5 GTA competitors that ultimately failed

The GTA franchise is one of the most renowned and successful open-world series in video game history, giving Rockstar Games widespread recognition. However, it took years of consistent success to reach this level. The Grand Theft Auto series consists of several open-world action-adventure games focusing on the criminal underworld.

Many other studios have attempted to make similar open-world titles, but a handful have been successful. The media often dubbed them "GTA clones," but not all of them copy-pasted Rockstar's model. Some of these series, having been initially quite successful, eventually died out for various reasons.

This article examines a few GTA rivals who failed to stand the test of time.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.

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5 GTA rivals that eventually fizzled out

1) Saints Row

The Saints Row franchise has often been regarded as the closest rival to Grand Theft Auto due to the similarities between the two series. The former's games often went above and beyond GTA, with deep character customization, wacky but entertaining side missions, stellar plots, and even superb soundtracks.

Saints Row 3 took a less-serious approach to appeal to a wider audience. Although veteran fans didn't like the new direction, many enjoyed the new game, which became the most successful title in the series. Saints Row 4, however, got too whimsical, and the game felt half-hearted. It was SR3 with a fresh coat of paint, as it featured the same map and was in the same engine.

So, when the series rebooted, everyone was naturally excited, but things got worse from there. However, when the new Saints Row was revealed, it became clear that it would be nothing like the original. It alienated its large fanbase and was too buggy and boring to attract a new one. Unfortunately, now that Volition has shut down, there's not much hope for a new Saints Row title.

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2) True Crime

The True Crime franchise was started by Activision after seeing the success of the GTA Trilogy, but it died out after just two games. The first one, True Crime: Streets of LA, was quite successful, but its sequel, True Crime: New York City, was considered a commercial failure.

The franchise successfully differentiated itself from Grand Theft Auto in many ways, but the main difference is that the protagonist is a cop in both games. Gameplay variety is achieved through four mission types: shooting, fighting, stealth, and driving. Shooting, in particular, feels far superior to the 3D Universe GTA titles.

However, the second game felt rushed, was buggy, and had an uninteresting plot, all contributing to its failure. Sleeping Dogs, a spiritual successor initially titled True Crime: Hong Kong, was far more successful and is often considered one of the best GTA rivals ever. Despite its popularity, the game didn't meet sales expectations, and a sequel was canceled.

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3) The Godfather

The Godfather is an interesting open-world title set in the cinematic universe of the 1972 film The Godfather. In fact, the game's plot follows behind events shown in the movie and plays out as a fun action-adventure open-world game. It sold over two million copies and was a commercial success.

The gameplay is quite fast-paced, and the story isn't too long, though it can feel a bit repetitive. The sequel, however, wasn't as successful as the first game. It was criticized for having too many bugs and glitches and for being too easy. Due to The Godfather II's failure, a third title was canceled.

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4) Driver

The Driver series began as a racing game with open-world exploration elements, and the first release was quite popular. It eventually got compared to the GTA series, so the games started to resemble it. With Driver 3 (stylized as DRIV3R), the franchise completely transformed into a GTA clone, with third-person shooting added to the mix.

It even took a dig at GTA Vice City by parodying Tommy Vercetti, the game's protagonist. However, most players thought the game was quite half-hearted. It was also heavily criticized for being glitchy and having a bizarre difficulty spike at times.

Driver: San Francisco, however, found success by turning the franchise around and going back to its roots, removing the GTA clone elements. It even managed to exceed sales expectations. Despite this change, there hasn't been any new Driver game since San Francisco, and Ubisoft seemingly abandoned the franchise.

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5) Watch Dogs

Despite being the newest franchise on this list, Watch Dogs has had enormous success, with lifetime sales for the first two games surpassing 20 million units. However, this franchise has also dwindled out and gone out of relevance in the long run. The first game was criticized for not looking as good as advertised, but it was still a commercial success.

Watch Dogs 2 was quite popular as well, even surpassing the popularity of its predecessor. However, when the series took a different shift with Watch Dogs: Legion, it didn't get as much praise and didn't make as many sales as the previous titles. The game often feels repetitive, and the lack of a main protagonist makes it feel dull at times.

Many believe that Ubisoft has abandoned the franchise, as there are no reports of a new title being in development. As such, despite having so much potential, gamers believe that the series has ultimately failed.