37 Narrative games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition that you should try

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Ranking compiled by Lluis Enric Mayans, Founder & Head of ContentUpdated May 19, 2026How this is calculatedOrdered by an attribute-similarity model, not editorial opinion.

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We filtered the 50 games similar to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition down to the 37 that fit the “Narrative” category. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition, Grand Theft Auto III and Mafia III top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition.

iRank78/ 100

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GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

The best narrative games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition

37 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition. Each one has been evaluated across 11 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.

#1Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive EditionClosest overall match

iRank79

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen 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 sandbox world

On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against very positive for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition.

Same studio: Grove Street Games.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone100Progression100Visuals100

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Steam Epic PS

#2Grand Theft Auto III

iRank89

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 87%· 15KRAWG👍 86%· 1.6KMC93IGDB95· 2

Year 2001Dev DMA Design · CapcomPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of open-world action games: third-person shooting, adventure storytelling and shooter

≠ Stands apart with deep simulation, sandbox freedom and sandbox world

The one that established the template: a 3D open city with radio stations, missions on call and free roaming between them. Historically it matters enormously. It has aged the hardest of the era — no mission checkpoints, no map markers for much of it, a silent protagonist, and shooting that amounts to auto-aim and hoping.

It predates Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition by 20 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Progression100Combat75World70

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen 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 sandbox world

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.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against very positive for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition.

Genre100Tone100Progression100Visuals100World90Game mode79

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Steam GOG

#4Mafia II: Definitive EditionClosest on world

iRank70

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 74%· 37KIGDB61· 4

Year 2020Dev D3T Limited · 2KOn PS4 · PC · Xbox

✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, shooter and third-person shooting

≠ Stands apart with first-person shooting, while skipping racing gameplay

On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against very positive for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100

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Steam GOG Epic

#5Control

iRank85

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen 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 mode100World100Visuals100Tone88

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 46%· 6.1KIGDB10· 1

Year 2011Dev Running With Scissors · AkellaPlaytime ~2hOn PC

✓ Same family of open-world action games: shooter, third-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with first-person shooting, horror tension and sandbox freedom, while skipping racing gameplay

Good or Insane? The choice is yours. Following the Apocalyptic end to the Postal Dude’s week in Paradise, we follow him and his insane pitbull Champ as they emigrate to its appropriately named sister city, Catharsis.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against very positive for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition.

It predates Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition by 10 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Progression100World84Combat65

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 62%· 32KIGDB69· 15OC68· 134

Year 2018Dev Avalanche Studios · Square EnixOn PS4 · PC · Xbox

✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing adventure storytelling, shooter and third-person shooting

≠ Its own twist: sandbox freedom, first-person shooting and sandbox world, while skipping racing gameplay

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against very positive for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition.

Genre100Combat100Tone100Progression100Visuals100Game mode78

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Steam Xbox PS

#8Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

iRank68

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 67%· 9.4KIGDB69· 7

Year 2010Dev IO Interactive · Square EnixOn PlayStation 3 · PC

✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing shooter, third-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with first-person shooting, multiplayer gameplay and co op, 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: Vice City - The Definitive Edition: game mode.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against very positive for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition.

It predates Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition by 11 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Tone100World100Progression100Visuals100

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Steam

#9Gears 5

iRank79

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen 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, setting scifi and multiplayer gameplay, while skipping racing gameplay

Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition: game mode.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against very positive for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition.

Genre100Combat100Tone100World100Progression100Visuals100

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Steam Xbox

#10Grand Theft Auto IV

iRank90

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 83%· 195KRAWG👍 96%· 103MC95

Year 2010Dev Rockstar Toronto · Rockstar GamesOn PC · PS · Xbox

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

≠ Where it differs: brings sandbox freedom, sandbox world and ranged combat, while skipping racing gameplay

The most grounded entry: heavier driving, a euphoria physics system that makes collisions and stumbles feel physical, and a city built for density rather than scale. Combat is serviceable. It is also the slowest — long drives between missions, friends who phone constantly asking for activities, and a tone considerably more sombre than the games around it.

It predates Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition by 11 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Tone100Progression100Visuals100World82Combat74

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 40%· 1.5KIGDB45· 2

Year 2008Dev Eden Games · Atari InteractiveOn PC

✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, shooter and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: horror tension, first-person shooting and puzzle design, while skipping third-person shooting

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against very positive for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition.

It predates Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition by 13 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression77

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExploration

Steam👍 89%· 25KIGDB69· 5OC69· 92

Year 2022Dev Squanch GamesOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

✓ Fits the open-world action games cluster, with shooter, adventure storytelling and dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Where it differs: brings first-person shooting, setting scifi and visual first person, while skipping third-person shooting

Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition: visuals.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100

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Steam Epic Xbox

#13Hatred

iRank63

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExploration

Steam👍 84%· 28KIGDB43· 3OC40· 30

Year 2015Dev Destructive CreationsOn Linux · PC · Switch

✓ Fits the open-world action games cluster, with shooter, third-person shooting and dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Its own twist: first-person shooting, horror tension and survival mechanics, while skipping adventure storytelling

Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition: visuals.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Progression100Tone91

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExploration

Steam👍 83%· 20KIGDB77· 7OC77· 208

Year 2022Dev Tango Gameworks · Bethesda SoftworksOn Xbox · PC · PS5

✓ Same family of open-world action games: adventure storytelling, shooter and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with horror tension, first-person shooting and ranged combat, while skipping third-person shooting

Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition: visuals.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100Combat73

GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action

SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExploration

Steam👍 86%· 40KIGDB76· 20OC77· 113

Year 2016Dev Ubisoft Montreal · Ubisoft EntertainmentOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

✓ Both are open-world action games — sharing shooter, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: survival mechanics, first-person shooting and deep RPG systems, while skipping third-person shooting

Where it drifts furthest from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition: visuals.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression68Combat57

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Steam Epic Xbox

Complete list of narrative games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition

The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - 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.