
34 Games like Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition on PlayStation that you should try
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More about this game →We filtered the 50 games similar to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition down to the 34 that fit the “PlayStation” category. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Mafia III top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition.
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Within the “PlayStation” category, 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 Mafia III follow close behind.
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The best games like Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition on PlayStation
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.

✓ 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.

✓ 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.

✓ 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.

✓ 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.

✓ 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

✓ 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.

✓ Same family of open-world action games: shooter, third-person shooting and adventure storytelling
≠ Its own twist: first-person shooting, linear, story-driven structure and setting scifi, while skipping racing gameplay
Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition: game mode.
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 10 years, with what that implies technically.

✓ 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.

✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing shooter, third-person shooting and adventure storytelling
≠ Stands apart with first-person shooting, strong narrative focus and multiplayer gameplay, while skipping racing gameplay
Shot entirely through a handheld-camera aesthetic — grain, blown-out light, censored gore — which is the reason to see it, and consistently committed to. The shooting itself is unremarkable and the cover system is imprecise. It is also very short, and the unrelentingly bleak tone gives you little reason to return once it ends.
Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition: game mode.
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 11 years, with what that implies technically.

✓ Same family of open-world action games: third-person shooting, shooter and adventure storytelling
≠ Where it differs: brings sandbox freedom, sandbox world and ranged combat, while skipping racing gameplay
Its destruction system is the reason to play it — buildings collapse structurally rather than in scripted pieces, and the sledgehammer makes demolition a genuine tactic. Mars is drab and repetitive as a setting, missions recycle a small set of objectives, and the story is barely there. The physics carry almost the entire game.
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 12 years, with what that implies technically.
Complete list of games like Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition on PlayStation
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.

High on Life
Shooter · FPS

Ghostwire: Tokyo
Adventure · Horror

Far Cry: Primal
Survival · Shooter

We Happy Few
Adventure · Survival

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Shooter · FPS

Metro Exodus
Shooter · FPS

Need for Speed™
Racing · Simulation

The Darkness II
Shooter · FPS

Serious Sam 4
Shooter · FPS

I Am Alive
Survival · Adventure

Crimson Desert
Adventure

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter
Adventure · Puzzle

Sonic Frontiers
Adventure · Platformer

Crazy Taxi
Racing · Sandbox

Disney Infinity 2.0: Gold Edition
Adventure · Sandbox

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
Adventure

Hob
Adventure · Puzzle

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
Adventure

Void Bastards
Shooter · FPS
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