10 Best Crime Video Games (That Aren’t Grand Theft Auto)

The crime game genre is quite expansive, but it has always been dominated by Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto series. Most of these games are not just inspired by GTA, but they’re also often living in the shadow of the franchise. Rockstar really paved the way for modern crime games as we know it and games like True Crime, Saints Row, and more tried to take the formula and expand on it in new ways. However, as time has gone on, these games have become more expensive and time-consuming to make, so we don’t see as many new attempts on the genre anymore.

There are some smaller-scale games like Samson releasing next year, making valiant efforts to find their own niche in a respected genre. However, with GTA 6 out next year, I figured now was a great time to look back on all of the other non-GTA crime games out there. Some have been talked about to no end, while others have been overshadowed significantly. With that said, here are the 10 best crime games that aren’t Grand Theft Auto.

10) The Getaway

The Getaway is a classic PS2-era crime game. Set in a fully-realized and highly detailed version of London, players fill the shoes of both a criminal and a cop whose stories eventually intersect in a climactic finale. The Getaway set itself apart from GTA by being a much more cinematic and realistic experience, leveraging licensed real brands rather than trying to parody places or things as Rockstar does. The developers opted to ditch any kind of HUD or user interface for the game, opting to replicate the feeling of a film instead of a game.

Although The Getaway was met with a mixed reception upon release, partially as a result of releasing close to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, it was a game that was sort of ahead of its time. The focus on cinematic flair would be something the games industry at large would ease into over the next decade. It’s an underappreciated game that got a lot right and a full-blown remake would probably fare a lot better on PS5 or PS6.

9) The Godfather

In 2006, EA published a video game adaptation of The Godfather. Instead of playing as any of the characters from the film, you fill the shoes of a new face whose story runs parallel to the film and intersects at multiple points, sometimes even showing key events that happened off-screen in the film. Many of the actors from the film reprised their roles, including Marlon Brando, though his performance was largely unusable due to his use of an oxygen tank in real life.

This was yet another open-world crime game, meaning you could freely explore the world and cause a ruckus, but there were some standout mechanics. Given that you worked for the mob, you could extort businesses by intimidating owners into giving you protection money, but this can also cause other problems. If you tried to take over the business owned by another mob, you could incite a war. All of this helped create a very dynamic, lively world of crime, one that had many layers of bribery, protections, hits, and more to keep you on your toes.

8) LA Noire

LA Noire is the only game on this list where you’re not actively committing crimes, but it is directed by Brendan McNamara, who also helmed The Getaway. You fill the shoes of a World War II vet turned beat cop in Los Angeles in the 1940s, steadily climbing the ranks of the LAPD by doing good police work. You thoroughly investigate crime scenes, interrogate suspects and witnesses, and get into tense car chases. The game actively explores the underbelly of Hollywood’s golden age, exposing the pervs, the killers, and thieves of that time.

LA Noire‘s open world is much more limited than most of the other games on this list since you’re acting as the law. You can’t cause too much trouble because the game won’t really let you, but there are still some fun side missions you can engage in.

7) Payday 2

Payday 2 is the only online-centric game on this list, but it absolutely earns its place. This co-op shooter has been supported for well over a decade, giving players no shortage of heists and missions to take part in, as well as things to spend their ill-gotten gains on. It’s a thrilling experience that allows you and 3 friends to plan out elaborate robberies where you nab jewelry, cash, gold bars, and more to make a quick buck.

It’s also highly replayable as you can adjust the difficulty to be relentlessly oppressive or challenge yourself by trying to rob a bank unseen in broad daylight. If you do set off the alarm, prepare for the cops to storm the building with riot shields, tasers, and more. If you manage to survive that, god help you as you are weighed down by all your loot while snipers try to take you down. It’s a blast and there’s a reason why Payday 2 is still played to this day, even after a third game was released in 2023.

6) Watch Dogs 2

The first Watch Dogs had a lot of potential, but it sort of set itself up to be disappointing when it had a jaw-dropping reveal that didn’t really represent the final game. However, Watch Dogs 2 capitalized on a lot of the game’s great ideas. The game follows a hacker in San Francisco, battling the likes of tech companies in Silicon Valley and other forces that are not only against the hacker group at the center of the story, but society at large. There are so many great toys to play within the game beyond guns and cars, as your mobile phone can be used to hack just about anything in the environment for chaos.

On top of that, Watch Dogs 2‘s gameplay was incredibly fluid. Driving through San Francisco was a blast, but you could also seamlessly parkour around the city for fun or to escape pursuers. To this day, this remains one of Ubisoft’s best games of the modern era.

5) Yakuza 0

Once again, we’re shaking things up on this list. Yakuza 0 is unlike any of the other games on this series because it doesn’t focus on driving cars or shooting guns. Although there is a bit of gunplay in Yakuza 0, the vast majority of the action is melee combat. It’s over the top, yet highly satisfying and very brutal. The Yakuza franchise has been praised for the depth in its side activities, but also its soap opera-esque story. It’s long and winding, but also super melodramatic.

If you’ve never played a Yakuza game, Yakuza 0 is a great place to start, as the game is a prequel. It might be different from something like GTA or other games on this list, but it is worth checking out!

4) Saints Row 2

Saints Row 2 is arguably one of the best “GTA clones”. It takes a lot of inspiration from something like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, focusing on gang culture and the violence that is born from that. You build up the Saints from nothing to top of the food chain, taking on rivals and expanding your operation in any way you see fit. However, beyond the story itself, it’s also just a stupidly fun sandbox. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and best of all, you can play the entire game in co-op with a friend.

You can enter a ton of different interiors and rob them, own businesses, and much more. There are very few limitations, which is partially why it’s so much fun to play with a friend. Your character is also wildly customizable thanks to extensive clothing options, but also the ability to mold your character’s facial features. Many have longed for the series to return to this era, but that has yet to happen.

3) Mafia 2

Mafia 2 takes cues from classic mobster movies like Goodfellas to tell a compelling rise and fall story of one Vito Scaletta. He’s a pretty ruthless criminal, but he has a deep love and care for his friends and family. He’s the kind of bad guy that you can’t help but root for. Mafia 2 features one of the best crime stories in gaming, thanks to not only excellent set pieces, but rich, well-realized characters that charm you and sicken you.

Although you can explore Mafia 2‘s world, it’s not really “open-world” as you almost always have a mission assigned to you at any given time. It also doesn’t have a lot to do, but the story carries it so far that it manages to edge out many of the games on this list.

2) Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs is one of the great crime games that never got a sequel, and it haunts me to this day. You play as Wei Shen, an undercover cop in Hong Kong who infiltrates the triads to take them down for good. There’s a healthy mixture of gunplay and hard-hitting martial arts combat that flows similarly to the Batman Arkham games. You can use the environment for violent special takedowns, making the combat feel extra scrappy. There was also a mechanic that allowed you to jump from vehicle to vehicle, like a Fast and Furious stunt.

It was a truly thrilling game that should have been a franchise, but alas, high standards from Square Enix limited that from happening. In addition to being on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, it’s also playable on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 through the backward-compatible Xbox One and PS4 versions. It’s a must play if you’ve never tried it!

1) Red Dead Redemption 2

Although this list excludes Grand Theft Auto, it does include Rockstar’s other prominent crime franchise. Red Dead Redemption 2 tells the story of a gang that is headed for extinction as America heads to a more civilized era, one that no longer tolerates outlaws. I don’t think I really need to sum up this story any further. The trials and tribulations of Arthur Morgan are well documented at this point, and if you haven’t played it, you’re likely aware that you should.

Beyond its story, Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the best crime games because of how much control you have. You can rob just about anyone you find on the streets or in the wild, kidnap people, turn over homes for loot, and perform your own mini-heists on stagecoaches or trains. It’s a fantastic game for immersing you into the shoes of a wild west outlaw, and one can only hope GTA 6 will carry some of these ideas over.

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