Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the biggest video game launch of all time, and it’s not particularly close. Millions and millions of people are eagerly awaiting their chance to start up the game on Xbox or PlayStation and sink hundreds (or more) hours into Leonida, but there is a very large demographic that Rockstar’s game doesn’t target: families with kids.
GTA 6 is filled with drugs, murder, sex, and pretty much everything else you could think to put in the ESRB rating description for a video game. That means you probably aren’t letting your kids play it (seriously, please don’t), but there’s a good chance they’re going to experience some FOMO–especially if they hear other kids at school are playing it (though those kids are probably lying).
So, with that in mind, it’s a good idea to have some GTA alternatives ready to go, not only so your kids have something fun to play, but also so you can enjoy a game together. Below are 10 great Grand Theft Auto VI alternatives for kids and families, ranging from games that play like “baby’s first GTA” to games that take one element of Rockstar’s series and run with it … and one bizarre, family-friendly game that Rockstar happened to make itself.
Lego City Undercover (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Wii U, PC)
Of any game on this list, Lego City Undercover is the one that most resembles Grand Theft Auto in its structure, with access to a big open world and vehicles to drive. Because it’s a family-friendly game, however, you play as police officer Chase McCain rather than a hardened criminal, with a particular focus on detective work as you investigate crimes throughout the city. It supports two-person cooperative play, and because there are a whole bunch of movie references intended for parents rather than kids–unless you’ve shown them Shawshank Redemption already–you may want to pick up the second controller yourself.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, PC)
If you’re looking for an open-world alternative to GTA that puts a little more emphasis on combat, then Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a great choice. Mixing the dark, brooding tone you’d expect from Batman with a bunch of the Lego games’ silly gags, its structure opens up after the first few hours, letting you glide around the city or speed down the streets in the Batmobile. What really helps it stand out, however, is the combat, which plays like a simplified take on the Arkham games’ system that sees Batman effortlessly comboing and countering big groups of goons. In other words, it’s fantastic, and younger players should have a ton of fun beating up the bad guys.
Forza Horizon 5 and Forza Horizon 6 (Xbox Series X|S, PC)
You won’t be hurling people out of their vehicles so you can take their cars for a joyride, but the Forza Horizon games are fantastic not only for offering best-in-class racing, but also because they have collectibles and activities packed into every nook and cranny of their huge worlds. We specifically recommend Forza Horizon 5 and 6 here, not because they’re significantly better than their predecessors, but because they’re the only ones you can still purchase digitally. Music rights have meant the other entries have been delisted from various digital storefronts, but both Forza Horizon 5 and Forza Horizon 6 will keep your family entertained for weeks, if not months. Forza Horizon 5 is also available on PlayStation 5 in addition to Xbox and PC, with a similar PS5 release coming for Forza Horizon 6 in early 2027.
Little Kitty, Big City (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC, iOS, Android)
Is this big city as big as Vice City? No, but you’re playing as a little kitty. After falling from your high-rise apartment’s windowsill, you’re left figuring out how to get home via puzzles and exploration. It’s certainly not going to give you the white-knuckled adrenaline rush you’d get in something like GTA, but for kids–especially younger kids–who want to get into open-ended games, you can do a whole lot worse than Little Kitty, Big City. Of course, you’re also free to customize your kitty, so your kids can make them look just like your real-life pet, assuming you have one.
Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (Xbox 360 with backwards compatibility)
If you know, you know. Coming off the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar made Table Tennis. There is no murder in this game, unless you count an absolutely one-sided victory against your opponent in ping-pong. While it had fans scratching their heads at launch because of how unexpected it was from a studio known for open-world crime, Table Tennis is actually an extremely fun game that would be a blast for parents and kids to play together. You could make it a unique double feature, with a Forrest Gump viewing as the appetizer–though you’d probably have to skip all the Vietnam stuff, so you’d see Tom Hanks going directly from playing college football to winning the big ping-pong championship in China. And that’s all I have to say about that.
Everything (PS4, Switch, PC)
For years, people have said you can do practically “everything” in Grand Theft Auto, but there exists a game already that lets you be everything: Everything. You can be your favorite animal, something as giant as a planet, or something tiny and microscopic. You’re free to do pretty much whatever you want within this framework, and though it certainly doesn’t have the story or characters you’d get from a more traditional open-world experience, you can spend hours and hours exploring and discovering cool new things to control.
Mario Kart World (Switch 2)
The first game in franchise history to feature an open world, Mario Kart World combines traditional races with a quirky and secret-filled map to explore. It’s pretty enormous, filled with characters who you can watch travel, work, and chill, and it’s awesome to be able to see just how all the different racetracks actually connect to each other. With tons of costumes and other bonuses to unlock through racing, exploring, and completing challenges, it’s sure to keep your kids busy for a long time–and of course, it’s one of the best local multiplayer experiences there is.
Untitled Goose Game (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
One of the most enjoyable things you can do in Grand Theft Auto is mess with random people, whether it be on the streets of Los Santos or the beaches of Vice City. Untitled Goose Game puts you in the webbed feet of a very annoying goose who seems to want nothing more than to ruin someone’s day. You’re tasked with finding creative ways to do this, and they range from stealing stuff to just tossing someone’s lunch in a pond. It’s a whole lot milder than what you’d see in a GTA game, especially when it comes to the reactions from the human victims. In Untitled Goose Game, they’ll just wonder how their day got so bad, but in GTA, they might try to kill you.
Goat Simulator 3 (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC)
If Untitled Goose Game doesn’t provide enough mayhem and destruction for your family’s liking, perhaps we can interest you in Goat Simulator 3? The sequel to Goat Simulator (you didn’t miss it–there is no Goat Simulator 2), the premise seems like a joke, but that’s exactly why it’s so entertaining. As a goat, it’s your job to basically ruin the lives of everyone around you, whether that be by ramming into them at full speed or completely wrecking what they’re working on. You can also just go wild like you’re playing the weirdest version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater ever made, leaping or launching yourself into the air and trying to see how you can break a game that seems designed to be broken.
No Man’s Sky (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch 2, Switch, PC, iOS)
In terms of vastness, few games are going to compare to Grand Theft Auto VI when it comes out … but there is at least one that definitely beats it. No Man’s Sky was released over a decade ago and has gradually turned into one of the most feature-rich and impressive open-world (or perhaps open-universe) games of all time. You’re free to venture essentially anywhere, landing your ship on foreign planets before exploring to research their flora and fauna. Though it was initially a single-player experience, a robust multiplayer component is now included, and thanks to cross-play, it doesn’t even matter what system you have if you want to play with a friend or family member somewhere else.
