Waiting for GTA 6 at this point feels like waiting for the next season of a show that ended on a cliffhanger a year ago. Rockstar drops a teaser, the internet loses its mind, and then… silence. So instead of replaying GTA 5 for the twelfth time and pretending you will finally finish the ignored side-missions, let’s talk about what you should actually be playing.

 

Rockstar’s catalogue is way bigger than just 'that studio that makes GTA and ruins social lives'. There are classics, cult favorites, and a few games that prove Rockstar has always been a little unhinged.

 

Let’s start with the obvious stuff, get it out of the way, and then move on to the real treats.

The Obvious Ones (Yes, You Should Still Play These)

GTA San Andreas

If you grew up anywhere near a PlayStation 2, this game probably raised you. San Andreas is the reason “Ah shit, here we go again” became a meme before memes were even a thing. It is huge, messy, ambitious, and still weirdly comforting. Going back to it now feels like rewatching an old season of your favourite TV show. You notice things you missed, and some parts hit harder than you remember (still).

GTA Vice City

Vice City is pure 80s energy. Neon lights, questionable sense of fashion, and a soundtrack that feels like someone stole your dad’s cassette collection and put it on a loop. If GTA 6 is going back to Vice City like the rumors suggest, this one is going to be almost as good as homework.

GTA IV

This is the one where 'GTA got serious'. Less sunshine, more existential dread. Liberty City feels heavy, and Niko Bellic is probably the most grounded protagonist Rockstar has ever written (at least for the GTA franchise). It is the game that proved GTA could do more than just jokes and random explosions. Think of it like the Batman Begins of the series. Darker, moodier, and way more introspective.

GTA V

You already know this one. You have probably played it on at least two different generations of consoles. Heists, chaos, three protagonists, and an online mode that somehow refuses to die. Replaying it now is like rewatching Breaking Bad. You tell yourself you will just do one mission, and suddenly it is 3 AM (or probably time to go to work - worst case scenario - or best case maybe?).

The Gems That Prove Rockstar Is Not a One Trick Pony

This is where things get interesting. These are the games that show Rockstar has always been experimenting, sometimes in ways that made parents and news channels very very nervous.

Manhunt 1 and 2

If GTA is Rockstar being rebellious, Manhunt is Rockstar being straight up psychotic. These games are dark, violent, and not in a “haha look at that explosion man!” way. More like “should I turn the lights on for a while or maybe take a walk outside” way. They are stealth horror games that feel like watching (or living inside) a thriller movie. Not for everyone, but if you want to see Rockstar at its most controversial, this is it.

Bully

Bully is what happens when Rockstar decides to make a game about school and somehow makes it more fun than your actual school life ever was. You play as Jimmy Hopkins, who is basically every teen movie troublemaker rolled into one. It was the coming of age story, and one of the most addicting games Rockstar has ever made. You can punch people (kids), steal bikes, and do (mostly) things that your parents hope you'd never do.

Max Payne 1, 2 and 3

These games are pure action movie energy with a superb backstory (superb is an understatement when it comes to the Max Payne franchise though). Slow motion dives, noir monologues, and enough inner angst to fill three seasons of a very dark TV series. The first two feel like playing a graphic novel. The third feels like a movie that forgot about its budget. If you want tight gunplay and moody storytelling, Max Payne is still hard to beat.

Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead is GTA's 'let’s make you feel things' era. The first game has a fantastic western vibe. The second one is basically a very long, very emotional HBO series you get to play (and become a part of emotionally...eventually). Arthur Morgan alone, honestly, has more character development than most movie trilogies you know. These games are slow, beautiful, and occasionally devastating (on several levels). You will come for the cowboy fantasy and stay for the existential crisis.

The Ones Everyone Forgets but Should Not

Now these happen to be the titles that most of the websites forget to mention, probably because they're not talked about (in 2026) that much. Nonetheless, if we're talking about great games from Rockstar, we just can't forget mentioning these:

L.A. Noire

Rockstar doing a detective game sounds weird on paper, but it works. L.A. Noire is all about reading faces, interrogating suspects, and trying to figure out who is lying to you. It feels like playing through an old black and white crime movie, but with beautiful graphics and lesser cigarette burning on the screen. It is slower, methodical, and a great reminder that Rockstar can go subtle, when it (really) wants to.

Midnight Club Series

Before open world racing games were everywhere, Rockstar was already at it. Midnight Club is all about street racing, fast cars, and views that make you want to keep driving even when you should really be sleeping. If you ever wished GTA had a mode where it was just about cars and speed, this series is basically that wish coming true.

The Warriors

Based on the cult classic movie from 1979, this game is a love letter to all the street brawlers. It is rough, loud, and full of attitude. If you have ever heard someone quote “Warriors, come out to play,” this is where that energy lives in video game form. It is not subtle, but it is memorable in the way only Rockstar games tend to be.

 

Most of the articles on the web about 'Rockstar games to try while you wait for GTA 6' do one of two things: They either list five obvious games and call it a day, or they dump (literally) every Rockstar title ever made into a ranking that nobody actually finishes reading.

 

Most of you searching for “what to play before GTA 6 launch” want a mix of comfort food and discovery. You want to replay the classics, sure, but you also want to find something you skipped back in the day. That made us cover the full Rockstar vibe. Big open worlds, tight storytelling, weird experiments, and the occasional “how (or why) did this even get made in the first place” stuff.

 

So if waiting for GTA 6 is driving you a little crazy, maybe that is the point. Go back. Play the hits. Try the weird ones. Pretend you are doing “research” instead of getting fidgety. Worst case, you will have a great time. Best case, by the time GTA 6 finally drops, you will appreciate just how long Rockstar has been quietly leveling up.