
Best Games Like GTA on Nintendo Switch (2026)
Grand Theft Auto has never landed on a Nintendo console — and it almost certainly never will. But the Switch library hides a surprising number of open-world, crime-and-chaos sandboxes that hit the same nerve. Here are the ten best.
The single best GTA-alike on Switch. All three story DLCs included, surprisingly stable framerate in handheld, and the most over-the-top crime sandbox ever made.
Don't laugh. LEGO City Undertakers is essentially "kid-friendly GTA": carjack civilians, crash through the city, complete heist missions. The 100% completion run is enormous.
3. The Simpsons: Hit & Run (via emulation only — sadly not on eShop)
Worth mentioning because Switch homebrew makes it possible. The most beloved licensed GTA-clone of all time.
4. Just Cause 4 (Cloud version)
Pure destruction. Tether anything to anything, blow it up, repeat. The cloud version on Switch is the only way to play it portable.
Yes, really. GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas are on Switch. The remaster is rough but playable, and Vice City handheld is genuinely a vibe.
6. Mafia I: Definitive Edition (Cloud)
Story-focused 1930s gangster crime. One of the best narrative campaigns in the genre.
7. Yakuza Kiwami (Cloud)
Japanese GTA with a heart. Combat-focused, story-rich, and packed with more side activities than any GTA game.
8. Watch_Dogs Legion (Cloud)
Open-world London with a recruit-anyone mechanic. The cloud version is the only way to play it on Switch.
9. Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition (Cloud)
Hong Kong, martial arts, undercover cop drama. A criminally underrated open-world gem.
10. Bully: Scholarship Edition (rumored Switch port — watch this space)
Rockstar's high-school sandbox classic. A Switch port has been rumored for years. Until then, it's PS2 emulation only.
See also
For the older open-world crime games that shaped the genre, see the classics section of the best games like GTA 5.
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