Beingone of the most recognizable citiesin the world, New York City has always been a popular destination for countless movies, TV series, and video games. However, not every game set in NYC has depicted the City That Never Sleeps equally, allowing for free navigation and exploration of the surroundings. Some of the most well-known games set in New York, likeMax Payne,Crysis 2, orFahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy, while capturing the vibe and atmosphere of the Big Apple, offer linear missions with little to no freedom to enjoy the actual city and spend time in it.
For players who want just that, below, you’ll find some of the best open-world games set in New York City. These titles offer huge maps to explore and the freedom to traverse the city either on foot or using different vehicles (or special abilities) to make it faster and even more exciting.
Some games on the list don’t include realistic versions of New York City but rather fictional cities heavily inspired by the Big Apple, convincingly capturing its essence.
8True Crime: New York City
Not The Best GTA Clone, But One With A Very Accurate Depiction Of NYC
True Crime: New York Cityis atraditionalGTAclonethat wasn’t too impressive even at launch and is all but forgotten today. While the game didn’t become the hit its creators had hoped for, with its cliché crime-centered story and ordinary gameplay, it has one undeniable merit: an incredibly accurate recreation of New York City, down to every street corner and building.
The district of Manhattan represented in the game is so authentic that players were able to explore the in-game world with a real-world GPS. On top of that, many surrounding buildings are accessible in the game, although the most famous landmarks — such as the Empire State Building, the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the United Nations headquarters, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, and the Chrysler Building — cannot be entered.
7Driver: Parallel Lines
Two Different Time Periods Make For A Great Contrast
Driver: Parallel Linesis a crime-centered story akin toGTA, with a stylish soundtrack and authentic retro vibes of street gangs. What makes the game rather special even to this day is its 30-year time gap between key story events, allowing players to freely explore New York City both in 1978 and 2006 in the second half of the game. These renditions of the city not only look different but also have their own set of available vehicles and weapons.
Driver: Parallel Linesfeatures one of the most fully realized versions of the city, including all of its main regions: Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. Even though the city’s in-game map isn’t the biggest by modern standards, there is still plenty to see and do in the game.
The Godfather: The Gamefeatures a standalone story with original characters inspired by the iconicGodfathertrilogy, though director Francis Ford Coppola was not involved — and he even disapproved of its creation. Closer in style toMafiathanGTAtitles, the game is predominantly set in New York City and features many real-world landmarks and locations, including the Bowery and Mott Street, providing players with a fascinating glimpse of the 1940s.
The game’s 2009 sequel,The Godfather 2, also takes place in the Capital of the World, covering the period between 1958 and 1960. This is reflected in the updated game world, with several differences from the original and additional landmarks.
Strikingly Beautiful For A Virtual Time-Travel Experience
Mafia 2: Definitive Edition
Includes main game and all DLC releases.Part two of the Mafia crime saga – 1940’s - 50’s Empire Bay, NYRemastered in stunning HD detail, live the life of a gangster during the Golden-era of organized crime. War hero Vito Scaletta becomes entangled with the mob in hopes of paying his father’s debts. Alongside his buddy Joe, Vito works to prove himself, climbing the family ladder with crimes of larger reward, status and consequence.Golden-era Drama:Inspired by iconic mafia dramas, be immersed in the allure and impossible escape of life as a wise guy in the Mafia.Empire Bay, NY: Post-World War II Empire Bay, NY, a city sprawling with opportunity and where organized crime thrives on the booming industries of post-war America.The Complete & Remastered Favorite: For the first-time ever experience the Mafia II crime drama all in one package and presented in stunning HD detail.Own Mafia II: Definitive Edition to unlock Vito’s Leather Jacket and Car in both Mafia and Mafia III Definitive Editions.The developers describe the content like this:This Game may contain content not appropriate for all ages, or may not be appropriate for viewing at work: General Mature Content
Mafia 2is the first game on this list that isn’t actually set in New York, but in its fictional version called Empire Bay City. However, New York City was one of the biggest sources of inspiration for it (alongside Chicago), and this is evident in the world around the player. For instance, Empire Bay has its analogs for famous landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building.
The developers aimed to combine several American cities into a unique urban setting with narrow alleys and towering skyscrapers, capturing the look and feel of authentic neighborhoods of that time. Set between 1945 and 1951,Mafia 2stands as a believable time capsule, allowing players toexperience a gangster atmospherereminiscent of classic movies. Additionally, it features a rich roster of retro vehicles inspired by real-world counterparts.
BeforeMarvel’s Spider-Man, thePrototypeseries was one of the closest equivalents for players wanting to play a superhero in open-world New York City. As mutant Alex Mercer with supernatural abilities, players can take down not only human foes but also helicopters, tanks, and other giant mutants that infest the city’s streets. WhilePrototypedoesn’t offer a realistic depiction of the Five Boroughs, it allows players to freely explore a significant portion of the real-life city and enjoy fast and fluid traversal thanks to special abilities like sky-high jumps and air gliding.
The game’s sequel,Prototype 2, is set one year after the events of the first game and features a different story and protagonist while keeping most of the core gameplay elements. The city’s map is larger in the sequel but divided into three zones with loading screens, which some fans of truly open-world games may not appreciate.
Tom Clancy’s The Divisionarrived four years before the real-world COVID-19 pandemic and gained popularity during the lockdown. Many players decided to explore the fictional consequences of a modern society ravaged by a fierce virus outbreak. The game’s unique setting of a Christmas-gone-wrong coupled with outstanding graphical fidelity makes it a one-of-a-kind virtual destination, especially given how detailed the city map is and the variety of activities available.
The Divisionpredominantly takes place in Manhattan, featuring most of its real-life districts, but also includes a part of Brooklyn. Players can return to a summer version of Manhattan inTom Clancy’s The Division 2, where the area is added with theWarlords of New Yorkexpansion.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2offers the most recent and visually stunning iteration of New York City, featuring lightning-fast traversal, incredibly detailed buildings, impressive draw distances, and a grand sense of scale when zipping above the city’s rooftops. The game world size has been increased from both the original game andSpider-Man: Miles Morales, now including Brooklyn and Queens, while Manhattan remains practically unchanged from the previous entries.
Exploring this new version of the Big Apple is a lot of fun, especially given how players can fly high above the city as Peter Parker or Miles Morales, as well as walk the streets and interact with the city crowd. Additionally, the city is filled withvarious comic book references and landmarksthat trueMarvelfans will be thrilled to discover.
Liberty City inGrand Theft Auto 4is fictional, like every other major city in theGTAuniverse, yet it is probably the most authentic and believable depiction of New York City in gaming. All the major landmarks, including Times Square, Central Park, and even the Statue of Liberty, are present. WithRockstar’s unparalleled attention to detail and rich interactions with the world and NPCs,GTA 4offers dozens of hours of unforgettable experiences that genuinely feel alive no matter what players decide to do.
Sure, some 16 years after its launch, the game’s visuals aren’t as impressive as those ofMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, butGTA 4still stands as one of the most impressive open-world games set in a fictional New York City — and will likely remain so for years to come.
