5 best open-world games to play while waiting for GTA 6

The gaming community is eagerly waiting for any news or announcement regarding GTA 6. However, there is a long time between now and when Rockstar Games is ready to release the title.

So, what are GTA fans supposed to do as they wait for Rockstar Games to come through with a new title?

Fortunately, there are now more quality games in the market than ever before. If players are looking to dive deep into a fascinating open world populated by wacky NPCs and great missions, they can check out the games listed below.

5 great open-world games with strong GTA influences

Honorable mentions:

• Far Cry 5
• Mafia 3
• Yakuza: Like A Dragon
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Dying Light

5 - Watch Dogs 2

Watch Dogs 2 is one of the best games with GTA influences. That is not to say that the game is derivative in any way, as it is more akin to a modern-day Assassin's Creed than GTA.

Watch Dogs 2 takes a fresher approach to tone than previous games in the series, and the gameplay is far more refined and open-ended from the original. It also has a healthy balance between open combat, stealth and parkour.

The game is always a ton of fun to play, and its open world is as detailed as one can expect from Ubisoft.

4 - Ghost Recon: Wildlands

Perhaps the dark horse of modern third-person open-world shooters, Ghost Recon: Wildlands is somewhat of an underrated game. The game combines a hilariously large open world with both stealth and action elements, encouraging players to approach each mission in a variety of ways.

The co-op functionality certainly makes for a fun day at the office as players can enjoy the game with friends.

Ghost Recon: Wildlands' exceedingly large map should satisfy fans of expansive open worlds, and its combat is punchy enough for shooter enthusiasts.

3 - Mad Max

Mad Max is incredibly underrated and is hardly ever brought up in discussions about the best modern open-world games. The Wasteland is absolutely unforgiving, and man must form a strong bond with machines in order to survive the brutal expanse of the world.

Mad Max is both beautiful and dangerously brutal, which is exactly what fans of the action-adventure genre love.

The open world of Mad Max is filled with all sorts of wonderful and fascinating details which, combined with the gameplay, make for one heck of an experience. It might not have an urban landscape like GTA, but it is pure quality nonetheless.

2 - Mafia: The Definitive Edition

Mafia made an absolutely monstrous yet elegant comeback with The Definitive Edition, a remake of the original Mafia from the 2000s. The game sets itself apart from GTA clones by abandoning an open-world structure, opting for a much more linear experience.

While Mafia: The Definitive Edition technically has a map that is populated by NPCs, the world purely exists for the game to drive the plot forward and for players to have a large environment.

Mafia: The Definitive Edition has one of the best stories ever told in a game, on par with the best that GTA has to offer.

1 - Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs looks like it has the most generic B-movie action plot. However, while the story isn't anything groundbreaking or unique, the game itself excels by staying earnest and truthful to its core.

One of the main reasons why players should try Sleeping Dogs is its combat. The combat sequences are inspired by games like Arkham City, which have a counter-based style that never ceases to amaze.

Sleeping Dogs is the ideal game for someone who is on the hunt for exciting open-world titles inspired by GTA but with punchy combat.

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