89
iRank79
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 79%· 14K
Year 2021Dev Grove Street Games · Rockstar GamesOn Xbox · PS4 · Android
50 Games like Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition that you should try
Games like Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition · Find similar →
More about this game →Ranking compiled by Lluis Enric Mayans, Founder & Head of ContentHow this is calculatedOrdered by an attribute-similarity model, not editorial opinion.
If Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition left you wanting more, this list of 50 similar games is for you. Each one shares part of its essence — shooter, dark, oppressive atmosphere and open world exploration — and is ranked by a similarity score computed across 10 attributes. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition comes closest (89/100).
iRank63/ 100
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Quick answer
The closest game to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition — scoring 89/100 on our similarity scale. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Destroy All Humans! follow close behind.
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Top games similar to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition
50 similar games foundUpdated May 2026
Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition. Each one has been evaluated across 10 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 93%· 30KRAWG👍 93%· 3.1KMC94IGDB94· 4
Year 2002Dev Rockstar North · Rockstar GamesPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox
✓ Fits the open-world action games cluster, with third-person shooting, adventure storytelling and shooter
≠ Stands apart with sandbox freedom, puzzle design and strong narrative focus
Tighter and more focused than the open worlds that followed it, with a compact city you learn by heart rather than by map marker. Driving carries most of the game. The shooting has aged badly — no proper cover, stiff aiming — and missions restart from the beginning, which turns a late failure into a long redo.
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 19 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Progression100Visuals100Game mode85Combat77Tone73
79
iRank80
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 92%· 11KIGDB67· 11OC69· 13
Year 2020Dev Black Forest Games · THQ NordicOn PS4 · PC · Xbox
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 91%· 51KRAWG👍 64%· 1.4KMC84IGDB85· 4
Year 2010Dev Square EnixPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox
✓ Fits the open-world action games cluster, with third-person shooting, adventure storytelling and shooter
≠ Where it differs: brings sandbox freedom, sandbox world and ranged combat, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere
A physics sandbox first and a shooter a distant second. The grapple and parachute let you chain traversal indefinitely, and most of the fun comes from improvising with them rather than from any mission. Expect repetition: the island is enormous but the objectives recycle a handful of templates, and the story is barely present.
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 11 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Progression100Visuals100Combat72World70Game mode67
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 57%· 63KIGDB68· 23
Year 2016Dev Hangar 13 · 2K GamesOn PS4 · PC · Mac
✓ Fits the open-world action games cluster, with adventure storytelling, shooter and third-person shooting
≠ Its own twist: first-person shooting, sandbox freedom and strong narrative focus
New Bordeaux and its period soundtrack are exceptional, and the story handles race and its era with more seriousness than the genre usually manages. Driving feels heavy and right. The structure undercuts all of it — the same racket-clearing loop repeats across every district, and the mission variety runs out long before the map does.
Genre100Progression100Visuals100World90Game mode79Combat75
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 86%· 60KIGDB83· 15OC84· 183
Year 2019Dev Remedy Entertainment · 505 GamesOn Xbox · PS4 · PC
✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, shooter and third-person shooting
≠ Where it differs: brings horror tension, first-person shooting and Metroidvania exploration, while skipping racing gameplay
Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Visuals100Progression73
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 58%· 4.9KIGDB73· 19OC67· 131
Year 2017Dev Volition · Deep SilverOn PS4 · PC · Xbox
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 74%· 37KIGDB61· 4
Year 2020Dev D3T Limited · 2KOn PS4 · PC · Xbox
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 66%· 5.2KRAWG👍 48%· 446MC75IGDB60· 1
Year 2006Dev Avalanche Studios · Square EnixPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox
✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing third-person shooting, adventure storytelling and shooter
≠ Stands apart with sandbox freedom, sandbox world and procedural generation, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere
The first outing for the grapple-and-parachute traversal the series became known for, though far cruder here — the hook is limited and stunt-jumping between vehicles is the main trick. The island is large and mostly empty, missions repeat a handful of templates, and the driving physics are loose enough that chases become guesswork.
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 15 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Progression100Visuals100Game mode85Combat68World56
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 91%· 17KIGDB91· 15OC88· 200
Year 2021Dev Insomniac Games · Sony Interactive EntertainmentOn PC · PS5
✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, shooter and third-person shooting
≠ Stands apart with precision platforming, first-person shooting and strong narrative focus, while skipping racing gameplay
Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition: tone.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Progression100Visuals100
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 90%· 1.5KRAWG👍 64%· 106MC61IGDB66· 3
Year 2006Dev Ubisoft · Ubisoft EntertainmentPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox
✓ Same family of open-world action games: racing gameplay, third-person shooting and shooter
≠ Stands apart with ranged combat, while skipping adventure storytelling
Driving is where the series always delivered, and the handling here is heavy and satisfying in a way most open-world games skip. The 1978-to-2006 time jump changes the whole city halfway through, which is a strong structural idea. On-foot sections and shooting are stiff and unwelcome, and the difficulty spikes without warning.
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 15 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Game mode100World100Progression100Visuals100Combat80
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 90%· 14KIGDB82· 16OC83· 89
Year 2014Dev Insomniac Games · Microsoft StudiosOn PC · Xbox
✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing shooter, third-person shooting and adventure storytelling
≠ Stands apart with precision platforming, first-person shooting and sandbox freedom, while skipping racing gameplay
Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition: game mode.
Genre100Combat100Tone100Visuals100World88Progression50
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExploration
Steam👍 92%· 491IGDB70· 1
Year 1999Dev DMA Design · Take-Two InteractiveOn PC
✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing shooter, racing gameplay and adventure storytelling
≠ Where it differs: brings first-person shooting, multiplayer gameplay and visual isometric, while skipping third-person shooting
Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition: visuals.
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 22 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Combat100Tone100World100Progression100Game mode56
#14Just Cause 4
74
iRank65
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 62%· 32KIGDB69· 15OC68· 134
Year 2018Dev Avalanche Studios · Square EnixOn PS4 · PC · Xbox
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 71%· 24KIGDB88· 12OC85· 150
Year 2019Dev The Coalition · Xbox Game StudiosOn Xbox · PC
✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing adventure storytelling, shooter and third-person shooting
≠ Its own twist: first-person shooting, strong narrative focus and setting scifi, while skipping racing gameplay
Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition: game mode.
Genre100Combat100World100Progression100Visuals100Tone83
Complete list of Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition alternatives
The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition, ordered from highest to lowest similarity score. Use the filters above to narrow down by genre, setting or game mode and find the alternative that best fits your playstyle.
70
Red Faction: Armageddon
Shooter · Third-person shooter
66
Red Faction Guerrilla Steam Edition
Third-person shooter · Shooter
69
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Shooter · Third-person shooter
64
High on Life
Shooter · FPS
74
Postal III
FPS · Shooter
61
Ghostwire: Tokyo
Adventure · Horror
60
Far Cry: Primal
Survival · Shooter
58
Metro Exodus
Shooter · FPS
60
POSTAL 2
Adventure · Sandbox
59
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Shooter · FPS
63
Hatred
Shooter · FPS
57
The Darkness II
Shooter · FPS
56
Vangers
Racing · Adventure
57
Crysis Warhead
Shooter · FPS
59
We Happy Few
Adventure · Survival
66
Alone in the Dark
Adventure · Horror
57
Serious Sam 4
Shooter · FPS
56
Bully: Scholarship Edition
Adventure · Sandbox
54
Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now
Racing
55
Crimson Desert
Adventure
57
I Am Alive
Survival · Adventure
58
Need for Speed™
Racing · Simulation
55
Clutch
Racing · Simulation
49
Disney Infinity 2.0: Gold Edition
Adventure · Sandbox
48
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Platformer · Metroidvania
48
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
Adventure
48
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
Adventure
52
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter
Adventure · Puzzle
50
Sonic Frontiers
Adventure · Platformer
48
Twinsen's Little Big Adventure 2 Classic
Adventure · Puzzle
51
Disney•Pixar Finding Nemo
Adventure · Puzzle
50
Crazy Taxi
Racing · Sandbox
47
Crash Time 3
Racing · Simulation
48
Hob
Adventure · Puzzle
46
Void Bastards
Shooter · FPS
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Rankings in the same genre
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best game similar to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition?
- The closest game to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition, scoring 89/100 on our similarity scale. They share 10 gameplay attributes, including adventure storytelling, shooter and third-person shooting. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
- What are the top games like Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition?
- The three closest games to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition are: 1. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition (89/100, 10 shared attributes) 2. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (83/100, 10 shared attributes) 3. Destroy All Humans! (79/100, 9 shared attributes). All share Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 50 candidates across 10 dimensions.
- Is Grand Theft Auto: Vice City similar to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition?
- Yes, very much so — Grand Theft Auto: Vice City scores 83/100 similarity to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition. They share 10 attributes, including third-person shooting and adventure storytelling. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
- What Shooter games are similar to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition?
- The best Shooter games similar to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition are Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Destroy All Humans! and Just Cause 2. All share the Shooter genre alongside other key Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition attributes like adventure storytelling, shooter and third-person shooting.
- How is similarity to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition calculated?
- We compare Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition against every game in our catalog using 10 gameplay attributes: genre, atmosphere, world structure, play modes, combat style, and more. Each category is weighted differently — genre matters more than visual style, for instance. The result is a 0-100 score reflecting how closely a game replicates the Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.