GTA-inspired The Precinct game allows you to be a cop in an open-world sandbox

If you're looking for some GTA-like open-world sandbox titles, The Precinct might be exactly what you need. This upcoming title puts you in the shoes of a police officer in a crime-ridden city. Its atmosphere, paired with the isometric camera angle, might remind you of the older GTA titles, like Grand Theft Auto 1 and 2, or even Chinatown Wars.

So here's everything you need to know about The Precinct, including its features, supported platforms, release window, and more.

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The Precinct is a GTA-like open-world sandbox adventure

As mentioned before, The Precinct is very similar to GTA Chinatown Wars, but with a twist — you play as a cop and not a crook. You'll be stopping crimes in a fictional place called Averno City in the year 1983. The game is being developed by Fallen Tree Games Ltd, who has made another similar GTA-inspired game in the past called American Fugitive.

The Precinct is set to launch on PC (via Steam and Epic), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, sometime in 2024. The plot is that you play a rookie beat cop, Officer Nick Cordell Jr., who is investigating his father's murder. The developers described the gameplay as follows:

"A love letter to classic cop movies, The Precinct combines police sim detail with action sandbox spectacle. Patrol the streets and respond to callouts to fight criminals petty and powerful. Choose your own tactics in thrilling chases and shootouts. Feel the shifting power struggles of Averno's gangs in a living city full of procedurally generated crimes, from parking infractions to bank heists, street racing to drug deals."

The procedural generation mechanic may keep replayability high, allowing you to engage in as many side activities as you like. Car and helicopter chases seem quite intense, with the ability to call for back-ups, like more cop cars, a roadblock, or even spike trips. One of the screenshots shows the different interactions you can make with a suspect, such as checking them for their ID, searching them, using a Breathalyzer, and more.

A screenshot showing the various NPC interaction options (Image via Steam || Kwalee)

Although the camera perspective is isometric, it's not completely flat, and hence, driving seems much easier than that of GTA 1 and 2, or Chinatown Wars. You can see ahead when driving at full speed. There's also a cover system in use during combat, and the graphics are quite impressive, making The Precinct a lot more realistic than the aforementioned GTA titles.