The 30 Best Crime Games Ever Made

There are so many great stories told in video games, and many of the greats allow us to step into the shoes of someone we could never be. From titles made for little kids to those written with a more mature audience in mind, if you’re after a game featuring a protagonist living a life of crime or one on the hunt to solve a case, we have you covered. These are our picks for the best crime games ever made. These are in no particular order–they’re all a great time. If we missed any of your favorites, reach out and let us know!

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#30 Mafia 3

• Developer: Hangar 13
• Publisher: 2K Games
• Platforms: PC, PS4, XBO
• Release: October 7, 2016

In Mafia 3, you take on the role of Lincoln Clay, a man who has recently returned from the Vietnam war and is looking for a place to belong. As a result, Lincoln ends up with his old crew and mentor though, as you can imagine, things don’t align very well, leaving our protagonist on a quest for revenge.

There’s plenty to like about this game, as it offers a unique ‘crime documentary’ vibe as you’ll be pulled from gameplay and thrown into a clip from the present day. This is used as a means to set up the next plot point, but these little details give the game an incredible amount of charm. There’s plenty to do outside of the campaign as the map is broken up into territories. These areas are dived up and given to different factions that you’re aligned with. Of course, who you give these locations to will matter, and it could cost you alliances if you slip up.

#29 This is the Police

• Developer: Weappy Studio
• Publisher: Nordic Games, EuroVideo Medien
• Platforms: PC, PS4, XBO, NS
• Release: August 2, 2016

In this narrative-based strategy game, players step into the shoes of a police chief who must make difficult choices throughout the game. Do you sack every black police officer on the force and capitulate to the demands of City Hall and its pandering of racists? Do you let a mobster go if it means saving the life of your best friend and his family? The choice is yours.

#28 Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise

• Developer: Toybox Inc., White Owls Inc., Now Production
• Publisher: Rising Star Games
• Platforms: NS
• Release: July 10, 2020

Deadly Premonition first launched back in 2010 and while it wasn’t a massive success, it grew a cult following. You can often find this game being compared to the supernatural detective series Twin Peaks. This third-person survival horror game followed an FBI agent in a small town investigating a strange murder case. Players were introduced to this offbeat town where it was clear that supernatural entities are at play. Now, after ten years, we got a new installment released on the Nintendo Switch.

Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise follows FBI Special Agent Francis York along with his friend Zach as they begin to investigate the small town in the hopes of solving a murder case that may have ties to a drug ring. Just as before, the game received some mixed reviews with some truly loving the gameplay and narrative.

#27 Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition

• Developer: Grove Street Games
• Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Platforms: PC, NS, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S, Android, iOS
• Release: November 11, 2021

Rockstar Games is largely known for the stellar Grand Theft Auto franchise. While fans have been waiting on more information about Grand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar Games opted to give players something to tide them over. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is a remastered collection of Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The narrative is intact here, but players are receiving some overhauls in visuals and modern mechanics.

If you’ve never played these installments in the past, each features a unique protagonist and overall storyline plot. For Grand Theft Auto III, players take on the role of Claude, who is on a revenge quest in a New York City-style location called Liberty City. In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, we’re taken to the late 1980s in a Miami-inspired area. Here you’ll be stepping into the role of a mobster named Tommy Vercetti who is building up his own criminal empire. Lastly, with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, you’re playing Carl Johnson, who ends up back in his hometown where he’s drawn back into a life of crime and corruption. If you’ve played the latest Grand Theft Auto installment, Grand Theft Auto V, you know what to expect in these games. While the title was released with countless bugs and issues, many of these have been fixed, either by Rockstar or by modders–so go enjoy a little nostalgia.

#26 The Godfather

• Developer: EA Redwood Shores
• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Platforms: PS2, XB, PC, PSP, X360, PS3, Wii
• Release: March 21, 2006

It’s impossible to deny the quality of Francis Ford Copella’s film series. So pervasive is this film’s appeal that the plot of this game wouldn’t think to stray from it. You’re a character introduced into the world working behind the scenes, performing tasks from within the film like planting Michael’s gun and the iconic horse head. While your role might be a little hammered in, it’s well executed and utterly recommendable.

#24 Mafia 2

• Developer: 2K Czech
• Publisher: 2K Games
• Platforms: PC, PS3, X360, PS4, XBO,
• Release: August 24, 2010

Set in the late ’40s to the early ’50s, Mafia 2 is the epitome of crime in games as you play the role of Vittorio Antonio “Vito” Scaletta, an up-and-coming member of the Sicilian Mafia. As Vito, you perform a wide variety of criminal activities, ranging from heists to assassinations as you proceed through the game’s The Godfather-inspired storyline.

It’s worth mentioning that while this game did come out over a decade ago, there has been a remastered release that brings in a fresh coat of paint along with some new mechanics. If you haven’t played this game yet, we recommend jumping to Mafia 2: Definitive Edition. This not only includes the remastered game but also the expanded storylines to give more insight into different character perspectives.

#23 Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

• Developer: Ubisoft
• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Platforms: PS4, XBO, PC
• Release: October 23, 2015

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate has, for the most part, received a positive reception since its release in 2015. The game uses the same gameplay mechanics that players have come to expect from the franchise. Players are in for a story of Assassin’s fighting against Templars, however, this time the franchise is set in Victorian-era London. Gamers will witness twin assassins, Jacob and Evie Frye, as they go through an underground organized crime in order to take control of the city from the Templars.

#22 Payday: The Heist

• Developer: Overkill Software
• Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment
• Platforms: PC, PS3
• Release: October 18, 2011

We all saw Heat and thought we could rob a bank, admit it. We thought that we could scheme a way to take massive amounts of money out of a building while wearing masks and telling everyone to keep cool and stay on the ground. Payday is basically a bank robbery sim. Though it inevitably becomes a shooting gallery toward the end of missions, no other game has attempted the same idea quite as well.

#21 LA Noire

• Developer: Team Bondi
• Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Platforms: PS3, X360, PC, NS, PS4, XBO
• Release: May 17, 2011

Chances are you’ve already played L.A. Noire if you enjoy crime titles. This game throws players into the late 1940s where they take on the role of a detective named Agent Cole who’s slowly working his way up through the various divisions within the LA police department. Throughout the game, players will follow Cole through a series of criminal cases in which they’ll need to explore, ask witnesses questions, collect evidence and slowly solve the crime. The gameplay is similar to the Grand Theft Auto franchise where players are in a third-person perspective and can freely roam the open world. 

An interesting aspect of the L.A. Noire franchise is that the developers were able to use motion capture technology that could capture the intricate facial expressions of the actors. It’s through this technology that players are able to tell if a person is lying –by seeking out cues in the actor’s performance, players are able to navigate through questions or bring up evidence that chips away at the suspect’s guilt, forcing them into a confession. 

#20 Yakuza 4

• Developer: Sega CS1
• Publisher: Sega
• Platforms: PS3, PS4
• Release: March 15, 2011

Crime isn’t relegated only to the West. Following the events of the three games before it, players once again take on the role of the Yakuza boss Kazuma Kiryu, who’s joined by three new protagonists this time around. As with the previous games, the action takes place in Kamurocho, a fictionalized yet realistic recreation of Shinjuku’s red light district. We’d recommend playing the previous games, of course, as the story is one that will suck you in with ease.

#19 Yakuza Kiwami

• Developer: Sega
• Publisher: Sega
• Platforms: PS3, PS4, PC
• Release: January 21, 2016

The Yakuza franchise has been around for years and there are quite a few installments available. Jumping in at any given point may not be the easiest thing for newcomers and going back to the original installments can feel somewhat dated. Thankfully, the franchise has been receiving remakes with the Kiwami series. Yakuza Kiwami is the first installment in the Yakuza franchise, giving players a chance to enjoy this series for the first time and inviting veterans to return to the fun with a new coat of paint along with some newer mechanics.

Overall, this franchise follows different Yakuza organizations and players take on the role of Kazuma Kiryu. After being falsely accused of killing a high-ranking Yakuza member, Kiryu is stripped from the family and sent to prison. After serving his time, Kiryu begins a new quest to find out the member responsible. It’s a game full of investigation, though this is broken up with plenty of brawls thrown in for good measure.

#18 Judgment

• Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
• Publisher: Sega
• Platforms: PS4
• Release: June 25, 2019

From the team that brought us Yakuza comes Judgment, a gritty tale of a disgraced attorney on his quest for redemption. Now taking on a new career path as a private investigator, players must investigate a string of murders. Find evidence, track and tail suspects, and bring the evidence to court all in this mystery adventure game. This is very much a crime game–you’re just not the one committing the crimes. It counts.

#17 Watch Dogs

• Developer: Ubisoft
• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, X360, XBO, Wii U
• Release: May 27, 2014

Watch Dogs is both about crime and the prevention of crime before it happens. As a futuristic vigilante, you’ll have access to the City of Chicago’s powerful ctOS system that allows you to predict crimes even before they occur and break them up as they are in progress, leaving the cops to clean up after you. It’s a bit like Minority Report but with nightsticks and shooting up the bad guys.

#16 Sleeping Dogs

• Developer: United Front Games
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Platforms: PC, PS3, X360, PS4, XBO
• Release: August 14, 2012

Sleeping Dogs is a game that didn’t take off, but still has a decent following with newcomers still discovering the neglected IP today. The game was also similar to the Grand Theft Auto franchise, but here, players stepped into the role of law enforcement attempting to invade a criminal organization. The title takes place in an open-world Hong Kong with the combat thriving on melee smackdowns. There’s even a definitive edition available that enhances the gameplay and audio for fans that are wanting to give this game a try on the PlayStation 4.

#15 Hitman

• Developer: IO Interactive
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Platforms: PC, PS4, XBO,
• Release: March 11, 2016

Hitman is a return to the series’ roots. Players once again step back in the well-polished shoes of Agent 47 as he scopes out his designated targets and kills them with flair. Sneak around undetected and kill your targets by making use of your surroundings. The best kills are those made without setting off any suspicion. Though Hitman was released episodically, players can access the full game available right now through the Definitive Edition.

#14 Watch Dogs 2

• Developer: Ubisoft
• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Platforms: PS4, XBO, PC
• Release: November 15, 2016

Ubisoft brought out Watch Dogs 2 in 2016 as a means to deliver a new experience featuring the hacking group DedSec. This time around, you’re taking the role of Marcus Holloway in San Francisco. The game is a means to improve on the foundation Ubisoft laid out with the original title. With that said, this game is certainly not a title where you can just jump in and be a badass. You’ll need to rely on stealth and hacking to do some real damage, making it much more challenging. Instead of going out and defeating enemies with brute force, you’ll be using your tools and gadgets to explore areas, plan, and execute missions in a way that draws little to no attention.

There’s also a big open world for players to explore with activities to check off, though we’re likely going to see this improved upon even further with the upcoming Watch Dogs: Legion. For now, if you haven’t dived into the franchise yet, Watch Dogs 2 could be a great starting point.

#13 The Wolf Among Us

• Developer: Telltale Games
• Publisher: Telltale Games
• Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, PSV, X360, XBO
• Release: October 14, 2013

From Telltale Games comes The Wolf Among Us, a dark and mature take on the creatures and characters from fairytales and legends. This five-episode choice-heavy game is based on the award-winning Fables comic series and sees players take control of Bigby Wolf, better known as the Big Bad Wolf. As the Sheriff of Fabletown, you’re going to have to delve into some dirty business, with murder being the least of your problems.

#12 Monaco

• Developer: Pocketwatch Games
• Publisher: Pocketwatch Games
• Platforms: PC, X360
• Release: April 24, 2013

Technically, this feels like two different games. One of them is about as tense a stealth experience as you can have on your own, and the other is a frantic goof around with your friends. In Monaco, you’ll inevitably bungle something up, but that’s when heists are at their most intense. It successfully makes you fail constantly but never feel like you’re a failure, and we appreciate that.

#11 Yakuza 5

• Developer: Sega CS1
• Publisher: Sega
• Platforms: PS3, PS4
• Release: December 8, 2015

In this legendary series, players take on the role of a high-ranking member of the Japanese mob, also known as the Yakuza. Steeped in honor and violence, Yakuza 5 sees the Tojo clan teetering on all-out war, and four men and one girl will be pulled into the chaos. Experience the continuing story of the criminal underworld that makes all of Japan tremble in fear.

#10 Saints Row: The Third

• Developer: Volition
• Publisher: THQ
• Platforms: PC, PS3, X360
• Release: November 15, 2011

The Saints Row games are typically viewed as Grand Theft Auto clones. However, they are a whole lot wackier and over-the-top with their gameplay mechanics and narratives. We haven’t seen a new mainline installment in a good while for this franchise, but one of the titles that has proven to keep fans entertained is Saints Row: The Third. This is a third-person action title that takes place five years after the events of Saints Row 2. 

Within this game, players will follow the Saints street gang that has become a worldwide phenomenon. The gang moves some serious merch and entertainment media for fans to enjoy. While promoting their upcoming film, the Saints end up enduring a bank robbery gone wrong which puts them behind bars. Now the Saints must face off against new law enforcement that’s seeking to end this street gang’s activities once and for all. Again, it’s quite a bit like the Grand Theft Auto franchise but with the narrative being more loose and comical.

#9 Hotline Miami

• Developer: Dennaton Games
• Publisher: Devolver Digital
• Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, PSV, Android
• Release: October 23, 2012

Hotline Miami was one of the breakout indie titles to come out in 2013. This top-down shooter was an intense and brutal action game set in Miami in 1989. Players step into the shoes of a protagonist who’s been getting nonstop messages on his answering machine telling him to go out and massacre Russian mafia members. From there, it’s a nonstop action title full of destruction and death. With the game set up to look like a retro title with a dash of neon, Hotline Miami sticks out on this list. The slew of weapons you’ll pick up along the way makes the game even more chaotic. 

We’d be doing a disservice if we didn’t make mention of the sequel, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number. This game keeps up with the same top-down shooter mechanics and takes place both before the events of the first game and after.

#8 Her Story

• Developer: Sam Barlow
• Publisher: Sam Barlow
• Platforms: PC, Android
• Release: June 24, 2015

A deceptively simple investigation game that’s wildly unique. In Her Story, you’re trying to figure out an old crime — what that crime actually is? That’s also one of the mysteries you’ll have to solve. The gameplay consists of an old police database UI as you search for videos of a woman’s extensive interrogation sessions across multiple years. The only way to access the video files is by searching for keywords that appear in the videos. By listening carefully and following the rabbit hole of keywords, you’ll eventually find critical (or baffling) confessions that just might explain what’s going on. To say more would be to spoil it.

#7 Saints Row IV

• Developer: Volition
• Publisher: Deep Silver
• Platforms: PC, PS3, X360, PS4, XBO
• Release: August 20, 2013

The Saints Row series is one that often competes against Grand Theft Auto. However, out of the two, Saints Row is more over-the-top in terms of action and story. Saints Row IV follows the street gang leader of the 3^rd Street Saints. Shortly after becoming the President of the United States, players receive super powers and must fight off an alien invasion. This is still very much an open-world action game that the franchise is known for while also being a title where players can create havoc as they also attempt to survive the alien threat. Likewise, with the added benefit of super powers, players will be able to race at incredible speeds, jump onto large buildings, and fire off fire and ice missiles along with having telekinesis. It’s a lot.

#6 Max Payne 3

• Developer: Rockstar Studios
• Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Platforms: PS3, X360, PC
• Release: May 15, 2012

Max Payne first hit the market back in 2001, but to keep things a bit fresh, we’re looking at the latest installment, Max Payne 3. The game launched back in 2012 and takes place nearly a decade after the events of Max Payne 2. Players once again take the role of Max Payne who was once a detective but has since become a private security contractor. In this installment of the franchise, Max finds himself pinned between death and betrayal in a brand new mission.

#5 Batman: Arkham Asylum

• Developer: Rocksteady Studios
• Publisher: Eidos Interactive, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Platforms: PS3, X360, PC, PS4, XBO
• Release: August 25, 2009

There were a number of entries we could have included from the Batman Arkham series, all of which are well worth playing. To avoid flooding the list, we decided to include the first title from the Arkham series, Batman: Arkham Asylum. Within the game, players take on the role of the dark knight who becomes trapped in Arkham Asylum. It becomes your quest to take out loose criminals and restore order within the infamous prison. Who can resist running into Scarecrow?

#4 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

• Developer: Rockstar North
• Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Platforms: PS2, PC, XB, X360, PS3, Ios, Android,
• Release: October 26, 2004

San Andreas is all about set pieces and interacting with the world. It’s a game where you burn down fields of pot with a flamethrower and gradually get high as the fields burn. It’s chaos in the best way and highlights the best of Rockstar’s early gameplay philosophy of giving the player complete freedom. This has seemed to change over the years, but going back to this classic title will make you remember the simpler times. Break into a military facility without knowing what you’re there to find and get rewarded with a jetpack you can ride around in for the entire rest of the game. Really.

#3 Grand Theft Auto 4

• Developer: Rockstar North
• Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Platforms: PS3, X360, PC
• Release: April 29, 2008

The 2008 title Grand Theft Auto IV places players on an absolutely massive map as Niko Bellic, a war veteran. Based on New York City, Liberty City offers plenty of narrow streets and unique areas to utilize while attempting to avoid the cops, and while it feels a bit more restrained than the previous installment, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There’s no parachuting or plane-jacking, but there’s an adult narrative told well.

#2 Grand Theft Auto V

• Developer: Rockstar North
• Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Platforms: PS3, PS4, XBO, PC
• Release: September 17, 2013

GTAV was originally released nine years ago and still shows no signs of slowing down. With one then-next generation upgrade under its belt, it can only get better with the upcoming improvements. Exploring Los Santos again as Michael, Franklin, and Trevor looks to be every bit as fun as it did back in 2013.

Focusing on the crime aspect, the possibilities are endless in Grand Theft Auto V. As the trio tries to get a big score, they’re forced to complete a series of heists to help different characters or agencies. From robbing a jewelry store, breaking an individual out of the pen, or taking out rival drug empires, a life of crime is a never-ending journey. As mentioned, there’s also an online component offering its own unique missions and tasks.

#1 Red Dead Redemption 2

• Developer: Rockstar Studios
• Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Platforms: PS4, XBO
• Release: October 26, 2018

Rockstar Games has delivered some iconic titles in the past, with the obvious choice being Grand Theft Auto. However, when they first announced that they are bringing out a western timepiece called Red Dead Redemption, fans immediately labeled it as a subpar Grand Theft Auto clone, yet when it was released, fans quickly flocked to the stores and couldn’t get enough of living life in the old west. This was such a massive hit that it was clear that Rockstar Games would be delivering another installment down the road.

Atmospheric, insanely well-detailed, and widely regarded as a landmark in terms of open-world game design, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a masterpiece. The game is set in a fictionalized environment based on the Western, Midwestern, and Southern United States of 1899. The world maps are huge, as the setting is meant to span the entirety of five fictional American states. In Red Dead Redemption 2, your exploits as outlaw Arthur Morgan take place across an array of environments, from sweeping valleys, mountain wildernesses, and cattle towns to lake, bayous, and port towns, to name a few.

Bonus

Life is Strange 2

• Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Platforms: PC, PS4, XBO
• Release: September 26, 2018

Life is Strange has one of the most compelling narrative journeys in gaming. The latest installment, Life is Strange 2, follows the same gameplay mechanics and setup as the previous installment. Focused on player choices and consequences, it’s possible to unlock several different endings. In this installment to the franchise, players take on the role of Sean Diaz, a sixteen-year-old teen that is focusing on what life will hold after high school. However, much like any family dynamic, Sean isn’t always fond of his little brother, Daniel. After a tragic accident results in their father being shot by a panicked police officer, Daniel unknowingly triggers his secret power, leaving the cop dead.

Fearing the law and what could come from this situation, the brothers flee across the country to Mexico. It’s a long and tough road, filled with highs and lows. This difficult journey can also bring the brothers closer together or drive them further apart depending on your actions.