5 open-world games that quietly outclassed GTA without getting enough credit

Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest video game franchises of all time. Part of its success has to do with its open-world gameplay, which encourages players to explore every inch of the in-game world. GTA 5, with Los Santos as its hub city and the many surrounding towns and attractions, is a masterclass in this regard.

However, there is a whole ecosystem of open-world games out there, some of which actually outclass the GTA games, perhaps even the upcoming GTA 6, which is set to launch on November 19, 2026. Games like Scarface: The World Is Yours and Watch Dogs 2 take open-world gaming to a whole new level the GTA franchise doesn't quite achieve.

Saints Row 2 Is a Devilish Delight

The first Saints Row game arrived dulling the lull of new GTA games following the release of the then-next-generation consoles, more specifically the Xbox 360. By contrast, Saints Row 2 was released months after GTA 4, and the former had to find ways to compete against the latter. Saints Row 2 managed to do just that, while also putting the first Saints Row game to shame.

For the uninitiated, Saints Row 2 is an open-world action-adventure romp a la GTA, although one will quickly find it much more personable compared to GTA. In this case, the player character is highly customizable, offering a greater sense of control over the game's events. The fact that players are able to build their own criminal organization, as opposed to having to work with pre-existing crime syndicates, also means what crimes players commit is all up to them.

What's more, at the time of its release, Saints Row 2 was more diverse in its worldbuilding. The game's setting, Stilwater, isn't just one big city; it also has beautiful rural areas and wilderness that encourages exploration on a level contemporary GTA games don't achieve. Even now, Saints Row 2 remains a masterclass in open-world game design.

The Godfather Is a Game No One Can Refuse

The Godfather is a 1972 film that gave birth to the modern gangster mythos that permeates pop culture. It made sense for there to be a game based on the film that helped inspire the likes of GTA and others. Hence, there is The Godfather, an action-adventure game that sees mafia associate Aldo Trapani, who is non-canon to the films, working his way up the mob ladder by doing favors for his boss and his superiors.

This already contrasts with the average GTA game, which has players working for literally anyone, regardless of their standing at any particular moment. Instead, Aldo has to prove himself to his crime syndicate, and the actions he commits aren't a pretty sight. Over the course of The Godfather, players have to maintain protection rackets, perform brutal executions on rivals, and carry out other unspeakable things. It's just the nature of the mob business, an issue the GTA games seldom touch on.

The most unfortunate part about The Godfather is that it will forever be confined to the platforms it was originally released for. For a game that faithfully captures the lore and characters of one of the biggest film franchises of all time, The Godfather's adaptation deserved a lot more than what it got. EA Redwood Shores, who developed the father, should've made EA an offer it couldn't refuse.

Watch Dogs 2 Should Be Played

The Watch Dogs series is one of the most recently created franchises to be forgotten. It wasn't because the latest game, Watch Dogs 2, was bad; to the contrary, it was seen by critics and fans as even better than the first installment. Given the game was released years after GTA 5, itself the latest installment in its franchise, Watch Dogs 2 was compared favorably to that game.

As far as being an open-world game is concerned, Watch Dogs 2 feels more lively than GTA 5, mainly due to how players can interact with NPCs in the former. Here, players can foster deep relations with NPCs, both major and minor, and the bonds between two NPCs are never the same. They can become jealous of one another and even start arguments, which gives them more personality than the minor NPCs from every GTA game ever made.

Even more positive is how open-ended the game's story is. Players can set course toward a different ending on the fly. It all depends on the choices made, which is a privilege GTA doesn't offer.

Scarface: The World Is Yours Pushes It to the Limit

Scarface: The World Is Yours positions itself as a direct sequel to the classic 1983 filmScarface, or accurately, a "What If" affair that explores what Tony Montana's situation might've been like if he survived the shootout at the end of the original movie. As it turns out, all Montana wants to do is get even with Alejandro Sosa, a prominent Miami criminal kingpin who was formerly of close business relations with Tony.

Many GTA games have players building up vast criminal empires, such as Carl Johnson's trajectory in GTA: San Andreas, for instance. However, those games cannot compare to how epic Tony's journey to wealth and infamy is portrayed. He will go to lengths to restore his Miami-based criminal empire, which entails rebuilding his cocaine and laundering rackets. In keeping with the action-packed movie it is based on, the game also features a healthy amount of combat sequences that allows for precise targeting at enemies.

It's easy to compare this game to GTA: Vice City; after all, the latter borrowed heavily from the Scarface movie in terms of aesthetics and plot points. However, Scarface: The World Is Yours benefits greatly from being directly based on the original film, and thus the game feels much more faithful than a pastiche romp like GTA: Vice City does. Combined with the fundamental gameplay differences, Scarface: The World Is Yours truly pushes things to the limit.

Sleeping Dogs Should Not Lie

Sleeping Dogs was released a year before GTA 5, serving as a stopgap of sorts for gamers while GTA remained in development. Unfortunately, as soon as GTA 5 released, Sleeping Dogs lost its relevance. It's a shame, considering how much it feels like a GTA game in everything but name.

The GTA games may have their own vast worlds, NPCs, animal life, and rugged terrain, but they lack Sleeping Dogs' pure genius when it comes to aspects like side activities and combat. The GTA games are infamous for their poor melee combat systems — with much of the action being done via firearms. Sleeping Dogs allows players to learn all sorts of martial arts moves in order to take down enemies.

To this end, Sleeping Dogs plays more like a beat 'em up or Action RPG, especially when it comes to combos players can inflict against enemies. The best part is being able to thrash enemies around, such as throwing them at speakers or meat hooks. It makes the game feel more brutal than any given GTA game, and to that extent, Sleeping Dogs is a far superior action-adventure experience.