
13 Racing games like Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition 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 13 that fit the “Racing” 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 “Racing” 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 racing games like Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition
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: 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.

✓ 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.

✓ Fits the open-world action games cluster, with racing gameplay, adventure storytelling and open world exploration
≠ Its own twist: deep simulation, multiplayer gameplay and co op, while skipping shooter
Become the ultimate icon of today’s urban car culture in Need for Speed™, featuring Five Ways to Play and a huge open world to race and explore from dusk ‘till dawn. * FIVE WAYS TO PLAY – Earn reputation and master all Five Ways to Play - Speed, Style, Build, Crew and Outlaw - to win your own way.
Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition: game mode.

✓ Same family of open-world action games: racing gameplay, adventure storytelling and open world exploration
≠ Its own twist: deep RPG systems, horror tension and sandbox freedom, while skipping shooter
Special EditionVangers was originally released in 1998 and now we present you with the special reworked edition of the game with improved performance on modern operating systems. Game still runs in 800x600 resolution though, as it was intended to do. Feature List- Vast Sandbox world - do whatever you like, just don’t get caught without Rubbox.
Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition: tone and visuals.
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 23 years, with what that implies technically.

✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing racing gameplay, dark, oppressive atmosphere and open world exploration
≠ Its own twist: deep simulation, ranged combat and horror setting, while skipping shooter
Clutch is a fast-paced arcade racing game which will challenge the resilience of anyone's nerves. You play as a person who has survived a catastrophe of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), while everyone else in the city has been transformed into a bloodthirsty zombie.
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 12 years, with what that implies technically.

✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing racing gameplay, dark, oppressive atmosphere and open world exploration
≠ Where it differs: brings post-apocalyptic world, multiplayer gameplay and visual first person, while skipping shooter
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 23 years, with what that implies technically.

✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing racing gameplay, open world exploration and melee combat
≠ Its own twist: sandbox freedom, vibe casual and sandbox world, while skipping shooter
Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition: tone.
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 22 years, with what that implies technically.

✓ Same family of open-world action games: racing gameplay, open world exploration and melee combat
≠ Its own twist: deep simulation, multiplayer gameplay and offline, while skipping shooter
Like its predecessors, Crash Time 3, the new installment of the well-known action racing game series, offers varied gameplay in top quality. The German game forge Synetic has once more taken the graphics engine a significant step further.
Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition: game mode.
It predates Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition by 12 years, with what that implies technically.
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