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Best Crime Games

Run the underworld with the best crime games on PS5 and PS4 — open-world gangster epics, mafia sagas, heists and noir thrillers, hand-picked and ranked. From GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 to Yakuza 0, Mafia and Hitman 3, these are the criminal playgrounds worth your time.

By How we rank games

By Ugur Saritepe · Updated Jun 21, 2026

Top Picks

Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation®5)
#1 Pick

Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation®5)

★ 4.5Great
Red Dead Redemption 2
#2

Red Dead Redemption 2

★ 4.8Great
Yakuza 0
#3

Yakuza 0

★ 4.8Great

Discover Games

13 games found

1Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation®5)
Best overall

Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation®5)

4.5(956,165)2014
Co-op: 8ESRB Maturemodern
GreatReview analysis

Overall, players are overwhelmingly positive about Grand Theft Auto V, praising its immersive open world, engaging story, and the chaotic fun it provides in both single-player and online modes. However, many players express frustration with the online experience, particularly due to issues with hackers, grinding, and bugs.

Why it's here: Three criminals, one city, and a switch that drops the player between them mid-heist, so a single robbery plays out from the gunman, the driver and the lookout at once. The Los Santos sandbox still sets the open-world bar a decade on. Whether the aging story or the grind-heavy Online defines it now is the open question.

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2Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2

4.8(443,735)2018
PS+ ExtraPS Plus ExtraESRB Mature 17+western
GreatReview analysis

Overall player feedback for Red Dead Redemption 2 is overwhelmingly positive, with many praising its immersive storytelling, stunning visuals, and rich gameplay. However, some players express frustrations with certain gameplay mechanics and the lack of updates for online content.

Why it's here: An outlaw saga set at the death of the Wild West, where one gang's slow collapse is told with obsessive detail, down to how a horse reacts and a stranger remembers a slight. Included on PS Plus Extra. Whether that patient, deliberate pace reads as immersion or as drag is the divide worth weighing.

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3Yakuza 0
Best organized crime

Yakuza 0

4.8(22,000)2017
ESRB Maturecrime
GreatReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for Yakuza 0 is overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the engaging story, rich world-building, and diverse gameplay elements including mini-games. Some criticisms arise regarding grinding requirements for skill progression and technical issues on the PC version, but these are largely overshadowed by the game's strengths. Most players recommend it as a fantastic entry point into the Yakuza series, highlighting its captivating characters and immersive environments.

Why it's here: A prequel that swings between two future legends of the series, brawling through neon-lit 1988 Japan one minute and running a real-estate empire or belting karaoke the next. The most-recommended starting point for newcomers to the saga. Whether that constant tonal whiplash is the charm or the distraction is the question to settle.

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4Mafia: Definitive Edition

Mafia: Definitive Edition

4.4(28,000)2020
ESRB Mature 17+crime
GreatReview analysis

Overall player feedback for Mafia: Definitive Edition is overwhelmingly positive, with many players praising its gripping story, immersive setting, and stunning graphics. However, some critics point out issues with the driving mechanics, repetitive gameplay, and a feeling that the experience could have been enriched further. Despite these criticisms, the game remains a beloved remake that appeals to both newcomers and long-time fans of the franchise.

Why it's here: A ground-up remake of the 2002 mob tragedy, following a Depression-era cabbie who talks his way into a crime family and slowly loses everything to it. This is a tight, scripted rise-and-fall, not a sandbox. Whether that linear focus feels like discipline or a cage is what the detail page weighs.

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5L.A. Noire
Best noir

L.A. Noire

4.7(9,931)2017
PS+ PlusESRB Mature
MixedReview analysis

Overall, player feedback on L.A. Noire is highly polarized, with many praising its unique storytelling, engaging gameplay mechanics, and atmospheric setting; yet, numerous players express frustration over its technical issues and the requirement of third-party DRM. Despite the criticisms, a significant number of players regard it as a masterpiece in detective gaming.

Why it's here: A 1947 Los Angeles crime story told from the detective's desk, where solving cases means reading a suspect's face, built on motion-capture so detailed that a twitch or a glance is the clue. The case-file structure is unlike anything else here. Whether that slow, methodical loop grips or grates is the divide.

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6Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs

4.6(33,490)2014
ESRB Maturecrime
GreatReview analysis

Overall, players have provided overwhelmingly positive feedback for Sleeping Dogs, praising its engaging story, fun combat mechanics, and the vibrant open world setting. However, some players noted issues with outdated gameplay mechanics and limited activities in the open world.

Why it's here: An undercover cop sunk so deep into a Hong Kong triad that the line between cover and loyalty blurs, with brutal hand-to-hand combat that owes more to martial-arts cinema than to gunplay. A compact, vivid city rather than a vast one. Whether its age shows or its focus saves it is the question.

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7HITMAN 3

HITMAN 3

4.4(57,535)2021
ESRB Mature 17+modern
MixedReview analysis

Player feedback for HITMAN 3 is largely positive, with many praising its level design, freedom of play, and rewarding gameplay. However, there are notable criticisms regarding its confusing pricing model and mandatory online requirements, which detract from the overall experience for some users.

Why it's here: Agent 47 dropped into intricate, clockwork levels with a single instruction: find a way to the target. Disguise, accident, patience or improvisation, every guard and routine is a puzzle piece, and landing the perfect silent exit is the real game. Whether the tangled pricing of its World of Assassination bundle is worth navigating is the catch.

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8PAYDAY 2: CRIMEWAVE EDITION
Best heist

PAYDAY 2: CRIMEWAVE EDITION

4.3(38,000)2024
ESRB Maturecrime
GreatReview analysis

Overall, player feedback on PAYDAY 2: CRIMEWAVE EDITION is overwhelmingly positive, celebrating its engaging cooperative gameplay, vast content, and replayability, though criticism arises regarding the game's difficulty balancing and extensive DLC pricing. Many players highlight the fun experienced during heists, particularly when played with friends, while also expressing frustration about bugs and the game's dependence on DLC for full content access.

Why it's here: The actual heist, run by a crew of four: case the job, pick the loadout, and try to walk out quiet, knowing a single slip turns a clean robbery into a four-player firefight. Built around friends, not solo runs. Whether years of stacked DLC enrich it or bury it is the thing to weigh.

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9Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth PS4 & PS5

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth PS4 & PS5

4.7(15,610)2024
PS+ ExtraPS Plus ExtraESRB Mature 17+modern
MixedReview analysis

Player feedback for 'Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth' is polarized, with many praising its gameplay improvements, engaging side content, and nostalgic elements from earlier titles. However, numerous criticisms center on the story's pacing, reliance on grinding, and the controversial decision to lock certain features behind DLC. Overall, the reception highlights a strong contrast between enjoyment of mechanics and dissatisfaction with narrative execution.

Why it's here: The crime saga reinvented as a full turn-based RPG, sending a relentlessly optimistic ex-yakuza from the streets of Japan to the beaches of Hawaii, with the series' old guard along for a last ride. Party battles and a mountain of side content underneath. Whether the long, uneven story earns that runtime is the open question.

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10WATCH_DOGS™

WATCH_DOGS™

4.5(65,921)2014
PS+ ExtraPS Plus ExtraESRB Maturemodern
MixedReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for Watch_Dogs is largely positive, with significant appreciation for its unique hacking mechanics, immersive storyline, and atmospheric setting. However, criticisms about technical issues and repetitive gameplay mechanics also emerged, leading to a varied experience for players.

Why it's here: Open-world crime where the weapon is the city itself: as a vigilante hacker in a surveillance-wired Chicago, a tap turns traffic lights, phones and cameras into traps to chase a personal vendetta. The premise sets it apart from the gun-and-car crowd. Whether its 2014 roots and divisive tone still hold up is the catch.

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11Saints Row IV: Re-Elected

Saints Row IV: Re-Elected

4.5(23,000)2015
ESRB Maturesci-fi
GoodReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for Saints Row IV: Re-Elected is largely positive, with many players enjoying the humor, superpowers, and entertaining gameplay. However, criticisms arise regarding technical issues, inconsistent gameplay experiences, and a sense of deterioration compared to previous entries in the franchise.

Why it's here: The gangster sandbox cranked past parody: the leader of a street gang becomes US President, then fights an alien invasion with superpowers, leaping skyscrapers and frying enemies mid-jump. Pure comic excess, not grounded crime. Whether that anything-goes silliness is the draw or a step too far from the genre is the call.

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12Mafia III: Definitive Edition

Mafia III: Definitive Edition

4.1(59,000)2020
ESRB Maturecrime
MixedReview analysis

Overall, player feedback on Mafia III: Definitive Edition is heavily polarized, with many praising its engaging story and atmosphere while criticizing its repetitive gameplay and numerous technical issues. While some players found the music and character development compelling, many others expressed frustration over the game's bugs and lack of identity compared to earlier titles in the Mafia series.

Why it's here: A Vietnam veteran tears down the mob that betrayed him, district by district, across a 1968 New Orleans soaked in period music and racial tension. The setting, story and soundtrack are the reason to play. Whether the repetitive open-world busywork between those beats undoes it is the well-known catch.

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13Sly 2: Band of Thieves™
Best for families

Sly 2: Band of Thieves™

4.9(9,308)2024
PS+ PremiumPS Plus PremiumESRB Everyone 10+fantasy

Why it's here: Proof that a crime game can be rated for kids: a master-thief raccoon and his crew case targets, slip past guards and pull off elaborate, episodic heists across a cartoon world. Playful caper, not gritty underworld. Whether grown-ups want their crime fix this gentle is the only real question.

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About Crime Games

Crime games put you on the wrong side of the law — running open-world gangster empires, planning heists, climbing the mafia ladder, or working noir cases from the inside. This list is hand-curated for the strongest crime experiences on PS5 and PS4, spanning sandbox action, organized-crime sagas, co-op robberies and stealth assassination, and ranked by player ratings and critic scores. Action games that only borrow a crime backdrop are deliberately left off so the picks actually deliver the genre.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best crime game on PS5?
Grand Theft Auto V is the standout open-world crime game on PS5 and PS4, with Red Dead Redemption 2 close behind for a story-driven outlaw epic. For organized crime, Yakuza 0 and Mafia: Definitive Edition are the strongest picks.
What is the best open-world crime game?
Grand Theft Auto V leads for sandbox freedom and heists, while Red Dead Redemption 2, Sleeping Dogs and Watch_Dogs offer distinct open-world takes — Western outlaw, Hong Kong triads and a hacked-out Chicago respectively.
Are there good heist games on PS5?
Yes. PAYDAY 2 is the best dedicated heist game here, built around four-player co-op robberies, and Hitman 3 delivers the assassination side of crime through intricate sandbox contracts. GTA V also features heist missions in both story and online modes.
Are any crime games suitable for kids?
Most crime games are rated Mature for violence and mature themes. The exception on this list is Sly 2: Band of Thieves, a cartoon master-thief platformer rated Everyone 10+ and the best family-friendly pick. Always check the ESRB rating on each game's detail page before buying for younger players.
How is this crime games list ranked?
This is an editorially curated list. Games are hand-picked for genuine crime gameplay — gangster, mafia, heist, noir and underworld experiences — and ordered by overall quality using player ratings and critic scores. Games that only use a crime backdrop without the gameplay are deliberately excluded.