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Grand Theft Auto III

17 Ranged games like Grand Theft Auto III that you should try

Games like Grand Theft Auto III · Find similar →

We filtered the 50 games similar to Grand Theft Auto III down to the 17 that fit the “Ranged” category. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Just Cause and Postal III top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Grand Theft Auto III.

NextGameLike89/ 100

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GenreActionSubgenreOpen World Action
Tags
DarkNarrativeSolo
Year 2001Dev DMA Design

Quick answer

Within the “Ranged” category, the closest game to Grand Theft Auto III is Grand Theft Auto: Vice City — scoring 89/100 on our similarity scale. Just Cause and Postal III follow close behind.

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The best ranged games like Grand Theft Auto III

17 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Grand Theft Auto III. Each one has been evaluated across 16 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

89
NGL93
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Closest overall match
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedNarrativeDarkOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2002Dev Rockstar North · Rockstar GamesPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox

What brings it close to Grand Theft Auto III is strong narrative focus, open world exploration and melee combat, and the two track each other on genre, combat and tone. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. They part company on visuals: this one brings puzzle design and multiplayer gameplay.

Genre100Combat100Tone100World100Progression100Game mode85
2

Just Cause

86
NGL62
Just Cause
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2006Dev Avalanche Studios · Square EnixPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox

Held in common with Grand Theft Auto III: open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. Where the two diverge is visuals: procedural generation and multiplayer gameplay.

Released 5 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100Combat100Progression100Game mode85World84Visuals64
3

Postal III

85
NGL34
Postal III
Closest on game mode
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedDarkNarrativeOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2011Dev Running With Scissors · AkellaPlaytime ~2hOn PC

The resemblance to Grand Theft Auto III is about as close as this list gets: they line up on genre, combat and game mode. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. The distance is in visuals — its own ground is a first-person view.

Released 10 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100
4

Just Cause 2

84
NGL82
Just Cause 2
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2010Dev Square EnixPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

What brings it close to Grand Theft Auto III is open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus, and the two track each other on genre, combat and world. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. The distance is in visuals and game mode — its own ground is multiplayer gameplay.

Released 9 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100Combat100World100Progression100Game mode67Visuals64
5

Mafia II (Classic)

84
NGL85
Mafia II (Classic)
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedNarrativeOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2010Dev 2K Czech · 2K GamesPlaytime ~13hOn PC · PS · Xbox

With Grand Theft Auto III it shares strong narrative focus, open world exploration and melee combat. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is visuals: puzzle design and stealth mechanics.

Released 9 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100World100Progression100Game mode87Tone76Combat74
6

Grand Theft Auto IV

78
NGL90
Grand Theft Auto IV
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedNarrativeDarkOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2010Dev Rockstar Toronto · Rockstar GamesOn PC · PS · Xbox

What brings it close to Grand Theft Auto III is strong narrative focus, open world exploration and melee combat, and the two track each other on genre, combat and tone. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. The distance is in game mode and visuals — its own ground is multiplayer gameplay.

Released 9 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100Combat100Tone100World100Progression100Visuals59
7

Saints Row 2

78
NGL74
Saints Row 2
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2008Dev Volition · Deep SilverPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox

It comes from the same genre as Grand Theft Auto III and shares open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. They part company on game mode and visuals: this one brings multiplayer gameplay.

Released 7 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100Combat100World100Progression71Visuals64Game mode29
8

Red Faction Guerrilla Steam Edition

74
NGL81
Red Faction Guerrilla Steam Edition
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2009Dev THQ NordicPlaytime ~4hOn PC · PS · Xbox

If Grand Theft Auto III worked for you because of open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus, the same is here. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. The distance is in game mode and visuals — its own ground is multiplayer gameplay.

Released 8 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100Combat100World100Progression100Visuals64Game mode54
9

POSTAL 2

71
NGL77
POSTAL 2
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedDarkOpen WorldSandbox WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2003Dev Running With ScissorsPlaytime ~4hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

It shares the essentials of what Grand Theft Auto III does: dark, oppressive atmosphere, open world exploration and melee combat. To that it adds a third-person camera and single-player focus. They part company on visuals and game mode: this one brings multiplayer gameplay and a first-person view.

Genre100Combat100World100Progression100Tone86Game mode69
10

Driver Parallel Lines

67
NGL74
Driver Parallel Lines
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2006Dev Ubisoft · Ubisoft EntertainmentPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox

If Grand Theft Auto III worked for you because of open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus, the same is here. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. The distance is in visuals and world.

Released 5 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100World69Visuals64
11

RAGE

66
NGL72
RAGE
ActionOpen World Action
SoloRangedMeleeNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2011Dev Aspyr Media · Bethesda SoftworksPlaytime ~5hOn PC · PS · Xbox

What brings it close to Grand Theft Auto III is strong narrative focus, open world exploration and ranged combat, and the two track each other on genre, combat and tone. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is game mode and visuals: multiplayer gameplay and a first-person view.

Released 10 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100Combat100Tone100Progression100World66Visuals45
12

Ghostwire: Tokyo

63
NGL80
Ghostwire: Tokyo
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExploration
Year 2022Dev Tango Gameworks · Bethesda SoftworksOn Xbox · PC · PS5

What brings it close to Grand Theft Auto III is strong narrative focus, open world exploration and melee combat, and the two track each other on genre, combat and game mode. 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.

Released 21 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone100Progression100World69
13

Clutch

62
NGL69
Clutch
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedDarkOpen WorldExplorationThird Person
Year 2009Dev Targem Games · Game Factory InteractivePlaytime ~1hOn PC

What brings it close to Grand Theft Auto III is dark, oppressive atmosphere, open world exploration and melee combat, and the two track each other on genre, combat and game mode. Both also lean on a third-person camera and single-player focus. The distance is in visuals and world — its own ground is horror setting.

Released 8 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Tone85World69
14

Far Cry: Primal

62
NGL81
Far Cry: Primal
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedNarrativeDarkOpen WorldExploration
Year 2016Dev Ubisoft Montreal · Ubisoft EntertainmentOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

It comes from the same genre as Grand Theft Auto III and shares strong narrative focus, 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 progression: crafting mechanics and a first-person view.

Released 15 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Combat82World70Progression68
15

Resident Evil Village

58
NGL90
Resident Evil Village
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedDarkNarrativeOpen WorldExploration
Year 2021Dev CapcomPlaytime ~15hOn PC · PS · Xbox

It comes from the same genre as Grand Theft Auto III and shares dark, oppressive atmosphere, open world exploration and melee combat. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. They part company on visuals and progression: this one brings crafting mechanics and a first-person view.

Released 20 years after Grand Theft Auto III.

Genre100Tone100Game mode78Combat73World61Progression52

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Explore games similar to Grand Theft Auto III by category

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