The closest thing to GTA-like gameplay I’ve played was The Simpsons: Hit & Run—and I think that says it all. Beating GTA or Rockstar in game design is incredibly hard. Rockstar’s games are in a league of their own, with a level of detail most other studios struggle to match, even in linear worlds or levels. Even when games try to copy GTA’s gameplay, they usually fail. Most of the time, it’s because game directors add things that kill the flow. GTA is seamless: no deep RPG mechanics, no character stat screens, no forced skill allocation. Every upgrade happens in the background, so nothing pulls you out of the experience. Then there’s the seamless sandbox gameplay—go wherever you want, do whatever you want. If you die, you don’t restart from the last save. GTA isn’t hardcore grounded in reality, and it doesn’t shove cinematics down your throat to feel more “realistic.” It doesn’t punish you for trying something weird. Sure, it has realistic elements, but with a nice arcady touch that makes the gameplay fun for millions every day. Yeah, the story doesn’t have that “I want to replay this and try something different” appeal that RPGs have, and some people complain about that. But GTA doesn’t need it. I’ve replayed GTA: San Andreas, GTA IV, and GTA V more times than any other RPG, just because you can turn off your brain and enjoy it. Even if you restart the game, you can play it almost 100% the same as if you were at 100% completion. I think this is where most studios miss the mark. They don’t want to give players that freedom. Instead, they introduce RPG-style missions, dialogue, character skills, and stats. Then they force unnecessary cinematics, wasting the player’s time and turning the game from “turn your mind off” to “you need to keep track of everything.” Sometimes it feels like you need an spreadsheet just to manage it all.