fully realizes the promise of the previous two games, bringing incredibly polished fisticuffs and gunplay to a genre that still tends to de-prioritize those things. Its Hong Kong setting also gives it a unique atmosphere, especially in comparison to "GTA," and feels more like a classic martial arts flick rather than an American crime epic.

"Sleeping Dogs" honestly has enough going for it to make calling it a mere "GTA clone" feel unfairly dismissive, but you can't overlook the fact that it built upon two previous games that were in that lineage. Either way, it's an excellent open world crime action game, and can stand toe to toe with almost any "GTA" entry.

It's easy to forget this now, but the "GTA" franchise actually took some time to make its debut in the HD era of game consoles. After 2004's "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," it would be four years — three after the debut of the first console of that generation, the Xbox 360 — before "GTA 4" would bring the franchise into the next generation. This provided the perfect opportunity for other games to fill that void in the interim, which is exactly what "Saints Row" did in 2006.

As good as the first "Saints Row" was, it was very much just Temu GTA and it wasn't trying to be anything else. It knew people would buy it because they wanted a "GTA" for Xbox 360 and that was their only option. But with "Saints Row 2," the franchise really came into its own, leaning more on fun, humor, vulgarity, and some of the most extreme gun violence in gaming. The pitch seemed to be, "What if we made a game that was just all the craziest, funniest, most over-the-top parts of GTA without any of the boring stuff?"

Subsequent sequels arguably took that goal a bit too far and got way too ridiculous, but with "Saints Row 2," the devs struck the perfect balance between being a parody of a "GTA" game while still being a legitimately well-made approximation of a "GTA" game. It didn't end up turning out this way, but after playing "Saints Row 2," it seemed like the franchise had the potential to surpass "GTA" one day. If only.