There is still a long time to wait until the release of GTA 6. Rockstar has already confirmed that it will not release the next instalment in the series in autumn 2025. The game has been postponed to May 2026, and that’s the earliest it will be released: the company has delayed all of its latest games at least twice. This article features nearly two dozen exciting adventures that will help you forget about GTA 6, at least for a while.
Red Dead Redemption 2
The most obvious candidate for completion (or another playthrough) is Rockstar’s western. Like the latest instalments of GTA, Red Dead Redemption 2 offers a huge, living world filled with interesting characters and events.
The Wild West is just a cool place to explore: you never know what a lonely cabin in the woods might hide or where strange tracks in the snow in the mountains might lead.
But even if you don’t feel like thoroughly exploring the world, RDR2 has a gripping story to offer — arguably one of the best in video games. It’s more serious than GTA, although there’s humour here too. Red Dead Redemption 2 also features incredibly charismatic characters, a beautiful soundtrack and Rockstar’s trademark attention to detail. The fastest playthrough will take around 50 hours, so you won’t be thinking about GTA 6 anytime soon.
Cyberpunk 2077
Created by CDPR, the world is not as lively as Rockstar’s, but in other respects Cyberpunk 2077 is very similar to GTA. Black humour, an abundance of characters from the criminal world, action-packed missions and cool staging of all the story quests.
The attention to detail is also extraordinary: even in 2025, fans continue to find Easter eggs and consequences of decisions made during the game. With the release of update 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty expansion, the game has finally reached its final, best form.
The developers have reworked the perks and cyber implants, updated the police behaviour system, added gunfights and car chases, and improved the AI. It will take 50-100 hours to complete the full edition, but if you are a fan of the setting and genre, it is definitely worth it.
Mafia: Definitive Edition
A remake of the cult crime action game about the life of the mafia. The original version was released in the same year as GTA 3, but even with such powerful competition, it managed to receive the highest ratings from critics and win the love of players. The re-release came out 18 years later, and it was a success: the plot is still interesting to follow, the new dialogue reveals the characters better, and the staging in the remake is head and shoulders above the original.
However, the city of Lost Heaven is disappointing: it could easily compete for the title of the deadest open world. So it’s best to think of Mafia as a linear game where all the travel is just loading between missions. If that doesn’t scare you, the remake is a great opportunity to get to know the story of Tommy Angelo.
And in 2025, Mafia: The Old Country will be released — a new mafia story set in the brutal criminal world of 1900s Sicily. Players will take on the role of Enzo Favar and prove their worth to the Cosa Nostra.
If you’re into thrilling stories and immersive experiences, you might also enjoy online entertainment outside gaming — for example, exploring one of the most popular online casinos with fast payouts, tons of slots, and generous bonuses. Check out Richard casino sign up bonus to dive into a world where the stakes are high and the wins come fast.
The Watch Dogs series
The first instalment of the series was supposed to be released right before GTA 5. In the end, the release was significantly delayed — Rockstar beat them to it, and the hacker action game got lost in the shadow of their hit. Ubisoft ended up releasing three Watch Dogs games, but each had its own problems. Ironically, it was the desire to make the series more like GTA that had a negative impact on the franchise. If the developers had put more effort into creating high-quality, serious stories for the sequels, the games would have been not just good, but great.
Nevertheless, the franchise remains one of the most original experiments with open-world action games. All parts are worth playing: the first has the best storyline, the second has a beautiful open world, and the third has cool gameplay mechanics. Rumour has it that the IP has been shelved, so there’s no point in waiting for Watch Dogs 4. Better to play the previous games in the series, which still look and work great even in 2024.
Sleeping Dogs
Kung fu action from United Front Games – a game adaptation of classic police detective stories. The main character is an undercover Hong Kong cop trying to sabotage the Chinese mafia. As is typical for the genre, an already difficult task becomes harder every day when the criminals turn out to be ordinary people with their own goals, desires, and complexes.
Sleeping Dogs is not only good because of its exotic Asian setting: everything about it is cool. The characters are well-developed and deep, the plot is cleverly twisted, and the simple but spectacular combat system doesn’t get tiresome by the end of the game. United Front Games has created a dream game for all fans of Eastern action games, and what’s more, it’s set in an open world with plenty to do.
The Yakuza and Judgment series
Two Japanese series about criminal showdowns with similar gameplay. Only in Yakuza do you play as a former gangster whom the criminal world won’t let go, while in Judgment, players control a detective investigating complicated cases.
In terms of gameplay, these series are not very similar to GTA. Instead of shootouts, there are fights, there are no car chases, and the open world is not even a city, but a large neighbourhood. But if you want crime stories in a modern setting, Yakuza and Judgment will satisfy your needs. Plus, they’ll keep you busy for a long time: there are at least 10 main games, each lasting 20-30 hours.
Persona 5 Royal
JRPG from Atlus is one of those Japanese games that I would recommend to everyone, even if you’re not usually into Japanese game development.
It’s a fascinating simulation of being a school student and a superhero in one package: during the day, the characters study, flirt and play sports, and at night they fight human vices in the form of demons. Persona 5’s gameplay and themes are not very similar to Rockstar’s crime series.
However, if you love GTA for the opportunity to live in another world and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a modern metropolis, then this Japanese RPG is definitely for you. Here you will find dozens of different activities, well-developed characters, an exciting story, humour, drama and much more. The storyline alone will take at least 100 hours to complete, and by the end, you’ll feel like you’ve lived a whole life.
Just Cause 3 and Just Cause 4
If you were attracted to the GTA series by the opportunity to wreak havoc, the adventures of Rico Rodriguez will help brighten up your evenings of tedious waiting. These games are similar to Michael Bay films, where you can engage in car and plane chases, blow up buildings and fuel tanks, drop tanks on enemies, and so on. There is nothing superfluous – just destruction and constant action.
If you wish, you can play both parts, but if time is limited, you will have to choose. Just Cause 3 has a more coherent storyline — as far as it can be interesting in a game of this type. However, thanks to an updated engine, Just Cause 4 features extreme weather conditions: you can wreak havoc in a sandstorm, snowstorm, or even next to a huge tornado.
Kane & Lynch and Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
A crime duology from the creators of Hitman, telling the story of two criminals. The main characters are very similar to typical GTA characters: evil, unprincipled, and willing to do anything to achieve their goals. The overall tone in Kane & Lynch is much darker and more serious, although there is still room for dark humour.
The games were released almost 15 years ago, so the gameplay is outdated: shooting in them is not as cool as it used to be. However, the stories are still compelling: both parts are reminiscent of Michael Mann’s crime thrillers, where every character has a skeleton in their closet, or rather a whole crypt.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
FromSoftware’s hit has nothing in common with GTA except for the same ambitious approach to development. However, this is definitely a game that will make you forget not only about the next instalment of Grand Theft Auto, but about everything else as well. A large-scale, complex, atmospheric and beautiful action RPG where danger, a new secret or a terrifying boss lurks at almost every turn. If you’ve been hearing about the greatness of Dark Souls and Bloodborne your whole life but don’t want to waste your nerves on high difficulty, then Elden Ring is worth a try. It’s noticeably easier because it lets you play the way you want to.
And if you’ve already played Elden Ring, it’s time to come back. On 21 June, a huge expansion called Shadow of the Erdtree was released, adding a new region, bosses, weapons and secrets to the game. The DLC has already received the highest ratings and has become the best expansion in Metacritic history, surpassing Blood and Wine for The Witcher 3.