Games like Grand Theft Auto III
If Grand Theft Auto III is your kind of game, the closest matches are Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers single out its atmospheric city environment, atmospheric and bleak. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.
Get personalized picks →Grand Theft Auto III is an action-adventure game released in 2008 by Rockstar Games as the first 3D entry in the series, pioneering third-person open-world crime sandbox gameplay. Players explore Liberty City through mission-based progression with checkpoint-restart mechanics, open-world exploration, a radio-station system, side-mission looping, and vehicle combat. Reviewers highlight the atmospheric city environment and how missions balance chaos with dark storytelling, while players describe the experience as bleak and immersive, noting its nostalgic gameplay and pioneering open-world design. The game has a challenging difficulty and long length designed for solo play with a sit-down session shape. It holds a Metacritic score of 93 and received 84% positive reviews from 4,551 Steam users, but is not supported on Steam Deck.
About Grand Theft Auto III: Welcome to Liberty City. Where it all began. With stellar voice acting, a darkly comic storyline, a stunning soundtrack and revolutionary open-world gameplay, Grand Theft Auto III is the game that defined the open world genre for a generation.
Players who liked Grand Theft Auto III also play
Steam players who put hours into Grand Theft Auto III also tend to own these titles — a signal called collaborative filtering. imho.run cross-references millions of library ownership patterns to surface games whose real audiences overlap, regardless of whether their genre tags match.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Top pick for Grand Theft Auto III fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Welcome to Vice City. Welcome to the 1980s. From the decade of big hair, excess and pastel suits comes a story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Second-strongest match for Grand Theft Auto III fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas... a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. Where filmstars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and gangbangers. Now, it's the early 90s. Carl's got to go home.
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
WHY THIS
Shares a dark mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Third-strongest match for Grand Theft Auto III fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action with Grand Theft Auto III.
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City includes both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony together and does not require a copy of the original Grand Theft Auto IV to play.
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition
WHY THIS
Shares open world exploration and a dark mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Ranked #4 for Grand Theft Auto III fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Niko Bellic, Johnny Klebitz and Luis Lopez all have one thing in common - they live in the worst city in America. Liberty City worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who don't.
Mafia II (Classic)
WHY THIS
Shares open world exploration and an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Ranked #5 for Grand Theft Auto III fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action with Grand Theft Auto III.
Vito Scaletta has started to make a name for himself on the streets of Empire Bay as someone who can be trusted to get a job done. Together with his buddy Joe, he is working to prove himself to the Mafia, quickly escalating up the family ladder with crimes of larger reward, status and consequence… the life as a wise guy isn’t quite as...
Flashing Lights - Police, Firefighting, Emergency Services (EMS) Simulator
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Ranked #6 for Grand Theft Auto III fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action with Grand Theft Auto III.
Play solo or in up to 10-player multiplayer co-op! Flashing Lights is an open world police, firefighting and EMS simulator game with plenty of opportunity for role-play or more relaxed fun with friends. Become the law or save lives! Discover leagues of player-created mods!
Vivat Slovakia
WHY THIS
Shares open world exploration, mission based progression and an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Ranked #7 for Grand Theft Auto III fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Vivat Slovakia is an open-world action game set in '90s Slovakia, where corruption runs deep and law enforcement is weak. Uncover a gripping story based on true events as you explore and shoot your way through a city at the crossroads of Eastern Europe’s turbulent history.
Mafia: Definitive Edition
WHY THIS
Shares mission based progression and an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Ranked #8 for Grand Theft Auto III fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
An inadvertent brush with the mob thrusts cabdriver Tommy Angelo into the world of organized crime. Initially uneasy about falling in with the Salieri family, the rewards become too big to ignore.
Reviewers mention these as similar to Grand Theft Auto III
Surfaced from review text: when other players write 'if you liked X, try Y', we catch the name and resolve it back to a Steam game.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Reviewers of Grand Theft Auto III cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Welcome to Vice City. Welcome to the 1980s. From the decade of big hair, excess and pastel suits comes a story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Reviewers of Grand Theft Auto III cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas... a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. Where filmstars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and gangbangers. Now, it's the early 90s. Carl's got to go home.
Grand Theft Auto V Legacy
WHY THIS
Shares a dark mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Reviewers of Grand Theft Auto III cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Grand Theft Auto V for PC offers players the option to explore the award-winning world of Los Santos and Blaine County in resolutions of up to 4k and beyond, as well as the chance to experience the game running at 60 frames per second.
Bus Driver
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Reviewers of Grand Theft Auto III cross-mention this title as a similar play.
In Bus Driver, your job is to transport passengers around an attractive and realistic city. You must drive to a timetable on a planned route, whilst obeying traffic rules, and taking care not to upset or injure your passengers.
Shenmue I & II
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Reviewers of Grand Theft Auto III cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
SEGA®’s most requested re-release of all time finally comes to a new generation. Shenmue delivers an epic story of revenge within a unique open world that is still unrivalled in depth and detail. Return to the epic saga that defined modern gaming. The saga begins…again.
Shenmue III
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Reviewers of Grand Theft Auto III cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Shenmue III sees the eagerly anticipated continuation of the epic story-driven saga. Take control of Ryo Hazuki, a teenage martial artist, determined to unravel the mystery behind his father's murder and to exact revenge on the killer.
Red Dead Redemption
WHY THIS
Shares vehicle combat, open world exploration and an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Reviewers of Grand Theft Auto III cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with Grand Theft Auto III.
Experience the story of former outlaw John Marston as he tracks down the last remaining members of the notorious Van der Linde Gang in the PC debut of the critically acclaimed predecessor to Red Dead Redemption 2.
NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black
WHY THIS
Shares a dark mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Reviewers of Grand Theft Auto III cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Using Unreal Engine 5 to significantly enhance graphic expression, this is the definitive version of "NINJA GAIDEN 2," featuring additional playable characters and enhanced battle support functions.
Free alternatives
Free-to-play games that recommended players of this title also tend to enjoy.
Doki Doki Literature Club!
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it.
The Literature Club is full of cute girls! Will you write the way into their heart? This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.
Life is Strange - Episode 1
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Episode 1 now FREE! Life is Strange is an award-winning and critically acclaimed episodic adventure game that allows the player to rewind time and affect the past, present and future.
Ultimate Custom Night
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action with Grand Theft Auto III.
Welcome to the ultimate FNAF mashup, featuring 50 selectable characters and custom difficulties!
ENA: Dream BBQ
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Experience surreal environments and inexplicable characters as ENA in a new wild world.
Indigo Park: Chapter 1
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Explore the abandoned childhood wonder of Indigo Park! Guided by Rambley the Raccoon, help restore power to the destroyed amusement park while you run from the reason it shut down.
STRAFTAT
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action with Grand Theft Auto III.
STRAFTAT is a 1v1/2v2 ONLINE first person SHOOTER with quick rounds in over 350 MAPS ; Including all WEAPONS, proximity chat and 4 players FFA.
The Looker
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it.
You wake up, alone, on a strangely familiar island full of puzzles that will frustrate and annoy you.
Narrow it down
Head-to-head comparisons
More from Rockstar Games
Other recommendable Steam games by Rockstar Games, ranked by review count so the studio's hits land first.
Red Dead Redemption 2
WHY THIS
Shares open world exploration and an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Another title from Rockstar Games, the studio behind Grand Theft Auto III. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde Gang are outlaws on the run. With federal agents and bounty hunters massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal, and fight their way across the rugged heartland in order to survive.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Another title from Rockstar Games, the studio behind Grand Theft Auto III. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas... a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. Where filmstars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and gangbangers. Now, it's the early 90s. Carl's got to go home.
Red Dead Online
WHY THIS
Shares open world exploration and an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Another title from Rockstar Games, the studio behind Grand Theft Auto III. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Step into the vibrant, ever-evolving world of Red Dead Online and experience life in frontier America. Chase down bounties, battle outlaw gangs and other players, hunt, fish and trade, search for exotic treasures, run Moonshine, and much more to discover in a world of astounding depth and detail.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Another title from Rockstar Games, the studio behind Grand Theft Auto III. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Welcome to Vice City. Welcome to the 1980s. From the decade of big hair, excess and pastel suits comes a story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile.
Red Dead Redemption
WHY THIS
Shares vehicle combat, open world exploration and an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Another title from Rockstar Games, the studio behind Grand Theft Auto III. Shares Action with Grand Theft Auto III.
Experience the story of former outlaw John Marston as he tracks down the last remaining members of the notorious Van der Linde Gang in the PC debut of the critically acclaimed predecessor to Red Dead Redemption 2.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition
WHY THIS
Another title from Rockstar Games, the studio behind Grand Theft Auto III. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: It’s the early ’90s. After a couple of cops frame him for homicide, Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Another title from Rockstar Games, the studio behind Grand Theft Auto III. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
Welcome to the 1980s. From the decade of big hair and pastel suits comes the story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile. Grand Theft Auto returns with Tommy Vercetti’s tale of betrayal and revenge in a neon-soaked tropical town full of excess and brimming with possibilities.
Grand Theft Auto III – The Definitive Edition
WHY THIS
Shares side mission looping, radio station system and an atmospheric mood with Grand Theft Auto III.
Another title from Rockstar Games, the studio behind Grand Theft Auto III. Shares Action and Adventure with Grand Theft Auto III.
It all starts in Liberty City. With revolutionary freedom to go anywhere and jack anyone, Grand Theft Auto III puts the center of the criminal underworld at your fingertips, if you have enough guts to take it.
Frequently asked about Grand Theft Auto III
- Does Grand Theft Auto III work on Steam Deck?
- Grand Theft Auto III is currently rated Unsupported on Steam Deck. It may not launch or may have significant issues that block normal play.
- What games are most similar to Grand Theft Auto III?
- Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Grand Theft Auto III are Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.
- Who developed Grand Theft Auto III?
- Grand Theft Auto III was developed by Rockstar Games.
imho.run ranks Steam game alternatives using a mix of collaborative filtering (ALS / iALS / EASE / LightGCN), content scoring over genres, categories, Steam tags, developers, and publishers, plus AI-extracted vibes mined from review text. The page above is generated in seed mode anchored on Grand Theft Auto III.
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