Best Games to Play While Waiting for GTA 6 (2026 Edition)

Waiting for GTA 6 feels a bit like waiting for a package that keeps saying “out for delivery” for three years straight. At this point, people have analyzed every trailer frame, every leak, every Rockstar tweet, and probably the shape of the clouds in Vice City screenshots too. The hype is huge, and it makes sense. GTA 6 looks like it could completely take over gaming when it finally drops.

But until then, your gaming backlog is sitting there begging for attention. The good news is that there are plenty of games that can scratch that same open-world, chaos-filled, freedom-heavy itch while you wait for Grand Theft Auto VI. Some focus on crime. Some focus on exploration. Others just give you that “one more mission” feeling that suddenly turns into 2AM.

Here are some of the best games to play while waiting for GTA 6.

Cyberpunk 2077 (Yes, It’s Actually Good Now)

If you skipped Cyberpunk 2077 because of the disastrous launch, you’re not alone. But the game today is very different from what people saw at release.

Night City feels massive, detailed, and actually alive. There’s chaos everywhere, side quests that somehow become emotional, and enough random distractions to completely derail whatever mission you were supposed to be doing.

It’s probably one of the closest modern games to GTA in terms of immersion and scale.

Things you’ll probably lose hours doing:

• Driving around for no reason
• Upgrading cyberware you absolutely don’t need
• Starting “one quick side mission”
• Accidentally becoming wanted by the entire city

If you want a huge open world with strong storytelling and freedom, this is an easy recommendation.

Red Dead Redemption 2

This one almost feels unfair to include because everyone already knows it’s incredible. Still, if you somehow haven’t played Red Dead Redemption 2 yet, now is the time.

Rockstar’s DNA is all over this game. The random encounters, the detailed NPC interactions, the cinematic missions, the ridiculous amount of realism. You can genuinely spend hours doing absolutely nothing important and still have fun.

The pace is slower than GTA, but that’s part of why people love it.

Also:

• Arthur Morgan might be one of the best-written characters in gaming
• The world still looks better than most modern releases
• The attention to detail is honestly ridiculous

This is probably the best possible game to play while waiting for GTA 6 because you can already see the systems Rockstar was building toward.

Watch Dogs 2 Deserved Better

Watch Dogs 2 never got the attention it probably deserved. The hacking mechanics are genuinely fun, San Francisco is a great setting, and the overall vibe feels lighter and more playful than GTA. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which honestly works in its favor.

You can:

• Hack traffic lights and create chaos
• Control drones
• Sneak through missions
• Cause complete nonsense without firing a shot

It’s one of those games that becomes way more fun once you stop trying to play it “correctly.”

If GTA 6 ends up leaning heavily into social media satire and modern internet culture, Watch Dogs 2 almost feels like a preview of that tone.

Sleeping Dogs Is Still Underrated

This game deserves way more love than it gets. Sleeping Dogs mixes open-world crime gameplay with martial arts combat, and somehow it still feels fresh years later. The hand-to-hand combat alone makes it stand out from most GTA-style games.

Hong Kong is also an amazing setting that feels very different from the usual American city formula. The story is surprisingly solid too. What starts as a crime game slowly turns into something much more personal. More people should be talking about this game in general.

Indie Games Are Secretly the Best Distraction

Not every game needs a massive map and 400 side quests. Sometimes the best thing you can do while waiting for GTA 6 is play something completely different.

Games like:

• Dave the Diver
• Hades
• Dredge
• Hotline Miami
• Vampire Survivors

…are perfect because they don’t try to be GTA. They just focus on being insanely addictive. This is also the danger zone where you tell yourself you’ll play for 20 minutes and suddenly realize the sun is coming up.

Indie games are carrying hard right now, and if your backlog only consists of AAA titles, you’re missing out on some of the best experiences in gaming.

The Wait for GTA 6 Is Part of the Experience at This Point

At this stage, waiting for GTA 6 has basically become its own gaming era. Everyone is replaying old Rockstar games, searching for updates, rewatching trailers, and trying to fill the gap until release day finally arrives.

But gaming is in a really good place right now. There’s no shortage of incredible worlds to get lost in while you wait.

Whether you want:

• Massive open worlds
• Crime-focused games
• Chaotic sandbox gameplay
• Strong storytelling
• Fast indie games you can’t stop playing

…there’s plenty to keep you busy until Rockstar finally decides to ruin everyone’s sleep schedule.