5 of the best games with similar open-worlds like GTA 5

The rise and continued success of the GTA franchise has paved the way for the open-world genre of games to become the industry juggernaut that it is today. Today, the most popular genre of games is the open-world, with studios struggling to keep up with the staggering demand and incorporating elements of the open-world to previously linear games.

It has gotten to the extent that each new game is expected to incorporate some form of an open-world structure. The idea is that an open world represents endless possibilities, therefore, also representing more play-time and value for money.

While that sort of thinking is flawed, it does seem to be the direction the industry has been shifting towards for a while. While there are a myriad of open-world games that are mediocre at best, some games truly make for fantastic open-world experiences.

While a fantasy setting is just as fascinating, a lot of players tend to prefer the cityscape open-world games like GTA 5. These are 5 of the best games with open-world maps that are similar to that of games like GTA.

Five games with similar open-worlds like GTA 5

1) Assassin's Creed Syndicate

This is as modern as it gets in the Assassins Creed franchise, a series that has been everywhere from the First Crusade to the Rennaisance Era. The Industrial Era setting in London makes for some of the best open-world gameplay in modern-day Triple-A gaming.

While Assassin's Creed Syndicate is, by no means, a masterpiece, it is still one of the best games in the series that does not get its due credit. The game does a lot of things right and nails the open-world itself.

This rendition of Victorian London during the Industrial Revolution is nothing short of extraordinary. The locations are very well-realized, and will often see players only in awe of Ubisoft's excruciating attention to detail.

The traversal mechanics also saw a vast improvement, making for an incredibly seamless experience through the map. Assassin's Creed Syndicate should be appreciated more by the fanbase and is clearly better than many in the genre.

2) Mafia III

While Mafia II could have just as easily made this list, given how iconic the city of Empire Bay has become, it can be argued that, despite the somewhat repetitive nature of Mafia III, the city of New Bordeaux is one of the best open-world playgrounds in gaming.

The game's winner comes in the form of its brilliant recreation of America in the 1960s, complete with a kickass soundtrack and innovative game design. To accurately reflect the racial tensions in the country during the era, the game uses several gameplay elements for effect.

While Mafia III shines quite brightly in its best moments, it can be argued that the city of New Bordeaux deserved a better treatment in gameplay. The overly repetitive mission structure leaves a lot to be desired, but there's no denying that Mafia III is one of the best open-worlds designed in modern-day gaming.

3) Watch Dogs 2

The Watch Dogs franchise is quite the anomaly, with gamers not being able to identify whether they love the series or don't care for it all that much. When Watch Dogs first launched back in 2014, the community rejected it outright, citing a massive graphical downgrade and an uninteresting protagonist and story.

However, Watch Dogs 2 improved and took every criticism positively to create a wholly masterful game. The game, however, did not sell all that well, despite its obvious quality.

The game's more light-hearted tone and a brilliant rendition of San Fransisco deserved much more love from the community than it got at launch. However, players have come around to appreciate the game more in 2020 than back during its release.

4) Sleeping Dogs

There are only a handful of games that have been able to blend combat and open-world gameplay seamlessly. The GTA franchise hasn't had the best combat or gameplay loop, but the open-world makes up for it in spades.

Sleeping Dogs, on the other hand, has one of the best combat gameplay in all of gaming. Taking cues from games such as Batman: Arkham City and its addictive FreeFlow combat style.

The game can deliver an immersive open-world rendition of Hong Kong, and feels truly like a city teaming with life, energy, and vibrance. The game truly comes alive in the night with the city resembling something straight out of a Tarantino or John Woo flick.

The game is simply as great as the open-world genre of games and one that deserves more love from the community.

5) Mad Max

This is a bit of a stretch, as the open-world of Mad Max is neither as modern or as fully detailed and grounded in reality as the GTA franchise. However, if players want to experience the potential of a genuinely freeing open-world experience, then Mad Max is quite the package.

There is nothing as liberating as jumping into your trusty Magnum Opus and driving away in the endless sands of The Wastelands only to be ambushed by War Boys.

The game gets very chaotic very soon, with players having to eliminate enemies using their weapons as well as traverse the terrain in their cars. This seamless blend of driving and combat makes for an entertaining and rewarding gameplay loop.

While it is a bit of a stretch to say the open-world is very similar to GTA 5, the world of Mad Max excels by ripping away the tropes of the genre and introducing new ones.