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Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition

13 Racing games like Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition that you should try

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Ranking compiled by Lluis Enric Mayans, Founder & Head of ContentHow this is calculatedOrdered by an attribute-similarity model, not editorial opinion.

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.

iRank63/ 100

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GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action
Tags
DarkSolo
Year 2021Dev Grove Street Games

Quick answer

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

13 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.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 79%· 14K
Year 2021Dev Grove Street Games · Rockstar GamesOn Xbox · PS4 · Android

✓ Fits the open-world action games cluster, with adventure storytelling, shooter and third-person shooting

≠ Its own twist: horror tension, sandbox freedom and strong narrative focus

Same studio: Grove Street Games.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100World89
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
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
Mafia III
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
Just Cause
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
Just Cause 2
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
#6Driver Parallel Lines
Driver Parallel Lines
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
#7Grand Theft Auto 2
Grand Theft Auto 2
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
Need for Speed™
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 69%· 28KRAWG👍 50%· 824MC66OC65· 78
Year 2015Dev Ghost Games · Electronic ArtsPlaytime ~4hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ 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.

Genre100Combat100World100Progression100Visuals59Game mode43
Vangers
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeOpen WorldExplorationNarrative
Steam👍 93%· 1.4KRAWG👍 77%· 83
Year 1998Dev K-D Lab · KranX ProductionsPlaytime ~1hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ 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.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100World77Tone0
Clutch
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 73%· 252MC51IGDB80· 1
Year 2009Dev Targem Games · Game Factory InteractivePlaytime ~1hOn PC

✓ 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.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100Visuals100
Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 88%· 954
Year 1998Dev Stainless Games Ltd. · Interplay EntertainmentOn PC · Mac

✓ 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.

Genre100Combat100Tone100World100Progression100Visuals64
Crazy Taxi
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Steam👍 86%· 3.6KIGDB60· 1
Year 1999Dev Hitmaker · Acclaim EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · Android · PC

✓ 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.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100World69
Crash Time 3
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeOpen WorldExplorationMultiplayer
Steam👍 85%· 652
Year 2009Dev Synetic · Kalypso MediaPlaytime ~1hOn PC

✓ 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.

Genre100Combat100World100Progression100Game mode45

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