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Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City

19 Racing games like Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City that you should try

Games like Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City · Find similar →

We filtered the 50 games similar to Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City down to the 19 that fit the “Racing” category. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Just Cause 2 and Just Cause top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.

NextGameLike81/ 100

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GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action
Tags
DarkNarrativeSoloMultiplayer
Year 2009Dev Rockstar North

Quick answer

Within the “Racing” category, the closest game to Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is Grand Theft Auto: Vice City — scoring 95/100 on our similarity scale. Just Cause 2 and Just Cause follow close behind.

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The best racing games like Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City

19 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. Each one has been evaluated across 15 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.

1

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

95
NGL93
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Closest overall match
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeRangedNarrativeDarkOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2002Dev Rockstar North · Rockstar GamesPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox

Matches like this one are rare: it meets Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City on genre, combat and game mode. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and multiplayer gameplay. Its own ground is puzzle design.

Same studio: Rockstar North.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100
2

Just Cause 2

95
NGL82
Just Cause 2
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeRangedOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2010Dev Square EnixPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

Of everything here, this is the nearest thing to Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City — the two agree on genre, combat and game mode. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Progression100Visuals100
3

Just Cause

95
NGL62
Just Cause
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeRangedOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2006Dev Avalanche Studios · Square EnixPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox

What brings it close to Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus, and the two track each other on genre, combat and game mode. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. What it adds of its own: procedural generation.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100World84
4

Mafia II (Classic)

92
NGL85
Mafia II (Classic)
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeRangedNarrativeOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2010Dev 2K Czech · 2K GamesPlaytime ~13hOn PC · PS · Xbox

It shares the essentials of what Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City does: strong narrative focus, open world exploration and melee combat. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. What it adds of its own: puzzle design and stealth mechanics.

Genre100Game mode100World100Progression100Visuals100Tone75
5

Mafia III

92
NGL61
Mafia III
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2016Dev Hangar 13 · 2K GamesOn PS4 · PC · Mac

Matches like this one are rare: it meets Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City on genre, game mode and tone. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. The distance is in combat — its own ground is stealth mechanics.

Released 7 years after Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100Visuals100
6

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

89
NGL93
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeRangedNarrativeDarkOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2004Dev Rockstar North · CapcomPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox

It shares the essentials of what Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City does: strong narrative focus, open world exploration and melee combat. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. Where the two diverge is visuals: a first-person view.

Same studio: Rockstar North.

Genre100Tone100World100Progression100Combat72Game mode70
Details →1/1 agree it's a good match
7

Saints Row 2

89
NGL74
Saints Row 2
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeRangedOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2008Dev Volition · Deep SilverPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox

It shares the essentials of what Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City does: open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. The distance is in game mode — its own ground is co-op play.

Genre100Combat100World100Visuals100Progression71Game mode62
8

Grand Theft Auto III

88
NGL89
Grand Theft Auto III
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedDarkNarrativeOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2001Dev DMA Design · CapcomPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox

If Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City worked for you because of dark, oppressive atmosphere, open world exploration and melee combat, the same is here. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. They part company on game mode and visuals: this one brings an isometric view.

It predates Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Tone100World100Progression100Visuals64
9

Saints Row: The Third

84
NGL92
Saints Row: The Third
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeDarkOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2011Dev Volition · Square EnixOn PlayStation 3 · Linux · PC

On paper it is what Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is — dark, oppressive atmosphere, open world exploration and melee combat — though the resemblance is mostly at that level. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. They part company on progression and game mode: this one brings co-op play and skill tree progression.

Genre100World100Tone79Combat75Visuals67Game mode61
10

Grand Theft Auto

73
NGL83
Grand Theft Auto
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeOpen WorldSandbox WorldExploration
Year 1997Dev DMA Design · BMG InteractiveOn PC

It shares the essentials of what Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City does: open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery. Where the two diverge is tone and visuals: punishing difficulty and an isometric view.

It predates Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City by 12 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100World100Progression100Combat76Tone0
11

RAGE

77
NGL72
RAGE
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerRangedMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2011Dev Aspyr Media · Bethesda SoftworksPlaytime ~5hOn PC · PS · Xbox

What brings it close to Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is strong narrative focus, open world exploration and ranged combat, and the two track each other on genre, combat and tone. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. They part company on visuals and world: this one brings a first-person view.

Genre100Combat100Tone100Progression100Game mode71World66
12

Crash Time 2

68
NGL42
Crash Time 2
ActionOpen World Action
MultiplayerSoloMeleeNarrativeSandbox WorldOpen WorldExploration
Year 2008Dev RTL interactive · Meridian4Playtime ~1hOn PC

Same family as Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City: strong narrative focus, a sandbox world and melee combat. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. They part company on visuals and game mode: this one brings offline play and 3D presentation.

Genre100World100Progression100Tone77Combat75Game mode65
13

Grand Theft Auto 2

68
NGL85
Grand Theft Auto 2
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeDarkOpen WorldExploration
Year 1999Dev DMA Design · Take-Two InteractiveOn PC

The genre is the same as Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City’s, and with it dark, oppressive atmosphere, open world exploration and melee combat. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is visuals and world: an isometric view.

It predates Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City by 10 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Tone78Combat76World66
14

Driver Parallel Lines

64
NGL74
Driver Parallel Lines
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2006Dev Ubisoft · Ubisoft EntertainmentPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox

If Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City worked for you because of open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus, the same is here. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. Where they diverge is game mode and world.

Genre100Combat100Progression100Visuals100World69Game mode54
15

Trailmakers

64
NGL77
Trailmakers
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeSandbox WorldOpen WorldExploration
Year 2020Dev FlashbulbPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

Genre puts it alongside Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, and so does a sandbox world, melee combat and single-player focus. To that it adds exploration and discovery. They part company on game mode and progression: this one brings co-op play and crafting mechanics.

Released 11 years after Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.

Genre100World100Combat76Progression60Game mode49

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Explore games similar to Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City by category

If Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the sandbox or the third-person shooter that hooked you? There is a list of just that. And if you play on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PlayStation, Xbox and Mobile, filter by platform and skip the games you could not play anyway.

Rankings in the same genre

Sometimes what you want is not a Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City look-alike but simply the best Open-World Action Games there are. That is what these rankings are for: no comparison to anything, just the highest-rated games. And if you feel like widening the net, the Action Games ranking is a good way to run into something you were not expecting.