10 Best Open World Crime Games

Open-world sandboxes have sold themselves on allowing absolute player agency, and what good is freedom if there aren't any rules to break along the way? Crime sandboxes offer the perfect way to embrace the chaos open worlds offer, as well as explore the darker themes that come from tales of the criminal underworld.

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Not limited by a period or setting, crime sandboxes have taken dozens of forms. Some of these are among the most popular games of all time, while others have been more niche, but all of them have been greatly influential in the medium.

10 True Crime: Streets Of LA

• Year: 2003
• Platform: PC, Gamecube, Playstation 2, Xbox, and Mobile

Despite what the title might have you believe, True Crime: Streets of LA follows a cop looking to thwart crime rather than cause it. At least that’s what detective Nick Kang is supposed to do since things can quickly take a turn for the chaotic. Especially in the open setting of Los Angeles, where the “Good Cop/Bad Cop” system can come into play.

Nick may be a detective, but he can still kill both criminals and civilians alike, with too much of the latter eventually causing the department to turn on the not-so-good detective. Aside from this system, though, True Crime: Streets of LA did an admirable job showcasing different gameplay styles with a wild plotline complimented by a star-studded cast including Gary Oldman and Michelle Rodriguez.

9 Mafia: Definitive Edition

• Year: 2020
• Platform: PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One

Sometimes it’s good to return to the basics. Mafia: Definitive Edition tells the story of a gangster in the 1930s with all the trials and tribulations that come with mob life. The original Mafia has drawn some criticism over the years for its open world serving little purpose aside from offering a moment of respite between missions via driving around the city of Lost Heaven, which was something that its recent remake had attempted to fix.

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The true strength of Mafia comes from its narrative. A crime story worthy of the silver screen being able to play through it adds an even more personal level to the drama that unfolds. Combined with the explosive set pieces, Mafia creates a fantastic cinematic experience.

8 Saints Row 2

• Year: 2008
• Platform: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360

The Third Street Saints have come in many forms over the years. It was the second game in the series that truly established the brand, placing you and your crew against a variety of gangsters who had taken over the city of Steelport. Building up your gang along the way, Saints Row 2 offers a tale that's as hilarious as it is violent, all while delivering an open world full of activities.

Unlike other titles in the genre, Saints Row 2 wasn’t afraid to embrace the wild side of open-world games. Using the chaos that often comes paired with sandbox experiences to its benefit with now iconic side missions like Insurance Fraud and Mayhem.

7 Scarface: The World Is Yours

• Year: 2008
• Platform: PC, Playstation 2, Xbox, Wii

Movie tie-in games have something of an unsavory reputation among gamers, and not without good reason. For a long time, they were seen as quick cash grabs, but there are exceptions to that rule, such as Scarface: The World Is Yours. Starting you at the end of the film The World Is Yours rewrites cinema history by having Tony survive his wild shootout, forcing him to start from square one in rebuilding his empire.

Breaking away from the plot of the film offers much more room to expand the mechanics, creating an exciting formula for rebuilding an empire from scratch. All this while carrying over the strong sense of style and engaging protagonist that has made the film such a classic.

6 Watch Dogs 2

• Year: 2016
• Platform: PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One

Building off its predecessor in more ways than one, Watch Dogs 2 combined the traditional shooting elements of a crime sandbox with the creativity that comes with the protagonist, Marcus Holloway, being a hacker.

Missions offer a variety of different approaches in typical Ubisoft fashion. But the level of tech on offer does make things even more liberating than usual, with some sequences able to be completed with the assistance of drones, allowing for the savvy player to succeed without even entering the danger themselves. Watch Dogs 2 helps to elevate the genre with a technology-focused spin that is difficult to replicate.

5 Cyberpunk 2077

• Year: 2020
• Platform: PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

In the not-so-far-off future, Night City offers all kinds of ways for those who don’t mind breaking the law to thrive. The dangers of breaking the rules, though, can come in unexpected ways, as the protagonist V discovers when a heist gone wrong ends with a ticking time bomb stuck in their heads. Throughout the Cyberpunk 2077 campaign, they go on to commit a host of other crimes, but things don’t have to stop there.

Working as a merc through the side gigs, V can add breaking and entering, assassination, and vehicle theft as of Phantom Liberty. In V’s case, though, crime really does pay as all of those Eurodollars earned are used to upgrade their cybernetics and gear, allowing them to ascend the ranks as one of Night City’s most legendary outlaws.

4 Red Dead Redemption 2

• Year: 2018
• Platform: PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One

The wild west was a golden age for outlaws and few games capture the spirit of the time better than Red Dead Redemption 2. The game is an epic in every sense of the word, with the tale of Arthur Morgan and his crew coming to terms with the end of an era at the turn of the century. In the pursuit of wealth and freedom, the Van Der Linde gang robs, cheats, and kills, all the while running from the ever-encroaching arm of the law.

Beyond its wonderfully told story, though, Red Dead Redemption 2 offers one of the most beautiful settings gaming has to offer. Exploring the world as Arthur is a treat. While there are more wholesome activities to get up to, like fishing and chores around the came, Arthur isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty through robberies or collecting bounties, dead or alive.

3 Yakuza 0

• Year: 2015
• Platform: PC, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox One

The Yakuza series has been going on for over a decade now, and its continued success could be chalked up to several different factors. The gritty crime-soaked narratives, the over-the-top martial arts action, or the wacky numerous side activities that can range from karaoke to building your baseball team. All of which appear at some of their strongest in the series’s prequel entry, Yakuza 0.

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Told from two different perspectives, with one being the series main character Kiryu and the other being fan favorite Goro, the game succeeds in capturing not just two different engaging narratives but in capturing the fighting styles of each character as well. The street fights make up the core of the action, capturing the brutal, frantic energy for which the series is known.

2 Sleeping Dogs

• Year: 2012
• Platform: PC, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Sleeping Dogs stands tall as one of the most dynamic, wild, and gripping open-world crime titles on the market. Following the story of Wei Shen, you can explore Hong Kong with locales ranging from the gritty docks to the neon-drenched streets. Gameplay comes in many forms as well, although much of the action is spent in brutal melee fights that emulate high-octane kung-fu movies.

Even though Wei is supposed to be acting as an undercover cop, he can still get into all kinds of trouble with the law. Engaging in street races or putting your martial arts skills to the test in fight clubs can be a fast way to earn cash, as well as the game’s many other unlockables.

1 Grand Theft Auto 5

• Year: 2013
• Platform: PC, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

The Grand Theft Auto series has long since acted as the face of crime sandbox games, and with good reason. The announcement of Grand Theft Auto 6 broke three world records thanks to the legacy established by its predecessor. Grand Theft Auto 5 captures everything we love from a crime sandbox. A thrilling narrative with a memorable cast, a living reactive world to cause chaos in, and plenty of mischief to get up to through both activities and missions.

What truly separates it from the others in the genre, though, is the multiplayer component, GTA Online. Supported through the years with new missions, vehicles, and weapons, the game has seen a longevity that few others can attest to.

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