The GTA series is perhaps one of the most popular video game series on the entire planet. Rockstar pretty much gave birth to the open-world genre of games that so many games have taken inspiration from in some way. Despite this, news of the next GTA, most likely GTA VI, has been few and far between.
Thankfully though, there are plenty of games out there just like GTA that should help the waiting time go by fast. While most would recommend Red Dead Redemption, there are other forgotten titles, even by Rockstar themselves that are worth the time as well. Here are some of those forgotten games.
10 Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
While it is odd thinking of an Assassin's Creed game as forgotten, Syndicate is often overlooked due to releasing a year after Unity's troubled launch and due to franchise fatigue setting in.
Players switch back and forth between assassins Jacob and Evie Frye as they try to retake London from the Templar-backed gang, The Blighters. Set in 1868 during the Victorian age, it has a focus on capturing territories for the Frye twins' own gang in a way similar to San Andreas. Basically, Syndicate is GTA with a Victorian aesthetic with a heavy emphasis on parkour and stealth.
9 Lego City: Undercover
Ever wondered what a kid-friendly GTA would look like? Then Lego City Undercover is the answer to that question. The game follows police officer Chase McCain as he is tasked with dealing with a sudden crime wave that is now plaguing Lego City.
The game has the open-world gameplay of GTA except this time it puts the character in the shoes of a cop rather than a criminal. With a plot that is pretty enjoyable and a number of entertaining side missions, Lego City: Undercover is an adventure to be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike.
8 Sleeping Dogs
Another game in which the player controls an undercover detective, this time Hong Kong cop Wei Shen as he is tasked with infiltrating a triad to take it out from the inside.
A much more gritty and violent game than the previous entry, the game has the usual driving and gunplay found in GTA but with more emphasis on fist-fighting. The game features some brutal combat and insane finishers that would make Trevor proud. Sleeping Dogs is a hard-hitting game with a gripping plot and stellar voice cast that gives GTA a good run for its money.
7 The Simpsons: Hit & Run
A GTA clone but with a more comedic twist. The Simpsons Hit And Run features seven levels that take the Simpsons, and even Apu in one level, throughout different parts of Springfield featuring the voice cast of the show.
Providing mission-based gameplay, Hit and Run not only has the trademark Simpsons humor but it also provides plenty of Easter eggs to the show. These range from famous vehicles that can be driven, such as the family's pink sedan to the Mr. Plow truck, to collectible cards with references to the show. The game is great for both fans of The Simpsons and GTA alike.
6 The Saboteur
The Saboteur follows Irishman Sean Devlin as he ends up joining the French Resistance in Paris in 1940 during the Nazi occupation in order to reclaim the city from their oppressors. The last game to be released by original Star Wars: Battlefront developer Pandemic Studios before they closed, the Saboteur had a unique open-world not just for its World War 2 setting but for its aesthetics.
Areas controlled by the Nazis are colored in black and white save for a few colors such as red. As the player reclaims these areas, they are returned to full color. A nice subtle way to make the player feel as though they are actually making a difference.
5 Crackdown
Though Crackdown did receive two sequels, the first one is regarded as the best of the Xbox exclusive series. Players control an agent for the mysterious Agency in the fictitious Pacific City as they try to eradicate the gangs that have gotten out of control.
The game features a skill-based system that requires players to use in order to upgrade their character. From agility to shooting, the player gets to see their character go from a rookie cop to a super-powered boss as they explore Pacific City in order to make it better.
4 Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Rockstar's old racing game series for those more interested in the auto aspect of GTA. Midnight Club: L.A. is the last and best entry as the player tries to become the best street racer in the city.
The game has a great recreation of Los Angeles that is as good as GTA V's Los Santos as well as a great soundtrack and impressive collection of licensed cars and motorcycles. The game features realistic racing that rivals the driving of the main GTA series.
3 Scarface: The World Is Yours
The closest game to Vice City not named Vice City: Stories, Scarface: The World Is Yours is a what-if sequel to the movie in which famed Cuban gangster Tony Montana survives the mansion shootout at the end of the movie. The game follows Tony as he tries to rebuild his Miami criminal empire and exact revenge on those that betrayed him.
Having its own 80s soundtrack, an emphasis on securing businesses like in GTA V, and famous locales from the Scarface movie, the world would truly be the player's once they finish the game.
2 L.A. Noire
Another version of Los Angeles, this time though during the post World War II era in 1947, players control LAPD detective Cole Phelps, a guy trying to do some good and honest detective work in an otherwise shady and dishonest town.
While it does feature gunplay, most of this game's strongpoints come in collecting evidence and questioning suspects in cases inspired by real crimes of the era. The success of the cases hinge on whether the player collects enough evidence and whether they are successful in their interrogations. It adds a weight that is absent from GTA games.
1 Bully
Bully is remembered fondly by all that played it but does not have the player base that GTA has which is a shame really because this game is a classic. Players control 15-year-old Jimmy Hopkins as he is forced to attend the Bullworth Academy prep school by his parents and must contend with the groups that run the school.
With more emphasis on the struggles of high school without the teen angst, Bully is a solid game that is just demanding to have a sequel after all these years.